When you’re a boat owner, you know it’s important to protect your investment by maintaining your boat. Comprehensive boat maintenance means much more that just cleaning it, however. Especially if you’re a first-time boat owner and you’re looking around the web at boat maintenance tips and articles, it can get overwhelming. There are a lot of articles and tips out there! So, we’ve found 3 of the best resources out there for boat owners concerning taking care of their investments.
Discover Boating: Boat Maintenance Tips & Safety Rules
From a general maintenance overview to a semi-annual checklist and a winterizing section, Discover Boating has a pretty comprehensive section about boat upkeep and maintenance. A part we liked:
You should also remove the propeller several times during the season to make sure discarded fishing line hasn’t become wrapped around the propeller shaft. If it has, have your dealer inspect the gear case, because fishing line can cause gear case leaks and gear case service is NOT a do-it-yourself job.
Bass Pro Shops: Cleaning Your Boat from Top to Bottom
While this article is specifically geared toward simple fishing boats, it can be applied to many larger boats as well. The list is very comprehensive, and tells you how to clean everything from livewells to consoles to the hull and your trailer. Of course, since it’s from Bass Pro Shops, it recommends various Bass Pro Shop cleaning products. A part we liked:
For graphs or electronic gauges, a water-vinegar solution used in conjunction with a soft cloth will keep them fresh and clean. Wiping in a circular motion on electronic screens can leave grit marks or fine scratches, so pay close attention to work the cloth in one side-to-side direction only.
Boating Magazine: Top Boat Maintenance Tips
We really like this one for the pictures. For instance, it shoes you a pictures\ of rusted fasteners instead of just telling you to replace rusted fasteners. It shows you pictures of various problems, so that you can decide if you should be replacing parts without just guessing. A part we liked:
Batteries must withstand a force of 90 pounds, or twice their weight, without moving more than one inch in any direction, according to the American Boat and Yacht Council. Eschew strap hold-downs in favor of those using threaded rods and locknuts.