Repair & maintenance guides

USCG Required Safety Equipment Check by Boat Length

Walk through your boat and confirm you carry every piece of safety gear the US Coast Guard requires for your boat's length and type, and that none of it is expired or worn out. Missing or expired gear is one of the most common tickets on the water, and it is the gear you need when things go wrong.

Used Boat Paperwork: Titles, Liens, HIN Checks, Bill of Sale and Registration

A practical checklist for the paperwork side of buying a used boat: state title or Coast Guard documentation, checking for liens and theft, verifying the hull ID number, writing a proper bill of sale, the trailer's own title, registering in your name, and transferring warranties and checking recalls. Rules vary by state, so confirm each step with your state agency.

Used Boat Purchase Agreement and Closing: Deposit, Contingencies, Bill of Sale and Who Pays What

A plain-English walk-through of buying a used boat on paper: getting ready before you offer, what the purchase and sale agreement should say, how the deposit is held and when it comes back, survey, sea trial, financing and insurance contingencies, paying off the seller's loan, the bill of sale, closing and transferring the paperwork, and the costs each side usually covers. Practical help, not legal advice; rules vary by state.

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.

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.