While boat timeshares provide everything needed to sail, members still are responsible for making sure the boat is in good condition when it’s returned. Swabbing the deck isn’t out of the question. However, many timeshare programs will even go as far as to include maintenance, fuel and so on in the initial price. This leaves the member responsible for simply safely piloting the vessel, keeping it clean and enjoying their high seas adventure with their family and friends for a fraction of the price of owning a yacht themselves. The insurance, boat licensing and other worries are generally handled by the timeshare company itself.

* First, Start off by consulting the owner’s manual. This will have detailed instructions on what must be done to secure your motor for winter.
* Visible nicks and scratches should be painted to prevent corrosion and you should also change the engine oil and filter.
*Engines must be flushed with fresh water prior to storage. Be careful when performing this procedure because all water must be drained prior to winter storage because even a small amount of water can freeze and cause damage to the engine.
*Check inboard or stern-drive engine antifreeze is filled to prevent freezing. It may be advisable to replace this with new antifreeze each season as a precaution.
*Add fuel stabilizer to any remaining gas in the tank and run the engine for a few minutes allowing the treated gas to circulate. This will help prevent the clogging of jets and injectors.
*spray fogging oil it into the carburetors while the engine is running. Turn off the fuel supply and wait for the engine to stop. This will burn off any fuel left in the system.
*Remove the plugs and spray some fogging oil in the cylinders and rotate the engine manually a few times to ensure the oil penetrates through the cylinder.
*Replace the spark plugs and open the carburetor drain. This will remove the last bit of fuel that may be present in the system.
*Remove the prop and inspect it for damage and debris. Lubricate any moving parts as per the owner’s manual and replace the prop.

If you have a closed cooling system on your boat (aka: fresh water cooling), you need to be wary of crud building up. The build up will act like an insulator, gradually slowing down the cooling system on the boat. When you are pouring coolant into your engine, make sure that you aren’t pouring too much. As we all know, too much of anything is usually a bad thing. And actually, having too much coolant will cause unwanted crud to build up. Also, make sure you read the manual for instructions on how to properly pour in the coolant (because there is a specific process for doing it).

1. When getting started with the task, don’t take the prop shaft nut all the
way off. Just loosen it enough to give an eigth inch clearance from the prop.
This will keep the prop from popping back into the rudder when it finally
breaks loose from the shaft. The break loose event can be quite violent and
forceful, enought to ding the prop. When the prop is loose, then take the nut
off.

2. If time is on your side, and it is really tight (puller is bending), put a
penetrating oil on the shaft/prop interface and try it the next day.

3. If it is really stuck on, tighten the puller bolt, and then apply heat to
the prop hub from a butane torch. Be careful not to scorch your strut bushing.

4. Never apply the puller and then beat on the other end of it with a hammer.
Think about what is resisting the impact: the transmission. I once saw a
dealer doing this, pretty scarey.

5. The OJ guys told me that when installing a prop, give it a good strong slide
onto the prop shaft. When it pilots on and seats correctly, it will make a
solid thunk. If you try to squeeze it on all the way with the nut, it can go
on skewampus.

6. Make sure that the shaft key doesn’t end up at the end of the keyway on the
sloping part, or it will hold the prop from seating on the shaft. I make a
little gauge out of wire, showing the maximum the key can be forward in the
keyway, with respect to the end of the shaft. When the prop is on, I verify
the key’s position by sliding the wire in the keyway.

7. I like to put some 2×4′s between a blade and the hull, and the a blade and
the ground when tightening the nut to distribute the force.

8. I re-torque the nut after the first few outings. As a final measure, I put a
dob of red paint on the nut/prop interface to use as a quick visual check for
loosening.

We recommend Nautical Ease Spray Cleaner for this. If your boat is heavily oxidized, this cleaner will also remove some of the oxidation.

If it is oxidized or chalky white the next step is to use Nautical Ease Fiberglass Cleaner which will remove the oxidation and then you are ready to apply the protective finish . We recommend using Nautical Ease Ultimate Marine Finish which is our polish. We recommend this polish because it is not a wax based product and has a longer life and is easy to use.

Get the right anchor! For an overnight stay, choose one that’s one to two times bigger for your boat as to protect you from drifting. Also display your anchor light all night. If you’re close to land you could tie on to a tree or some other fixed object that will help keep you from drifting

Location! Chose the right one. You want a good protective cove.

What’s your angle?

The first thing to notice is that this boater is coming in at an angle. This makes it much easier to aim for a particular spot, and to bring the boat in close to the dock without scraping. There isn’t always enough “sea room” to do this, but when possible, using an angled approach makes life simpler.

Coasting and the power turn

Secondly, think about what throttle setting you would use at the beginning of the approach. A calm, orderly, accurate docking will usually require the slowest speed available, but on many boats, even idle speed is so fast that they have to coast. However, coasting is when “steerage”, the ability to steer, is at its minimum, because

either i) there is no discharge current from the propeller to amplify the effect of the rudder, or ii) with inboard/outboards, most of the steering “authority” simply vanishes when the transmission is in neutral. So, even when going very slowly, we still steer with power, when necessary. You could wish that the boat would just drift all the way in without wandering off course, but with many (not all) boats, that’s all it would be: a wish! If in neutral gear, give a short shot of forward gear (generally only at only idle speed, but use more if required), to steer the boat back onto course, and then coast for another distance. If already in gear, and the boat is still getting away from you, open the throttle briefly for a few moments until you regain control. The general principle is that the sharpest turns can be made when the boat is going extremely slowly, because it will skid less widely through the turn. Yet, the turn is often best done with power, so reconciling these two conflicting demands (minimal power to go slowly, more power to steer), means using power intermittently, and then using it vigorously enough to perform the maneuver.

Keep up the momentum

The next thing the boater will do, as the dock draws nearer, is to start to turn the boat. However, this is also about the time that he or she wants to decelerate to a stop, in reverse gear. While slowing down, the vessel may be hard to steer. This is largely because very little water will be flowing over the rudder (or worse, over the outdrive leg of an I/O).

Fortunately, boats in motion have momentum: once in motion, they tend to continue in motion, and once turning, they tend to continue to turn. This sometimes confounds the less skilled skipper, and yet momentum is exactly what to use when all other steering options fail. At just what point to turn, and how hard and for how long, I cannot say. It will vary by boat, by the prevailing conditions, and even by the skipper’s individual style. But the boat must turn, and often this will be done by a brief, firm pulse of power, with the wheel hard over. Part way through the maneuver, by which time the boat is in reverse gear, the only thing that keeps it turning, and that keeps it sliding sideways towards the dock, is momentum. The skipper did this on purpose, took a run at it, so to speak, albeit very gently and cautiously, and then skidded the boat into its slip.

A walk in the dock

One final thing: it is very common for propellers to thrust asymmetrically, more on one side than the other, and in some boats the effect is often especially strong in reverse gear. It’s called “walking”, because it almost seems as if the stern of the boat wants to walk sideways, when you first engage reverse propulsion, rather than go backwards.

It’s because of this effect that we are discussing specifically port-side-to docking. Right hand propellers walk the stern to port, in reverse (a minority of propellers are “left hand” – for them, this whole discussion is a mirror image). So, not quite as much turning momentum is required as would otherwise be. Asymmetrical thrust can be a nuisance, so at least in circumstances like this when it can be helpful, we might as well avail ourselves of it.

Conclusion

There is no conclusion to boat docking. I have yet to hear the final word, and I’ve probably discussed and studied it more than most. Even if this port-side-to docking were all there was to know (and it’s not, it’s just the barest beginning), one could still spend a lifetime honing and refining the skills and techniques it requires, and the better feel for boat handling thus engendered would spill over into all of our other close quarters maneuvering. And my wish for us all is that we continue to hone and refine for a long, long time, and that we love every minute we spend doing it!

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Lake Tahoe, California:  Sierra Nevada Mountains on the border of Nevada and California Just above 6,200 feet above sea leve,  Lake Tahoe is a boating mecca.  Along the Fall foliage filled shoreline you can see hues of orange and yellow as the aspen trees change color.You can also catch a meteor shower or bird migration  You also have lots of boating options with numerous rental and charter options .
Best time to go: Sep. -  Nov.

Bar Harbor, Maine: As the entrance to Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor offers spectacular New England autumn scenery along the rugged Maine coast. Boaters can dock locally to explore this charming town and its abundance of seafood restaurants. Novices can take advantage of Bar Harbor’s numerous rental and charter opportunities from nature cruises to their very own customized boat ride.
Best time to go: Late Sept. – Mid-Oct.

Lake Jocassee, South Carolina: This man-made lake is found deep in South Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and can be accessed through  the Devils Fork State Park. It has a beautiful an undeveloped shoreline with gorgeous scenery. Autumn also brings brightly colored green marsh grasses to stunning hues of  yellow and orange.
 Best time to go:Late Oct. to Early Nov.

Lake George, New York: One of the largest lakes with  30 miles of shoreline Lake George can be found at the base of the Adirondacks. The a autumn months are filled with colorful mountainsides with reds, oranges and yellows painted against clear blue skies. Foliage boat tours are popular  and they have man charter options.
 Best time to go: Late Sept. – Mid-Oct.

Saugatuck, Michigan: The Great Lakes shoreline has breathtaking views of the fall foliage and this is one of the best spots to take in the gorgeous hues of amber and gold.
 Best time to go: Late Sept. – Mid-Oct.

• Keep Your Hands Near the bottom of the Steering wheel – Always remember when backing up, put your hands on or near the bottom of the steering wheel. and move  hands where you want the trailer to go. It’s that easy. Keep your aim in the direction  the drivers side of the vehicle and the trailer will move left (from your view). Look  forward and let the mirror guide your vehicle.

Some other great tips are to Compensate for weight - Remember that you have a boat, full, camping equipment etc.

• Make a list of all the things that you need to do such as replacing your drain plug, strapping down your boat properly,  tightening the  lug nuts  on your trailer and checking the tires.

• Turn wide! People easily forget they have an extra 20 or 30 feet of boat behind them and forget that thier trailer has a very tight turning radius.

• Slow down enuff to stop in time! people often forget they have a heavy payload do not allow themselves enough time to stop. If You have  thousands of pounds of boat and trailer that you are movingand the laws of physics  are defiantly not your friend. And just because you have trailer brakes dont think they cannot fail. and whatever  you do, don’t just slam the brakes — this can cause jackknifing. You should slowly apply the brakes to bring the vehicle to a controlled stop.