Don’t You Dare Winterize Just Yet

Some states are known for their beautiful and picturesque seasonal transitions, especially in the northern and central U.S., where temperatures change dramatically throughout the year. If you live in one of these regions that experience all four seasons, you know there are challenges, and you often have to give something up to make way for something else.

While some seasonal changes can be positive, such as spring showers giving way to warm summer days, this time of year can cause anxiety for some boaters. The realization that fall is coming, with snow sure to follow, tends to signal that the boating season is about to come to an abrupt and unceremonious end.

Often the temptation to “get ahead of the line” at your local marina or dealership to winterize your boat and get it in storage has us putting up the white flag a little too early, in my opinion. With kids back in school and weekends dominated by professional and college football, calling it a season despite nice fall temperatures can be debated.

As tempting as it may be, don’t be in such a hurry to surrender. Before you make the call to put your pontoon or deck boat on the hard for the winter season, I can assure you there are still plenty of great boating days left on the boat season calendar.

September is a perfect time to be on the water. Boat traffic is likely to be down, so you might feel like you have the lake to yourself. Remember waiting in a long line on the Fourth of July weekend to launch or retrieve your boat? Wouldn’t you have given your last drink in the cooler to have a lane open when you first pulled up to the launch ramp?

Another point: if you enjoy seeing the leaves on the trees change from green to vibrant red, yellow and orange colors, why not view them from your boat? When seeking the breathtaking sights of the fall foliage, those colors seem to really pop when viewing them from the water. The front row seat you could be experiencing as the calendar turns from September to even October, gives you a unique perspective of the autumn colors that non-boaters aren’t able to experience from their cages–ahem–I mean, cars.

What about sports? Yes, the NFL and NCAA seasons kickoff in September, and as an avid football fan, I live for this time of year. There are multiple ways you can watch, including in-person at the stadium, from the bar stool of your favorite establishment, or even from your own couch at home. All great options, but I would argue that with the ability to watch sports on our phones and tablets these days (or in other words the ability to watch sports from just about anywhere), why not watch from the water? I’m not suggesting you watch every game from your boat, but there are some prime sunny fall days where you really could enjoy the best of both worlds.

My last and final plea for not giving up on the season too early: don’t make the off-season any longer than it needs to be. If you winterize too early, you’ll just be more tempted to launch in the spring, which often turns out to be a tease.

The desire to start boating early sometimes gets me into trouble. I’m unable to fight the temptation of an unseasonably warm stretch in March and end up getting my boat out of storage. Even though I know the higher and unseasonable temperatures won’t last, I convince myself boating season has arrived early, only to wake up to snow flurries the following weekend. Prolonging your boat’s hibernation actually shortens the winter gap.

If you live in a region where winter weather is on the horizon, be sure to winterize your boat at some point. I’m just saying don’t be in too big of a hurry to do it. Get out and enjoy your boat a little longer this fall. You’ll thank me later.

Brady L. Kay,
Pontoon & Deck Boat Editor