Boat Maintenance and Engine Hours Log
Service a marine engine by hours, and keep the impeller and anode record that matters more than almost anything else on a boat.
VE-06 2 pages
Trailers and marine · TM-09
Winter Lay-Up and Launch Checklist
A free printable boat lay-up and launch checklist — the autumn jobs and the spring checks side by side on one sheet, signed at both ends.
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One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Put the autumn lay-up jobs and the spring launch checks on the same page, so what you did in October is in front of you in April.
Who it is for
Boat owners laying up ashore or afloat, in a yard or at home on a trailer.
How to use it
- Work down the left column as the boat comes out, ticking and dating as you go.
- Note anything you deliberately left undone — that is the column's real value.
- Work down the right column before launch, in the order printed.
- Sign both ends and file it; next autumn's sheet starts from this one.
What is on the sheet
One page, top to bottom:
Printed under the title: The same jobs in both directions — what to do when the boat comes out in autumn, and what to check before it goes back in the water in spring. One sheet per season, signed at both ends.
Yard and local rules on antifouling. Where you may work on a boat ashore, what antifouling you may apply, and how the washings and old paint have to be collected and disposed of are set locally and by the yard. Ask before you start scraping.
Write-on lines: Vessel · Season / year · Stored where · Laid up on · By · Launched on · By
Also printed: LAYING UP — AUTUMN · BEFORE LAUNCH — SPRING
- Engine flushed, oil and filter changed while warm
- Coolant and raw water side protected against frost
- Fuel tanks left full and treated against condensation
- Gear oil drained and checked for water
- Batteries off, charged, and on a maintainer
- Seacocks closed, freed off and greased
- Bilge dry, and the bilge pump left able to work
- Water system drained down completely
- Hull washed off before the growth dries hard
- Sails, ropes and canvas dried before they are bagged
- Electronics, flares and papers taken home
- Cover fitted so it sheds water and cannot flog
- Anodes replaced, and the old wear noted
- Antifouling applied and the yard's rules followed
- Skin fittings, hoses and clips checked from inside
- Seacocks opened, then watched for weeping
- Impeller replaced or inspected before first start
- Belts, hoses, oil and coolant levels checked
- Batteries refitted, terminals cleaned and greased
- Water system refilled, sanitised and run through
- Steering, throttle and gear controls full travel
- Safety gear back aboard and in date
- Bilge pump and float switch tested with water
- Engine run and cooling water seen before leaving the berth
Signature strip: Laid up — signed · Launched — signed · Date
Ruled lines: Notes and anything specific to yours
Questions
Why keep both lists on one sheet?
Because most of the spring list only makes sense as the reverse of the autumn list — seacocks closed then opened, batteries removed then refitted, the impeller you meant to replace. Split across two sheets, the second one gets printed without the first one in front of you, and that is where things get missed.
Can I antifoul the boat myself?
Where you may work ashore, what you may apply and how washings, scrapings and old paint must be collected and disposed of are set by local rules and by the yard, and they differ from place to place. Ask the yard before you start, and check what applies where you are.
Related sheets
Outboard Motor Service Log
Service an outboard by hours rather than by dates, and keep the impeller and anode record that decides whether the motor has a long life or a short one.
TM-06 2 pages
Boat Trailer Inspection Checklist
Inspect the things that only go wrong on a trailer that gets driven into the water — wet bearings, corrosion from the inside, and a winch strap nobody has unrolled in years.
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Also in the resources library
The same subject, with a version you can fill in on screen.
Caravan and Motorhome Winterisation Checklist
Every tap, pump, tank and heater drained before the frosts.
BT-833 Checklist PDF Online
