Boat maintenance.

General Boats and Motors
1

I had a few maintenance questions from you boat gurus. I’ve been having engines serviced but wondering about these others.

  1. how often do you change your batteries?
  2. how often do you change your cable ends on batteries, like small stuff and engine cables. Seems mine get rusty even with terminal spay.
  3. how often do you change trailer bearings? Or do you just inspect?
  4. how often do you replace fuel lines and bulbs?

Trying to figure should I be preventative or if it ain’t broke don’t fix it?

2

This is a 27 ft boat that fishes offshore.

3

Trent,
I don’t like to go more than three years on a battery and battery connections I clean each year and change if needed, two years on a gas bulb, two to three years on Fuel lines exposed to sun. Replace bearings every two years. So typically, I start replacing this stuff every three years no matter the condition.

Capt Buddy Bizzell
Edisto Palmetto Charters
803-603-2781
www.edistopalmetto.com
Being on the water is a blessing, catching fish is a bonus!

4

Not a guru by a long shot , but IMHO,
Having done electrical/mechanical maintenance for over 50 yrs I don’t
think there is an answer for your questions. No I’m not trying to be
a smart A# , doing routine maint. is essential for all equipment, but
routine is not a one size fit all, my advice is look at everything as frequently as possible, if cables ends even look corroded clean and treat, then inspect more frequently. Battery life; who knows, should last per mfg. specs , but I’ve seen batts. die way short of expected life. Bearings; inspect monthly if only local normal speed trailering , at every stop if long haul, hub should not be too hot to actually hold. “cool is good, hot is not”.
But always be sure they’re packed with good wheel bearing grease.
Fuel and bulb; with todays eth. don’t know, you might want to actually have a marine tech to check and advise on current condition
and only use e-free fuel if avail.
Like I said no real answers to questions , just hope that something
that might have gotten missed doesn’t rear it’s ugly head 60 miles at sea, or more than walking distance from home!
Long answer I know , and no real help either.

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author unknown

5

Dont forget the tires on your trailer… sucks when they blow on the interstate. ?. Check load capacity. 3 years maybe on a heavily loaded trailer and 5 on the others…

Fuel/water separator. Get the bigger one for offshore boats and I change mine twice a year

-Albemarle 248xf “Chella”
-Dolphin 18BC Pro
-HT Bugbuster

6

Forgot. Check all the wiring you can for chafing. Fires are not fun offshore or otherwise on a boat.

-Albemarle 248xf “Chella”
-Dolphin 18BC Pro
-HT Bugbuster

7

I carry a kit with extra bulb and fuel line, a spare hub with bearings and tube of greese, lots of screw clamps, and battery ends and terminal parts along with a stakon tool. Salt water and electricity dont go well togeather! I just bought a mini jump battery Called Instaboost 400 amp from Lowes for about $100 weighs 2 # and about the size of a carton of cig. Works amazingly well! Keep your bearings greesed regulary as well as greesing your nuts. Its a lot like having a spare tire, you hope you never need it but it there in case.

8

Thanks guys, I know it’s a non stop ordeal, but didn’t know if some of you had a schedule you kept. Don’t want to overdo it but don’t wa to break down because of something I could have prevented.

9

Fished with my preacher yesterday with his new 25 hp with less than 3 hrs and it would not gather any RPMs so we put it back on the trailer. He took it to the dealer today and come to find out the water pump impela had woren out in 2 trips. Seems as it had a recall! The cumputer shut it down. Never know when something might happen