Repair & maintenance guides

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 Carburetor on a Small or Older Outboard

Old fuel turns to varnish and plugs the tiny jets in a carburetor, so the engine only runs on choke, surges or will not idle. Learn when the carburetor really is the problem, how to drain and clean it, and when a rebuild kit or a replacement makes more sense.

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 Diagnose and Replace an Outboard Primer Bulb

A primer bulb that won't firm up, collapses while you run, stays rock hard or weeps fuel is telling you something. Learn what each symptom means, how to rule out the tank vent and connectors first, then fit a low-permeation bulb with the arrow toward the engine, clamp it right and test it.

How to Do a Compression Test on an Outboard, Sterndrive, Inboard or PWC

A compression test tells you whether the pistons, rings, valves and head gasket in each cylinder are sealing. Learn when to do one, how to do it safely, how to read the numbers by comparing cylinders, and what a wet test and a leak-down test add.

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.

How to File a Float Plan: What to Include, Who Gets It and What They Do If You're Late

A float plan is a short written trip plan you leave with someone ashore, not with the Coast Guard. Fill in the free USCG Float Plan or the Coast Guard app, agree on a firm 'call for help by' time, check in when plans change, close the plan when you're home, and give your shore contact clear steps for reporting you overdue.

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 Corroded Electrical Connections on a Boat

Track down the green crust and loose terminals behind flickering lights, dead gauges and slow cranking with a simple voltage-drop test, then remake the connection the marine way: tinned wire, a proper crimp, adhesive-lined heat shrink and a protective coating.

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 Fix LED Lights That Interfere With Your VHF and AIS

Some LED bulbs and fixtures put out radio noise that quietly drowns weak VHF calls, DSC alerts and AIS targets. Run the Coast Guard's squelch test, track down the noisy light with a handheld radio, and fix it with distance, filtering or a quieter fixture.

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 Find Your Engine's Serial Number, Model and Year (and Get the Official Manual)

Find the ID label on your outboard, sterndrive, inboard diesel or PWC, read the model and serial number correctly, tell it apart from the boat's HIN, and use it to open the free official owner's manual. It's the first step for ordering the right parts and following the right maintenance plan.

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.