Winterizing & Storing Your Lund™ Boat

Now that the boating season is winding down, you’ll likely be packing everything in for winter. However, you can’t just throw a tarp over your Lund boat and presume it will be fine for several months out in the elements. To avoid having a lot of maintenance issues and potentially expensive repairs to complete come spring time, you should take the time now to properly winterize and store your Lund boat. Fortunately, this guide by Yankee Boating Center will help you to do just that! We have locations in Lake George, West Haverstraw and Diamond Point, New York, to best serve our customers, so if you have any questions about your Lund boat, come talk to us! 

Cleaning & Inspecting The Hull

It’s important to inspect your boat’s hull before you store it away. You want to catch and address any issues now so they don’t fester and become worse by March. Make sure there are no leaks or gouges in the hull. Then you’ll want to clean it thoroughly to keep the gel coat nice and pristine. Scrape off barnacles and algae, then rinse it with fresh water and scrub it with a gentle brush and marine soap. After you rinse it again, allow it to dry completely. Check the underwater gear and your propellers for signs of corrosion. Once these steps are finished, you should be done with the outside!

Washing The Deck & Interior

Now it’s time to clean the inside of your Lund boat. Thoroughly wash the deck, the cockpit, and all the railings. Instruments should be wiped down carefully. Apply polish to cleats and rails. If your boat has carpeting, make sure to clean and dry it so that it doesn’t develop mildew. Clean off your seat covers and dry them before you store your boat. Make sure you also remove all unnecessary items from your boat, whether that’s life jackets, watersports equipment, fishing gear, kids’ toys, food, medicines, inflatable inner tubes, or anything that could retain moisture and develop mold or mildew. You want your boat to be as clean as possible before you store her. Store all your boating items in a dry shed or closet until it’s spring.

Stabilizing Fuel

When putting your Lund boat away for winter, you should top off the fuel in the tank to prevent condensation from forming. Condensation will damage your engine over time. Add some fuel stabilizer to keep the gasoline from breaking down and corroding your engine as well, and check your Lund boat owner’s manual to see how much stabilizer you should add.

Storing The Battery

Finally, when storing your Lund boat, you’ll want to make sure that you’re taking good care of the battery. Batteries are an expensive boat component so you ideally want them to last as long as possible. Remove the battery from the boat and store it in a dry area where it won’t be exposed to freezing temperatures, as rapid temperature changes can make your battery less able to hold a charge over time. You should store your battery on a tender or trickle charger of some kind so that it maintains its charge through the winter. You’ll probably have to check on it a few times and make sure that the posts aren’t corroded. Be careful with this process. Whenever you’re working with the battery, we advise wearing rubber gloves, goggles, and an apron to prevent acid burns. 

Once you get the hang of it, winterizing and storing your Lund boat is a simple enough process that will ensure your boat remains in good condition during the off season. Visit one of our New York dealerships to see our inventory of new and used boats for sale, including Lund boats. We also provide boat maintenance and storage services as well as spring launching, so we can help you out with those tasks, too. Yankee Boating Center proudly serves the cities of Lake George, Haverstraw, and Albany, New York.