When are you getting your boat ready for the season?
 

I will start... Mid April if the weather holds up.

Opening weekend for us is May 1st, which is the day we've asked the marina to have our boat ready, but I've been wondering if they would valet us or allow us the use of an empty slip before then, if the weather cooperates.

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as has been for past 9 years, I take Delivery Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend

Boat will be slipped on May 1st......the excitement is building!

Boat will be in the water and at my dock the day of ice out. If not earlier if I can safety navigate it to my house! I'll be surfing and Wakeboarding in a dry suit the following weekend ahah

In my case, as soon as there's some open water on the small pond I live on. At this rate I'd think mid-March. With it being a small outboard runabout with a tarp on it (vs shrink wrap) it's easy to re-winterize if something should happen.

Which boat? :D

I need to wait for a mooring ball to be installed for my lake boat.

As soon as it's legal and the ice is gone I should be out in the shallower bodies of water. The tool for that is a 13' Old Town square stern with a brandy new Yamaha 2.5.

There are others that will be brought into service a little later in the year.

Wifey doesn't agree that this level of specialization is needed. ;)

My little boat is ready to go, shortest winter nap it's ever had, last trip on the water was the first of January. Was great to have it running again on the muffs in the garage.

If the weather doesn't change and the lake opens up, as I suspect it will, I am hoping to splash the boat early April this year, and maybe enjoy the boys spring break from school at the lake this year....

I need to get the boat polished, and cleaned up before she will go in the water though..... And I need to see if the Sundeck will hold up until the boys go to see there father this summer, at which point, I will be pulling the boat, and either doing it myself or paying for the sundeck to be rebuilt... Rot is an awful thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(of course if the sundeck isn't in good enough shape... well guess what, the sundeck will move to the front of the to do list.....

Scheduled with the Marina for May 7th


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Just sent my payment in for valet for the season. I'll be looking at May 20th, I think.

80 days, 22 hours, 43 minutes 14...13...12...11...10...

Hopefully Early This Year
 

As soon as I can safely navigate from Minge Cove Marina to my dock! I want to do some early-season salmon fishing this year.

A thread hijack for an early launch story:

A long time ago in a state not so far away...

My buddy and I headed out in my 12' aluminum boat for some ice off fishing. We launched and motored for a cove that would deliver the action. Upon reaching the entrance to the cove we found a barrier of ice that looked impassable. Not wanting to fish non productive areas we decided to use our mighty craft as an ice breaker. We powered the forward half of the boat onto the ice. Rocking the boat broke the ice and we continued into the cove for a slammer day of fishing.

On our return a week later we brought a third guy. Having had previous success with our technique, we briskly approached the ice. We expected a climb onto the ice with a fast, three guy induced break up.

That's not what happened!

With three guys the boat sat lower in the water. The bow hit the ice directly rather than climbing up onto it. Very cold water started pouring in fast enough to require bailing all the way back to the launch.

The moral to this story? It was the third guy's fault! ;)

When Fay's can get it out of the building...
 

Polish hull, change lower unit oil and in the water she goes.

As soon at the Eastern can exit Smith Cove from Fay's and get around the ice flows and over to Welch. Typically 2 to 4 days prior to official ice out. So in about another 2 weeks +/-. :D

Asap
 

ASAP after April 1st!! SALMON BEWARE!!!!

Question for those that put in early. Are you ever concerned about below freezing temperatures and bursting something?

1 st Trip to Cow Is.
 

Many years ago my wife & I went to the IS. on St Patricks day ! We launched boat in small cove with ice in but thin. Got in boat and moved ice around a little and off we went. We had to walk shore line a few camps over to get to ours as the end area of Orchard was still socked in. Still remember it as the earlest time to Island. I would bet I could beat that this year but age has a way of changing doing some of those things. I was first out in cove for many years and last to leave also. kx

Yeah I got stuck having to do that last year - wasn't fun trying to break through the ice to get to open water. Won't pull a stunt like that again.

Specialization
 

She obviously needs her own boat. Maybe a nicely restored laker and a big period Easter Bonnet?

Anyone have thoughts?

It takes some pretty deep extended cold to freeze an engine block. If the boat is on a trailer in your yard it might be a bit early to un-winterize. But if you are launching and its in the water it's a chance I might take given the long range weather outlook and the pattern of warmer than normal we have seen for about 8 months straight.....

Our outboard engine, shut it off and the water drains out.

As for out old I/O boat, sitting in 40 deg water it would take a long very cold freeze to do any damage.

Wanted to break her open today. :(

If the water temperature is above freezing and you have an inboard or an I/O the water will provide a significant amount of protection and hold the temperature on the drive. In most situations unless there is a very significant temperature drop the engine will be fine. Don't forget, the engine compartment on most all boats is mostly below the water line so that warmer water will transfer heat into your engine compartment.

If you put your boat in very early and the water temperature is above 34 or so but the air temperature drops, some people will put a 100 watt bulb on an extension cord in the engine compartment to keep it warm. Just make sure that you have no loose connections that may create a spark.

Getting ready last week... kinda

Went to the Portland Boat Show and bought a 2016 Berkshire 23' tri-toon. Plan was to look and buy NEXT year, but the boat talked to me...:) Going to schedule it for a Late April delivery.

Going to consign the 4 winns with the marina and sell the Sea Nymph. Having the storage location pull it out and prep it for summer early.

Lot of action on the Sea Nymph from craigslist, requesting more pictures, so unwrapping that on Friday and setting it up for the photo shoots. (listed here too)

Putting the snowblowers , shovels and other winter stuff away, already "summerized" the sleds and put them away weeks ago.

Ut oh!

Now you've done it. Here comes the April blizzard of 2016! :eek:

In time for Ice-Out
 

As soon as Ralph get's it ready... Last year it was in the slip a week before Ice-out... but could not go anywhere. Maybe we will unwrap it next weekend!!! Of course then we will have a blizzard. :look:

IG

2" at our house yesterday... but last Thursday... this went in