t’s that time of year again where it is important to begin thinking about preparing your boat for winter!
Winterization is important because it protects your boat from the harsh conditions of the season, such as strong winds, low temperatures, and snow. By setting aside the time to winterize, you are protecting your favorite investment – your boat!
There are many steps to the winterization process and the more technical preparations are best tackled by consulting a qualified boat mechanic. Below is an abbreviated list of some of the steps that should be taken to prepare your boat for winter.
Verify that all your lights and switches are working, even those on the trailer. You don’t want to be bothered with a blown light come springtime.
Change the oil and filters on all engines and fog the engines.
Fill your gas tank and add gas stabilizers. Next, run your engine for 15 minutes to ensure that the additives reach the gas in your fuel lines.
Go through each storage compartment and remove anything that is no longer needed or liquid.
Place stern drives in the full down position
Remove the battery and store it in a dry place
Remove everything from your cooler, refrigerator, ice maker, etc. Clean these thoroughly!
Dispose of all food to keep the pests away!
Drain your porta potti and fresh water system. Then add freshwater antifreeze to the water tank and porta potti.
Place a dehumidifier or mildew control bags throughout the cabin and in compartments to prevent mildew.
Store your boat in a temperature controlled facility or shrink wrap your boat.
Overwhelmed by the list above? Don’t worry – Sunrise Marine is here to help! We offer winterization services, including engine service and boat shrink wrapping. To set up an appointment, visit our website at www.destinsunrisemarine.com or call us at 850-243-0414.
We are proud to announce that Sunrise Marine is now a dealer for Skeeter boats!
To celebrate, we are giving away a Skeeter Prize Pack to one of our lucky Facebook Fans! Simply ‘like’ Sunrise Marine on Facebook to be entered. On the afternoon of October 15th we will draw one name to receive the prize!
Over sixty years ago, Skeeter built its first boat, which also happened to be the world’s first bass boat. Three years later, Skeeter also developed the first bass boat from fiberglass, a significant manufacturing event! Skeeter continues to raise the bar, leaving the rest of the boating industry in a ‘wake of innovation’! Skeeter is committed to providing the ultimate fishing experience for passionate anglers by offering the highest quality products and services.
Come see the Skeeter difference by visiting Sunrise Marine today!
Sunrise Marine is pleased to announce a Tag Sale will be held on Friday October 1st and Saturday October 2nd from 8:30am to 5:30pm.
We will have a wide selection of inventory for sale, including bimini tops, upholstery, deck lids, and more! As you’ve come to expect, our experienced staff will be on hand to assist you with your purchases.
Burgers and drinks will also be provided in the afternoon.
Look for the big Yamaha tent and balloons! Sunrise Marine is located on Hwy 98 West in Mary Esther. We are 1 mile west of Hurlburt Field.
When equipping your boat with electronics, it’s important to consider several factors in your electronics choices. Choosing the right electronics will make your boating experience more enjoyable and give you much needed safety on the water. So before you buy, take in account some important factors when choosing which electronics are right for you and for your boat. And remember, Sunrise Marine can help you with any of your electronics questions (and we are just a phone call away)!
1. The boat electronics you should choose should be an automatic identification system, or AIS. It is used by boats and by the Vessel Traffic Services to find and identify boats. Your AIS gear is the most important electronic device you’ll buy. It allows vessels to exchange electronic data including position, identification, and course. The AIS transponder will cause your vessel to show up on computer screens at Vessel Traffic Services stations. If you have an emergency or should become lost this is critical.
2. A GPS system is another important piece of boat electronics your boat should have. One of the more popular choices is for a multifunction display that puts several different instruments onto one screen. Such multifunction machines can even allow you to run radar and fishfinder data through one display. They are also relatively easy to expand for other functions and displays.
3. If you have a choice of displays, remember that the larger it is, the easier it will be to see. And keep in mind that on a boat, viewing conditions can be far from optimal due to sun glare, storms, and swells. If you can afford a 10 to 12 inch display, that’s best, but you should definitely choose at least a 7 inch display for your boating electronics.
4. If you are interested in on-board entertainment, you can coordinate your display for several peripheral boat electronics. Other devises like satellite receivers, computers, DVD players and music systems can be connected. All of these are great extras to have, however, don’t get them in lue of choosing quality safety gear. And make sure that all your navigation equipment is mounted where it access is easy.
5. Another good investment in the safety of your boat is a depth sounder or fishfinder. If the weather turns bad, a depth sounder combined with your GPS plotter can help get you safely back to shore.
6. There is an ever changing selection of marine electronics products made available for the boating industry. There are now laptop computers designed specifically for use in boats. These computers perform like standard laptops do, but they can also be equipped with special software like RayTech RNS 6.1, which allows multi-format charting, hsb2 electronics integration, and worldwide tides and currents among its many functions.
In summary, your AIS device, GPS plotter, and depth sounder are the most critical pieces of boat electronics for your vessel because they pertain to your safety and the safety of your passengers. Have these pieces in place first, and if it’s in your budget, there are plenty of extras you can add in the way of entertainment equipment and fish finding devices that you can have fun with. If you have questions about what electronics are right for you, give Sunrise Marine a call at 850-243-0414 and we will be happy to help you! Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Great news! Sunrise Marine is now a dealer for Bennington pontoons! Bennington is a top line in the pontoon industry and offers quality product at a competitive price. Below you’ll find more information about Bennington and why they are one of the best pontoons you can by:
“Since its inception in 1997, Bennington Marine strives to lead the pontoon industry in quality and value for the money. Little did we know that just 5 years later, we would begin receiving the country’s most prestigious customer satisfaction awards from both the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association and JD Powers. Bennington has placed either first or second with JD Powers since the independent research firm began awarding pontoon manufacturers in 2002
Look no further than Bennington Marine to find the most well-constructed boat in the industry. If you had the ability to speak with one of our many supplier partners, you would hear, without question, about the facilities, people and materials that make Bennington a step above the rest.Bennington leads and others follow, copy, emulate, well… you get the idea!“
If you have been waiting for the perfect time to buy a salt water fishing boat, you’re wait it over! We really mean it – we have brand new dealer repossessed Century boats that are selling at unprecedentedly low prices and then we are throwing a manufacturer rebate in on top of that! Never in our years of being in the boating industry have we seen or been able to offer new boats at such low prices!
For specifics on rebates, please visit our website at www.DestinSunriseMarine.com or give us a call at 850-243-0414
Pensacola Sail and Power Squadron is sponsoring a boating safety class Saturday to educate boat and watercraft owners about rules, laws and regulations.
The class will cover a wide array of topics, including Florida boating laws, anchoring, navigation rules and trailering. The course meets the state educational requirements for boater identification.
The class is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 3410 at the Pensacola Junior College Warrington campus, 5555 West U.S. 98.
Course instruction is free. The textbook and CD are $35.
To register, call Alan Wright, 432-8716 or Ron Swope, 453-5303.
The results of a Boat Owners Association of The United States (Boat U.S) membership survey, released May 15th, suggest that 96 percent of respondents said the economic downturn would not lead them to “stop using their boat this summer.” While some boaters are seeing their boating activities curtailed, most remain positive about their boating plans for this summer, according to a statement from Boat U.S.
“Last summer, high fuel prices kept some boaters off the water,” said Boat U.S. President Nancy Michelman. “But this year, despite the economy, our members are largely optimistic and are determined to make good use of their boats.”
The survey also found:
52 percent reported they are not changing the way they use their boat, compared to last summer.
If this summer’s gas prices are lower than last summer’s, 39 percent said they expect to go boating more often.
Only 1 percent of respondents say they would not boat this year.
Some changes in the way respondents plan to use their boat this summer include: reducing cruising distances or selecting boating destinations closer to home (24 percent), reducing the number of boating trips/days (17 percent), spending more time anchored out (17 percent), spending more time at their home marina (13 percent), running the motor less (13 percent), and sharing costs (10 percent).
The majority of respondents (30 percent) reported having total yearly estimated boating expenses of $3,000-$5,999, or about the price of a week’s vacation with airfare at Disney World for a family of four. 68 percent reported having boating expenses less than $5,999 annually.
26 percent would sacrifice dining out and 25 percent would give up, reduce or postpone taking a vacation to afford boating this summer.
Over two-thirds of respondents (69 percent) said spending time boating brings the family together.
46 percent admitted that as a boater, they had more friends.
72 percent said the boating lifestyle helps maintain or improve their health.
The Fourth of July is by far the most favorite summer boating holiday (49 percent).
This article is provided by Boating Industry Magazine.
