Beaching A Boat

on June 29, 2024

Many new boat owners want to beach their boat, and go swimming. I strongly advise to resist this urge. While driving the boat into shore with the outboard or stern drive trimmed up is the simplest approach, leaving your boat bow to shore presents some possibly serious drawbacks.  It’s easy to get stuck. A falling tide, wind, or waves pushing onshore — or even a large wake from a passing boat — can easily leave […]

Warranty

on June 22, 2024

Many think that a warranty covers everything. But most warranties have limitations. Is my extended-service contract an extension of my manufacturer warranty? Sorry, Service contracts are insurance policies, often underwritten by third parties not associated with manufacturers. These contracts are moneymakers for dealers; some retailers can mark up contracts more than 100 percent over the actual cost paid to the service-contract company. A true warranty offers broad coverage and has the weight of state and […]

Fuel Leaks

on June 16, 2024

Fuel Leaks can be avoided Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you probably know that during last several years, ethanol has been added to gasoline. But did you know that ethanol can degrade older fuel lines much faster then anticipated. Even newer hoses don’t have quite the same lifespan. Degraded fuel lines get brittle and will eventually leak — and a leaking fuel line is a disaster waiting to happen. If your hoses are […]

Choppy Water

on June 8, 2024

Boating through choppy water, like most things in boating, requires a strong dose of common sense. Choppy Water Basics: 1. Batten down. No matter how skillfully you maneuver your boat, if loose equipment and just plain stuff litters the boat you may be in for an expensive experience, not to mention danger. Debris flying around a boat can damage the vessel and injure the people aboard. Simply stowing things into compartments is a good first […]

Cleaning and Maintaining

on June 2, 2024

The trick is to get cleaning and maintaining finished so you can maximize your time on the water. Everyone wants a clean vessel, but it takes some work. Waterline Wars Nothing’s worse than leaving the boat ramp with a dingy waterline stain, but there’s no reason to let that nasty stain linger. After hauling the boat, soak a sponge in vinegar and wipe down the water stains. Some will disappear immediately; usually what remains will […]