Preparing the boat for winter

Preparing the boat for winter With the onset of autumn, navigation of water transport ends. And this means There is only one thing - the time has come to prepare watercraft for winter. Whether it's a boat or yacht, wooden or plastic boat, inflatable rubber boat or kayak - All water transport requires proper care and storage. Right now In order to be on the water early in the spring, you need to prepare your boat for so that she can survive the winter without any problems. INFLATABLE BOAT It would seem that there was something complicated in it, I blew it off, put it in a bag and put it in the garage until spring. However, it's not that simple. It is better to store a rubber boat unfolded and slightly inflated. If the lack of free space does not allow this to be done in this way, then the boat can be store in a case, but following the storage rules. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because before putting the boat away for storage, it we still need to prepare for this. Let's start with this. Before laying down the inflatable the boat into a bag or case for storage, it should be washed thoroughly. It's possible do only with soapy water and a sponge. Gasoline or any other Organic solvents cannot be used. After you have cleaned the boat of sand, algae and oil stains, it must be rinsed with water. It is especially important to remove sand that accumulates between the bottom and sides. The washed boat must be dried in an inflated state.Before packing the boat, you need to check whether it is thoroughly dry, especially spaces between the bottom and sides. Rolling up an inflatable boat. Before rolling up the boat, the inner and outer surfaces should be sprinkle with talcum powder. For the uninformed, talc is the same as baby powder, which is sold in any pharmacy. The boat should be stowed as loosely as possible, since cracks may appear in places where there are bends. Once you've packed your boat, don't forget about it until spring. Required once every one and a half to two months to re-shift the boat, paying attention to the new folds do not coincide with the old ones, otherwise the rubber surface of the boat may fray. The boat should be stored in a dry place at room temperature. temperature, best in an apartment, because hungry rodents in the garage or shed They can easily chew through your ship. If it is not possible to store a boat in an apartment, and there are rodents and are really a problem, it is recommended to treat the boat with a special solution. And you should also remember that if the boat was stored for a long time low temperature, before inflating it with air it should be carefully transfer without removing from the case and warm up to above-zero temperature. WOODEN BOATS If you remember your childhood, the village and the river, you can also remember that no one I didn’t particularly try to somehow preserve the wooden boat. They just pushed her outto the shore, turned it upside down and that’s it. However, this is wrong and A wooden boat needs careful care. Having installed the boat for the winter, you should wash it thoroughly, starting with the underwater parts. Remove algae and mucus with a stiff brush, remove the durable layer of shells with a fine brush. sand. In the area of the waterline, the hull must be washed with gasoline or kerosene to remove traces of oil. It is recommended to wash the freeboard with soapy water and then then wipe it dry, peeling off any loose paint at the same time. Wood exposed during cleaning must be treated with drying oil after drying. If During the season, mold appeared on wooden parts, then these places should be rinse with a weak solution of bleach or any other bleach used in household. Metal boats and boats. Metal boats and boats Even though the boat is metal, you shouldn’t think that you can just abandon it on the shore until next spring and that’s it. Metal boats are also necessary wash them thoroughly, then clean the steel ones from rust with an iron brush, and duralumin - from oxide stains. It is advisable to cover exposed metal with a layer of primers. If the weather permits, it’s a good idea to do this with the entire body. Fiberglass boats Like any other vessel, fiberglass boats also need to be prepared for winter. First, you need to clean, wash and degrease with white spirit.boat surface. It is advisable to repair damaged coatings for the winter and paint. Bubbling and delamination of fiberglass can be caused by the phenomenon of osmosis, which most often affects ships that have been afloat for a long time, and, in mainly in sea water. The first signs of osmosis are small bubbles in the area waterline. boat If the bubbles are small and there are relatively few of them, then cope with such damage is easy. To do this, you need to open all the bubbles, rinse acetone and let dry for a week. Then you need to paint the damaged places with epoxy-based paint and fill the holes with epoxy resin with filler, and then cover the entire body with a layer of epoxy paint. If osmosis has affected a large area of the skin, then local repairs will not make do. In this case, you should remove the decorative layer on the entire damaged surface, sand it down and paint it again with epoxy resin pigment introduced into it. We can recommend them to owners of water transport with cabins be sure to ventilate before setting the vessel up for the winter. If there is possibility, then leave the entrance doors and hatch covers ajar, for room ventilation. Good for removing excess moisture from interior spaces. hang in them cloth bags with calcium chloride powder, which has high hygroscopicity.Light boats should be placed bottom up. Also, when storing water transport in the open air, you can recommend building trestles or racks. The distance from the ground should not be less than half a meter - this will facilitate repair and maintenance work. Light boats should be placed bottom up. If it is not possible to place the vessel indoors, it is advisable to make a canopy over it to protect from rain and snow. As a last resort, you can cover the boat or boat with a cover made of tarpaulin or other thick fabric. Now we know everything you need to know about how to preserve your water transport until next spring. All that remains is to wish - "until the next navigation"! Source: http://www.water-mir.spb.ru/