October is when most of the season's problems are still fresh in everyone's mind. The engineer knows which generator has been running warm, the captain knows which cabin's air conditioning never quite kept up, and the stew knows where the water appears in the bilge. Write it down now. By April it will be half-remembered, and the first warm week of the season is the worst time to discover it again.
Mallorca winters are mild, so frost is rarely the main concern for a yacht kept afloat at sea level. What does the damage over a Balearic winter is humidity, corrosion, stale fuel, seawater left standing in pipework, and batteries left to look after themselves. A good lay-up deals with all five.
Before the last trip: the defect list
Before the yacht stops moving, make a list of everything that is not right. Alarms, leaks, vibration, noisy pumps, slow AC zones, anything that was "nursed" through the summer. Add the running hours of each engine and generator. That list is what turns a winter into planned work instead of a spring rush, and it is the first thing we ask for when we quote.
Main engines
- Change the oil and filters before the lay-up, not after it. Used oil carries acids and combustion by-products. Leaving it in the sump for five months is the opposite of what you want. Run the engine to temperature first so the old oil drains properly.
- Check the coolant. The mixture protects against corrosion as well as temperature. If it is old, diluted or the wrong type for the engine, winter is the time to change it.
- Flush the raw-water side with fresh water if the yacht will sit for a long time, and inspect the strainer. Many crews remove the seawater pump impeller for a long lay-up so the vanes do not take a set. If you do, label the pump clearly so nobody starts the engine without it.
- Fuel. Water separators should be drained and checked. Condensation in part-empty tanks is where diesel bug starts, so agree a tank level with whoever looks after the yacht. If there has been any sign of contamination this season, deal with it now rather than in May.
Generators
Treat them like the main engines: oil and filters, coolant, raw-water side, fuel. Generators often work harder than the mains in a Mallorca summer because the AC runs all day, so a season's worth of cooling-side wear is common. If the generator has been running warm, the heat exchanger, impeller and exhaust mixing elbow are worth inspecting over the winter. Our generator shutdown guide covers the usual causes.
If the yacht's winter plan includes running the generator periodically, it should run under a proper load, not just idle for a few minutes.
Watermakers
A reverse-osmosis membrane that is left full of seawater without being used will foul. If the watermaker will not be run for longer than its manufacturer's flushing interval, it needs to be flushed with fresh water and then preserved (often called pickling) using the procedure and chemical the manufacturer specifies. Two things to avoid: letting the membrane dry out, and flushing with chlorinated dock water through a tired carbon filter, because chlorine damages most membranes. See watermaker low output and salinity for what to note before you shut it down.
Air conditioning and chillers
The off-season is the right time for the jobs nobody wants to do in August: cleaning seawater strainers, descaling or cleaning condensers and heat exchangers, checking pumps, and looking at the chilled-water loop on chiller systems. Keep the interior ventilated or dehumidified over the winter. A yacht shut up for months in Mallorca's damp months grows mould in lockers and air-handler drip trays. Our August air-conditioning guide explains why cooling capacity falls away as seawater temperatures rise.
Stabilisers and hydraulics
If the yacht is being hauled out this winter, that is the chance to have fin seals and bearings looked at, because that work is far easier out of the water. Hydraulic oil and filters should follow the manufacturer's hours or calendar interval, whichever comes first. Note any alarms the control system logged during the season before the panel is switched off.
Electrical and safety
- Keep batteries charged with the charger in its storage or float mode, and check that the shore-power connection, cable and any galvanic isolator are in good condition.
- Test the bilge pumps and float switches. Over the winter they are the last line of defence.
- At haul-out, check and replace anodes, and inspect seacocks and through-hulls.
Who looks after her in the meantime
A lay-up is only as good as the checks that follow it. Somebody should be checking bilges, mooring lines and chafe, shore power and battery state regularly, and again after every winter storm. Our guardianage service is carried out by the same technical team that services the yacht, so anything found on a check can be dealt with properly.
In spring
Recommissioning goes much faster when the winter work was planned in October. Our pre-season engine checks guide covers what we look at before the first trip.
What to send us
If you would like us to quote a lay-up or winter work list, include:
- the yacht's name, where she will spend the winter, and whether she will be afloat or hauled out;
- the main engines, generators, watermaker, AC and stabiliser makes and models;
- running hours and the last service records you have;
- the defect list from the season.
Book online with photos, see our main engine service, or call us on +34 971 251 374.