Boat Maintenance Tips

People who own boats take great pride in their vessels. In order to make sure that your boat lasts the test of time, proper maintenance is very important. Here are a few tips on how to maintain your boat properly to keep it running smoothly for many years to come.

Electrical

The electrical systems in your boat are very important. If you notice something acting strange, don’t ignore it! Instead, make sure to get some marine electronic technical support to find the root of the problem so you can solve it. If left unresolved, electrical problems seem to have a cascading effect where if one thing goes out, several other systems aren’t too far behind.

Cleaning The Exterior

Depending on the size of the boat, this can be easy or hard. Regardless, it’s an important step to make sure your boat keeps it’s aesthetic look as well as preventing erosion. Clean hulls can also give you cost savings in operation costs. A dirty hull can increase fuel costs by as much as 30% in some cases.

It’s best to clean the boat on land as to not contaminate the body of water you use the boat in. If you use your boat in saltwater, it’s even more important to perform exterior cleaning more often so you can make repairs to the damage that saltwater inevitably does.

Storage

If you store your boat outdoors, having proper coverings is very important to protect it from the elements. Tarps and other coverings work very well to keep UV rays off of surfaces, as well as protecting surfaces from rain and other water.

If the boat can be stored indoors, this is the best option as complete protection from the elements is achievable.

Engine

Just like it is important to get regular oil changes on your car, getting consistent boat engine maintenance can extend the life of your engine by quite a bit. It’s important to flush the motor after every trip to eliminate sand, dirt, and any other debris that may have found its way in.

Making sure spark plugs are working is also important to make sure your engine runs efficiently and properly. Visual inspection of the engine for water in the fuel, oil level, or for cracks is another important step when it comes to boat maintenance.

As you can see, if you take care of your boat, it will take care of you.

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