As September 2022 rolled around, it was time to think about pulling the boat and getting it prepared for its winter layup. 

Trailer Adjustments . . .

I wanted to make a few ‘tweaks’ to the trailer in order to improve the retrieving process, based on our initial retrieval back in Nov 2021.  The boat was a bit hard to get fully on the trailer and it ended up about 4” off center.  Normally that would be OK, but the bunks were set at the trailer factory according to the spacing of the hull strakes, so the boat would sit awkwardly on one strake (or the other) if it was not aligned well during the retrieval. 

12,000 lbs. of boat is not something that you can easily re-adjust once on the trailer.  So, I planned to make a few adjustments that would make the retrieval easier and more self-centering.  I figured that 2 things would help . . .

1. (1)Move the main bunks out an inch or 2  (there was only about 1”  of outward adjustment to reach the maximum width)
   

2. (2)Move the trailer guides (goal posts) in an inch or 2
   

These two changes made the Fall 2022 retrieval much easier and the boat aligned itself quite well on the strakes . .  . maybe within 1/2” of dead center.. 

The pictures below tell the story . . .

BEFORE ADJUSTMENT

AFTER ADJUSTMENT

Winterization . . . Such a fancy and sometimes confusing term for basically ‘preventing freeze damage’ . . . but I guess ‘winterization’ sounds better.

Anyway, this boat is similar to my previous boat in terms of what it needs for winter layup.  There is a handy 1-point drain system with air purging.  However, I just run -100˚F antifreeze and drain what ever amount wants to come out at the distribution housing.

I off-load the fuel and put back a small amount of fogging mix to run through the engines.

This boat has Air Conditioning, which also needs some antifreeze.

I have a large canvas cover (winter cover) from a Grady 305 that does a decent job of covering the boat, even though this boat is a few feet longer.

I have made some wood frames/posts to support the cover, which allows it to shed water.

As with any boat sitting on a trailer during winter, I use jack stands to take some of the load off of the axles/wheels, particularly considering that there will be some snow load during the winter.

The trailer is aluminum with stainless steel hardware, all of which makes it well-suited for salt water use.

The lights are all sealed LED, which is another good thing.

The remote rearview camera helped out with backing into the driveway.  I can mount the camera on the truck or the boat, as needed.

So far, so good.