Should I cover my boat for the winter?

People that see a lot of boats know a lot about boats. Here’s a tip from Don Finkle with RCR Yachts:

The answer is YES. Our most common survey finding on used boats is water absorption in the deck. Every boat will have some, and it varies from nothing to worry about to the deck is toast, and so will be your ability to sell it someday.

In the summer, water runs off the deck or evaporates, but in the winter snow and ice sits there and gets into the deck through the various fittings. Over time, any water in the core will freeze and eventually spread. So keeping water off your deck over the winter is important.

Water also can freeze and crack deck scupper drains, letting water into the interior when you are not around to pump it out. A fitted winter cover or shrinkwrap is a worthwhile expense to protect the investment in your baby and avoid costly and messy repairs.