De-winterization and trip prep

This is my first boating trip of the 2026 season. I'll start this blog with just a little description of what's involved de-winterizing C-Traveler, and trip preparation to head out on a two week trip.

(March 4) I had already pulled C-Traveler out of the storage unit a few weeks ago to go fill her 100 gallon fuel tank, which I stored empty over the winter. Gas was down to $2.29 /gal at a nearby Costco, and I figured prices would start increasing eventually. With what happened in the Middle East, I made a good call! Wonder what I’ll be paying to fill the tank again after this trip? Just before filling the fuel tank, I put new bunk boards on the trailer and did some touch up to the bottom paint. It was above freezing at the time, but still only in the 40’s. A couple big heaters going under the boat, and several bottle jacks to lift the hull off the bunk boards, allowed me to touch up the paint and replace the boards. Today was more of a day to put everything back on the boat that I normally take off in the winter and store at home, inside. Start by removing all the bounce fabric sheets that I place in the boat when I winterize it, to keep the mice away. Then put back on, first aid kits, bedding, travel cpap, any liquid soaps and lotions, smoke detector, CO2 detector, etc. Basically, anything that I don’t want to leave in our sub zero temperature winter. Also put the muff on the main and kicker outboards and ran those, to insure they were going to start up and everything running smoothly before traveling 600 miles from home and then finding out something doesn’t work! Main started and ran fine. Kicker started and ran fine. Unfortunately, as I was running the kicker at a higher RPM, the muff came off the water intake, and I didn’t see that until it had been running for a minute or so. Concerned about the water pump impeller, I dropped the lower unit to replace it. Fortunately, it appeared fine. Still flexible and no damage. So I reinstalled it and once back together found that the water tube that delivers the water from the pump to the engine, didn’t connect. So had to drop the lower unit again, and insure that the tube connected. In luck this time. Back together and everything appears to work fine. This is the same kicker that was giving me issues at the end of last boating season. I ended up replacing the after market oil cap with an OEM one. So hoping that once I’m on the water, it will run just as well as it did on the muff! Finally, flushed the RV antifreeze out of the potable water system, and filled with fresh water. Today it was 52 degrees out, and it’s not suppose to get below freezing before my trip south, so I’ll leave the water in it. Also found one of the trailer tires that I plugged late last season, was slowly leaking over winter. So pulled it off and took it to a tire shop for a proper patch repair. Took C-Traveler back over to her storage unit and will wait until a day before leaving, to load food, clothing and personal supplies.

Today (March 8), two days before I head out, I finished loading clothing, food and personal supplies. I have a refrigerator on the boat, and turned it on yesterday. Tomorrow I'll hook the boat up to the truck, so I'll be ready to head out early Tuesday morning. Depending rather I decide to go through Chicago, or around Chicago, the distance to Dale Hollow Lake Resort State Park, where we are launching is 589 miles or 630 miles. So I'll likely take a day and a half to get there. I only tow at 65mph (or speed limit if less), and will plan up to 500 miles a day when towing the boat. 400 miles is a lot more enjoyable.Read more