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Home>The Model Range>Care instructions>Lifting the boat and transportation
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Lifting the boat out of the water
When the summer is over, you should take the boat out of the water and winterise it appropriately well in time before the water freezes up. The boat should not be driven through ice-covered water or left in the ice through the winter. Winterising often means taking the boat to a specific place and lifting on a trailer or trestle supported securely and covered up.
Before you lift the boat up, you should do the following:
- Clean up the boat and wash off any visible dirt
- Remove any bilge water and superfluous items
- Change the engine oil
- Check the other instructions in the engine manual
Lifting and transporting the boat should be planned well in advance and make a winch ready, if necessary. Remove any water and loose items from the boat before transportation. But leave the safety equipment such as the fire extinguisher still in the boat. Also make sure that the bow rope is long enough to control the boat during the lift.
You can also back the trailer into the water and float and winch the boat on it, which makes it easy to pull the trailer on the shore and then tie the boat up securely to it. At this point you should check the electrical connection and the trailer tyre pressures.
Use fresh water to wash off any salt water. The grease nipples and bearings should be greased both before and after.
Trailer transportation
A trailer is handy for transporting a boat on land. Remember to check that the trailer is big enough to carry the boat, its engine and other equipment. Check your car's registration for the highest allowed weight of the trailer.
The trailer's keel bumpers should carry most of the boat's weight. Adjust the side guides to prevent the boat from moving sideways. Clean the guides of any sand and dirt to avoid scratching the bottom. Secure all locks.
Tie the boat tightly to the trailer before you begin transportation. The rope secured to the bow must be pointing downwards and straight ahead. You can prevent the stern from moving with a tie-down strap across the boat. Do not leave any loose items or load in the boat during transportation. Remove all the seat cushions and close all hatches properly.
The engine should ideally be in the downward position during transportation, but if the ground clearance is not sufficient, you have to tilt the engine up and secure it in place with something to protect the transom.
The trailer should be front-heavy. Make sure that the boat has been secured well enough on the trailer and that the weight of the boat is divided equally on the side guides. If able to move sideways, the boat may hit against a single guide, damaging the hull.
When you lower the boat off the trailer, remember to tie on the bow rope so that you can remove the trailer wire from the tow loop as soon as the boat is in the water.
When you have the boat out of the water, you can empty the boat by pulling out the plug at the bottom part of the transom. Remember to put the plug back before launching the boat again.
If the boat is kept on the trailer in between transportation, the tie-down straps must be loosened in between and re-tightened before the following transportation.
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