StreetWise Boat Guide – How Do You Maintain Your Boat?

How Do You Maintain Your Boat?

Remember that old saying mentioned at the beginning of this guide? A boat is a hole in the water which you throw money into. Neglect your boat's maintenance and you'll soon find out how true that saying can be. Leave a boat alone for even a week or two, if it's in the water, and it can quickly degrade. Leave a boat out of the water too long, and other problems can develop before you can blink. Minor maintenance issues briefly ignored can turn quickly into major repair issues. The smart boat owner pays constant attention to maintenance.

Normal maintenance

Boats, particularly when they are in the water, develop problems very quickly: battery connections corrode; cables loosen; seals develop leaks.

Your first defense against this deterioration is to follow faithfully the maintenance procedures outlined in the owner's manuals for the boat, engine and other important accessories. If you've lost the manual (or it didn't come with a used boat), you can usually find these instructions on the manufacturers' websites or order manuals from online marine bookstores or technical service companies.

Additional information from websites such as the following will also help you develop a smart maintenance plan.

The Gear and Maintenance Section of the sailnet.com website has many good articles on sailboat maintenance.

Maintenance, Repairs, and Troubleshooting Articles on varied maintenance topics by marine surveyor David Pascoe. Most for power boats.

DIY Boat Owner: The Marine Maintenance Magazine Online version of this quarterly magazine contains useful tips and articles. A subscription is required for full online access.

Winterizing your boat

Ignore your boat in the fall, and you'll pay a hefty financial penalty in the spring. What should you winterize? Where can you get good tips on preventive maintenance for cold climates?

Two TechTips from Bill Casey on boatus.com: Winterizing Your Engine and Fall Lay Up. Both articles discuss how to prepare your boat for winter storage in freezing weather.

Preparing Your Sailboat for Winter by Bruce Caldwell from sailnet.com. It includes a checklist.

Winter Storage for sailboats by Joy Smith from sailnet.com. It includes tips on choosing a winter marina.

Winterize Your Boat Yourself and Save Hundreds of Dollars from discoverboating.com.

Winterize Your Boat by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on discoverboating.com.

Winterizing Your Boat from boatsafe.com.

Preparing your boat for summer use

Here are checklists for preparing your boat for relaunch.

Preparing Your Boat for the Season: Pre-Season Checklist from boatsafe.com.

Ready for Spring? Basic maintenance checks to perform in readying your boat for use. An article from Boating World by Chris Caswell.

Spring Commissioning Checklist by Capt. Ken Kreisler from Power & Motoryacht Magazine.

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Updated August 2004