Fall Pontoon Storage Checklist: Put Your Premier Away the Right Way

The last boating day of the season has a way of sneaking up on you. One week you’re still circling the lake, then suddenly the trailer is in the driveway and you’re left dreaming of the next boating season. Fortunately, end-of-season care now will have you ready when warm weather returns next spring. Winter storage isn’t glamorous work. But when done right, it’s the quiet part of pontoon boat ownership that keeps your Premier looking and feeling like the day it left the showroom. 

Start With a Wash

The first step is to give your boat a good washing. Sweep the deck, vacuum the corners around the furniture, and open every storage locker. Leftover towels, snacks, and wet life jackets are best found now, not next spring. Wash the tubes as well, including the outer tubes and the center PTX tube if your boat has one. Pay attention to the reverse chine edges and lifting strakes. That’s where scum and early corrosion like to hide. Check for dings, loose hardware, and any sign of water inside a tube. Catching potential problems now and having them remedied will have you ready for fun, not surprises next spring. 

Open It Up, Dry It Out

Fabrics and flooring need to go into storage dry. Wipe the furniture with mild soap and a soft brush, then let it air out before the cover goes on. Take cushions home if you can. If they stay on the boat, prop them open so air can move around them. Same idea with the center locker and under-seat storage. Leave those spaces open. A sealed, damp compartment is an open invitation for mold.

Treat the Systems That Hate Cold Weather

Add a fuel stabilizer and fill the tank nearly full, leaving a little room for expansion. Some owners still drain the tank. However, most marine sources including BoatUS, favor a nearly full tank plus stabilizer to limit condensation, especially with ethanol-blended fuels. Where available, you can further safe-guard against fuel breakdown by using non-ethanol fuel along with a fuel stabilizing additive.

Next, if your pontoon is equipped with a livewell, drain it completely: pull the standpipe, run the pump just long enough to clear the lines, and drain the inlet hose. If you have a freshwater tank, empty that too. For the outboard itself, follow the engine manufacturer’s winterizing steps. Flush it, treat the fuel system, change fluids if the manual calls for it, and fog or store the engine the way your engine brand specifies. Guesswork here is how cracked cooling passages happen.

Take the Batteries With You

Batteries do better off the boat. Premier’s owner’s manual is clear: take them out, store them in a cool, dry spot, and keep a charge on them through the winter. Clean the posts and clamps before they go on the shelf. A dead, sulfated battery in March is an avoidable headache.

Let Your Boat Breathe

Where and how you store the boat matters as much as the cleaning. Indoor storage with good airflow is ideal, especially anywhere ice and snow pile up. If the boat is staying outside, use a proper canvas cover on a frame built a few inches wider than the boat so the fabric clears the rails. That frame also keeps the cover from sagging into a pond after the first wet snow. More importantly, make sure you have sufficient ventilation under the cover. A boat that “sweats” all winter will smell like it in the spring. One Premier-specific note worth repeating: the shrink wrap used for factory delivery is for transport. It is not a winter storage cover, and leaving it on can trap condensation and scuff finishes.

Support the boat the way it was designed to sit. The trailer is the best winter stand because it carries the tubes along their full length. Loosen the tie-downs and block the axles so the tires aren’t sitting flat for six months. If the boat is on a lift, it needs to be supported on the bulkheads of the tubes, not by the lifting strakes. Store it with the bow a little higher than the stern so water cannot settle and freeze in the nose cones. Avoid carpeted bunks that can hold salt or other chemicals against the aluminum which can corrode the tubes. 

Or Call Your Premier Dealer

If you would rather not spend a Saturday cleaning, draining, drying, and removing batteries, give your local Premier Marine dealer a call. Most offer winterization and storage options tailored to your pontoon. You can find your nearest Premier dealer here: https://www.pontoons.com/find-a-dealer/.

Put the boat away with a little care this month, and next spring’s checklist gets a lot shorter. When you’re ready to wake it back up, start here: Spring Pontoon Checklist: Get Your Premier Ready for Water.