As boating season begins, responsible boaters seek out a free vessel safety check from state and local marine law enforcement officers. Up to 25 percent fail across the country, which means without correction, those boat owners are putting themselves and others at risk. The number one reason for failure is “up-to-date flares,” reports Andrew Thurman,…
A boater’s winter goal is keeping the elements out of the vessel. In spring, it’s preventing toxins from entering our waterways. DIY boaters need to keep harmful substances from leaching into waterways directly from toxic bottom paint, parking lot overflow, and storm drains. Noxious elements also eventually enter our air and waterways from landfills. If…
Have your boat spring commissioned Spring commissioning is when your batteries are re-connected; the engine is run on a hose up to normal operating temperature to verify sufficient water volume flow and to flush the antifreeze out of your engine. An inspection is completed to ensure there are no leaks or abnormal conditions. We also…
There’s a reason that watersports towers now seem to dominate the recreational boating horizon. Tow sports are the hot ticket, a way to greatly expand the enjoyment of your boat and get countless family and friends in on the action. And towers make enjoying those sports all the more fun, not just for the participant…
BOAT-TRAILER BREAKDOWNS Proper boat-trailer maintenance will help you avoid a breakdown. By Rich Johnson At the top of the launch ramp, the trailer suddenly lurched and fell slightly to one side. In the side-view mirror, I could see one of the wheels cocked at an ugly angle. The axle had broken just inboard of the…
The start of the year is a great time to inspect your safety gear. For many boaters, January is a period of downtime, and that makes it a great month to inspect and update safety equipment — particularly if you have pulled it off the boat for winter storage. Here is my suggested 10-point checklist,…
Inboard Boat Engines Are Not Car Engines I’ve talked a lot in this blog about the differences between boats and cars — how they’re built and serviced differently, and how their wiring and other replacement parts are not the same. There are also critical differences between marine inboards and car engines, so before you let someone tell you that a crate…
Soap is soap, right? And what about spray wax? Well, the ones we tested all gave good results but weren’t exactly alike. We wanted to know which of the popular brands — and one new brand — would do the best job for the right money. So we put them through the ringer in our…
It’s that time of year again. The leaves have started to change color, and the nights are getting longer and cooler. Before the mercury dips below freezing, you need to prepare your boat for the coming winter. At its most basic, winterizing means draining any water aboard or replacing it with enough of the right…
INSTALLING SPARK PLUGS Helpful tips for properly installing spark plugs. Today’s fuel-injected marine engines run so clean that plugs need changing less often than in years past. But the day will come. For those with a mechanical jones, or with older engines, here are some helpful tips. The Right Plug “Close enough” won’t do. A…