Repair & maintenance guides

How to Fog an Engine for Storage

Coat the inside of your engine's cylinders with fogging oil before a long layup so rust does not form over the winter. Learn when fogging applies, how it differs for carbureted, fuel-injected and direct-injection engines, and why your maker's instructions come first.

How to Keep Mice and Rodents Off Your Stored Boat

Mice love a stored boat: dry, quiet and full of soft nesting material and tasty wire insulation. Learn how to remove what attracts them, close their way in, choose deterrents and traps that actually work, avoid the risks of poison, and check the wiring safely in spring.

How to Keep Your Boat in the Water Over Winter (De-Icers, Covers and Checks)

Wintering afloat can be safe if you still winterize every water system, keep the bilge pump and batteries working, use a de-icer correctly on a GFCI-protected circuit, respect the shock and thin-ice risks, and visit the boat regularly.

How to Winterize (and Recommission) Your Boat's Freshwater System

Protect the tank, pump, water heater, faucets and showers from freeze damage with non-toxic antifreeze, then flush and sanitize everything in the spring so the water is clean again. A cracked pump or split fitting is a common, avoidable winter repair bill.

How to Winterize a Gas Inboard Ski or Wake Boat (Direct Drive and V-Drive)

Ski and wake boats with a gasoline inboard (MasterCraft, Malibu, Nautique and similar) have more places to trap water than an outboard: the engine block and manifolds, the heater, the transmission cooler, ballast tanks and the shower. Learn the order of the job, how to protect the fuel and oil, how to drain or fill with antifreeze the way your engine maker says, and the spots owners miss.

How to Winterize a Pontoon Boat: Engine, Tubes, Furniture, Cover and Storage

Put a pontoon away for winter the way pontoon builders describe it, covering the outboard, the tubes and their drain plugs, furniture, vinyl and flooring, rodents, a cover that won't collapse under snow, and trailer or lift storage. Engine and water jobs link to the detailed BoatMend guides.

How to Winterize a Sterndrive (MerCruiser, Volvo Penta and Similar)

Get the water out of your sterndrive engine, protect it with antifreeze, and service the drive before storage. A cracked block or manifold from one missed drain plug can cost thousands, and doing it yourself saves a shop bill of several hundred dollars.

How to Winterize an Outboard Engine

Protect your outboard from freeze damage, stale fuel and internal corrosion over the off-season. Most owners can do it in an afternoon with basic tools, compared with a shop bill that often runs several hundred dollars.

Spring Commissioning - Getting Your Boat Ready for the Season

Wake your boat up after storage with a step-by-step check of the battery, fuel system, engine, drive and safety gear. Catching a cracked hose or dead battery in the driveway beats a tow on opening weekend, and saves a typical shop commissioning fee.

Storing a Boat on Stands and Blocks: Keel Blocking, Stand Placement and Safety Chains

Learn how a boat should sit on keel blocks and boat stands for winter or a haul-out, so you can check the yard's work, spot dangerous setups, and keep your boat from settling, distorting or falling over in wind, rain or a storm.

Winter Boat Cover vs Shrink Wrap: Support, Ventilation, Safety and Spring Removal

Choose between a reusable winter cover and shrink wrap, build a support frame that sheds snow, vent it so the boat doesn't mildew, and know the fire risks before you try DIY shrink wrap. Includes spring removal and recycling.

Winter Layup Master Checklist (Step-by-Step, With Links to Each Job)

One ordered checklist for putting any boat away for winter, from booking storage and treating the fuel to winterizing the engine, water systems, head and batteries, then blocking, covering and securing the boat. Each step links to the detailed BoatMend guide for that job.