Repair & maintenance guides

Cold-Weather Boating: Cold Water Safety, Gear and Engine Care in Late Fall and Winter

Boating after the crowds leave can be beautiful, but cold water changes the risks. Learn why cold shock is the first danger, why the popular 1-10-1 rule needs caution, what to wear, how to plan, and how to care for the engine, battery and anything that holds water between trips.

Coming Back to the US by Boat: Reporting to CBP with the ROAM App, the User Fee Decal and the Penalties

Every boat returning from a foreign port (the Bahamas, Canada, Mexico or anywhere else) must report its arrival to US Customs and Border Protection right away. Learn who has to report, how to use the free CBP ROAM app or the phone line, when you still have to show up in person, the annual user fee decal for boats 30 feet and longer, and what happens if you skip it. General information, not legal advice.

Composting Toilets on Boats: How They Work, the Rules, Emptying and Winter Care

A composting (dry, urine-separating) head can replace a smelly holding tank, but it has its own routine. Learn how these toilets work, how they fit the Coast Guard's sanitation rules, how to prepare the medium, empty the liquids bottle and solids bin legally, keep odors away and handle cold weather and winter layup.

Crossing Inlets and Bars Safely: Tide Timing, Coast Guard Bar Restrictions and When Not to Go

Inlets and river bars are where calm-looking days turn deadly. Learn why an ebb tide against an ocean swell builds breaking waves, how to check bar reports and Coast Guard restrictions, how to read the inlet before you commit, how to run it with life jackets on, and when to wait or go somewhere else.

Damaged Propeller: Repair It or Replace It?

Decide whether a bent, chipped or spun prop is worth sending to a prop shop or should be replaced, what a shop can actually fix on aluminum and stainless props, and how to keep the boat running the same afterward.

Diesel Exhaust Smoke: What Black, White and Blue Smoke Mean

Learn to read the color of your marine diesel's exhaust and run the simple checks that go with each color, from a dirty air filter or fouled prop to a worn mixing elbow or head gasket. Catching smoke early can save an engine.

Docking in Wind and Current: Read the Conditions, Use Spring Lines and Know When to Go Around

Wind and current decide most docking jobs. Learn to watch your drift before you commit, approach into the stronger force, set fenders and lines with a clear crew plan, use a spring line to pin the boat to the dock, handle single and twin engines, and back out to try again before it turns into a collision.

Dogs and Pets Aboard: A Safety Checklist for Boat Owners

Set your boat and your dog up for a safe day on the water, from a well-fitted pet life jacket with a handle to shade, fresh water, safe boarding and a plan for getting a dog back aboard if it goes over the side.

Drain Plugs: Types, Pre-Launch Checks, Spares and Replacing a Garboard Drain

A forgotten or worn drain plug is one of the most common ways a boat floods at the ramp. Learn the plug types, a launch routine that makes it hard to forget, how to look after plugs and fittings, how to replace a garboard drain, and when the plug should come out for storage.

ELCI Retrofit: Adding Whole-Boat Shock Protection to an Older Boat

What an ELCI (equipment leakage circuit interrupter) is, why ABYC now requires one on new boats with shore power, what a retrofit involves and costs, and what to do when one trips. You plan, test and troubleshoot; an ABYC-certified marine electrician does the wiring.

Electric Linear Actuators on Boats: Kicker Lifts, Towers, Hatches, Tables and Seats

Electric actuators raise kicker brackets, fold wake towers, lift engine hatches and move tables and helm seats. Learn how they work, why water and side load kill them, how to fuse and test one directly on 12 volts, and how to replace one safely.

Electric Marine Toilet Troubleshooting: Won't Flush, Weak Flush, Won't Stop Filling

Electric and macerating marine heads fail in a handful of predictable ways. Work from the cheapest checks to the messiest ones to fix a toilet that won't run, flushes weakly, trips its breaker, keeps filling, loses or gains water in the bowl, or backs up, and learn what to keep out of it.

Electric-Over-Hydraulic and Electric Trailer Brakes: Controller Setup, Breakaway and Care

Why most boat trailers use surge or electric-over-hydraulic (EOH) brakes instead of plain electric drums, how to pick a compatible in-cab brake controller and set its gain, how to test the breakaway switch and battery, and how to keep the system working around saltwater.

Electrical Safety at Your Private Dock or Boat Lift: GFCI, Shock Drowning and Annual Checks

Lights, outlets, lift motors and de-icers at a home dock put household current right next to the water, and a hidden fault can kill a swimmer without any warning. Learn the owner checks you can do safely, the protection your dock should have, the no-swimming rule, and which jobs must go to a licensed electrician.

Electronics That Reset or Shut Off When You Start the Engine: Finding and Fixing Voltage Sag

If your chartplotter, fishfinder, VHF or stereo blinks off or reboots when you crank the engine or switch on a big load, the cause is almost always low voltage reaching the device. This guide walks from the cheapest checks (battery, connections, grounds) to the real fixes: a dedicated electronics feed, start isolation between batteries, and voltage-stabilizing converters.

Emergency Drills for Your Crew: Engine Failure, Fire, Steering Loss and Man Overboard

Practice what everyone aboard does when the engine quits, a fire starts, the steering fails or someone falls in. A few short drills each season turn panic into a plan, and teach your crew to anchor, call for help on VHF 16 or DSC, and get a tow.

Emergency Steering: What to Do When Your Boat's Steering Fails

A plan for the day the wheel goes slack or locks up - stop safely, find the problem, then steer home with an emergency tiller, twin engines, a drogue or a bridled bucket - plus how to build the gear and practice it before you need it, on outboard, sterndrive and inboard boats.

Engine Alignment on Sterndrives and Inboards: What to Check and When

A sterndrive engine must line up with its gimbal bearing and coupler, and an inboard engine with its prop shaft. When it drifts out of line you get vibration, noise and worn-out couplers, bearings and seals. Learn the warning signs, the checks you can do yourself and why the alignment itself is a job for a pro with special tools.

Engine and Gearbox Oil Analysis: How to Take a Clean Sample and Read the Report

A lab oil analysis is like a blood test for your engine, transmission or lower unit. Learn how to pull a clean sample, what the lab measures, what wear metals, coolant, sea water and fuel in the oil can mean, and why the trend over several samples matters more than any one number.

Engine Clicks but Won't Crank - Testing the Battery, Cables, Neutral Switch, Solenoid and Starter

A click (or nothing) when you turn the key is usually a power delivery problem, not a dead engine. Work from the battery and cables through the neutral switch, start relay and solenoid to the starter motor using simple voltage-drop tests, and learn how to jump-start safely when gasoline vapor may be around.

Engine Cut-Off Switch (Kill Switch) and Lanyard: The Law, Testing and Daily Use

How the engine cut-off switch (ECOS) and its lanyard or wireless fob work, when federal law requires you to wear it (boats under 26 feet, 3 hp or more, on plane), how to test it before every trip, and why a spare clip aboard matters.

Engine Hour Meters: Why Hours Matter, How to Verify Them and How to Replace a Meter Honestly

Engine hours set your service schedule and a big part of your boat's resale value. Learn the difference between analog meters and engine-computer hours, how to verify the real hours on a used boat, and how to replace a dead or broken meter while keeping an honest record of the old hours.

Engine Overheating - Troubleshooting Guide

Work through the most likely causes of a hot engine or overheat alarm, from a blocked water intake to a worn impeller or stuck thermostat. Acting fast and in the right order can save your engine and often gets you home without a tow.

Engine Room Ventilation: Combustion Air, Blowers and Keeping Salt Out

Inboard engines, diesels above all, breathe huge amounts of air, and a hot or starved engine room quietly costs power, fuel and turbo life. Learn how engine-room air works, how to inspect vents, ducts, fans and salt-spray filters, the warning signs of too little air, and the separate gasoline blower rule.