From the Boathouse: Even Californians need to winterize their boats

Ahoy!

October is the time of year to start winterizing your boat whether it is floating in a slip or sitting on dry land.

The cooler air and increasing separation between the daytime and nighttime air temperatures will affect your boat’s interior environment. Mold will start to grow from the condensation inside any closed cabin or space.

Some people use their boats year-round in Southern California, but many neglect them until the next season — unless they are in one of the Christmas boat parades. But all boat owners need to be proactive and try to prevent mold by removing towels, extra clothes and bedding that won’t be used.

Opening the cabinet and compartment doors will help increase air circulation and hamper mold. It is important to keep the bilges as dry as possible and check the boat after every rain shower for leaks into the interior.

Boat dehumidifiers work well, but some require the emptying of water containers, so read about the product carefully. The old tried-and-true trick is to have a lamp on a timer so that it turns on during the night to help heat the air. And you thought the light was for security.

Note, however, that the new CFL and LED light bulbs do not give off enough heat to accomplish this.

My favorite practice is to visit the boat and open her up to let the afternoon breeze blow through, and then relax in the cockpit. Of course, there is still work to do with the vessel’s systems and engines, but I will save those for another column.

Tip of the week is for all boaters to use proper etiquette when communicating on the VHF marine band radios. Many boats are equipped with mounted VHF radios, and some boaters carry a handheld radio, especially when cruising offshore.

The VHF radio is the choice of communication versus a cellphone if you are stranded or in an emergency situation. A distress call over the radio allows other boaters to hear your need for assistance, and in many cases, the nearest boater can respond. However, if you use a cellphone, other boaters cannot render aid, and boats with directional equipment won’t be able to pinpoint your location either.

Aid and distress calls are made on channel 16, which is the hailing and distress frequency only. If you are experiencing an emergency, you will probably be instructed by the Coast Guard or local harbor patrol to remain on channel 16.

However, if your call is for aid, you will be instructed to switch the channel. The Coast Guard will most likely switch you to channel 22A for further communication, and the harbor patrol in Orange County’s three harbors will switch you to channel 12.

When you are calling another recreational boater or one of the towing companies, the appropriate working channels are 68, 69, 71, 72 and 78. Recreational boaters can use channel 09 as a secondary hailing channel and briefly communicate on it too, unlike 16.

Off Southern California’s coastline, ships will be also monitoring channel 14, which is the Vessel Traffic Service out of Long Beach/Los Angeles Harbor. When you are cruising near or in the shipping lanes, VTS broadcasts periodic ship traffic updates on channel 14. Ships also monitor channel 13 for bridge-to-bridge communications.

Remember that when you transmit on the radio, other boaters are able to hear your conversation, so keep it clean. I hope this helps. For further information, go to my website, where I will be posting sections from my book “Using Your VHF Radio.”

As always, just keep an eye to the weather for any changes. Please be boat smart and boat safe. Lastly, please boat responsibly and look behind you before you turn the wheel at the helm.

Tune in to the No. 1 boating radio talk show in the nation, “Boathouse Radio Show,” broadcasting live coast-to-coast on a syndicated network. See times at https://www.boathousetv.com, https://www.facebook.com/boathouseradio and https://www.twitter.com/boathouseradio.

Safe voyages!

MIKE WHITEHEAD is a boating columnist for the Daily Pilot. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to mike@boathousetv.com or go to https://www.boathousetv.com.