Repair & maintenance guides

Replacing a Seacock or Through-Hull Fitting

When a seacock is frozen, corroded or really a gate valve, it has to be replaced with the boat out of the water. Learn what a proper seacock is, bronze vs Marelon, why the through-hull and backing block usually get replaced too, how the job is done, and when to hand it to a yard.

Right-of-Way on the Water: The Navigation Rules Every Recreational Boater Should Know

There are no lanes or stop signs on the water, so the Navigation Rules decide who keeps course and who gets out of the way. Learn stand-on and give-way, meeting head-on, crossing, overtaking, sail versus power, narrow channels, big ships, safe speed and keeping a proper lookout, with the rule numbers from the U.S. Inland Navigation Rules (33 CFR Part 83).

Roadside Trailer Repairs: Carrying a Spare Hub and Changing a Hub or Tire Safely

Why a pre-greased spare hub and a real spare tire belong in every boat-trailer kit, how to pick the right ones, and how to change a failed hub or a flat on the shoulder without getting hurt: getting off the road, warning triangles, chocks, frame jack points, a lug wrench that fits, and the checks to make afterward.

Roller Furler Care: Inspection, Drum and Swivel Service, and Halyard Wrap

Keep your headsail roller furler turning easily with a yearly unroll-and-inspect, fresh-water rinses of the drum and swivel, a correct halyard angle and a clean furling line lead. A neglected furler can jam with the sail half out, and a halyard wrap can damage the forestay.

Rudder, Rudder Bearings and Steering Gear Inspection (Sailboats and Inboards)

Check your rudder for play, water inside the blade and stock corrosion, inspect the rudder tube and its seal, and go over cables, sheaves, quadrant and stops so the steering does not fail when you need it. Includes how to find, fit and practice with the emergency tiller.

Running Rigging Care: Inspecting Halyards, Sheets and Dyneema Lines

Check your halyards, sheets and control lines for chafe, sun damage, glazing and cover slip, wash them the right way, end-for-end them to spread the wear, and know when a line has to go. A halyard that parts drops a sail; a sheet that parts in a gust can be worse.

Sail Care and Winter Storage: Rinse, Dry, Inspect, Fold and Store

Keep your sails out of the sun, rinse and dry them before they go away, catch small tears and rotten stitching early, and fold and store them so they come back in spring without mildew or hard creases. Good habits can add years to an expensive set of sails.

Sailboat Keel Bolts and the Keel-Hull Joint: Signs of Trouble and What to Do

Learn to spot the warning signs at your keel joint and keel bolts, from a "smile" crack and rust weeps to wet bilges and loose nuts, and what to check after any grounding. Explains why re-torquing, pulling bolts and dropping the keel are jobs for a surveyor and a yard.

Sailboat Spring Commissioning: Rig, Sails, Bottom, Engine and First Sail

A sailboat-specific spring checklist: inspect the rig before it goes up, bend on the sails, check through-hulls and the bottom, recommission the diesel or saildrive, bring the head and freshwater back, test electronics and safety gear, and shake it all down on a first sail. Each system links to its detailed BoatMend guide.

Sailboat Wheel Steering Cables and Conduit - Service, Tension and Replacement

Keep a sailboat's wheel steering from failing: lubricate the chain, bearings and cables with what the maker specifies, set cable tension, check sheaves, idlers and conduit for wear and chafe, and replace worn cables or conduit before they part. Includes a dockside emergency tiller check.

Saildrive Care: Leg Oil, Hull Seal, Anodes and Prop

Keep a Volvo Penta or Yanmar saildrive healthy with simple owner checks (leg oil level and color, anodes, paint, fishing line) and plan the big items, like the rubber hull diaphragm, before they become an emergency. The saildrive seal is one of the largest holes in a sailboat's hull, so it deserves attention.

Salt and Scale in Raw-Water Cooling: Flushing Habits, Descaling and When It's a Shop Job

Learn how salt and scale slowly narrow your engine's cooling passages, how to spot the warning signs (a temperature that creeps up over seasons, a weak telltale, thermostats sticking), the flushing habits that prevent it, which descaling products and methods engine makers accept, what never to pour through an engine, and when to hand the job to a shop.

Salvage and Branded Title Boats: What They Mean, the Risks, and How to Check Before You Buy

Understand boats that an insurer declared a total loss: what salvage, rebuilt and hull-damaged title brands mean, why flood and storm boats hide expensive problems, how branded titles affect insurance, financing and resale, how to dig into a boat's history, and what a survey should check. Title branding rules differ a lot by state, and some states don't brand boat titles at all.

Satellite Internet on Your Boat: Starlink Plans, Mounting, Power and Wiring

An owner's guide to putting Starlink aboard: which plans allow coastal, offshore and in-motion use (as of October 2026), how much battery it eats, 12-volt versus inverter power, where to mount the dish, and how to route and seal the cable without leaks.

Satellite Messenger vs PLB vs EPIRB: Which Emergency Device Should You Carry?

A PLB or EPIRB calls government search and rescue through the 406 MHz Cospas-Sarsat satellites with no subscription; a satellite messenger like an inReach or SPOT sends an SOS through a private network and adds texting and tracking for a monthly or yearly fee. Learn how each one alerts rescuers, what registration, subscriptions and batteries they need, what to carry for lakes, coastal and offshore boating, and how to test without causing a false alarm.

Seasickness: How to Prevent It and Care for Seasick Crew and Guests

Almost anyone can get seasick in the right conditions, but a few habits make a big difference. Learn why it happens, where to sit, what to eat and drink, how over-the-counter remedies fit in (and why the person running the boat must be careful with drowsy ones), how to look after someone who's sick, and when it might be something more serious. General information only, not medical advice.

Selling Your Boat: Broker, Private Sale, Consignment or Dealer Trade-In

Compare the four ways to sell a used boat (yacht broker, selling it yourself, dealer consignment and trade-in) on cost, effort, speed and risk, then handle the listing agreement, buyer scams, sea trial and survey etiquette, deposit and closing the right way. Practical help, not legal or financial advice.

Set Up Your VHF Radio: MMSI, DSC, GPS Hookup and Radio Checks

Get a free or low-cost MMSI number, program it into your DSC radio, connect your GPS so a distress alert sends your exact position, check the antenna, and learn the Channel 16 rules and the right way to do a radio check.

Sharing a Boat: Co-Ownership Agreements, Partnerships and Boat Club Alternatives

How to share a boat without losing a friend: choosing a partner, what a written agreement should cover (shares, costs, scheduling, maintenance standards, insurance, title, decisions and the exit), how to handle the inevitable disagreements, and when a boat club, rental or peer-to-peer option makes more sense. Practical guidance, not legal or tax advice.

Shipping a Boat with a Professional Transporter: Quotes, Vetting, Prep and Claims

Most boat shipments go fine, but when they don't, the owner who checked the carrier's authority and insurance, prepped the boat properly and documented everything at pickup and delivery is the one who gets paid. Here's how to hire a transporter, prepare the boat and handle damage.

Shore Power Adapters and Y-Splitters: When a 30A or 50A Adapter Is Safe, and When It Isn't

Pigtail adapters and Y-splitters let a boat plug into a pedestal that doesn't match its inlet, but the wrong one, or the right one used carelessly, can overheat, trip the marina's ground-fault protection or start a fire. Learn the difference between 30A 125V, 50A 125V and 50A 125/250V, which adapters are reasonable, how to keep loads safe, and how to check connections for heat.

Shore Power Cord Ends: How to Judge a Cord, and When to Replace the Plug or the Whole Cord

Burned blades, a hot plug or a cracked locking ring don't always mean a brand-new cord, but sometimes they do. Learn how to inspect a shore power cord and its ends, decide between a replacement end and a new cord, what a proper sealed marine connector looks like, which parts of the job are safe for an owner and when the work belongs to an ABYC-certified electrician, plus the habits that make cord ends last.

Shore Power Inlet and Cord Upgrades: Burned Plugs, Better Connectors and Safe Adapters

Why shore power plugs and boat inlets overheat and burn, how to spot an inlet that needs replacing, what newer connector designs offer, and how to choose, size and care for cords and adapters. You inspect and buy the right cord; an ABYC-certified marine electrician replaces the inlet and its wiring.

Shore Power Safety: Cords, Inlets, Burned Plugs and Electric Shock Drowning

An owner's inspection routine for your shore power cord, plugs, boat inlet, galvanic isolator and ground-fault protection, plus the right way to plug in and the facts about Electric Shock Drowning. This guide is for looking and testing only; any electrical repair belongs to an ABYC-certified marine electrician.