Repair & maintenance guides

How to Add or Upgrade Boat Cleats (Sizing, Placement and Backing Plates)

Most cleats that fail don't break; they pull out of the deck. Learn how to size a cleat to your dock lines, where to put new cleats for docking and spring lines, how to through-bolt them with real backing plates, how to protect a cored deck, and what's different about pop-up and pull-up cleats.

How to Adjust and Replace Trailer Bunks and Rollers So Your Boat Sits Right

Set up your boat trailer so the hull is supported in the right places: bunks and rollers clear of the strakes, the transom fully supported, the bow snug against the winch stop and the weight balanced on the tongue. Also covers replacing rotten bunk boards and worn carpet or rollers.

How to Break In a New or Rebuilt Boat Engine

The first hours on a new or rebuilt engine decide how well its piston rings seat and how long it lasts. Learn how to follow your maker's hour and RPM schedule, why you should keep changing the throttle, what to avoid (constant RPM, early full throttle, long idling), what to check every trip and when to do the first oil change.

How to Build a Damage-Control Kit: Plugs, Patches and a Plan for Leaks

Put together a labeled kit that can slow or stop water coming into your boat - softwood plugs tied at every through-hull, rescue tape, spare clamps, rubber and plywood patches, plastic sheeting, underwater sealant, a manual pump and the tools to reach a hidden leak - and practice with it so your crew knows where everything is.

How to Care for a Hydraulic Jack Plate (Fluid, Pump, Leaks, Grease and Height)

Keep a hydraulic jack plate (Bob's Machine Shop, T-H Marine Atlas, CMC, SeaStar style) lifting smoothly: check and top up the right fluid, keep the pump and relays dry, find leaks and slow drift, lubricate only the way your model calls for, set running height safely and prepare it for winter. Mounting and setback changes are dealer work.

How to Care for a Pontoon Deck, Flooring, Fence and Furniture

Keep a pontoon's carpet or vinyl floor clean and dry, find soft spots in the plywood deck before they spread, check fence rails, gates and seat bases, care for furniture vinyl, and cover and store the boat so mildew and sun do not win.

How to Care for Boat Solar Panels, Connectors and the Charge Controller

A boat solar setup is quiet and almost maintenance-free, but salt, shade, loose connectors and a wrong battery setting quietly cut its output or hurt the batteries. Learn the cleaning, inspection and controller checks to do each season, and how to leave the system for winter.

How to Care for Your Anchor Locker and Keep the Chain Running Free

Empty, clean and drain the anchor locker, untwist and restow the rode so it runs out without jamming, tie the bitter end so it can be cut free in an emergency, and decide whether you really need a swivel. A tidy locker keeps the anchor ready when you need it fast.

How to Change Lower Unit (Gearcase) and Sterndrive Oil

Drain and refill the gear oil in your outboard lower unit or sterndrive, and learn to spot water intrusion before it destroys the gears. It is a 30-minute job that protects a gearcase costing thousands to replace.

How to Change the Oil and Filter on a 4-Stroke Outboard

Drain the old oil, swap the filter and refill with the right marine oil on your 4-stroke outboard. It is the most common service job, takes about an hour, and costs a fraction of the dealer price.

How to Check a Boat for Transom and Stringer Rot

Many older fiberglass boats have wood inside the transom, stringers and deck, and water that gets in slowly rots it. Learn the tap test, the flex test, how to read a moisture meter and the other warning signs, and why a rotten transom or stringer is a structural job for a pro, not a weekend patch.

How to Check a Holding Tank Vent and Replace the Vent Filter

A blocked holding tank vent makes the head gurgle, pressurizes the tank every flush and can collapse it at the pump-out dock. Learn the warning signs, how to clear the vent fitting and hose, when and how to replace the carbon vent filter, and how to keep insects and overfills from plugging it again.

How to Check and Adjust Boat Shift and Throttle Cables

Hard shifting, a lever that will not go fully into gear, or a gear that lands in a different spot every time usually point to the control cables. Learn how to find out whether the problem is the cable, the control box or the engine, how to adjust the cable ends, and when it is time to replace both cables.

How to Check and Care for Boat Trailer Surge Brakes

Understand how the hydraulic surge brakes on your boat trailer work, check the fluid, use the reverse lockout correctly and rinse salt out of them after every dunk. Simple habits that keep the brakes from seizing, dragging or failing when you need them.

How to Check and Top Up Power Trim and Tilt Fluid

Check and top up the hydraulic fluid in your power trim and tilt unit, then work through the simple checks when the motor won't go up, won't go down or slowly sinks. Most trim problems are a dead battery, a bad relay, low fluid or a release valve left open, and you can find those yourself.

How to Check for Worn Outboard Motor Mounts

A clunk when you shift, buzzing vibration at idle or a motor that wobbles side to side can mean the rubber mounts between the outboard and its bracket are worn out. Learn how to rule out the cheap causes first, check the mounts yourself and know when replacement belongs in a shop.

How to Check, Mount and Replace Boat Fire Extinguishers

A monthly five-minute check of every fire extinguisher aboard, plus how the 2022 Coast Guard rule changes affect you, where to mount them, and when to recharge or replace. A boat fire spreads in seconds, and an extinguisher with a dead gauge, missing pin or expired date will not help you or pass a boarding.

How to Choose and Fit Life Jackets for Children and Babies

Pick the right Coast Guard-approved life jacket for each child by weight, check the fit so it can't slip off, look for head support and a crotch strap on little ones, and learn the federal and state wear rules. Inflatables are not for kids, and a life jacket never replaces an adult watching.

How to Choose the Right Outboard Shaft Length

Measure your transom, match it to a 15, 20, 25 or 30-inch shaft and check where the anti-ventilation plate ends up. The right length keeps the prop biting clean water and the cooling intakes fed; the wrong one means ventilation, overheating, drag or spray.

How to Choose, Install and Adjust Trailer Guide-Ons (Posts or Bunks)

Add or tune the side guides on your boat trailer so the hull lines up in wind and current, the posts stay visible at the ramp and nothing rubs the gelcoat on the road. Covers post vs. bunk guide-ons, lighted posts, mounting height, side clearance and yearly care.

How to Choose, Install and Maintain an Onboard Battery Charger

Pick the right marine charger for your batteries (how many banks, how many amps, flooded, AGM or lithium), mount and fuse it safely, set the charge profile, and use it to keep batteries healthy all season and through the winter. The AC (shore power) side is a job for a marine electrician.

How to Clean and Care for a Boat Windshield (Acrylic, Polycarbonate or Glass)

Clean your windshield without scratching it, tell acrylic, polycarbonate and glass apart, deal with haze, crazing and small cracks, stop frame leaks, and keep wipers and the walk-through door working.

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 Maintain Shower Sump and Macerator Pumps (and Stay Legal)

The shower sump pump fights hair and soap scum every day, and the macerator empties the holding tank, but only where that is legal. Learn how to clean the sump and filter, test the float switch, avoid burning out pumps by running them dry, follow the 3-mile and no-discharge rules, and winterize both.