Boat Maintenance

[Jethro]

After washing the boat down and flushing the motor after the new girls maiden voyage on the weekend it got me to thinking......

This the first real boat I have ever owned and I have never had to really look after a boat before. What are some of maintenance things that I can do in between servicing. Things like oil this, grease that, top this up and how often do you do them.

There are probably heaps of things that you guys do that are second nature by now so please share with a novice

Edited December 7, 2004 by Jethro

[Stevo]

besides the usual washing and cleaning of the boat.

After Every 2nd trip:

1. Spray Lanox on all eletrical connections, battery terminals and minn kota.

Every month:

1. Spray Lanox inside engine cowling on electrical wires etc.

2. If you submersible lights are the cheap ones that arent sealed like mine and most other guys, i drop down the unit housing the bulb and wires,, another good dose of Lanox in there.

3. Check engine mount bolts

4. Grease engine nipples.

Every 6 Months:

1. Re-pack trailer bearings and replace if necessary.

Every 12 months:

1. Replace outboard gearbox oil

2. Replace spark plus and engine fuel filters.

3. De-carbonize carburettors with appropriate cleaner.

The only jobs i leave for the outboard mechnics are impellers and tuning of carburettors if needed.

Thats about all for me.

Stevo

[mark_s]

A real easy one for a front steer boat is to turn your steering wheel to full lock so that the steering cable (at the motor) is fully retracted in its covering/tubing. This stops the grease from drying out and the cable siezing up, which happened to me when I didn't use my boat for a couple of months a few years ago. Thats been my most expensive repair so far.

A couple of other things I do:

- I flush out my trailer lights every time I use the boat. Even though the trailer lights don't get wet they still start rusting and corroding.

- I leave strips of cloth in my bung holes when storing the boat. The boat is also tilted up just slightly. The strips of cloth then "wick" the last of the water out of the bottom of the boat.

- Every now and then, depending on use, I take the motor cover off and give the motor a light spray with the hose to wash the salt off. It builds up from splashes and chop etc. Afterwards give it a spray with WD40 (or I think INOX is better) before putting the cover back on.

- Also check the water level in your battery every now and then. I busted a battery by letting it run dry. I have found that boat batterys use more wtaer than say a car battery, maybe it splashes out when bobbing around.

Of course the best regular maintenance is a regular trip on the water.

[cajun]

Of course the best regular maintenance is a regular trip on the water.

22668[/snapback]

No doubt about that .In short - use it or lose it. The best type of maintenance is fishing regularly, both for your boat and for you!

And has been mentioned, the trailer needs lots of TLC too.

Cheers

Ken

[Jethro]

Thanks guys

There are plenty of things there I would never have thought of.

Its amazing how your mind set changes when you have a boat worth looking after

[snag]

I Know what you mean jethro, i havent even recieved my boat yet and i read this post and got some great advice.

Thanks guys keep them comming.

[fastone]

Just a small thing , always refuel your boat after each use as air in the fuel tank causes condensation. even a 3/4 full tank will condensate. omc make a fuel conditioner for prolonged storage eg : greater than 90 days. also 2 stroke fuel only lasts 14 days mixed, & should be chucked after that. no-one does but warranty is void if the manufacturer realizes. the company STIHL has doubled their warranty if the customer uses their synthetic brand 2 stroke oil on their product range, they reckon it has reduced the w/claims by a third. But only use outboard 2 stroke if its a 2 stroke motor.

[Clarkie]

I can't give you a scientific explanation, but from what I've read on a couple of performance car sites is that all modern un-leaded fuel octane levels deteriorate over time to a point where it should become quite noticable after a month. You can add fuel stabilisers which lengthen the life of the fuel, but old fuels should be discarded as they can damage heads & pistons because of this octane decrease.

Steve.

[fastone]

Pedro sorry i havent replied xmas party & all. aged or bad fuel was detected in a 15 hp evy i owned 2 years ago, johnson got involved & reluctantly repaired it under warranty. many 2 stroke oils are mineral based & hence go off break down quickly, it will damage the pistons, seals & the fuel system. you may never have a problem all i know is what had shown me on stripping the motor. put another way the 2 stroke oil is used to lubricate the engine correct whilst running, would you use old oil in your car. If you dont use premix fuel [ 2 stroke ] the oil will not deteriate anywhere near as quick. many blokes use hi octane in there motors, bad shit as hi octane has a high temp at detonation therefore making the motor perform at a higher temp exactly the same as if you lean the 2 stoke mix . hope this helps . ed

[basic_fisho]

Hi. If you suspect you have any water through condensation in your tank a bottle of metholated spirits will take care of it. Ben.