Winter is the time to break out your skis, snowboards, and snowshoes, but for those of you who own a Seadoo Personal Watercraft and live in a colder climate, it's time to put your Seadoo Personal Watercraft away for the season. If you don't properly store your jet ski, you could end up with costly repairs or even a destroyed jet ski. The good news is, you don't have to be a master mechanic to properly store your Seadoo Personal Watercraft for the winter. In this comprehensive guide, you'll learn the steps to properly store your Seadoo Personal Watercraft so you can enjoy it for many years to come. From draining the fuel tank to wrapping it up in a tarp, you'll learn the best practices for keeping your Seadoo Personal Watercraft in the best condition possible. So, if you want to keep your Seadoo Personal Watercraft running strong all year long, read on to find out how to safely store your Seadoo Personal Watercraft for the winter.

Prepare the Seadoo Personal Watercraft for Winter Storage

Before you do anything else, you'll want to prepare your Seadoo Personal Watercraft for winter storage. This includes cleaning the entire jet ski, flushing the engine, bleeding the fuel system, and removing the battery. You may want to apply some marine wax to the hull to protect against any weathering and make cleaning it off easier in the spring. You'll also want to remove any debris that may have built up on the hull or in the jet pump housing. If you have an outboard jet ski, you'll also want to remove the spark plug and put it in a can of engine oil to keep it from freezing. If you have a Seadoo Personal Watercraft with a digital display, you'll want to make sure to shut off the system and remove the battery. If you have a tach/voltage meter, you can leave it on and just shut the key off. If you don't have a volt meter, you'll want to not only shut off the system but remove the battery as well. You'll want to make sure to clean off the display and store it in a dry location. Also, if you have boat covers, you can put one over the Seadoo Personal Watercraft to protect it from the elements.

Clean and Flush the Jet Ski

You'll want to clean the Seadoo Personal Watercraft before you store it so you can protect it against any corrosion. You can use an all-purpose cleaner, but make sure not to use any cleaners containing acetone, ammonia, or bleach. You can also use a product like Corrosion X, which is an anti-corrosive spray. Once you've cleaned the jet ski, you'll want to flush the engine with fresh water. This will help to prevent corrosion. You can use a garden hose, but you'll want to make sure to use fresh water to reduce any deposits in the hose from entering the engine. If you have a saltwater engine, you'll want to use fresh water with a corrosion inhibitor. You'll also want to make sure to remove any debris from the water intake system.

Drain the Fuel Tank

Before you drain the fuel tank, you'll want to make sure the fuel level is below the fuel pickup inlet. This will ensure that no water gets into the tank and will help prevent any corrosion. You can use a hand pump to drain the fuel tank, or you can use a Seadoo Personal Watercraft fuel pump. If you use a Seadoo Personal Watercraft fuel pump, be sure to unplug the fuel line at the carburettor before removing the pump. You can then either use a bucket or a fuel siphon to remove the fuel. Once the fuel has been drained, you can use a water-dissolving additive to prevent any corrosion that may have been caused by water mixing with the fuel. Once the fuel has been drained, replace the fuel cap and plug the fuel pickup to prevent water from getting into the tank.

Change the Oil

You'll want to change the oil before storing the engine. You don't need to change the oil every season, but you should change the oil every 50 hours in salt water and every 100 hours in freshwater. If you don't know the last time you changed the oil, now is a good time. You'll want to remove the oil filter and completely drain the oil from both the filter and the engine. You'll want to use fresh oil, especially if you use salt water. You can use synthetic oil, but you can also use regular oil. Once you've changed the oil, you'll want to store it in a dry place to prevent corrosion. You can also add a little corrosion-prevention additive to the oil to help keep it from rusting.

Fog the Engine

You can fog the engine to prevent corrosion, but you'll only want to do this if you have a saltwater engine. You can use a mixture of anti-corrosion spray and a little bit of water as long as you don't use too much water so that it drips into the engine. You'll want to thoroughly spray the engine and then let it air dry. You can also use a product like Sea Foam to prevent corrosion.

Remove the Battery

You'll want to remove the battery before storing the Seadoo Personal Watercraft for the winter because the cold will make the battery discharge quickly. To remove the battery, you'll first want to remove the straps that hold the battery in place. Then, remove the wiring from the battery terminals and remove the battery. You can store the battery in a dry location, but make sure it's fully charged. You can also use a battery maintainer to keep it charged during the off-season.

Wrap the Seadoo Personal Watercraft in a Tarp

After you've properly cleaned and flushed the engine, drained the fuel tank, and removed the battery, you'll want to wrap the Seadoo Personal Watercraft in a tarp. You can purchase a tarp specifically for this purpose, but you can also use a large painter's tarp. A tarp is essential when storing the Seadoo Personal Watercraft outdoors because it will protect against any weathering, including snow and rain. You'll also want to make sure the tarp is large enough to cover the entire Seadoo Personal Watercraft and the trailer.

Store the Seadoo Personal Watercraft in a Safe Place

Now that you've thoroughly cleaned and prepared the Seadoo Personal Watercraft for the winter, you'll want to store it in a safe place. Ideally, you'll want to store the Seadoo Personal Watercraft indoors, but if that's not possible, then you'll want to store it in a shaded, dry, and well-ventilated area. If you have to store the Seadoo Personal Watercraft outside, then you'll want to make sure it's shaded from direct sunlight and protected from rain, snow, and other harsh elements. You can also use a tarp to protect the Seadoo Personal Watercraft from harsh weather conditions. If you have to store the Seadoo Personal Watercraft outside, you'll want to make sure it's not in direct contact with the ground because the ground will be significantly colder than the air temperature. If you have to store the Seadoo Personal Watercraft outside, you'll want to make sure to keep it plugged in and charged to prevent it from dying.

Perform Regular Maintenance

Finally, you can perform regular maintenance on your Seadoo Personal Watercraft to help it last all year long. To do this, you'll want to perform a visual inspection of the Seadoo Personal Watercraft to see if there are any issues. You'll want to check the paint, gaskets, screws, and engine. You can also check the oil, fuel, water, and battery. If you find any issues, you can either fix them yourself or have a mechanic repair them. You can also clean the jetski and perform a manual bilge wash to prevent corrosion.