Boat maintenance

[BigRiverMarine]

MAINTENANCE!!!!!!!!!
I'm very surprised nobody has mentioned this on a Tip thread. It's the number one cause of problems with all hard used equipment, especially boats because of the environment and rough conditions we use them in. Pumps, screws, bearings, axles, batteries, connections, electronics, hoses, and all accessories need to be checked and MAINTAINED annually regardless of whether you buy a new, used, demo, or ANY boat.

I work on lots of boats each year, and MOST of the problems result from Poor or NO Maintenance. It's your responsibility to maintain your rig.

CORROSION
This one item plays havoc on a boat because of the wet environment we use them in. Moisture causes corrosion to build up on connectors. I've seen fuses not function properly because of the corrosion that builds up on the ends or legs of fuses. You need to put dialectic grease on those to ensure a more water proof connection. All boat manufactures use some sort of terminal on their switches, connectors, and ring terminals, but none of the manufacturers use dialectic grease on them. It's mostly up to You to do it.

CHAFFING
No boat is without risk of wire chaffing. It causes shorts in the electrical system. As careful as most manufacturers are on this subject, it only takes a small burr on the boat to cause chaffing over time. The pounding a boat takes in rough water causes most chaffing, and without proper maintenance, can go unnoticed until it's to late.

These tips are JUST A FEW of the things I've seen in the 15+ years I've been in the boat business. I could literally write a book on the things I've seen happen.

If you have a problem with your rig, it's usually wise to seek PROFESSIONAL help. There are many things the DIY guys just don't have the experience to help you with.

Thx for the emails and responses I've had from you guys. As ALWAYS, give me a shout if I can be of any further help to ya. I've been doing this for awhile now, and I've bought more than one or two boats in my day.

[arkansasbowhunter]

This was a good topic for everyone to benefit from BRM so moved it to separate thread
for you.

Check your battery water levels often as the charging and draining of the batteries can cause water levels to fluctuate. If they need refilled use distillers water.

Another tip on maintenance would be seek a dealer that has mechanics that have been with the company for a while and properly trained to work on your outboards. Some repair centers have mechanics come and go frequently and they may not be the ones to deal with. There are also some dealers that mainly focus on selling boats instead of servicing them. Remember saving a few dollars traveling to buy a boat does not help keep the doors open on the dealer that is near you and will be the one you turn to when something goes awry with your boat or motor. These newer 4 stroke motors require more equipment to properly check them than the older 2 strokers which your back yard mechanics could work on and were good at it.

[Cmj]

[arkansasbowhunter]

Now that ain't no maintenance Chris lol.

[arkansasbowhunter]

If you have a glass boat maintaining the gel coat is easier done if you wipe your boat down as soon as it comes out of the water with a dry rag. The water spots and scum will be easier to remove at that time. I was told a cheap an effective polish to use was pledge. It will help repel the water spotting.

Never was the underside of the fiberglass hull. This will take the control of the boat away lol. Learned that one the hard way ha ha.

Check tire pressures when the temperature changes from hot to cold. The Trailor tires pressure changes with the temperatures. To avoid this you could use nitrogen in the tires which will help with them running cooler and not as big of a pressure fluctuation when temperatures change.

Don't forget to check the spare tires pressure too.

[arkansasbowhunter]

On four strokes change the oil and filter yearly or as recommended per hours used by manufacturer.

On the water impeller it's a good idea to change every couple years unless you run in extremely sandy waters.

Carry a piece of weed water line in your tool box in case you don't see your motor peeing. Many times it is just a little trash right inside the water outlet that can be removed or dislodged with the weed water line.

[arkansasbowhunter]

Check your running boards after your boats is unloaded for weakness. When replacing them I prefab the boards at home and carry the tools to change them out at the lake when the boat is unloaded.

[arkansasbowhunter]

I usually repack and check my bearings every year depending on how much i Trailor my boat. Not a bad idea to carry a spare hub in the truck if you make long distance trips frequently.

[arkansasbowhunter]

Use a fuel additive of some kind in your fuel to minimize the fuel separating. I use sea foam or stabil. I change my in line fuel filter water separator annually.

Check the air filter too as if the engine can't breath it isn't gonna run well.

[arkansasbowhunter]

Check your tie down straps front and back. They get wet a lot and will break down over time and break.