1. Inspect the boat while she’s ashore.
See any fluid leaks around the engine or in the bilges? Have hose clamps or sea-cock handles come loose or fallen off? Has water entered anywhere below decks? Are ports and hatches secure? Are the batteries dry and properly connected? How about the hull? Stuffing-box tight? Need new zincs? Bottom paint?
2. After the boat’s in the water, check your batteries and engine.
Is the fuel in good condition? Do the fuel filters need to be changed? Oil level adequate—no leaks or drips? Transmission fluid at the proper level? Are belts correctly tensioned? Is the battery holding a charge? Are the terminals and wires clean and tight?
3. Start the engine and run it for half an hour or more, listening for sounds of trouble.
Giving it some run-time enables you to hear a lot of problems in the boat. It also gives the engine a chance to work off some of the moisture that may have collected there during the winter. And it helps charge your batteries.
4. If your boat is large enough to have electrical, mechanical, water, and waste systems, check them carefully, not just for a quick on-off test.
If you used potable water antifreeze in your water system last autumn, flush all the water tanks with clean water and let them overflow. Make sure your pumps work after having been dry all winter.
5. Next, what about your safety equipment?
Check your fire extinguishers, distress signals, air horn, loud-hailer, and other safety gear to make sure they’re working and not expired. And go through your first aid kit to check the condition of supplies and the expiration dates of any medicines you carry, and replace items that are no longer usable.
6. Don’t forget your compass, navigation lights, radar reflector, VHF-FM marine radio (and a handheld backup radio as well), and chartplotter.
And, if you have a boat trailer, give it the same careful scrutiny you’ve given your boat; look over the trailer hitch, safety chains, tires, bearings, lights, tie-down straps, and signs of rust.
7. Don’t stint, either on time or on money.
Ensuring that your boat is properly maintained and equipped isn’t just a point of pride. It’s also a matter of safety—and possibly of life or death—if your boat encounters problems while you’re underway this coming summer. Take your time and do the job thoroughly and right.
8. Be sure to conduct a shakedown cruise
Take along another boater to drive so you can look around the whole boat while under way. Test everything you can, from your throttle and kill-switch to transmission controls and navigational electronics. Spend at least an hour under way. It’s better to discover problems now than to risk being surprised farther from port
9. If you have a sailboat, it’s good to get a rigging check every couple of years—from a professional rigger, if you have a larger boat—and be sure that he or she climbs the mast as part of the inspection. You should get a full report, including the condition of shrouds, stays, and chainplates. If there’s a problem, get it fixed immediately.
10. Finally, think back over what you’ve done and ask yourself whether you’ve fulfilled the basic objectives: fixing whatever’s gone wrong during the winter and preparing the boat thoroughly to help reduce the risk of problems once the boating season begins.
By Captain Art Pine
Monday, March 12, 2018 - 14:50
Here are 10 items that should be on your checklist for spring maintenance. Be sure to adapt the list to fit your own boat.
1. Inspect the boat while she’s ashore.
See any fluid leaks around the engine or in the bilges? Have hose clamps or sea-cock handles come loose or fallen off? Has water entered anywhere below decks? Are ports and hatches secure? Are the batteries dry and properly connected? How about the hull? Stuffing-box tight? Need new zincs? Bottom paint?
2. After the boat’s in the water, check your batteries and engine.
Is the fuel in good condition? Do the fuel filters need to be changed? Oil level adequate—no leaks or drips? Transmission fluid at the proper level? Are belts correctly tensioned? Is the battery holding a charge? Are the terminals and wires clean and tight?
3. Start the engine and run it for half an hour or more, listening for sounds of trouble.
Giving it some run-time enables you to hear a lot of problems in the boat. It also gives the engine a chance to work off some of the moisture that may have collected there during the winter. And it helps charge your batteries.
4. If your boat is large enough to have electrical, mechanical, water, and waste systems, check them carefully, not just for a quick on-off test.
If you used potable water antifreeze in your water system last autumn, flush all the water tanks with clean water and let them overflow. Make sure your pumps work after having been dry all winter.
5. Next, what about your safety equipment?
Check your fire extinguishers, distress signals, air horn, loud-hailer, and other safety gear to make sure they’re working and not expired. And go through your first aid kit to check the condition of supplies and the expiration dates of any medicines you carry, and replace items that are no longer usable.
6. Don’t forget your compass, navigation lights, radar reflector, VHF-FM marine radio (and a handheld backup radio as well), and chartplotter.
And, if you have a boat trailer, give it the same careful scrutiny you’ve given your boat; look over the trailer hitch, safety chains, tires, bearings, lights, tie-down straps, and signs of rust.
7. Don’t stint, either on time or on money.
Ensuring that your boat is properly maintained and equipped isn’t just a point of pride. It’s also a matter of safety—and possibly of life or death—if your boat encounters problems while you’re underway this coming summer. Take your time and do the job thoroughly and right.
8. Be sure to conduct a shakedown cruise
Take along another boater to drive so you can look around the whole boat while under way. Test everything you can, from your throttle and kill-switch to transmission controls and navigational electronics. Spend at least an hour under way. It’s better to discover problems now than to risk being surprised farther from port
9. If you have a sailboat, it’s good to get a rigging check every couple of years—from a professional rigger, if you have a larger boat—and be sure that he or she climbs the mast as part of the inspection. You should get a full report, including the condition of shrouds, stays, and chainplates. If there’s a problem, get it fixed immediately.
10. Finally, think back over what you’ve done and ask yourself whether you’ve fulfilled the basic objectives: fixing whatever’s gone wrong during the winter and preparing the boat thoroughly to help reduce the risk of problems once the boating season begins.
By Captain Art Pine
1. Inspect the boat while she’s ashore.
See any fluid leaks around the engine or in the bilges? Have hose clamps or sea-cock handles come loose or fallen off? Has water entered anywhere below decks? Are ports and hatches secure? Are the batteries dry and properly connected? How about the hull? Stuffing-box tight? Need new zincs? Bottom paint?
2. After the boat’s in the water, check your batteries and engine.
Is the fuel in good condition? Do the fuel filters need to be changed? Oil level adequate—no leaks or drips? Transmission fluid at the proper level? Are belts correctly tensioned? Is the battery holding a charge? Are the terminals and wires clean and tight?
3. Start the engine and run it for half an hour or more, listening for sounds of trouble.
Giving it some run-time enables you to hear a lot of problems in the boat. It also gives the engine a chance to work off some of the moisture that may have collected there during the winter. And it helps charge your batteries.
4. If your boat is large enough to have electrical, mechanical, water, and waste systems, check them carefully, not just for a quick on-off test.
If you used potable water antifreeze in your water system last autumn, flush all the water tanks with clean water and let them overflow. Make sure your pumps work after having been dry all winter.
5. Next, what about your safety equipment?
Check your fire extinguishers, distress signals, air horn, loud-hailer, and other safety gear to make sure they’re working and not expired. And go through your first aid kit to check the condition of supplies and the expiration dates of any medicines you carry, and replace items that are no longer usable.
6. Don’t forget your compass, navigation lights, radar reflector, VHF-FM marine radio (and a handheld backup radio as well), and chartplotter.
And, if you have a boat trailer, give it the same careful scrutiny you’ve given your boat; look over the trailer hitch, safety chains, tires, bearings, lights, tie-down straps, and signs of rust.
7. Don’t stint, either on time or on money.
Ensuring that your boat is properly maintained and equipped isn’t just a point of pride. It’s also a matter of safety—and possibly of life or death—if your boat encounters problems while you’re underway this coming summer. Take your time and do the job thoroughly and right.
8. Be sure to conduct a shakedown cruise
Take along another boater to drive so you can look around the whole boat while under way. Test everything you can, from your throttle and kill-switch to transmission controls and navigational electronics. Spend at least an hour under way. It’s better to discover problems now than to risk being surprised farther from port
9. If you have a sailboat, it’s good to get a rigging check every couple of years—from a professional rigger, if you have a larger boat—and be sure that he or she climbs the mast as part of the inspection. You should get a full report, including the condition of shrouds, stays, and chainplates. If there’s a problem, get it fixed immediately.
10. Finally, think back over what you’ve done and ask yourself whether you’ve fulfilled the basic objectives: fixing whatever’s gone wrong during the winter and preparing the boat thoroughly to help reduce the risk of problems once the boating season begins.
By Captain Art Pine