What do I need to provide to be added to the winterize list?

Please answer these questions fully to the best of your ability. We will need all questions answered before we can add you onto the list.

1.  Customer's Name?

2.  Are you a new or returning customer?

3.  Dockside Service or In-Shop Service needed?

4.  Service Address?

5.  Best contact number?

6.  Email address? (Invoice will be sent to this address) 

7.  Year, Make and Model for each vessel (returning customers- we should have all info just let us know if anything new has been added or any old sold etc)

8.  Package selection for each vessel

9.  What is the date of the last time you will be using the vessel for the season and will be ok to winterize after date? Or when would you like to bring it to the shop for service?

10.  Key location/ Start code?  lock box combo? Boat House code?

11.  Is power on for lift? Instructions to turn power off/on? Lock/Boat House Code?

12.  I agree to pay the invoice as soon as it is received. I understand that if the payment is not received within 5 business days, I will be charged a 15% late fee. I will NOT use any Bill Pay services to issue a check by mail. (These services usually take 2 to 6 weeks for the check to arrive and will cause late fees). I understand that if I pay by credit or debit card there will be a 3% processing fee added to the balance due. I agree to the terms and expectations contained in this 2025 Winterize Guide and to the scope of work of the winterize package(s) I have selected.

Common Questions and Answers 

What do I do with my keys and power for the lift?

Please provide us the Key/lock box location and combos, start codes and any other directions needed to locate keys or for turning dock power on/off. Key can be kept in the boat glove box, ignition, in a lock box with code provided or in another approved location. Power should be left on at the dock or instructions given to turn power on/off for service to be completed. We will return keys back to the same location when finished. If you are not comfortable leaving keys in the ignition or glove box, we recommend getting a combination lock box for keys, or dropping them off at our office after you are done using vessel for the season. If you decide to hide keys, please let us know where they are by sending a picture of the hiding spot to our email or text as soon as possible.

What happens if I forget to put keys out or power is not available for lift?

A $25 inconvenience fee will be charged if keys and/or power is not available when service call is attempted and causes more than a 10 minute delay. If a second service call trip is required due to no fault of our own, the customer will be charged 2 service call fees at $75 each.

Can I make a set appointment date and time?

We group service call jobs together according to many factors including but not limited to: location, availability, and weather to name a few. Because of this, we are unable to give exact appointment times and dates for service calls. We ask that you provide a date that you will be done using the boat or pwc and can make keys and lift power available from that point on until the winterize service has been completed. If the customer must be present at the time of service, please give us at least 3 dates (Monday through Friday) that the customer will be available from 10 am to 4 pm. We will do our best to make one of those dates work with our schedule.

Appointments can be made for in-shop winterize services in advance. The customer must be able to bring the boat or pwc to our shop and leave it with us until it is ready to be picked up. We will do our best to get the vessel completed and ready to pick up as soon as possible. Payment is due immediately upon completion and must be made in full, prior to or at time of pickup. After hours drop-off/pickup can be arranged with our office. Vessels not picked up within 24 hours of winterize completion will be charged a storage fee of $5 per day.

What if I need additional work or diagnosing work done?

A second service call/ in-shop work request will need to be submitted for any additional work or diagnostic work to be completed. We will not be able to do these services once we have went into full blow winterize season (usually by mid October) until all winterizes have been completed and we have re-opened after our Christmas/New Years break.

I have an outboard motor; do I need to winterize it? Why are there outboard packages?

While outboard motors do not need to be flushed with antifreeze and freeze protected in that way, it is best to keep the motor trimmed down so water will not pool up at the prop, add a fuel stabilizer to the tank and disconnect or remove the battery if the outboard will not be used for several weeks/months. We also offer “winterize packages” for our outboard customers for their annual service needs and to receive the same discount we give our other gold package customers this time of year.

How much is the service call/dockside service fee? What does this pay for? Where do we offer dockside service?

Service Call/dockside service fee:  $75 each trip

Dockside service is available anywhere on Smith Mountain Lake, Va.

We do not travel to Leesville Lake or any other lakes at this time, but you can bring your boat to us on a trailer if you are planning on storing it that way for the winter.

This fee pays for: fuel in the work truck and/or work boat; time needed to source and gather materials and tools needed for the job. Wear and tear on the work truck/work boat; Etc.

A second service call fee will be charged if keys and/or power is not available after the approved date, resulting in a 2nd service call trip.

The service call fee will be charged if no cancellation attempt was made within 24 hours and another company has already completed the winterize.

When is the payment due? what options do I have to pay?

Payment is due immediately upon completion. A 15% late fee will be added to the balance due if payment is not received within 5 business days. After 30 days another 15% late fee will be added to the balance due. If payment is not received within 60 days a mechanic’s lien will be issued.

Once service has been completed, an invoice will be sent to your email within 1 business day. The invoice allows payment online with a credit or debit card and will be charged a 3% processing fee. 

We also accept cash or check payments in our office. Please be aware that Bill Pay Services typically take several weeks for the check to come by mail and will not excuse the late fee. Also, some hand-written and locally mailed checks may take longer than the 5 days to arrive and will be charged a late fee. If you would like to pay by check but unable to drop it off at our shop, feel free to call or text me when and where I can pick it up. This will save you a stamp, and possibly late fees.

Returned checks will be charged a $75 inconvenience fee.

We accept Zelle, Venmo and CashApp payments without any added fees. Please provide customer name or invoice number in the note so we can make sure payment is applied to the correct account.

Zelle :       540-243-0455   (name: Lake Life Marine)

Venmo :     @Anna-Provo    (last 4 of phone number is 0455)

CashApp :      $LakeLifeMarine

We are on the Winterize list, now what?

Once you have submitted your request and received a confirmation email, please be patient as we work through the list as quickly as possible. We guarantee to have all boats and pwc’s on our list winterized before the damaging freezing temperatures have set in. Remember that it must be at least 32 degrees or below for a solid 72 hours before any damage by freezing can occur.

We will call, text or email the morning of to let you know the guys will be at your dock to complete your winterize(s) that day. We will contact you as soon as possible if there are any issues found that we were able to fix at that time (i.e., replace drain plug) or if we need to schedule another visit to address an issue. Any issues resolved at that time may result in an additional charge.

Is the winterize service guaranteed?

We reserve the right to refuse guarantee on any winterize service for these reasons:

1. If winterize service was not completed before the first hard freeze.

2. If we suspect the boat/pwc has been ran or tampered with after winterization and/or prior to our recommended spring start up date. (We will announce in the spring when temps are warm enough to safely start up your boat/pwc for the season)

3. Removal of any “winterized/do not use” tags prior to the approved spring start-up.

4. If the recorded hours at winterize and at spring start-up do not match.

5. If the hour meter is not working or no hour meter installed for us to confirm boat/pwc has not been used.

6. If PWC is kept on a floater over winter. (Water could potentially get in through exhaust)

7. If any work was performed by another company after winterize and prior to spring start up. (Boat or PWC could have been ran without being re-winterized)

8. Spring start-up was completed by another company or by the owner before freezing temperatures have ended for spring.

Please contact our office if you have any other questions.

Thank you,

Anna Provo

Lake Life Marine Services