Repair & maintenance guides

Engine Clicks but Won't Crank - Testing the Battery, Cables, Neutral Switch, Solenoid and Starter

A click (or nothing) when you turn the key is usually a power delivery problem, not a dead engine. Work from the battery and cables through the neutral switch, start relay and solenoid to the starter motor using simple voltage-drop tests, and learn how to jump-start safely when gasoline vapor may be around.

Engine Hour Meters: Why Hours Matter, How to Verify Them and How to Replace a Meter Honestly

Engine hours set your service schedule and a big part of your boat's resale value. Learn the difference between analog meters and engine-computer hours, how to verify the real hours on a used boat, and how to replace a dead or broken meter while keeping an honest record of the old hours.

Engine Room Automatic Fire Suppression: How It Works, Checks and What to Do After a Discharge

Understand the fixed clean-agent extinguisher in your engine room - how it fires, why the engines must shut down, how to check the helm status light, gauge and cylinder weight, when it needs service - and the safe sequence to follow if it ever goes off, starting with keeping the hatch closed.

Engine Room Ventilation: Combustion Air, Blowers and Keeping Salt Out

Inboard engines, diesels above all, breathe huge amounts of air, and a hot or starved engine room quietly costs power, fuel and turbo life. Learn how engine-room air works, how to inspect vents, ducts, fans and salt-spray filters, the warning signs of too little air, and the separate gasoline blower rule.

EPIRB and PLB Care: Registration, Batteries, Self-Test and Mounting

Keep your 406 MHz emergency beacon ready to work on the worst day of your life. Register it free with NOAA and renew every two years, track the battery and hydrostatic release dates, run the self-test without triggering a false alert, and know what happens after you press the button.

Epoxy and Two-Part Paint Safety: How to Avoid Becoming Allergic

Epoxy and isocyanate-cured paints can make you allergic for life, sometimes after many jobs with no problem at all. Learn how sensitization happens, which gloves and clothing to wear, how to get epoxy off skin without solvents, when you need a respirator, and how to handle sanding dust and leftovers safely.

Extended Warranties and Service Plans for Boat Engines: Factory Plans vs Third-Party Contracts

Decide whether an extended service plan is worth it: how factory plans such as Mercury Product Protection and Yamaha Y.E.S. differ from third-party contracts, what they usually cover and exclude, why maintenance records decide claims, how deductibles, transfers and cancellations work, and the questions to ask before you sign. Practical guidance, not legal or financial advice.

FCC Ship Station License vs. a Free MMSI: Which One Your Boat Needs, and How to Keep It Current

Most U.S. recreational boats that stay in U.S. waters don't need an FCC radio license, but every DSC radio and AIS needs a registered MMSI. Learn when an FCC ship station license and operator permit are required (foreign ports, SSB/HF, satellite), how to get an MMSI from BoatUS, America's Boating Club or Shine Micro, and what to do when you sell, buy or rename a boat.

Financing a Boat: Loan Terms, Survey and Insurance Requirements, Liens and the True Cost of Ownership

Understand a boat loan before you sign: typical terms and down payments, what lenders check, why they want a survey and insurance, how the lien is recorded (Coast Guard preferred mortgage for documented boats, state title for the rest), how the payoff works when you sell, and how to add up the real yearly cost beyond the monthly payment. Practical guidance, not financial advice.

Fish Box Drains and Macerator Pumps: Clogs, Check Valves and Odor Control

Keep insulated fish boxes draining and smelling clean by clearing scale and slime clogs, checking the macerator pump, check valve and fuse, rinsing after every trip and making sure the water goes overboard instead of into the bilge.

Fish Finder Settings: How to Tune Your Sonar for a Clearer Picture

Get more out of your fish finder by setting frequency, gain (sensitivity), range, contrast, color palette and noise filters on purpose instead of leaving everything on auto, plus how to set the depth offset and track down interference from other electronics.

Fixing a Sagging Cabin Headliner: Re-glue, Battens or Replace

Find out why cabin headliners sag, when a quick re-glue is worth trying, how wood battens make a lasting fix, and how to replace fabric, vinyl or panel liners safely with good ventilation and without drilling through the deck.

Flybridge and Upper-Deck Safety: Weight Up High, Rails, Ladders and CO

People and gear on a flybridge, tower or pontoon upper deck raise the boat's center of gravity and cut its reserve stability. Learn how many to allow up top, how to check rails, gates, ladders and hardtop or tower loads, how to get crew down safely in rough water, and why carbon monoxide can collect at the stern and even on the bridge.

Freshwater Pump Troubleshooting: Cycling, Won't Shut Off or No Water

When the pressure water pump keeps cycling at night, runs nonstop or sputters air, the cause is usually simple: an empty tank, a dripping fixture, a clogged strainer, air in the lines or a tired accumulator. Work from the cheapest checks to the pressure switch and pump, and learn the basics of replacing a pump.

Fuel Gauge Reads Wrong or Empty? How to Test the Gauge, Sender and Wiring

Find out why your boat's fuel gauge reads empty, full, backward or jumps around, working from the free checks at the dash to testing the tank sender and replacing it safely. Most problems are a stuck float, a bad ground or a sender that doesn't match the gauge.

Fuel Smell on Board: What to Do and How to Find the Source

A gasoline smell on a boat is a fire and explosion warning. Learn what to do in the first minutes, the most common sources (fill and vent hoses, tank fittings, fuel lines, carburetors and injectors, overfilling), how to look safely, and when to stop and call a pro.

Fuse Keeps Blowing? How to Troubleshoot a Boat Fuse Block or Breaker Panel

Work through a blown fuse or tripping breaker the safe way: confirm it, tell a short from an overload, isolate the device or wire at fault, replace a worn breaker or panel switch with the same rating, and label every circuit, without ever fitting a bigger fuse.

Galley Stove Safety: Propane, Alcohol and Electric Cooktops Aboard

Cook aboard without fires or carbon monoxide scares by ventilating the galley, storing fuel the right way, checking flame-failure devices, using gimbals and pot holders, keeping an extinguisher and fire blanket in reach and never using the stove to heat the cabin.

Galvanic Isolator: Why Shore-Powered Boats Need One and How to Tell If It's Working

A galvanic isolator (or an isolation transformer on bigger boats) keeps stray DC current from the marina's ground wire from eating your anodes, drive and running gear, without cutting the safety ground. Learn what it does, the owner-level checks you can do, what failure looks like, and why the actual meter test is usually a job for a marine electrician.

Generator Pre-Trip Check: What to Inspect and Test Before a Cruise

A marine generator that quits on the first hot night of a cruise usually gave warning signs at the dock. Use this pre-departure checklist, based on generator makers' own advice, to inspect the oil, coolant, belt, raw-water side, exhaust and CO alarms, run the set under real load, and pack the right spares.

Get Your Boat Ready for the Road: Pre-Trailering Checklist

Most trailering trouble starts in the driveway: an engine left without support, a loose strap, a cover that balloons at 60 mph, gear that blows out or tongue weight that makes the rig sway. Work through this checklist before every trip and do a quick walkaround at each stop.

Guardian, Limp Home and Reduced Power Modes: Why Your Engine Cut Power and What to Do

Modern outboards and inboards cut power on their own when a sensor reports trouble. Learn what usually triggers Mercury's Engine Guardian, Yamaha's RPM reduction and other brands' limp-home modes, how to read the warning, and how to decide between idling home and stopping to call for help.

Gyro Stabilizer Care: Owner Checks for Seakeeper and Other Boat Gyros

A gyro stabilizer needs little from you, but what it needs matters. Learn how to start and shut it down correctly, keep its seawater cooling and zinc in shape, rinse it, read its hours and alarms, winterize it, and know which jobs belong to a certified dealer.

Harmful Algae Blooms: How Boaters Spot Them, Check Advisories and Clean Up Afterward

Blue-green algae and red tide can sicken people and kill dogs within hours. Learn what a bloom looks like, where to check state advisories before you launch, how to run the boat around one, and how to rinse the hull, trailer, gear and your dog afterward. Includes what health agencies say about eating fish from bloom areas.