Boat Maintenance

Boat Maintenance: The Satisfaction of Hard Work

April 2, 2013 By Brett Becker Leave a Comment

It's a fact: fixing up and maintaining boats can be hard, painful work. It's also some of the most satisfying work you can find.

As I begin to type this blog, I look down at the backs of my hands, and they look like they’ve been put through a cotton gin. My hands ache from tugging … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Advice, Boating, In the Boat Market, New Life For Your Old Boat Tagged With: Boat Maintenance, boat repair, Brett Becker, DIY boat repair, spring commissioning

Anodes for Outboards and Outdrives

March 10, 2012 By Brett Becker

Mercury sells replacement kits, which include all mounting hardware, for about $75. Just specify which drive or outboard you have to get the right parts.

Scientists discovered a couple of centuries ago that when you fasten two metals together in seawater, electrons will flow from the more active metal, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Accessories, Boat Advice, Boating, Featured Content Tagged With: Boat Maintenance, Brett Becker, galvanic corrosion, sacrificial anodes, underwater corrosion

Cabin Top Handrails: New Life for Your Old Boat

January 14, 2011 By Peter d'Anjou

Old Fire trucks are the best source for metal handrails for your boat. They've already been polished to a fair the well. Notice the back of this truck and the longer handles than near the cab, making customizing for your project easy.

Adding new or replacing old cabin top handrails on your boat is a great upgrade that will give you confidence when moving about your boat. If your boat … [Read more...]

Filed Under: New Life For Your Old Boat Tagged With: Boat Maintenance, hand rails, Peter d'Anjou

Rotten to the Core: Fiberglass Core Repair, Part Two

December 15, 2010 By Peter d'Anjou

Exposed Rotten core with test holes showing the extent of the damage

In my last post, I explained how to identify where the core of a fiberglass boat needs repair. When repairing core problems it is important to find the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Advice, Boating, New Life For Your Old Boat Tagged With: Boat Maintenance, Boating Blogs, core repair, Peter d'Anjou, West System epoxy

Fiberglass Core Repairs, Part One

December 9, 2010 By Peter d'Anjou

Foam Core is serated on the left to conform to curves while on the right is the material on the backside that holds the sheet together

If you are considering buying an older fiberglass boat that your marine surveyor has indicated has water in the hull, don’t be put off-- this is fairly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Advice, Boating, New Life For Your Old Boat Tagged With: Boat Maintenance, Boating Blogs, core repair, fiberglass core, Peter d'Anjou

G-10: The Secret Weapon of DIY Boat Repairers

December 3, 2010 By Peter d'Anjou

People who enjoy fixing old boats all have their favorite products. Some like working with wood, some on fiberglass boats, others with epoxy etc…but … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Advice, Boating, New Life For Your Old Boat Tagged With: Boat Maintenance, Boating Blogs, G10, Garolite, McMaster-Carr, Peter d'Anjou

Cover Frames for the DIY Boater

November 12, 2010 By Peter d'Anjou

Frames don't have to be pretty. This one being installed on my current project boat is an adaptation from a much bigger boat's frame and a fancy Faircloth cover. Notice the generous space over the cockpit

If you follow my blogs, you’ll have read that I’m a big believer in covering your boat during the off-season (see "5 Winter Lay-up Tips for Your Boat". … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Accessories, Boat Advice, Boating, New Life For Your Old Boat Tagged With: boat covers, Boat Maintenance, Boating Blogs, Boating Gear, Kover Klamps

Fixing a Used Boat

October 24, 2010 By Peter d'Anjou

I've owned more boats than I have fingers and all of them have been used. In fact, I've never owned a brand new boat. Oh, I commissioned dozens of new … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Advice, Boating, New Life For Your Old Boat, Selling a Boat Tagged With: Boat Maintenance, Boat Sales, Boat Trader, Peter d'Anjou, Used Boats

5 Winter Lay-up Tips for Your Boat

September 29, 2010 By Peter d'Anjou

Battery maintainers such as YUASA's SmartShot 900 cost around $30 and will help you get longer life out of vehicles, like boats, that are stored and inactive for long periods of time.

In many parts of the country, this is transition season, time to haul and winterize your boat. Fall haul-out nearly matches the urgency level of spring … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Advice, Boating, New Life For Your Old Boat Tagged With: battery charger-maintainer, Boat Engines, Boat Fuel, Boat Maintenance, Boating Blogs, Boating Tips, fuel stabilizer, marine batteries, shrinkwrap, SmartShot 900

Engine Starter Woes or Click, Click, Nothing!

September 15, 2010 By Peter d'Anjou

Small deisel engines like this Yanmar are often found in cramped quarters on sailboats, making access often the biggest draw back to maintenance and repair

It is the middle of the night, and we’ve been sailboat racing offshore for 14 hours so the batteries are draining down. We decide to start the engine … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Advice, Boating, New Life For Your Old Boat Tagged With: Boat Engines, Boat Maintenance, Boating Blogs, diesel engine, maintenance, Peter d'Anjou, Sailboats

Boat Maintenance