Spring has sprung and if you’re anything like us, your watersports addiction is in need of some serious attention. We’re almost there. Now is a good time to start thinking about getting your boat ready for a long summer packed full of new tricks landed, personal bests achieved—and most importantly—memories with families and friends. We always recommend having a dealer take care of the de-winterizing process, but here are the broad strokes as well as some DIY points that can ensure your first day of the season is smooth.
The process involves hooking the boat up to a water source and running the engine to clear it of all the environmentally-friendly antifreeze. From there, any hoses that were disconnected need to be reattached and fluids need to be refilled/topped off.
In areas of the country where it freezes, you need to wait until winter is definitely over. There’s no sense in de-winterizing your boat just to have another hard freeze. Make sure summer is truly on its way. With a long history of servicing boats in your area, your local dealer can advise you on when the best time is to get the process started.
If you have a Malibu trailer, it’s likely there’s not much you’re going to need to worry about other than making sure the recommended PSI of air is in the tires. That can be found on the tire’s sidewall. Here again, your dealer can take care of ensuring your trailer is in good working order before you head out on the road.
If you didn’t knock this out in the fall, now is the time for an oil change. Keeping a fresh filter and oil in your engine is probably the single most important thing you can do to keep your Malibu running strong for years to come.
If you have fresh, stabilized fuel in your gas tank you can just top it off at the pump. If your tank is empty, fill it up with new gas for a long day on the water.
Locate the boat’s drain plugs so you’re ready to go when you get to the ramp. It sounds obvious, but most longtime boaters have been humbled by this at least once.
Now that you’ve taken care of the nuts and bolts, don’t neglect the main reason you’re going out on the water in the first place. Make sure your watersports gear is ready to go and in good condition. It’s really easy to get out on the lake with everything but a surf rope or a watersports flag. Don’t forget to reinstall your ballast bags if you pulled them out as well.