10 Boat Maintenance Tips
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With the help of our boat maintenance checklist, you can enjoy the water all season.
Boat Tips to keep your boat on the water this season
Boat Maintenance Checklist
1) Check your boat's Trailer Tire Pressure & Condition
First, let’s talk about boat trailer maintenance, which is easy to overlook. If you don’t make it to the lake, you won’t be able to fish. It’s not unusual to see a driver stranded on the side of the road with a flat trailer tire. Let’s go over 10 Boat Maintenance Tips to help you get ready for the Boat Season.
When a tire is low, it gets hot, and tires that are hot are more likely to blow out.
Check for weather damage. Tires on trailers often stay outside all year, in the sun. Change any tires that are worn out, and store your boat and trailer with the tires up and covered when the season is over.
2) Grease Your Trailer Bearings
It is easy to overlook trailer bearings, just like the tires. They’re submerged every time you load or unload your boat because of the weight of the boat.
Despite the fact that the hub seals are intended to keep water out, wear and tear and carelessness can cause leaks, allowing rust and corrosion to take hold.
Rust acts like sandpaper and scours the ball bearings, causing them to run hotter and boil the grease out, making the problem even worse.
At least once a year, apply a high-quality synthetic grease designed to withstand water washout, such as AMSOIL Synthetic Water-Resistant Grease, to the bearings as part of boat maintenance.
Check out this video to learn how to lubricate the bearings on a boat trailer.
3) Change your boat engine's Lower-Unit Gear Lube
An excellent gear lubricant is needed to ensure that the lower unit’s gears, bearings, and seals perform and last as designed.
During throttle bursts, the ring gear teeth are subjected to tremendous pressure from the pinion gear. Because of the gear teeth’s tendency to chip and break if the lubricant film breaks down, failure can occur. This is most likely due to water intrusion.
The lubricant can become dangerously low if you don’t perform annual maintenance on the lower unit. High-quality gear protection is made possible in large part by the lubricant’s exceptional properties under high-pressure.
During throttle bursts, the lower-unit pinion gear puts more pressure on the forward gear, causing the fluid film to rupture. For the best protection, lubricate your gears once a year.
Another area of concern is the shift dog.
To connect the prop to the drive shaft, it has large teeth that mate with teeth on forward or reverse gears.
If your outboard frequently pops out of gear because of worn shift-dog teeth, this is most likely due to the issue.
For the lower unit to shift and stay in gear, anti-wear properties are essential.
It’s a pain to change lower-unit gear oil if you use rigid conical bottles or messy gear-lube pumps. The AMSOIL easy-pack simplifies and cleans up the process.
To see it in action how easy it it to change the lower-unit gear oil with AMSOIL easy-pack, watch the video.
Move the compressed air from the inside of the air filter outwards to clear out any debris that might be stopping the lawnmower from starting because it isn’t getting enough air.
4) Check your boat Prop For Debris
While changing the gear lubricant on your boat, remove the propeller and check for tangled fishing lines or other debris. If the seal that prevents water from entering the lower unit is damaged, it could allow water to get in.
5) Changing your Boat Engine Oil and Filter
Wear and deposits in the engine can lead to breakdowns and sluggish performance.
Every fall, before putting your boat away for the winter, change the oil in the engine. As a result, acidic combustion byproducts are removed, and fresh oil is available to protect components from corrosion while being stored. Remember to change the oil filter as well.
It is recommended that you use a marine-specific engine oil.
Motor oil, contrary to popular belief, does not naturally protect against corrosion or rust. If the oil doesn’t have the right amount of corrosion and rust inhibitors in it, it won’t be able to protect itself.
Due to the engine’s frequent contact with water, it is imperative that it be protected from rust and corrosion.
It is possible for damp air to enter the combustion chamber when the engine is turned off. Engine failure occurs when contaminants such as rust and corrosion enter the oil and act as sandpaper to scour metal surfaces.
Using AMSOIL Synthetic Marine Engine Oil, which is specifically formulated for marine engines, can help prevent this from happening.
6) Make sure to Continue to Treat Your Fuel Throughout the Season
Most people are used to using fuel additives on a regular basis. In marine applications, it’s best to use fuel additives with every tank of fuel.
Ethanol, which is found in most gasoline sold today, likes water by nature. If water gets into your gas tank, it can mix with the ethanol and make your boat engine not run as well.
When ethanol, which is in most gasoline sold today, bonds with water and pulls away from the gasoline, this is called phase separation. When the water and ethanol mix is pulled into the combustion chamber, it can hurt the engine.
Add Gasoline additives to Avoid Most of These Problems
Add something to the fuel, like AMSOIL Quickshot®, that will keep the water in the fuel tank mixed up and stop the phases from separating. Continuous use also helps stop the buildup of deposits, varnish, and gums that reduce performance.
7) At the end of The season Grease the Tilt Tube
Rust and corrosion can build up on the tilt tube, making it impossible to raise or lower the motor and making it hard to steer.
At the end of the season, use a water-resistant grease. to grease the tilt tube. Seasonal greasing protects against rust and corrosion and makes it easier to turn the steering wheel.
8) Clean your live well & Bilge
In some places, transporting invasive species is a big problem.
It’s a good idea to clean out your bilge and livewell so you don’t accidentally bring invasive species into a river or lake in the area.
Don’t use caustic chemicals to clean because they can hurt the environment and your fish. Instead, you should buy biodegradable cleaners that are made for cleaning the bilge or livewell.
Some boaters use baking soda and warm water. Just soak it for a while, scrub it with a soft brush, and rinse it clean.
9) Clean and cover your boat seats when not in use
If you don’t protect your boat, the sun’s UV rays can turn it into trailer trash in just a few short years.
It’s good boat maintenance to cover your boat when you’re not using it. This will protect the seats and other parts of your boat from UV rays.
The best way to protect your boat is to put it on covered boat lift. When you’re done fishing, you don’t have to unroll and put on a cover every time.
If a covered lift is either out of reach or unaffordable that is ok. Just make sure to take the time to cover your boat after you’ve finished using it.
It may be difficult to cover your boat, especially when it’s windy. It makes a difference to take the time cover your boat. The payoff is not having to reupholster or replace your boat’s carpet and seats. It will also save your boat seat cushions because they will eventually degrade to the point where the seat is no longer usable if the seat fabric dries out and cracks.
10) Final Maintenance tip: Wash & Wax your boat
Washing and waxing the hull of fiberglass boats is an important part of routine boat maintenance. Otherwise, oxidation and degradation of the coating may occur.
Also, don’t forget to clean your upholstery and canvass regularly with marine-specific chemicals to avoid mildew.
If you follow these simple boat maintenance guidelines, you should have a trouble-free boat for many years to come.
I hope these 10 Boat Maintenance Tips help you get your boat ready for the water and some fun with family and friends!
