Keeping Your Boat Safe This Winter

You know how boats are; little problems compound quickly into big ones. Be mindful of your boat during the winter. You know how boats are. Little problems compound quickly into big ones. If we had to give only one piece of advice this winter, it’s this: Visit your boat. Snow, ice, wind, rain, and damp […]

Boat Winter Checklist

Fight the winter blues by visiting your boat and ensuring all is well. Whether it’s stored ashore or in water, you may stall spring problems. This is the time of year when you can’t help wondering if winter will ever end. The days don’t seem to be getting any longer, and the sun barely climbs […]

Coping With Winter

Visiting your boat during the winter could save you a lot of headaches in the spring. Learn how to properly cope with wintertime. Claim #0918191: A BoatUS Member who keeps his boat at a marina in Galesville, Maryland, had always been conscientious about visiting his boat regularly over the winter, but a heart attack left […]

Winterizing Your Boat Engine

Protect your boat’s engine this winter! Follow our comprehensive checklist for outboard and inboard engines to prevent costly damage. When the temperature falls below freezing, if there is water inside your engine or gear case, the result can be a cracked block or housing and a repair bill that runs into the thousands. It is […]

Winterizing Tips: Storage Ashore

Store your boat in water for an early spring launch or ashore for safety. Learn the best support methods and avoid winter storage mishaps. In some parts of the country, where winter means several months of bitterly cold weather, storing boats ashore is the norm. In warmer climates, however, ice and snow may occur infrequently, […]

Offseason Storage for Outboard Engines

Protect your boat engine for winter storage! Follow these tips: fuel conditioner, fogging oil, gearbox maintenance, and more. Take extra care to make sure that your engine is properly protected, especially when storing. You’ll need fuel conditioner, grease, gearbox lubricant, and storage fogging oil. This is only general guidance. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and […]

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 […]

Electric Heaters

Don’t risk your boat’s safety with a heater! Improper winterizing can lead to cracked engines, fires, and damage. A heater is no substitute for properly winterizing a boat! Numerous freeze claims over the years have proven that point again and again. If you’re tempted to leave your boat with a heater running this winter rather […]

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 […]