Winterize your boat

Before the first hard frost. Around Rice Lake that usually means from late September to the end of October — once overnight temperatures start touching freezing, water left in an engine can freeze and crack it. Book earlier rather than later: the last two weeks before freeze-up are the busiest of the marina year, and haul-out slots go first.

At Islandview Harbour engine winterization runs from $160 to $400, depending on whether it is a 2-stroke or 4-stroke outboard, its horsepower, or an inboard / stern drive. Shrink wrap and winter storage are priced by the foot and quoted separately. The full price list is on this page — you pick the services, and the running total is priced as you go.

Fogging, fuel stabiliser and antifreeze, so nothing freezes solid over the winter. The engine is run up, the cooling system is drained or filled with antifreeze depending on the type, the fuel is treated so it does not go off over five months, and the internals are fogged against corrosion. Oil and filter changes, propeller inspection and a fresh-water system flush are separate lines you can add.

Trapped water freezes, expands and cracks whatever is holding it — most often the engine block, the exhaust manifolds or the raw-water pump. Those are among the most expensive repairs on a boat and they are not usually covered by insurance, because freeze damage is treated as a maintenance failure rather than an accident. Untreated fuel also degrades over a winter and gums up carburettors and injectors.

Winter storage is priced by the foot: Storage — with trailer — $13/ft (min $300) · $220 for a PWC; Storage — no trailer — $16/ft (min $350) · $300 for a PWC. Storing without a trailer costs more because the boat needs stands and handling of its own. Haul out is a separate line, as is the spring launch.

Yes — shrink wrap is $18/ft. It is the difference between a cover that sheds a winter of snow and ice and one that pools water, sags and lets it into the boat. Wrap also keeps the interior dry enough that mildew does not take hold over five months. We can take the wrap back for recycling in the spring rather than it becoming your problem.

Yes to both. PWC and Sea-Doo winterization is $175, or more with an oil and filter change. Pontoons are routine here — hull and pontoon washing is priced by the foot, and pontoon enclosure removal and reinstallation is $3/ft.

Booking winterization, shrink wrap and storage together? Shrink wrap recycling, summer trailer storage, Spring Ready Service and your launch are all included at no extra charge.

Islandview Harbour is at 1087 Islandview Dr, Bailieboro, ON K9J 6X8, on Rice Lake, about 20 minutes south-east of Peterborough. We take winter work from across the Kawarthas, including Peterborough, Lakefield, Bridgenorth, Hastings and Norwood. Call (705) 939-6754 or book on this page.

On this page. Pick your boat, choose a removal date, tick the services you want, and the running total is priced as you go. You do not need an account to see prices — signing in is only asked for on the last step. If you would rather talk it through, call the dock on (705) 939-6754.