Repair & maintenance guides

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 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 Fill Old Screw Holes in Fiberglass Decks and Hulls

Close up the holes left by removed cleats, rod holders, electronics and trim so water can't reach the deck core. Covers simple epoxy fills, the overdrill-fill-redrill method for cored decks, a gelcoat finish, and why holes below the waterline are a haul-out job.

How to Find and Fix Leaking Deck Hardware (Rebedding Cleats, Stanchions and Tracks)

Track down the cleat, stanchion base or track that is dripping into the cabin, then remove it, seal the deck core and bed it again with the right sealant so the leak stops for years instead of weeks. Catching it early protects the deck core from rot.

How to Find and Fix Leaking Rivets on an Aluminum Boat

Almost every older riveted aluminum boat weeps a little water. Learn how to find the leaking rivets, tighten the ones that are loose, seal the rest with a flexible epoxy, replace the bad ones the right way, and know when a crack or corrosion needs a welder.

How to Find and Seal Hull-to-Deck Joint Leaks

Track down water that sneaks in where the deck meets the hull, prove it with a careful hose test, and reseal the joint with or without pulling the rub rail. Fixing it early protects lockers, wiring and the deck core.

How to Find Soft Spots and Wet Core in a Fiberglass Deck

Tap, press and meter your deck to find wet or rotting core before it spreads, track down the leaking hardware that let the water in, and decide whether a small DIY injection repair will do or the deck needs a pro to recore it.

How to Fit, Support, Clean and Store a Boat Cover

Make your mooring or storage cover last for years by getting the fit right, supporting and venting it so water never pools, using a cover that's rated for the highway, cleaning and re-waterproofing it the right way, and fixing small tears before they grow.

How to Fix a Loose Boat Seat Pedestal, Base or Leaning Post

Find out why seat pedestals and leaning posts work loose, through-bolt the base with a proper backing plate, deal with soft or rotten floor under it, and keep swivels and slides working smoothly so your helm seat stays solid in rough water.

How to Inspect and Clear Cockpit Scuppers and Deck Drains

Most boats that sink at the dock fill up from the top, through clogged scuppers, cracked drain hoses and leaky hatches during a heavy rain. Learn how to trace every drain, clear clogs, check flappers, hoses and clamps, flood-test the cockpit and keep drains working in freezing weather.

How to Inspect and Exercise Seacocks, Through-Hulls and Hose Clamps

Check every hole in your hull below the waterline, work each seacock open and closed, and inspect the hoses and clamps attached to them. A single failed fitting or hose is one of the most common reasons boats sink at the dock.

How to Inspect and Maintain a Boat Lift (Cables, Pulleys, Motor, Bunks and Storm Prep)

Inspect the cables, pulleys, motor, wiring and bunks on your boat lift, center the boat correctly, and prepare the lift and boat for storms and winter. Cable failures and overloading from rainwater or snow are the most common ways lifts drop boats.

How to Inspect and Troubleshoot Hydraulic and Electric Trim Tabs

Keep your trim tabs working with a simple seasonal check of the blades, anodes, fluid, lines and wiring, and track down the usual faults when a tab won't move, only one side works, or the tabs stay stuck down.

How to Inspect Sterndrive Bellows, Gimbal Bearing, U-Joints and Shift Cable

Learn to spot a cracked sterndrive bellows before it lets water into the boat, and to recognize the warning signs of a worn gimbal bearing, U-joints and shift cable. A failed bellows is one of the top reasons boats sink at the dock, and a 20-minute inspection can catch it.

How to Inspect Wakeboard Tower, T-Top and Bimini Hardware

Towers, T-tops and biminis carry tow ropes, speakers, boards, electronics and wind loads, all on a handful of bolts. Learn how to check the welds, bases, backing plates, bolts, folding hinges and accessory loads before a crack or a loose bolt becomes an accident.

How to Inspect, Clean and Replace Vented Loops (Anti-Siphon Valves)

A vented loop is a small, easy-to-forget fitting that stops seawater from siphoning into your engine or through your head and into the boat. Learn where they live, why they must sit well above the waterline, how to clean a sticky or clogged valve, when to replace it, and how to spot the hydrolock damage a failed one can cause.

How to Install (and Remove) a Keel Guard on a Trailer Boat

An adhesive keel guard protects the bow and keel line of a trailer or beaching boat from sand, rocks and ramps. Learn when it's worth it, how to prep and apply one the way the maker intends, and how to take it off later.

How to Install an Inspection Port (Deck Plate) in a Deck or Bulkhead

Add a screw-out or pry-out deck plate so you can reach hidden nuts, wiring, hoses and through-hulls, or check a deck core for rot. Learn where it is safe to cut, how to pick and size the port, how to seal a cored deck with epoxy, and how to bed the ring so it never leaks.

How to Install EVA Foam Decking (SeaDek-Style Pads) on Your Boat

Closed-cell foam decking makes a hard fiberglass deck grippy and comfortable underfoot. Learn when a peel-and-stick DIY job makes sense, how to template, cut and prep, the temperature and gap rules, how to lay pads without trapped air, and how to clean, repair and eventually remove them.

How to Link a Kicker Motor to Your Main Engine With a Tie Bar

Steer your kicker from the helm by linking it to the main outboard with a tie bar: choose a fixed, adjustable or cable-type kit that fits your steering, align it so the motors track together, fit a quick-release, check for binding at every turn and tilt position, and use it only the way the kit maker allows.

How to Maintain an Anchor Windlass and Inspect and Mark Your Anchor Rode

Keep your electric windlass working with a seasonal clean-and-grease, sort out a dead or slow windlass from the breaker and solenoid to the motor, and inspect, mark and splice your chain and rope rode. Your anchor is a safety system; this guide keeps every link of it ready.