Winterizing: DIY Saturday or the $600 yard bill? (what I learned doing both)
Asked by trawlerTom in Maintenance & Repairs on June 1, 2026
Yard quoted $640 to winterize the trawler. Did it myself for $85 in antifreeze and supplies + one Saturday. BUT — the year before, the yard caught a cracked muffler during their winterize that I'd have missed. So: the $600 isn't for the antifreeze, it's for the eyes. Discuss.
3 replies
perkins4108 · June 2, 2026
Yard guy perspective: 80% of winterize tickets are routine, 20% catch something. You're paying insurance, not labor. DIYers: at MINIMUM pull the impeller and look at it while you're in there.
northshore_ned · June 3, 2026
Hybrid: I DIY, then pay the yard's hourly for a one-hour 'look it over' in the spring. Best of both for ~$150.
trawlerTom · June 3, 2026
@northshore_ned that's genuinely smarter than either of my options. Adopting it.