Boat maintenance schedule builder
California boats don't get winterized, so maintenance runs all year. Enter your engine, hours, bottom paint and haul-out cycle for a 12-month calendar you can print or add to your phone's calendar.
12-month schedule
December 2026
Wed, Dec 23, 2026: King tides 23–25
The year's highest tides. Check line length and fenders for the extreme high and low, and gangway and dock-finger clearance. Northern California may also see Dec 22.
Outboard service (100 hours or yearly)
Four-stroke outboards are commonly serviced every 100 hours or once a year, whichever comes first: engine and lower-unit oil, plus the 100-hour items such as the water pump, spark plugs and anodes. New engines get a first service at about 20 hours. Your owner's manual sets the exact schedule; two-strokes differ.
Hull check; clean only if needed
Copper paint: state guidance is to clean only when growth needs it, no more than once every 30 days. Ask your diver to check zincs and running gear while they're down.
Storm season: check dock lines before and after storms
DBW advises staying storm-ready through winter and spring: check that dock lines are secure before and after each storm, and keep anchoring and bailing gear ready.
January 2027
Thu, Jan 21, 2027: King tides 21–22
The year's highest tides. Check line length and fenders for the extreme high and low, and gangway and dock-finger clearance. Northern California may also see Jan 20 or Jan 23.
Hull check; clean only if needed
Copper paint: state guidance is to clean only when growth needs it, no more than once every 30 days. Ask your diver to check zincs and running gear while they're down.
Storm season: check dock lines before and after storms
DBW advises staying storm-ready through winter and spring: check that dock lines are secure before and after each storm, and keep anchoring and bailing gear ready.
February 2027
Haul-out: bottom paint, zincs, through-hulls
Your 2-year cycle puts the haul-out here. Typical paint life for this type is 2–3 years (manufacturer claims); the yard can tell you whether the paint needs renewing. No in-water cleaning for at least 90 days after new paint.
Storm season: check dock lines before and after storms
DBW advises staying storm-ready through winter and spring: check that dock lines are secure before and after each storm, and keep anchoring and bailing gear ready.
March 2027
No in-water hull cleaning (new paint)
State guidance suggests waiting at least 90 days after new bottom paint; suggested first cleaning on or after 2027-05-02. Check the paint label and your harbor's rules, which can require it.
Storm season: check dock lines before and after storms
DBW advises staying storm-ready through winter and spring: check that dock lines are secure before and after each storm, and keep anchoring and bailing gear ready.
April 2027
No in-water hull cleaning (new paint)
State guidance suggests waiting at least 90 days after new bottom paint; suggested first cleaning on or after 2027-05-02. Check the paint label and your harbor's rules, which can require it.
May 2027
Hull check; clean only if needed
Suggested not before 2027-05-02 (90 days after new paint). Copper paint: state guidance is to clean only when growth needs it, no more than once every 30 days. Ask your diver to check zincs and running gear while they're down.
June 2027
Hull check; clean only if needed
Copper paint: state guidance is to clean only when growth needs it, no more than once every 30 days. Ask your diver to check zincs and running gear while they're down.
July 2027
Hull check; clean only if needed
Copper paint: state guidance is to clean only when growth needs it, no more than once every 30 days. Ask your diver to check zincs and running gear while they're down.
August 2027
Outboard service (100 hours or yearly)
Four-stroke outboards are commonly serviced every 100 hours or once a year, whichever comes first: engine and lower-unit oil, plus the 100-hour items such as the water pump, spark plugs and anodes. New engines get a first service at about 20 hours. Your owner's manual sets the exact schedule; two-strokes differ.
Hull check; clean only if needed
Copper paint: state guidance is to clean only when growth needs it, no more than once every 30 days. Ask your diver to check zincs and running gear while they're down.
September 2027
Hull check; clean only if needed
Copper paint: state guidance is to clean only when growth needs it, no more than once every 30 days. Ask your diver to check zincs and running gear while they're down.
October 2027
Hull check; clean only if needed
Copper paint: state guidance is to clean only when growth needs it, no more than once every 30 days. Ask your diver to check zincs and running gear while they're down.
Post-season safety gear check
After the summer season, make sure required safety equipment works: life jackets, flares (they expire 42 months after manufacture), extinguishers (gauge, seals, date) and sound signal. The Coast Guard Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadrons do free Vessel Safety Checks.
November 2027
Mon, Nov 1, 2027: Renew registration by Dec 31, 2027
California registration is due by December 31 of every odd-numbered year; the DMV mails a notice about 60 days before.
Hull check; clean only if needed
Copper paint: state guidance is to clean only when growth needs it, no more than once every 30 days. Ask your diver to check zincs and running gear while they're down.
Storm season: check dock lines before and after storms
DBW advises staying storm-ready through winter and spring: check that dock lines are secure before and after each storm, and keep anchoring and bailing gear ready.
Typical intervals vary by boat, engine and water. Your owner's manuals, the paint label and your harbor's rules come first.
How this works
Hull: one entry a month, using the state cleaning guidance (not a legal requirement) for your paint (copper only when needed, no more than every 30 days; non-copper biocide every 3–4 weeks; non-biocide every 2–4 weeks), and no in-water cleaning for 90 days after new paint.[1][2] We assume the boat goes back in on the 1st of the haul-out month.
Haul-out = last haul-out + your cycle. Typical paint life is 2–3 years for copper, up to 2 for non-copper biocide and 5–10 for non-biocide (manufacturer claims).[1]
Engine: service every 100 hours or once a year, whichever comes first, so months between services = 12 × 100 ÷ hours per year (at most 12). That is the common four-stroke outboard schedule[3] and a typical diesel oil interval (50–200 hours depending on the engine), with diesel coolers serviced and pencil zincs checked at least yearly.[4] For gas inboards we found no schedule we can cite across makers, so the calendar points you to your manual instead of guessing.
California calendar: storm season reminders November–March (our reading of DBW's advice to stay storm-ready through winter and spring)[5], a safety gear check in October after the summer season[6], the published king tide dates[7], and the DMV renewal due December 31 of odd years.[8] If you use fresh water, the mussel fee sticker renews on the same two-year cycle.[9]
The worked example: a four-stroke outboard at 150 hours a year (service every 8 months: December 2026 and August 2027), copper ablative paint last hauled February 2025 on a 2-year cycle (haul-out February 2027, cleaning resumes after May 2, 2027), DMV registered (renewal reminder November 2027).
Related guides: Zincs, haul-out and bottom paint and Storm, king tide and absence prep. Keep a record of what was done in the maintenance log.
Sources
- Port of San Diego, LA County Beaches & Harbors, DBW and Coastal Commission. Recreational Boater's Guide to Using Hull Paint in California (May 2019).
- California Coastal Commission. Boat Hull Cleaning and Hull Coating Selection Factsheet (rev. 12-2-19) (December 2, 2019).
- Yamaha Outboards. Maintenance Matters (four-stroke maintenance schedule).
- West Marine. Diesel Engine Maintenance.
- California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways. Winter Storm Boating Safety Fact Sheet.
- U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division (copy hosted by Illinois DNR). A Boater's Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats (Rev. Nov 2023) (November 2023).
- California Coastal Commission. California King Tides Project.
- California DMV. Register your boat/vessel.
- California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways. Strengthened Mussel Sticker Program (news release) (October 23, 2026).