Winterize Your Boat Yourself and Save Hundreds of Dollars

It’s the end of the season and time to put away the Hawaiian shirts and water skis. The days are getting shorter. There’s a chill in the evening air. Days on the boat will soon be precious memories, it’s time to winterize your boat. Fall lay-up is quite possibly the single most important maintenance duty a boater will perform. Proper winterization will prevent costly damage that can result from freezing, dormancy, corrosion and moisture, and will allow for a smooth launch come springtime.

Without fogging the cylinders with fogging oil, severe rust may occur. Without flushing the cooling system or draining the gear oil case, trapped water can freeze, expand and destroy the expensive housing. Three or four hours of work and some inexpensive maintenance materials and tools can get the job done right.

Here is a fairly comprehensive list to guide you through the process. Depending on what type of boat you have, some of this may not apply, but for most boats, following these steps will provide safe haven for your boat and all of its parts throughout the winter. All of the materials are available at your local boating supply store.

Clean

• Clean your boat and apply a rust inhibitor on the metal hardware and on your steering and control cables.
• Use "No Damp" or other mildew control bags or buckets throughout the cabin and any enclosed lockers or compartments

Drain

• Drain the fluid from your engine block and manifolds, water pumps and coolers. Consult your engine manual for the location of all of the drain plugs.
• Drain and fill the gearcase with gearcase lubricant.
• Drain Porta-Potty and fresh water system. Add freshwater antifreeze to water tank and Porta-Potty

Fill

• Fill up the gas tank and stabilize with additives. Run the engine for approximately 15 minutes to ensure that the additive reaches the gasoline in your fuel lines.
• Pump antifreeze into the supply lines that lead to the faucets and shower.
• Fill block, manifold, and circulating pump with propylene glycol antifreeze (-200 antifreeze is best for engines).
• Backwash the cooling system and lower unit of the sterndrive to get rid of salt, sediment and rust flakes, by using an earmuff style flushing kit that clamps onto the water intake. Use a winterization kit to pull antifreeze into the cooling system.

Change

• Replace the fuel-water separator.
• Change oil and oil filters.
• Inspect belts and hoses, replace if necessary.
• Replace any sacrificial anodes (zincs in saltwater, magnesiums in fresh water) that are less than half of their original size.

Lubricate

• Grease the sterndrive gimbal bearing and engine coupler.
• Inspect and lubricate steering and trim.
• Grease your trailer bearings.

Fog

• Test run the engine and spray fogging oil on the cylinders until the engine stalls. This protects the inside parts from corrosion.

Paint

• Sand down and repaint the lower unit to prevent rust.

Take Home

• Remove the battery and store it in a safe dry place. Check battery fluid levels.
• Remove interior cushions and jumpseats and store in a cool, dry place. Otherwise, place the cushions on ends to allow for maximum ventilation, thereby reducing mildew damage.
• Be sure to remove any food or drink from the boat. Rodents cannot refuse that Snickers bar and love to rear their young in boats. Also remove any charts, linens, electronics that could be damaged by moisture.

Also

• Store boat in a garage or other temperature controlled facility if possible. If not, cover the boat with shrink-wrap or a large tarp.
• If your boat is stored on a trailer, block the wheels so they are off the ground and loosen tie-down straps to reduce stress on the hull.
• Store your inflatables away from rodents, who love to eat hypalon and PVC fabrics. Also, do not leave the inflatable exposed to the elements - clouds do not inhibit UV rays.

Our First Chaparral Test: The 284 Sunesta

Chaparral is widely known for building high end boats that also add great looks to the package. They are more expensive than many similar boats, but that means owning one carries along with it a hefty dose of pride of ownership, because they’re not for everyone. Even a casual look will tell you that the 284 Sunesta was not thrown together, but when we looked closer we found some surprises. When we were taking our initial look around the hull of our test boat, we counted four innovative factors, and we weren’t even onboard yet. This is one boat we recommend you see for yourself.

Key Features

* Kevlar reinforced hull
* Extended V-Plane hull
* Quad-radial lamination
* Maxguard gelcoat and hydropel resin
* Aft power slide lounge seating converts to sun lounge
* Stainless steel Eliptical grab rails and bow rails
* Stainless steel bows on oversized Bimini top
* Integrated extended swim platform
* Walk-thru transom with stainless steel gate
* Cockpit wet bar with sink, trash chute, & solid surface top
* Enclosed head with Porta-Potti and opening port light

Prepare Your Boat for Winter!

It's that time of year again where it is important to begin thinking about preparing your boat for winter!

Winterization is important because it protects your boat from the harsh conditions of the season, such as strong winds, low temperatures, and snow. By setting aside the time to winterize, you are protecting your favorite investment - your boat!

There are many steps to the winterization process and the more technical preparations are best tackled by consulting a qualified boat mechanic. Below is an abbreviated list of some of the steps that should be taken to prepare your boat for winter.

• Verify that all your lights and switches are working, even those on the trailer. You don't want to be bothered with a blown light come springtime.

• Change the oil and filters on all engines and fog the engines.
  

• Fill your gas tank and add gas stabilizers. Next, run your engine for 15 minutes to ensure that the additives reach the gas in your fuel lines.

• Go through each storage compartment and remove anything that is no longer needed or liquid.

• Place stern drives in the full down position

• Remove the battery and store it in a dry place

• Remove everything from your cooler, refrigerator, ice maker, etc. Clean these thoroughly!

• Dispose of all food to keep the pests away!

• Drain your porta potti and fresh water system. Then add freshwater antifreeze to the water tank and porta potti.

• Place a dehumidifier or mildew control bags throughout the cabin and in compartments to prevent mildew.

• Store your boat in a temperature controlled facility or shrink wrap your boat.
  

Overwhelmed by the list above? Don't worry - Sunrise Marine is here to help! We offer winterization services, including engine service and boat shrink wrapping. To set up an appointment, visit our website at www.destinsunrisemarine.com or call us at 850-243-0414.

Your New Skeeter Dealership!!

We are proud to announce that Sunrise Marine is now a dealer for Skeeter boats!

To celebrate, we are giving away a Skeeter Prize Pack to one of our lucky Facebook Fans! Simply 'like' Sunrise Marine on Facebook to be entered. On the afternoon of October 15th we will draw one name to receive the prize!


Over sixty years ago, Skeeter built its first boat, which also happened to be the world's first bass boat. Three years later, Skeeter also developed the first bass boat from fiberglass, a significant manufacturing event! Skeeter continues to raise the bar, leaving the rest of the boating industry in a 'wake of innovation'! Skeeter is committed to providing the ultimate fishing experience for passionate anglers by offering the highest quality products and services.


Come see the Skeeter difference by visiting Sunrise Marine today!

Sunrise Marine Tag Sale: October 1st and 2nd!

Sunrise Marine is pleased to announce a Tag Sale will be held on Friday October 1st and Saturday October 2nd from 8:30am to 5:30pm.

We will have a wide selection of inventory for sale, including bimini tops, upholstery, deck lids, and more! As you've come to expect, our experienced staff will be on hand to assist you with your purchases.

Burgers and drinks will also be provided in the afternoon.

Look for the big Yamaha tent and balloons! Sunrise Marine is located on Hwy 98 West in Mary Esther. We are 1 mile west of Hurlburt Field.

Recycled Boat Crosses Ocean

A boat made out of 12,500 recycled plastic bottles has reached dry land after sailing across the Pacific Ocean.

Click here for full story and video!

Choosing the right electronics for your boat

When equipping your boat with electronics, it's important to consider several factors in your electronics choices. Choosing the right electronics will make your boating experience more enjoyable and give you much needed safety on the water. So before you buy, take in account some important factors when choosing which electronics are right for you and for your boat. And remember, Sunrise Marine can help you with any of your electronics questions (and we are just a phone call away)!

1. The boat electronics you should choose should be an automatic identification system, or AIS. It is used by boats and by the Vessel Traffic Services to find and identify boats. Your AIS gear is the most important electronic device you'll buy. It allows vessels to exchange electronic data including position, identification, and course. The AIS transponder will cause your vessel to show up on computer screens at Vessel Traffic Services stations. If you have an emergency or should become lost this is critical.

2. A GPS system is another important piece of boat electronics your boat should have. One of the more popular choices is for a multifunction display that puts several different instruments onto one screen. Such multifunction machines can even allow you to run radar and fishfinder data through one display. They are also relatively easy to expand for other functions and displays.

3. If you have a choice of displays, remember that the larger it is, the easier it will be to see. And keep in mind that on a boat, viewing conditions can be far from optimal due to sun glare, storms, and swells. If you can afford a 10 to 12 inch display, that's best, but you should definitely choose at least a 7 inch display for your boating electronics.

4. If you are interested in on-board entertainment, you can coordinate your display for several peripheral boat electronics. Other devises like satellite receivers, computers, DVD players and music systems can be connected. All of these are great extras to have, however, don't get them in lue of choosing quality safety gear. And make sure that all your navigation equipment is mounted where it access is easy.

5. Another good investment in the safety of your boat is a depth sounder or fishfinder. If the weather turns bad, a depth sounder combined with your GPS plotter can help get you safely back to shore.

6. There is an ever changing selection of marine electronics products made available for the boating industry. There are now laptop computers designed specifically for use in boats. These computers perform like standard laptops do, but they can also be equipped with special software like RayTech RNS 6.1, which allows multi-format charting, hsb2 electronics integration, and worldwide tides and currents among its many functions.

In summary, your AIS device, GPS plotter, and depth sounder are the most critical pieces of boat electronics for your vessel because they pertain to your safety and the safety of your passengers. Have these pieces in place first, and if it's in your budget, there are plenty of extras you can add in the way of entertainment equipment and fish finding devices that you can have fun with. If you have questions about what electronics are right for you, give Sunrise Marine a call at 850-243-0414 and we will be happy to help you!

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