Repair & maintenance guides
Plain-English, step by step, written for owners. Pick your engine to see the guides that apply to it.
314 of 509 guides · page 5 of 14
How to Adjust and Replace Trailer Bunks and Rollers So Your Boat Sits Right
Set up your boat trailer so the hull is supported in the right places: bunks and rollers clear of the strakes, the transom fully supported, the bow snug against the winch stop and the weight balanced on the tongue. Also covers replacing rotten bunk boards and worn carpet or rollers.
How to Bleed Air From a Marine Diesel Fuel System
A diesel that sucks air after a filter change, a fuel leak or running the tank dry may not start until the air is pushed out. Learn the order that works on most older mechanical diesels, why common-rail engines are different, how to protect the starter and exhaust while cranking, and the high-pressure fuel dangers you must respect.
How to Break In a New or Rebuilt Boat Engine
The first hours on a new or rebuilt engine decide how well its piston rings seat and how long it lasts. Learn how to follow your maker's hour and RPM schedule, why you should keep changing the throttle, what to avoid (constant RPM, early full throttle, long idling), what to check every trip and when to do the first oil change.
How to Build a Damage-Control Kit: Plugs, Patches and a Plan for Leaks
Put together a labeled kit that can slow or stop water coming into your boat - softwood plugs tied at every through-hull, rescue tape, spare clamps, rubber and plywood patches, plastic sheeting, underwater sealant, a manual pump and the tools to reach a hidden leak - and practice with it so your crew knows where everything is.
How to Care for Boat Solar Panels, Connectors and the Charge Controller
A boat solar setup is quiet and almost maintenance-free, but salt, shade, loose connectors and a wrong battery setting quietly cut its output or hurt the batteries. Learn the cleaning, inspection and controller checks to do each season, and how to leave the system for winter.
How to Care for Your Anchor Locker and Keep the Chain Running Free
Empty, clean and drain the anchor locker, untwist and restow the rode so it runs out without jamming, tie the bitter end so it can be cut free in an emergency, and decide whether you really need a swivel. A tidy locker keeps the anchor ready when you need it fast.
How to Check a Boat for Transom and Stringer Rot
Many older fiberglass boats have wood inside the transom, stringers and deck, and water that gets in slowly rots it. Learn the tap test, the flex test, how to read a moisture meter and the other warning signs, and why a rotten transom or stringer is a structural job for a pro, not a weekend patch.
How to Check and Care for Boat Trailer Surge Brakes
Understand how the hydraulic surge brakes on your boat trailer work, check the fluid, use the reverse lockout correctly and rinse salt out of them after every dunk. Simple habits that keep the brakes from seizing, dragging or failing when you need them.
How to Check, Mount and Replace Boat Fire Extinguishers
A monthly five-minute check of every fire extinguisher aboard, plus how the 2022 Coast Guard rule changes affect you, where to mount them, and when to recharge or replace. A boat fire spreads in seconds, and an extinguisher with a dead gauge, missing pin or expired date will not help you or pass a boarding.
How to Choose and Fit Life Jackets for Children and Babies
Pick the right Coast Guard-approved life jacket for each child by weight, check the fit so it can't slip off, look for head support and a crotch strap on little ones, and learn the federal and state wear rules. Inflatables are not for kids, and a life jacket never replaces an adult watching.
How to Choose, Install and Adjust Trailer Guide-Ons (Posts or Bunks)
Add or tune the side guides on your boat trailer so the hull lines up in wind and current, the posts stay visible at the ramp and nothing rubs the gelcoat on the road. Covers post vs. bunk guide-ons, lighted posts, mounting height, side clearance and yearly care.
How to Choose, Install and Maintain an Onboard Battery Charger
Pick the right marine charger for your batteries (how many banks, how many amps, flooded, AGM or lithium), mount and fuse it safely, set the charge profile, and use it to keep batteries healthy all season and through the winter. The AC (shore power) side is a job for a marine electrician.
How to Clean and Care for a Boat Windshield (Acrylic, Polycarbonate or Glass)
Clean your windshield without scratching it, tell acrylic, polycarbonate and glass apart, deal with haze, crazing and small cracks, stop frame leaks, and keep wipers and the walk-through door working.
How to Clean and Care for Clear Vinyl (Isinglass) and Polycarbonate Enclosure Panels
Keep the clear windows in your dodger, bimini curtains or full enclosure clear for years by cleaning them the right way, storing them without scratches and avoiding the cold-weather and chemical mistakes that ruin them. Covers soft clear vinyl, coated vinyl like Strataglass, rigid panels and zippers.
How to Clean and Protect Boat Canvas, Bimini Tops and Vinyl Seats
Wash your bimini, covers and enclosure the right way, beat mildew without wrecking the stitching, keep vinyl seats soft and stain-free, look after zippers and snaps, and store everything so it comes out clean next spring.
How to Clean the Raw-Water Strainer and Replace the Impeller on a Marine Diesel
Clean the sea strainer and swap the rubber impeller in the raw-water pump of a Yanmar, Volvo Penta, Westerbeke, Beta or similar inboard diesel. A worn impeller is one of the most common reasons a diesel overheats, and this job takes about an hour with basic tools.
How to Clean Your Boat's Bilge (Legally, and Without the Smell)
Get oil, sludge and debris out of the bilge without pumping pollution overboard, choose absorbents that actually work, track down bilge odors, clear limber holes and the pump pickup, and dispose of the mess the right way.
How to Clean, Protect and Inspect Stainless Steel Boat Hardware
Remove tea stains and rust from rails, cleats and fittings without scratching them, passivate stainless so it stays clean longer, understand why 304 and 316 behave differently, and spot the hidden crevice corrosion that weakens fittings from underneath.
How to Clean, Protect and Restore Non-Skid Decks
Get dirt, fish blood, rust and mildew out of textured non-skid without wearing it away, learn why ordinary wax makes it dangerously slick, and decide when worn non-skid needs a deck paint with grip additive or traction pads instead.
How to Clean, Remove Oxidation and Wax Your Boat's Gelcoat (Plus Pontoon Tubes)
Wash your hull the right way, bring back chalky, faded gelcoat with compound, and seal it with wax so it stays glossy and protected from the sun. Includes how to clean and protect the aluminum tubes on a pontoon boat.
How to Deal with Diesel Fuel Contamination, Diesel Bug and Fuel Polishing
Learn the signs of water, sludge and microbial growth ("diesel bug") in your diesel tank, how to check a fuel sample, when a biocide helps, and when the tank needs polishing or cleaning. Clean fuel prevents most diesel breakdowns.
How to Detail Your Boat's Interior (Vinyl Seats, Carpet, Storage and Drains)
Give your cockpit and cabin a proper detail. Clean marine vinyl without stripping its UV protection, wash snap-in and glued-down carpet, clear out cup holders, storage boxes and their drains, beat mildew and pink stains, and know which household cleaners to keep off your boat.
How to Dry or Replace Waterlogged Boat Seat Cushion Foam
Stop the soggy-seat problem: find out why the foam inside boat cushions holds water, dry it out the fast way, and choose the right replacement foam (standard, closed-cell or quick-drying reticulated) so your seats stay dry, firm and mildew-free.
How to File a Boat Insurance Claim: Safety, Mitigation, Documentation and Settlement
What to do from the moment something goes wrong until the check arrives: make everyone safe, stop further damage, report right away, document with photos and your maintenance log, handle towing versus salvage, work with the adjuster or surveyor, and understand agreed value, actual cash value and the common exclusions. Policies differ, so your own policy wording always wins.
Safety: BoatMend is for information only and does not replace a certified marine technician. You are responsible for your safety and your boat. Read the full disclaimer.