boat maintenance

[lonehunter]

[font "Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"][size 3][size 5]Maintenance key to your boat’s longevity[/size]
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Gladwin County Record[/size]

(NAPS)-Boats are like people: good maintenance can equal long life. There are some things you should do to make sure your boat stays ready for the water.

If you haven’t got your boat out for a summer trip yet, here are some tips to follow when you do.

• Warm up. Coax your boat out of hibernation. If you stored your boat with some fuel in the tank and didn’t use a fuel stabilizer, condition the fuel by adding a conditioner. If you experience no start and the fuel seems stale, take your boat to a qualified dealership where trained technicians are equipped to drain and dispose of the fuel.

• Maintain liquids. If you own a 4-cycle marine outboard, now’s a good time to change the engine oil and oil filter, and drain and replace the lower unit lubricants. Synthetic oils are good because they protect engines and extend engine life. For those who own a 2-cycle marine engine, top off the oil reservoir with fresh 2-cycle oil, change out lower unit lubricants and run engine to flush out all cooling passages.

• Secure loose ends that might trip you up. Check for loose or damaged wiring on the outboard and boat. Check the throttle and shift cables to make sure they’re properly adjusted and work correctly.

• Charge your battery. Charge and reinstall the battery. Some fishing boats, especially bass boats, have internal chargers pre-wired. All you need is to add an extension cord, or test it to make sure it can hold a charge during big jobs, like starting the engine.

• Check support equipment. Inspect your trailer to make sure the trailer lights are working, and then double check the winch cable, tie downs and safety chains. Make sure your state license registration is up to date as well.

If possible, take your boat out on the water for a short run to make sure everything’s working properly.
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[One_eyed_jack]

Thank you for the tips, much appreciated for a first time boat owner. A question that I have is how to "winterize" a 2 stroke motor. I have heard you need to "fog" it and do a some other thing to it. Are there drain plugs as with an inboard? All the fun stuff I am learning about my rig!
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[lonehunter]

there sure is , i only know a few . before i do any preps i pressure wash the engin at the car wash . i also run the engin for about a minute or two during the wax cycle and let the wax solution go thru the warer intake on the engine , this help to keep any scale from building up during the winter months and keeps the impellor from dry-rotting .

i drain and replace the lower gear unit of all the old lube and replace it with new .

the engin fog for storage can be bought at the auto parts store , so can stay-bul for the fule . follow the directions ( put the stay-bul gas treatment in before you go to the car wash , this protects your float chamber and lines from varnish build up as well )

the electronics are the trickey thing , i always replaced the points at the end of the year , dabed a drop of non detergent oil on the contacts to prevent corosion or stuck points , sand the magnedo tips and the magnets on the flywheel , a light film of oil there too , no surface rust build up in the spring . any clips , like for the kill switch get the same treatment .

i replace the spark plugs during the engine fogging process , oil the threads as well . depending on the type of spark plug wires ( any other wires too ) i coat them with whatever the manufacturer sugests to prevent them from dring out and cracking .

i only let the engine run a minute when fogging , no water , i want any left over water out of the engine , ice is the most destructive thing an engine can be exposed to during storage .

i use no-ox from any hardware or electrical supply store on the carb levers . this keeps them free from scale build up and sticking in the spring .

a cotton or hemp bag ( old potato sack or pillow case ) works great for a cover , it breathes , plastic bags draw in moist air and condensation , that's not good . store it in a dry place and your all set for the spring .

hope it helps , my moter still works , it's a 1942 scott-atwater .
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[lonehunter]

ONE IMPORTANT THING I FORGOT TO MENTION IS HOW TO KEEP THAT "BOAT " IN TOP CONDITION TOO ! NEVER LET ANY WATER SET IN IT .THE (FIBERGLASS) HULL AND THE FLOORBOARD WILL DEVELOPE MICRO-CRACKS IN ITS STRUCTURE , WATER WILL PASS THRU THESE CRACKS . THIS WILL LEAD TO ROT OF YOUR TRANSOM ( THE WOODEN SKELETON OF YOUR CRAFT ) AND DETERIATION OF THE FIBERGLASS .

KEEP YOUR BOAT COVERED , KEEP THE DRAINPLUG OUT AND THE DRAINHOLE CLEAR OF ANY DEBRIS , AND KEEP THE BOATS BOW UP . CHECK ON IT'S CONDITION FROM TIME TO TIME DURING STORAGE .
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[One_eyed_jack]

Thanks LoneHunter for the great advice.
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