Boating: A Year-Round Love Affair
Published: Friday, January 1, 2021
By: Melissa Walsh
For boaters in the Great Lakes region, there are two seasons: boating season and not-yet-boating season. Whether your boat is floating on the water or hibernating under shrinkwrap, she’s a major commitment that needs your tender loving care year-round. The memories she’ll bring are priceless.
January: Think about summer
Boat shows allow you to step into summer off-season. In the Great Lakes region, January is boat show time with shows in Chicago, Cleveland, Toronto, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Minneapolis. You could attend a boat show in this region each weekend in January and find more to visit regionally and nationally throughout February and March. If you purchase a new boat, start budgeting for all the fixed and non-fixed costs that come with boat ownership.
Sailing clubs and sail lofts host sail sale events in January and throughout the off-season. Sailors remind themselves how much they’re saving in gas by not powerboating. Meanwhile, power boaters remark, “I can’t believe how much sailors spend on sails.” If you’re a sailor, January might be a good month to plan a new-sail budget. A new sail will put you back thousands of dollars depending on boat length, quality of the sail material, and the type of sail.
February: Make boat decisions
By the time February rolls in, boaters ought to be planning for the upcoming season. It’s time to decide whether to get a new boat or new sails and, if keeping the boat you already own, determining what will be required for its upkeep. You might also want to investigate purchasing new bells and whistles, such as the latest nav equipment, LED lighting, communication devices, etc. Sailors will want to list replacement needs for halyards, sheets, shackles, cleats, and winches.
It’s also time to reserve a boat well. They go fast. By the end of the month, you should know where your boat’s summer home will be.
March: Prepare for safety and comfort
March is time to dip into your boating-season savings for trips to the marine store to purchase the items on your boating shopping list. It’s also a good time to gather your boat’s seat cushions, anchor, lines, life jackets, first-aid kit, and marine safety equipment and return them to the boat. Check expiration dates on flares and fire extinguishers, ensure floatation devices are buoyant, and be sure navigation equipment powers up. Make sure the horn works.
Read applicable laws and guidelines for marine safety equipment, some of which vary depending on location. Boat insurers may have additional requirements for you to follow. This is a good time of year to check in with your insurer to ensure your watercraft policy is sufficient and active.
By March, you and your crew should have taken a boating-safety course or be registered to take one. It’s important that everyone onboard knows the basics of safely operating the boat and what to do in case of an emergency. The US Coast Guard Auxiliary, US Power
Squadron, and state boating agencies offer in-person and online courses throughout the year. The US Sailing Safety at Sea Course is an in-depth safety course for cruisers and racers; certification is good for five years and is required for some Great Lakes races.
April: Roll up your sleeves
De-winterization mechanical maintenance involves checking battery terminals for corrosion and charging the batteries, examining spark plugs (many owners replace spark plugs each spring), and assessing the drive system. Inspect wiring harnesses for damage and hoses and lines for cracks and leaks. Make sure gauges, shore power, lights, and antennas are functioning. Check levels for engine oil, power-steering fluid, and coolant; many owners replace these fluids annually. If you use a trailer, check for damage of the frame and springs. Inspect the brake lights, tires, and latch assembly and hitch.
With spring comes considerable boat maintenance — cleaning, sanding, buffing, and probably painting. Give the hull a thorough washing with a mild detergent. Sand the bottom and apply an antifouling paint for freshwater, designed to prevent zebra mussels, weeds, and algae from sticking to the hull. Some antifouling paints include a copper compound, leaving the hull with the conventional copper-sheathing appearance of old ships. (Do not apply paint with cuprous oxide to an aluminum hull or outdrive.) To brighten up the hull’s fiberglass gelcoat, you’ll need a good wax and buffer, and lots of elbow grease.
May: Connect with boaters
May is a good time to connect with other boaters by joining a yacht club or cruising club. Whether it’s a yacht club requiring membership for a well onsite or a smaller club of members from area marinas who meet up each weekend and take occasional boat trips together, you’ll develop new friendships based on boating fun. You might join a few other boats for weeks-long convoys around the Great Lakes, stopping in at the region’s wonderful ports. Many sailors compete in club and regional regattas, which cultivate sailing friendship and fantastic sailor stories.
May is also a good time to get a new paper chart of each lake you plan to travel or race on. Because water levels change each year and electronic nav equipment can fail, you should always have a recent paper chart on board.
June: Celebrate boating
June is the month boaters find themselves skipping land parties in order to spend every free hour on the water. Recreational toys like water skis, wakeboards, and tubes will make your powerboat extra fun. Even tubing behind a sailboat in good air is enjoyable.
Turn your boat into a waterfront cottage by accessorizing it for cottage comforts, such as a cooler and boat grill. Add magnetic board games and playing cards for deck family time. Welcome the family dog aboard with a doggie boat ladder. If your boat isn’t already equipped with a marine generator, consider purchasing a small portable generator for overnight trips at sites without shore power.
July: Find boating adventure
Early July is fireworks time, and there is no better place to ooh and awe than on the lake in your boat. July also is packed with events for boaters, as popular Great Lakes’ ports host special events to attract transient boaters to their marinas, such as Put-in-Bay’s ‘Christmas in July’ annual event.
For sailors, July is race-to-Mackinac Island month, either from Chicago or Port Huron, or both. In fact, local regatta series go on break during the Mack-race weeks due to high participation by Great Lakes sailors in both races. For the families of the racers, this means land support—watching their favorite boat’s progress via online tracking and bringing the “land bag” to the island and welcoming their racer with cheers.
August: Get the most out of the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes system is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, if you ask me. If you have a large enough boat, explore this wonder by boat. August is a good month for traveling these fresh-water seas. Before each trip, recheck communication and navigation equipment and learn about weather-forecasting. Also prepare a float plan and share it with a family member or friend on land.
September: Fall into fall boating
There are plenty of sunny days in September. Seize each one by spending time on your boat cruising a far less-crowded lake. Make sure to fuel-up ahead of time, as marine gas docks may be reduced this time of the season.
Pack warm clothing and dress in layers, as a warm sunny day quickly becomes a very cool evening in September (enhanced with a harvest moon). Because the sun sets sooner in the fall, also have onboard a flashlight or headlamp with a red-light option; a white light is blinding.
October: Winterize
October is time to part with your boat for the winter. For its healthy hibernation, winterize it properly. Though water is your boat’s friend in warm weather, it’s its worst enemy in the cold. Because ice left behind causes corrosion and mold, be sure to drain all water, add antifreeze to water systems, and remove drain plugs. Your owner’s manual will recommend best practices for winterizing the engine. Cover your boat securely with a heavy tarp or shrink wrap if storing it outdoors.
November: Give thanks for boating
If you can afford to own a boat, you’re blessed. November is a good time to reflect on the joy of boating. It’s also a good time to find reduced boating supplies and apparel online, just in time for the holidays, too.
December: Discover ice boating
If you really miss Great Lakes boating, you can follow the ice boaters out to the lake and watch how they get their winter-time boating kicks. Maybe this is the month to buy an ice boat.
About the Author
Melissa Walsh was raised on the shores of the heart-shaped lake nestled between the St. Clair and Detroit rivers that pumps the lifeblood of water recreation and the “blue economy” in Southeast Michigan. She’s enjoyed learning to navigate the shallow depths and sail the shifty winds of Lake St. Clair. So naturally, as a freelance journalist and boat broker in Detroit, Walsh delights in writing about power boating and sailing.
This article first appeared in the Buyer's Guide 2021 (Nov/Dec 2020) of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
tags: Great Lakes, Winterization
