3 Essential Services to Conduct on your Sailboat in Winter
It is winter already, and you want your sailboat to remain in mint condition and be ready for spring. If you leave the boat unattended throughout the winter season, critical parts will deteriorate due to the cold weather. For instance, hoses left unattended become brittle during winter and easily crack as spring approaches. Therefore, doing adequate service to your boat in winter is of vital importance. Unfortunately, most sailboat owners believe that since they are not using the boat, then everything will be okay when spring arrives. Nothing could be further from the truth. While it is true that significant components lay idle throughout winter, essential servicing must be conducted in winter. This article highlights some critical services.
Antifouling
Fouling is when living organisms such as weeds, barnacles and slime attach to a boat's hull. Over time, fouling layers upon the hull, and it can cause severe problems if it is not removed on time. Since antifouling takes time, especially when there are multiple layers, winter is the best time to conduct such a service. If you plan to remove the fouling yourself, then you do not have to worry about tight deadlines. You have several months to ensure that every bit of fouling is off your boat's hull. After that, paint a new layer of antifouling paint so that you have a clean boat ready for spring.
Anode Replacement
Any part of the boat that is in contact with water must be protected against the corrosive electrolytes found in seawater. As such, zinc anodes are installed in the propeller to protect sensitive metallic components under the boat. Over time, the zinc anodes dissolve and need replacement. Since boaters are less likely to use their sailboats during winter, the best time to replace zinc anodes is winter. The reason for this is that boat manufacturers recommend that boat owners replace the zinc anodes every 12 months. With such scheduling, you are guaranteed that the new anodes will last you another twelve months of active boat usage.
Winch
A winch is another boat component that looks fine on the outside when it is not being used. However, every time boaters use a sailboat winch in the summer, dirt and metal grind down on the surface of the winch, which means it will need servicing. Although winches should be serviced depending on the frequency of use, most people don't perform servicing when parking their vessels for winter. Therefore, if there is debris inside the winch in winter, then the mechanism might not turn smoothly. Taking the winch apart right before you store it in the garage will go a long way towards ensuring that the winch functions optimally come spring.
For more information, contact a boat servicing technician.
