Yes, you must winterize your boat if you’re not in a warm, temperate area. By properly winterizing your boat now, you will save money and avoid surprises when launching your boat in the Spring. 

Here are our best tips for winterizing based on a boatload of mistakes we’ve seen when winter thaws.

1. If you have a depth sounder with CHIRP, you MUST disconnect the transducer to power down the machine if the boat is not in the water. If not, the transducer will overheat and become defective. You’ll not find this out until the boat is launched in the Spring and the transducer is not functioning. 
2. Temporarily Suspend plans with Direct TV and Starlink. 
3. Clean and Cover. If electronics are mounted on a bracket, dismount them and take them home to avoid theft. With our custom installations, add mild soap and fresh water to a microcloth and wash and dry the electronics left aboard. Then, cover each with its appropriate sun cover. Handwash exterior radars, sensors, and thermal cameras to remove salt. Do not use a pressure washer on external electronics. 
4. Save and Store. Store your waypoints, routes, and tracks by saving to an external drive. With multifunction displays, you can back up to a digital card or the app on your mobile device. 
5. Position and Park. Position the thermal camera to the 'park' position so the lens faces down. 
6. Check Antenna Cables and Fittings to ensure they are tightly connected. 
7. Most importantly - do not put shrinkwrap directly on the radar antenna. As shown in the above photo, this is the most common and most damaging technique for shrinkwraping. It will crack the dome. And without an air gap, the electronics inside the dome will sweat and cause water damage. Rob has collected cups of water from within improperly wrapped radar antennas. 

Questions, contact us.