Repair & maintenance guides

Overheat Alarm: What to Do in the First 60 Seconds

A short, practiced routine for the moment the temperature alarm goes off: take the load off, look for cooling water, shut down if it isn't there, and check every space the exhaust runs through for heat or fire. Based on a June 2026 Coast Guard safety alert about a fatal fire that started with an overheat alarm.

Prop Ventilation vs. Cavitation - Why Your Engine Revs Up and the Boat Loses Grip

Sudden RPM spikes, blowouts in turns, or a prop that slips when you accelerate are usually ventilation, not cavitation. Learn to tell them apart, then work through the fixes in order: trim, load, prop damage, the hull ahead of the prop, engine height, and finally a different prop.

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.

Spun Prop Hub - How to Tell, Quick Marker Test and Repair Options

If the engine revs up but the boat barely accelerates, the rubber or plastic hub inside your propeller may be slipping. Learn how a spun hub feels, how to confirm it with a simple marker test, the difference between pressed rubber hubs and replaceable hub kits, and your repair options.

Sterndrive Hard or Clunky Shifting: Cables, Shift Interrupt Switch and Cone Clutches

A sterndrive that bangs into gear, is hard to pull out of gear, stalls when you shift or hesitates and then slams in is telling you something about its shift system. Learn the checks you can do (idle speed, technique, cables, linkage and drive oil), what the MerCruiser shift interrupt switch and Volvo Penta cone clutches do, and when it's a shop job.

Sterndrive Power Steering: Fluid Checks, Hard Steering and Leaks

Troubleshoot the engine-driven power steering on a MerCruiser, Volvo Penta or similar sterndrive or inboard, from the free checks (fluid, belt, cable) to the signs that the pump or actuator needs a pro. Steering that suddenly goes heavy at speed is a safety problem, not a comfort problem.

Strange Engine Noises - What a Knock, Tick, Rattle, Whine, Grind or Squeal Can Mean

Learn what common boat engine noises often point to, which ones mean shut down now, and the safe checks you can do yourself before describing the problem to a mechanic.

Trim Leaks: When the Motor or Drive Won't Stay Up

Track down why your outboard or sterndrive slowly sinks, trails down on the trailer or leaks trim fluid. Work from the free checks (release valve, fluid level) to hoses, ram seals and internal leaks, and learn when a rebuild or a new cylinder makes more sense.

Trolling Motor Won't Run, Runs Weak or Cuts Out: How to Troubleshoot It

Work through a dead, weak or on-and-off trolling motor from the cheapest checks to the hardest: battery charge and load test, connections, the breaker, line wrapped behind the prop, stow and deploy problems and GPS anchor glitches. Most problems turn out to be power supply; motor head and steering electronics are a service-center job.

Vapor Lock and Hot Restarts: Why Your Boat Won't Start After a Stop on a Hot Day

On hot days, fuel can boil into vapor in the lines, carburetor or fuel system after you shut down, so the engine cranks but won't start, or starts and dies after a fuel stop. Learn how to recognize heat soak, restart a hot engine the right way, and reduce the problem with fuel choices, ventilation and line routing.

Water in the Lower Unit Keeps Coming Back - Seals and the Pressure Test Explained

Milky gear lube means water is getting past a seal, and changing the oil alone will not stop it. Learn where water gets in (prop shaft seals, driveshaft and shift shaft seals, drain and vent screw gaskets), how a pressure and vacuum test finds the leak, and when to do it yourself or hand it to a shop.

Where Is the Water in My Bilge Coming From? A Step-by-Step Leak Finder

Track down the source of water in your bilge, from the cheapest clues (when it appears, salt or fresh) to the usual suspects: rain and deck drains, the freshwater system, AC condensate, the shaft seal, raw-water hoses and through-hulls. Fix the leak instead of relying on the bilge pump.