Barnacles in Your Seastrainer? There’s A Simple Solution For That
Marine growth on your boat’s AC unit can be fixed with simple, environmentally-friendly cleaning & prevention tips. In This Article: Address corrosion concerns & marine growth. Prevent marine growth in the seastrainer. Use more environmentally friendly ways to clean your seastrainer. Imagine yourself on your boat. It’s a hot summer day and you are enjoying […]
How To Install A Dripless Shaft Seal
The bilge of his boat was constantly wet, until he installed a dripless shaft seal by himself. Here’s how he did it. https://youtu.be/s9_K7EnH1wY Just about every boat fitted with a conventional inboard engine has what is known as a “stuffing box” or “shaft seal.” This seemingly inconsequential piece of equipment allows the prop shaft both […]
Chartplotter Update
Preseason means boat maintenance and upgrades, but updating chartplotter software is often overlooked in the rush to get back on the water. It’s pretty hard to find a boat these days without some form of electronic charting available on a helm display. Older displays were simply chartplotters, because that’s all they did — integrate GPS […]
Marine Lubricants
The array of engine and drive lubricants, oils, sprays, and fuel treatments at your local marine parts store or dealer can be intimidating. Engine Oil Obviously for four-stroke engines or inboards, this goes in the engine crankcase to lubricate the inner workings (crankshaft, pistons, rings, bearings, and camshaft). In a two-stroke outboard, it’s either poured […]
Choosing The Correct Boat Hose
There can be many types of boat hose and they all have specific jobs. Here’s how to tell them apart and which ones to use where. There is no such thing as an all-purpose hose on a boat. No single hose type can withstand engine exhaust, bring freshwater to the galley, safely transport gasoline to […]
Replacing Your Boat’s Water Heater Anode
Often overlooked, your boat’s hot-water heater anode requires periodic replacement and should be on your annual checklist. Most water heaters corrode from the inside out. The first indication you have a problem may be that the tank starts to leak water into the bilge. If that happens, there’s often nothing that can be done aside […]
Caring For Your Hydraulic Steering
What you should know about this often overlooked marine system. Some marine systems are so reliable we tend not to notice them. Through-Hull Replacement I’ve owned a few boats in my time, and most of them had hydraulic steering. It’s one of those reliable systems so widespread, it’s all but universal except for boats that […]
Fuel System Checkup
The health of your boat’s fuel system is the difference between a good day on the water and a getting a tow back home. Marine fuel systems are a hot topic. Continued pressure from the federal government to increase the amount of alcohol in fuels has brought serious concerns and changes to the marine industry […]
How To Lubricate Control Cables
This band-aid solution can give you a bit more time to replace your stiff shift or throttle control cables. When your shift or throttle cables get stiff, replacing them is always the preferred solution but unfortunately control cables are expensive and may represent an unwelcome stress on the household budget. Here’s a temporary alternative that […]
Pre-Launch Checklist
A complete guide of your pre-launch checklist. Follow these tips for safely loading, backing down the ramp, and launching your boat. https://youtu.be/mYv-oiYX8jk 1. Move coolers, waterski/tubing/wakeboarding equipment from the tow vehicle to the boat. If your passengers need to use the facilities, this is the time to do it — not when the boat is at […]
