The season for swimming has come to an end unless you’re one of those polar bear type people, in which case the season is just beginning. But for the rest of us who like take out our jet skies, speed boats, and miscellaneous vehicles, right about now is when we need to start thinking about winterization. It’s never fun and sometimes costly but it’s an important necessity that must be carried out. Here are some tips to properly winterizing your craft and transporting such vehicles safely and most cost efficiently.

First things first, you want to maintenance and preserve the following three components of your vehicle: your fuel tank, your engine, and your battery. Servicing your fuel tank is easy. Basically all you have to do is top it off while adding some fuel stabilizer to the gas. That does exactly what it sounds like; it stabilizes the gas preventing it from going bad over the winter due to fluctuating temperatures. The fuel in your tank is like any other oil based fluid and can get thick and mucky when temperatures drop; this is definitely a process you want to avoid.

The engine is always the most important yet tedious part of any vehicle to service. Most importantly you must remove any and all water from the engine, and engine compartments. As we all know, water freezes and expands- this can cause serious and permanent damage to your vehicle’s engine. Once that is done, it’s not a bad idea to push some antifreeze through your vehicles cooling system. This can be helpful for obvious reasons; it will prevent frost from forming in or around any damp mechanisms. After doing this you’ll want to run the engine one last time and let it cool down before proceeding on to the next step.

Many times people over look this very simple step, and regret it come the warm season. Remove your vehicle’s battery. Regardless of where you store your craft it is best to remove and store the vehicle battery in a safe place. If you don’t, chances are your battery wont work at all when you try to use it again. Make sure you store batteries of any kind in a location safe from children and pets. Batteries contain acid that could cause serious, if not fatal, injuries if exposed.

Now to service the interior and exterior parts of your craft, give her a thorough wash using car soap, and when you’re done you might want to go the extra mile and give her a good waxing. This isn’t a step simply for vanity; it’s to remove any mineral deposits from the surface of the body. These deposits can become trapped and could expand making the situation much harder to deal with once you take your craft out of hibernation. You’re better off just nipping it in the butt and protecting the surface of your vehicle now.

Watercraft Auto Transport Services

You also want to make sure your craft is well oiled before you shrink wrap and store her away. Get yourself some fogging oil and spray all parts such as your carburetors and spark plug cylinders. Don’t forget to remove the actual spark plugs first before spraying surrounding areas. Once the oil is dry and you have wiped away any excess, you may return the spark plugs back to their homes. After all this is done, all you pretty much have to do is wrap her up and ship her off.

If you enjoy your water sport in a marina of some sort chances are they have a department that will shrink wrap your craft for you. If not, than you can simply purchase the appropriate cover and do this your self. It’s less affective than having a professional do it for you, but it’s good enough if done properly. When you’re ready to move your craft contact your trusted auto transport company and they’ll take care of the rest for you. Car transporters don’t only deal with cars, they deal with all types of vehicles and are used to transporting watercrafts of all sizes, including boats. It’s not wise to try and move a watercraft yourself. You can run into a lot of problems such as safely securing the craft to your vehicle, and transporting it without suffering exterior damages.

Also ask your car transport company to arrange the storage of your watercraft. All auto transporters have storage yards that they work with, and they will know the best location to keep your watercraft or vehicle throughout the winter. You’ll save money by going through your car transport company, and you’ll be able to rest easy until the spring. Keep your watercraft warm, and enjoy the winter.

–Marg