Repair & maintenance guides

V-Drive Transmission Care for Wake and Ski Boats: Fluid, Cooler, Coupler and Shaft Seal

Wake boats and many ski boats put the engine in the stern, backward, and turn the power through a V-drive transmission. Learn how to check and read the transmission fluid, why the cooler and its drain matter in winter, what the coupler and shaft seal tell you, and which noises and leaks mean it's time for a technician.

Vapor Lock and Hot Restarts: Why Your Boat Won't Start After a Stop on a Hot Day

On hot days, fuel can boil into vapor in the lines, carburetor or fuel system after you shut down, so the engine cranks but won't start, or starts and dies after a fuel stop. Learn how to recognize heat soak, restart a hot engine the right way, and reduce the problem with fuel choices, ventilation and line routing.

Vinyl Hull Wraps: Pros, Cons, Prep, Care and Removal

Find out whether a vinyl wrap makes sense instead of paint for your hull, how to prep for it, when to hire an installer, how to wash it without ruining it, and why wraps stop at the waterline.

Visual Distress Signals: Flare Expiry, Storage, Practice and Safe Disposal

Make sure your flares, smoke signals, distress flag or electronic distress light meet the Coast Guard rules for day and night, are not past their 42-month date, and are stored where you can grab them. Then get rid of expired flares the safe and legal way instead of letting them pile up in a locker.

Wake Boat Ballast Systems - Care, Troubleshooting, Weight Limits and Winterizing

Keep your wake boat's ballast tanks, bags and pumps working: fill and drain them the right way, stay under the boat's weight capacity, fix tanks that won't fill or empty, change the pump impellers, stop invasive species from riding along, and protect the system from freezing.

Wakesurf Safety: The Right Boat, Carbon Monoxide, Spotters and Distance

A pre-ride checklist for wakesurfing - surf only behind inboard or V-drive boats built for it, keep riders away from exhaust and the engine off when they board, use a spotter and a short surf rope, stay well away from shore, docks and other boats, and never overload the ballast.

Water in the Lower Unit Keeps Coming Back - Seals and the Pressure Test Explained

Milky gear lube means water is getting past a seal, and changing the oil alone will not stop it. Learn where water gets in (prop shaft seals, driveshaft and shift shaft seals, drain and vent screw gaskets), how a pressure and vacuum test finds the leak, and when to do it yourself or hand it to a shop.

Water Inside the Outboard Cowling - Seals, Latches, Drains and Washing

Find out how water is getting under your outboard's cowl, from simple causes like a latch that isn't fully closed, blocked drain holes or the wrong washing technique to a worn cowl seal or a cooling leak, and fix it before salt corrodes the powerhead and electrical parts.

Wet Exhaust and Waterlift Mufflers: Stop Water Flooding the Engine and Catch Leaks Early

On most sailboats and many power boats, cooling water is sprayed into the exhaust and pushed out through a waterlift muffler. Learn how the system works, why long cranking can flood the engine with seawater (and when to close the seacock), and how to inspect the muffler, hoses, clamps and siphon break, including the scorch marks that tell you the exhaust once ran dry.

What to Do When Your Boat Is Taking On Water: Emergency Steps and Prevention

A step-by-step emergency plan for water coming into the boat - life jackets on, call for help early on VHF 16, find and slow the leak, pump, and head for shallow water if needed - plus the maintenance checklist that prevents most sinkings.

When Guests Chipping In Becomes an Illegal Charter: Passengers-for-Hire Rules for Boat Owners

Friends voluntarily sharing the gas money is fine, but if anyone must pay or bring something as a condition of the trip, your boat is carrying passengers for hire and needs a Coast Guard-credentialed captain, and more than six passengers needs an inspected boat. Learn the legal tests, the six-pack (OUPV) license, what a real bareboat charter looks like, the risks of renting through peer-to-peer apps, and the insurance questions to ask. Practical guidance, not legal advice.

Where Is the Water in My Bilge Coming From? A Step-by-Step Leak Finder

Track down the source of water in your bilge, from the cheapest clues (when it appears, salt or fresh) to the usual suspects: rain and deck drains, the freshwater system, AC condensate, the shaft seal, raw-water hoses and through-hulls. Fix the leak instead of relying on the bilge pump.

Where to Clean Fish and Get Rid of the Waste: Marina Rules, State Laws and Fishing Line Recycling

Tossing fish guts over the side is legal in some places and a fine in others, and filleting at sea can break size-limit rules. Learn when to keep fish whole, how to use a cleaning station, what to do with carcasses, and how to recycle old monofilament line, with dated examples from state and federal rules.

Winter Boat Cover vs Shrink Wrap: Support, Ventilation, Safety and Spring Removal

Choose between a reusable winter cover and shrink wrap, build a support frame that sheds snow, vent it so the boat doesn't mildew, and know the fire risks before you try DIY shrink wrap. Includes spring removal and recycling.

Winter Layup Master Checklist (Step-by-Step, With Links to Each Job)

One ordered checklist for putting any boat away for winter, from booking storage and treating the fuel to winterizing the engine, water systems, head and batteries, then blocking, covering and securing the boat. Each step links to the detailed BoatMend guide for that job.

Wireless Engine Cut-Off (ECOS) Fobs: Pairing, Battery Checks, Testing and the Law

How wireless kill-switch systems such as Fell Marine MOB+, Mercury 1st Mate, Garmin OnBoard and Yamaha's wireless MOB tags work, how to pair and test them, when to change fob batteries, how they fit the federal engine cut-off law compared with a lanyard, and why you should always carry a spare.