Repair & maintenance guides

Portable Toilets on Boats: Emptying, Chemicals, Odor, Seals and Winter Storage

A portable toilet (Porta Potti type) is the simplest legal head for a small boat, as long as it is emptied the right way. Learn where to dump it, which chemicals to use, how to stop odor and leaks, how to secure it aboard, and how to store it for winter.

Protecting a Docked Boat: Mooring Whips, Bumpers, Fender Boards and Chafe Gear

Set up your dock or slip so wakes, wind and tides don't grind your hull against it, using mooring whips, dock bumpers, fender boards, spring lines and chafe gear, and know what these can and can't do in a storm.

Reading Marine Weather Forecasts: Advisories, Wind, Waves and Go/No-Go

Learn where to get the official NOAA marine forecast for your waters, what small craft advisories and warnings really mean, how to read wind and wave numbers, and how to make a simple go/no-go call before you leave the dock.

Reading NOAA Tide and Current Predictions for Trip Planning (MLLW, Slack Water and Bridge Clearance)

Tide is the water going up and down; current is the water moving sideways, and their timing doesn't always line up. Learn to find the right NOAA station, read high and low tides against chart datum (MLLW), find slack water and peak current, check bridge clearance against mean high water, and plan launches, anchoring and inlet crossings around them.

Reading Your Boat's Capacity Label (Old and New 2026 Format) and What It Means for a Repower

Learn to read every line of your boat's capacity plate, including the new ABYC S-7 label the Coast Guard accepted in July 2026 with its maximum outboard motor running weight, and use it to check a load or a repower before you spend money. Practical guidance, not legal advice.

Remote Boat Monitoring: Bilge, Battery, Shore Power and GPS Alerts on Your Phone

Choose, install and set up a system that texts you when your unattended boat is taking on water, losing battery or shore power, or moving without you. Covers cellular versus satellite, what each sensor really tells you, wiring it so it stays on, sensible alert settings and what happens to your location data.

Remote Control Box Troubleshooting: Stiff Lever, Won't Crank, Trim Switch

The throttle and shift control at the helm (side-mount or binnacle) takes a beating. Learn how to find out why the lever is stiff, why the engine will not crank even with a good battery, why the trim button on the handle quit, and when the whole control box should be replaced along with its cables.

Renaming a Boat: Paperwork, Removing the Old Name and the Optional Ceremony

Change your boat's name the right way: what a state-registered boat needs versus a Coast Guard documented boat (name change and hailing port go through the NVDC before you letter the hull), getting every trace of the old name off, lettering rules for documented boats, who else to tell (insurer, marina, MMSI, EPIRB, AIS), and the traditional renaming ceremony if you want the fun.

Renting Out Your Boat on Peer-to-Peer Apps: Insurance, Bareboat vs. Captained, State Rental Laws, Taxes and Wear

Thinking of listing your boat on a peer-to-peer rental platform to offset ownership costs? Learn why your personal policy probably won't cover it, what platform insurance does and doesn't do, the legal difference between a bareboat rental and a captained trip, state livery laws like Florida's, how rental income is taxed, and the real cost of extra hours and wear. Practical guidance, not legal, tax or insurance advice.

Replacing a Boat Trailer Axle: When You Need One and How to Order the Right Size

A bent, rusted-through or undersized axle can't be fixed with new bearings. Learn the signs, the difference between straight, drop and torsion axles, the measurements a supplier needs (hub face, spring centers), what to specify for saltwater, and why this is usually a trailer-shop job.

Right-of-Way on the Water: The Navigation Rules Every Recreational Boater Should Know

There are no lanes or stop signs on the water, so the Navigation Rules decide who keeps course and who gets out of the way. Learn stand-on and give-way, meeting head-on, crossing, overtaking, sail versus power, narrow channels, big ships, safe speed and keeping a proper lookout, with the rule numbers from the U.S. Inland Navigation Rules (33 CFR Part 83).

Roadside Trailer Repairs: Carrying a Spare Hub and Changing a Hub or Tire Safely

Why a pre-greased spare hub and a real spare tire belong in every boat-trailer kit, how to pick the right ones, and how to change a failed hub or a flat on the shoulder without getting hurt: getting off the road, warning triangles, chocks, frame jack points, a lug wrench that fits, and the checks to make afterward.

Salt and Scale in Raw-Water Cooling: Flushing Habits, Descaling and When It's a Shop Job

Learn how salt and scale slowly narrow your engine's cooling passages, how to spot the warning signs (a temperature that creeps up over seasons, a weak telltale, thermostats sticking), the flushing habits that prevent it, which descaling products and methods engine makers accept, what never to pour through an engine, and when to hand the job to a shop.

Salvage and Branded Title Boats: What They Mean, the Risks, and How to Check Before You Buy

Understand boats that an insurer declared a total loss: what salvage, rebuilt and hull-damaged title brands mean, why flood and storm boats hide expensive problems, how branded titles affect insurance, financing and resale, how to dig into a boat's history, and what a survey should check. Title branding rules differ a lot by state, and some states don't brand boat titles at all.

Satellite Internet on Your Boat: Starlink Plans, Mounting, Power and Wiring

An owner's guide to putting Starlink aboard: which plans allow coastal, offshore and in-motion use (as of October 2026), how much battery it eats, 12-volt versus inverter power, where to mount the dish, and how to route and seal the cable without leaks.

Satellite Messenger vs PLB vs EPIRB: Which Emergency Device Should You Carry?

A PLB or EPIRB calls government search and rescue through the 406 MHz Cospas-Sarsat satellites with no subscription; a satellite messenger like an inReach or SPOT sends an SOS through a private network and adds texting and tracking for a monthly or yearly fee. Learn how each one alerts rescuers, what registration, subscriptions and batteries they need, what to carry for lakes, coastal and offshore boating, and how to test without causing a false alarm.

Seasickness: How to Prevent It and Care for Seasick Crew and Guests

Almost anyone can get seasick in the right conditions, but a few habits make a big difference. Learn why it happens, where to sit, what to eat and drink, how over-the-counter remedies fit in (and why the person running the boat must be careful with drowsy ones), how to look after someone who's sick, and when it might be something more serious. General information only, not medical advice.

Selling Your Boat: Broker, Private Sale, Consignment or Dealer Trade-In

Compare the four ways to sell a used boat (yacht broker, selling it yourself, dealer consignment and trade-in) on cost, effort, speed and risk, then handle the listing agreement, buyer scams, sea trial and survey etiquette, deposit and closing the right way. Practical help, not legal or financial advice.

Set Up Your VHF Radio: MMSI, DSC, GPS Hookup and Radio Checks

Get a free or low-cost MMSI number, program it into your DSC radio, connect your GPS so a distress alert sends your exact position, check the antenna, and learn the Channel 16 rules and the right way to do a radio check.

Sharing a Boat: Co-Ownership Agreements, Partnerships and Boat Club Alternatives

How to share a boat without losing a friend: choosing a partner, what a written agreement should cover (shares, costs, scheduling, maintenance standards, insurance, title, decisions and the exit), how to handle the inevitable disagreements, and when a boat club, rental or peer-to-peer option makes more sense. Practical guidance, not legal or tax advice.

Shipping a Boat with a Professional Transporter: Quotes, Vetting, Prep and Claims

Most boat shipments go fine, but when they don't, the owner who checked the carrier's authority and insurance, prepped the boat properly and documented everything at pickup and delivery is the one who gets paid. Here's how to hire a transporter, prepare the boat and handle damage.

Shore Power Adapters and Y-Splitters: When a 30A or 50A Adapter Is Safe, and When It Isn't

Pigtail adapters and Y-splitters let a boat plug into a pedestal that doesn't match its inlet, but the wrong one, or the right one used carelessly, can overheat, trip the marina's ground-fault protection or start a fire. Learn the difference between 30A 125V, 50A 125V and 50A 125/250V, which adapters are reasonable, how to keep loads safe, and how to check connections for heat.

Shore Power Cord Ends: How to Judge a Cord, and When to Replace the Plug or the Whole Cord

Burned blades, a hot plug or a cracked locking ring don't always mean a brand-new cord, but sometimes they do. Learn how to inspect a shore power cord and its ends, decide between a replacement end and a new cord, what a proper sealed marine connector looks like, which parts of the job are safe for an owner and when the work belongs to an ABYC-certified electrician, plus the habits that make cord ends last.

Shore Power Inlet and Cord Upgrades: Burned Plugs, Better Connectors and Safe Adapters

Why shore power plugs and boat inlets overheat and burn, how to spot an inlet that needs replacing, what newer connector designs offer, and how to choose, size and care for cords and adapters. You inspect and buy the right cord; an ABYC-certified marine electrician replaces the inlet and its wiring.