Repair & maintenance guides

Jet Outboard Care: Grease, Intake Grate, Impeller Clearance and Shallow-River Habits

A jet outboard trades the propeller and gearcase for a pump, so it needs different care. Learn how mounting height works, why the pump bearing needs frequent grease, how gravel and a worn impeller steal thrust, how to clear the intake safely, and when an adjustment is a shop job.

Keeping Chartplotter Charts and Software Current (Garmin, Raymarine, Simrad, Lowrance, Navionics, NOAA)

Old charts can show buoys that moved and shoals that grew. Learn how chart subscriptions and updates work across the big brands, where NOAA's free charts fit in, how to handle SD cards safely, how to back up your waypoints and routes before anything goes wrong, and a simple yearly routine.

Lake Engine Restrictions: Two-Stroke Bans, Horsepower Limits, Electric-Only and No-Wake Lakes

Some lakes ban older two-stroke outboards, cap horsepower, allow only electric motors, or make the whole lake no-wake. Learn the common types of rules (with dated real examples like Lake Tahoe and Ohio's lake list), how to tell what kind of engine you have, and how to check before you tow the boat three hours to a ramp you can't use.

Launch Day and Haul-Out Checklist for Trailer Boats

A step-by-step checklist for getting your boat off the trailer and back on again safely and quickly, from the drain plug and tie-downs to the blower and ramp etiquette. Following it in order prevents the classic mistakes that sink boats and back up the ramp.

Lightning and Your Boat: Protection, Storm Safety and After-Strike Inspection

How lightning damages boats, what a professionally installed protection system (ABYC and NFPA 780 guidance) can and cannot do, what to do when a storm catches you on the water, and a step-by-step inspection checklist after a strike, including the haul-out, compass, electronics, through-hulls and the insurance claim.

Loss of Power, Hesitation or Misfire - Troubleshooting Guide

Figure out why your engine bogs down, stumbles, will not reach full rpm or runs rough. Work from simple checks like trim, prop and fuel filter to ignition and engine protection modes before paying for diagnostics.

Low-Voltage Disconnects: Keep the Stereo and Fridge from Killing Your Battery

A low-voltage disconnect (LVD) automatically cuts non-essential loads like the stereo, fridge and cabin lights before they drain the battery you need to start the engine. Learn how these devices work, which loads belong behind one and which never do, how to pick the cut-off point for lead-acid or lithium, and how to install one safely.

Make a Fire Escape Plan for Your Boat: Exits, Extinguishers, Roles and Shutoffs

Map two ways out of every cabin, put extinguishers where you can actually reach them, assign who does what, and practice shutting off fuel and power and getting everyone off upwind. A boat fire leaves only a few minutes, so the plan has to be made and walked through before you need it.

Make Your Own Boat Wiring Diagram

Trace your boat's 12-volt circuits one wire at a time, label them so the labels last, and draw a simple diagram you keep aboard. It takes a few weekends, but it turns every future electrical problem or upgrade into a faster, cheaper job.

Man-Overboard Recovery Gear: Throwables, Lifesling, Ladders and MOB Alarms

Set up and check the gear that gets a person in the water back aboard - a throwable within reach, a floating rescue line or Lifesling-style sling, a boarding ladder someone in the water can pull down, and MOB alarms or AIS beacons - and practice the drill so it works when it counts.

Marina and Storage Liens: How Lien Sales Work, Buying a Lien-Sale Boat, and Not Losing Yours

How unpaid slip, storage or repair bills turn into a lien and then a sale, using Florida and California as examples; what an owner can do to stop it; and how a buyer checks that a lien-sale or abandoned boat comes with paperwork the state will actually title. Every state has its own process and deadlines, so confirm with your state agency.

Marina Slip and Storage Contracts: What to Read Before You Sign

Walk through a slip, mooring or winter storage contract clause by clause: insurance and additional-insured requirements, hold-harmless and waiver-of-subrogation language, liveaboard and work rules, DIY and outside-contractor limits, storms, termination, refunds and lien rights, plus the questions to ask the marina and your insurer. Practical guidance, not legal advice.

Marine Battery Care: Test, Charge and Store for Winter

Check your boat battery's health, charge it the right way for its type (flooded, AGM or lithium), and store it so it is ready in spring. Most "boat won't start" calls start with a neglected battery.

Marine Head and Holding Tank Care: Odors, Clogs, Pump-Outs and Winterizing

Keep your boat's toilet and holding tank working and odor-free, clear common clogs, pump out the right way, and winterize the system. Also covers the Y-valve and the federal no-discharge rules every owner with a head needs to follow.

Marine Sealants Explained: 5200, 4200, 4000UV, Polysulfide, Silicone and Butyl Tape

Pick the right sealant before you bed a cleat, a through-hull, a window or a transducer. The wrong goo either leaks in a year or glues a part on so hard you damage the boat getting it off.

Marine Stereo Troubleshooting: No Power, Lost Settings, No Sound or Bluetooth Trouble

Track down a boat stereo that won't turn on, forgets its presets, resets when the engine cranks, plays no sound or won't keep a Bluetooth connection. Work from the free checks (switches, resets, fuses) to voltage tests, speaker wiring, water damage and software updates before you buy a new unit.

Marine Vinyl Stain Removal: Ink, Sunscreen, Grease, Mildew and Pink Stain

A stain-by-stain plan for boat seat vinyl that follows your vinyl maker's own cleaning list, starts with the mildest method, and keeps you away from the products that strip the protective top coat, rot the stitching or crack the vinyl.

Milky Engine Oil or Water in the Oil - What It Means and What to Do

Milky, creamy or rising engine oil usually means water is getting into the engine. Learn why you should stop running it right away, how to tell harmless condensation from a real leak, and which parts are the usual suspects: head gaskets, exhaust risers and manifolds, intake manifold gaskets, oil coolers and freeze cracks.

Missing or Faded Capacity Plate: How to Read It and Get a Proper Replacement

The capacity plate tells you how many people, how much weight and how much horsepower your boat can safely handle. Learn what each line means, which boats must have one under 33 CFR 183, how to order a replacement from the builder, what to do if the builder is gone, and why homemade numbers are a bad idea.

Mounting Hardware Where You Can't Reach Behind: Blind Fasteners

Learn how to mount light accessories on a boat when you can't get a hand behind the panel, using blind rivets, rivet nuts, well nuts, toggle anchors and bonded studs, when to cut an inspection port instead, and what must never be held by a blind fastener.

Moving Your Boat From Fresh to Salt Water (or Back): Anodes, Flushing, Corrosion, Bottom Paint and Trailer Upgrades

What to change when a lake boat moves to the coast, or a saltwater boat moves inland: switching anode material, a flush-after-every-trip routine, raw-water and closed cooling parts that wear faster in salt, bottom paint that suits your hull and drive, marine-grade hardware, and trailer upgrades that survive salt dunks. Built from BoatUS, Mercury, Yamaha and Boating Magazine advice.

NMEA 2000 Network Basics and Troubleshooting (Plus Chartplotter Updates)

Understand the backbone, terminators, power tap and drop cables that tie your chartplotter, engine data, GPS, depth and autopilot together, then track down why a device keeps dropping off. Finish by updating chartplotter and device software the safe way.

No Spark - Safe Ignition Checks for Outboards, Sterndrives, Inboards and PWCs

Engine cranks but never fires, and you suspect the ignition? Work from the cheap, common causes (kill switch lanyard, key switch, plug wires and caps, plugs, battery) to a proper spark test, and learn what the stator, CDI and coils do and when it is time for a dealer.

Oil or Fuel in the Bilge: Safe, Legal Cleanup

What to do when you find oil, diesel or gasoline in your bilge. Soak it up with oil-only absorbents, keep it from being pumped overboard, dispose of it properly, report any sheen on the water to the National Response Center, and find the leak so it does not happen again.