How To Tighten Your Boat Alternator Belt
Here’s what to do and how to troubleshoot if you hear a squeal coming from your boat’s alternator belt. You hear what sounds like a squealing noise coming from your engine. Maybe it’s been developing slowly. Maybe suddenly. Maybe it’s intermittent. Regardless, it may be a warning that your alternator belt is too loose. This […]
Where To Keep Your Boat During A Hurricane
The best predictor of whether your boat will survive a hurricane is where it’s kept. Just as in real estate, the three most important considerations should be location, location, location. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOYtgzLE0xM Going back as far as Hurricane Alicia in 1983, our BoatUS Hurricane Catastrophe Team (CAT) professionals have spent thousands of hours working to identify […]
What To Expect From A Hurricane
Preparing a boat for a hurricane means defending against wind, rain, waves, and high water — in proportions rarely experienced by boaters. Created way back in 1983 after Hurricane Alicia devastated much of the Texas Gulf Coast, the BoatUS Catastrophe Team was formed to help our insureds get their boats salvaged and their claims processed […]
What Oil Says About Your Boat’s Health
Getting your engine, transmission, or lower unit oil tested can yield valuable information … if you know what to look for. Think of the oil in your engine like the blood in your body: You cannot survive without blood, and neither can your boat’s engine without oil. When you get a checkup, your doctor often […]
Avoid These Winter Preparation Mistakes
Avoid winter boat damage! Learn essential tips from BoatUS, covering proper winterization, safeguarding against snow, ice, and common pitfalls. Winter Can Play Havoc With Your Boat We all know we have to winterize the engine. But what else can go wrong? Over the years, we at BoatUS have seen thousands of winterizing claims, and we’re still […]
Hurricane Preparation Saves
These boat owners aggressively prepped their boat for survival at the dock using proven techniques as powerful Hurricane Florence zeroed in. Case Study: The Trial Of Her Life August through October is prime hurricane season in the Carolinas. Everyone who owns a boat here is aware of the risk. Our marina is on the Neuse […]
What To Do After A Hurricane
After a hurricane, safeguard your boat from further damage and theft. Contact your insurance, follow safety precautions, and use BoatUS resources for assistance. After a storm has passed and authorities are allowing travel, get to your boat quickly. It’s your responsibility to protect your boat from further damage, and its equipment from theft, regardless of […]
Are You Prepared For A Fire?
Onboard fires happen more than you’d think. Here’s what digging into the GEICO | BoatUS Marine Insurance claim files teaches us about preventing them. From The Masthead Not long ago I was aboard a boat with a client; he was attempting to describe his goals for the modifications and changes he wanted to make, and […]
Changing A Boat Propeller
Whatever the reason for changing a propeller, it’s an easy project that almost anyone can handle. How To Change A Boat Propeller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2mHr-1chw8 There may be lots of different reasons why you might want to change out the propeller on your outboard or sterndrive. It might be damaged, it may possibly be the wrong size […]
Inspecting Marine Gasoline Engines
Some simple tricks to help you evaluate your engines condition and head off trouble before it gets started. Reading through the claim files, you get the uneasy sense that most skippers didn’t have a clue their engines were developing a serious problem until the minute that they sputtered and died. Unlike an automobile’s engine, which […]
