Winterizing- Winterizing is more than just freeze protecting your boat.  It is also preparing your boat for an extended period of non-use.
    Texas winters are unpredictable.  You can have a balmy 70’ afternoon followed by a hard freeze within a day or two.  One hard freeze can cost you $9,000.00+ (per engine). 
     Last winter was pretty mild, but even then I remember one afternoon where the roads were iced over.  The power was out and we were out there trying to drain boats that had covers full of ice and engine lids that were literally frozen shut.  We had less than 24 hours warning before that freeze.  
    Even if you take the freezing issue out of the equation, proper winterizing still makes good sense.  “A flooding carburetor, stuck fuel injector, a battery that drained down to nothing” is miserable.  These are just samples of problems you can encounter in the springtime if your boat wasn’t prepared for storage.  Most of these problems cost much more to fix than simply winterizing the boat would have.  The other “cost” is downtime in the spring when you are ready to start boating again and the boat won’t go.  Which is a better deal?
    Let Eriksen Marine worry about these things.  Winterizing your boat is probably the best service value per dollar you can spend with us. It is not expensive especially considering the risks and costs of winter damage. 
    Do you want to use your boat through the winter?  An alternative is our “Monthly Winter Maintenance Program”.  You can use your boat and have it protected too.  This option is described on the fax form and on the website.  This is worth doing if you live out of town or won’t see your boat for long stretches of time.  Just having someone regularly check your boat helps.  Some customers have us do a “year round” version of maintenance just for this reason.
    On the back of this sheet is a simple form that you can complete and fax to us.  Or, you can do it online at eriksenmarine.com. 

Winter Service Discount- If you sign up for either one of our winterization programs, you qualify for a 10% labor discount off any routine maintenance if it is done when we winterize the boat. Routine maintenance would be items like oil changes, impellers, drive service, gear lube etc. Experienced boaters know that off-season maintenance saves money, reduces down time, and makes for a smooth start in the springtime. This is the only time of year that we discount our work. Take advantage of it!

Fiberglass and Bottom jobs- This is also the perfect time of year to do those big jobs that you have been putting off because you didn’t want to take the boat out of service.  For a limited time this winter we will be offering off-season rates on glass repair and re-finishing. Call us for an estimate. 

Don’t forget your boat – Even if you don’t use your boat this winter don’t forget to come and check on it. Covers blow off, hoists leak down, shaft packing’s leak, critters get in, batteries boil dry, dock lines break, etc.  Please come and check on your boat once in awhile.  We try to keep an eye on things but nobody knows your boat like you do. If you prefer to winterize your boat yourself we have all the supplies you need in our parts department. We will be happy to set you up with the “right stuff”.