Caring for your rec rides

“Get all that water out of the engine,” Barnard said. “We normally drain the block – drain the exhaust manifolds – and fog the motor. Some people will choose to disconnect the water-circulating pump hose just to get every bit of water out. And make sure you put storage fuel or some kind of additive in your fuel system.”

Chris Simpson of Simpson Yachts in Discovery Bay said that winter is one of his family’s favorite times to take their boat out.

“A lot of boaters say the winter, or off season, is the prettiest time to go boating,” Simpson said. “There are all the birds flying over, it’s not crowded and the fog in the air can be beautiful. People tend to enjoy boating a lot in the winter from a nature (watching) perspective.”

Simpson added that due to our mild winters, boats kept in the water don’t need much winter-maintenance.

“You don’t generally need to winterize boats in the water,” Simpson explained. “Unless there’s a long-term deep freeze happening, the water here (in the Delta) is usually about 55 degrees, and that’s not going to freeze things on the interior of the boat.”

RVs are as common in East County as boats and can use a little TLC before they are parked for the winter, however, plenty of owners look forward to winter traveling and less-crowded destinations.

“A lot of people go to the coast (with their RVs), because the weather can be really nice during September and October,” said Doug Hardcastle, owner of Hardcastle’s RV Center. “People also head to places like Arizona.”

When it comes to preparing your RV for its winter break, Hardcastle offered some tips.

“Check your windshield wipers out, brakes, of course, and if it’s going to be in storage, you want to make sure you have antifreeze in the tanks and anywhere water might get frozen, so you don’t have burst pipes or tanks,” Hardcastle explained. “And keep an eye on your tires. A lot of people don’t put a lot of miles on their RVs, so the tires don’t lose their tread. You can’t just look at the tread – you have to look at the age of the tire. The rubber can deteriorate, so check the dates and check the tire pressure, make sure it’s up where it’s supposed to be at.”

For more information on how to prepare your RV for winter, contact Hardcastle’s RV Center, 1189 Main St., in Oakley, at 925-754-4005 or visit www.hardcastlesrv.com.

For more information on winterizing your boat, contact CB Marine Services at 209-407-9647, chad@cbmarineservices.com or www.cbmarineservices.com.

Simpson Yachts is located at 5901 Marina Road, #6, in Discovery Bay. For more information, call 925-757-6655 or visit www.simpsonyachts.com.