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New Boater Tips?

9K views 52 replies 31 participants last post by  djnelson 
#1 ·
I learned something today from a forum member regarding keeping our motor in a down position while stuck in our driveway for days during freezing weather to avoid damage to lines and other parts...I didn't realize all the water doesn't drain out of it in the time between pulling it up the ramp and raising the trim for traveling.

I started wondering how many other handy tips and tricks we need to know about. We've only owned a bass boat for 2 years and these are the sort of things no one mentions until you have a problem.

Are there other basic things we should know that we might have overlooked? I'd really like to see some advice and tips for newbie boat owners, even if the tips seem to be no-brainers. It's not like being a car/truck owner where you've been doing this stuff since you were a teenager. There are a lot of us out there who buy our first boat once we're well into our middle age and haven't had anyone to teach us the ropes.

Any advice is seriously appreciated!
Deb
 
#3 ·
Deep cycle batteries last a lot longer if stored in the fully charged state. So always hook up the charger and recharge fully as soon as you get back from fishing. Don't wait to charge the batteries until the night before your next trip or your battery life will be truncated severely. May seem obvious, but a buddy was telling me it was news to him until recently.
 
#5 ·
Before it gets really cold, check the oil in the lower unit,if looks milky change it the milky look comes from water in it, Ice & cast Alum do not go well together, don't ask how I know. You can get the pump at Wally world for less than $10 qt marine gear oil $5 beats hell out of a new lower unit. when I still had my boat I changed the oil 4x yr.
 
#15 ·
Had a guy at Choke runnin wide open one morning ,it so foggy you could only see about 50' we were close to south shore ramp ,he was WOT haulin ass I final waved him down with a maglite,he just knew he was in Owl creek.He would not belive there was an island and standing timber between south shore & Callhan, tuned around hauled ass again.
 
#12 ·
I have an extra key to the boat in the truck glove box and I always remove the keys to the boat when I'm tieing it down before towing home. Why you ask? Well I'll tell ya why. I have,and still do have, a big floaty on the boat keys like a lot of us do, and I never used to take it out of the ignition until one day when I got to the lake and the keys weren't there, I found some of them on the floor and the floaty with the ign.key was wrapped around the stealing cable next to the engine.All I could think is that the wind whipping around back there must have pulled it out and almost lost um. Never have used the one in the truck but I know it's there!
 
#20 ·
Strip down the boat and secure all objects for highway towing. I remove tackle boxes, ice chests (if loaded) and totes.

Back when I had a smaller truck, I would stow some totes and stuff in the boat for extra space. Two problems with that:
1. Extra weight and heat on the trailer tires we all know and love. :)
2. The airflow at highway speeds can easily blow totes out of the boat. I know this from experience.
 
#22 · (Edited)
I keep certain spare parts, tools, & equipment onboard as learned from life experiences of those vein blowing little trip killing moments back when I didn't but wish I had. Spare oem alum prop, prop wrench, can of engine starter, cotter pins, spare tm prop, spare fuel line squeeze bulb, spare fuel line connector (to motor), spare spark plugs, spare fire extinguishers, spare handheld horn, spare fuse assortment, spare drain plugs, spare zip ties, spare qt oil or two (on days w/long runs), paddle, basic tool kit, various lengths of tie line, bumper bouy, sponges & towels, jumper cables, water sock drift anchor, reg anchor,25' nylon tow line rigged with spring clasp hook at one end and coated cable swivel two hook ski harness at the other (it's worked perfect for the many times towing my rig behind houseboats, pontoons, etc. while partying, but even better yet for pulling in the number of stranded souls w/boat probs I've come across and getting them back to their put-in point safely.) And of course I never leave the dock without duct tape onboard and the obligatory flask of vodka tucked into the boat gear bag to, uh, supplement my first aid supplies?
 
#26 · (Edited)
if you go in salt water just once a year, drop your lower unit and regrease so you can remove it later when you have to. Do this even if your water pressure is good. (found out the hard way)
also, remove the prop and regrease that prop shaft spline.

Its amazing how just a bit of salt water can make things weld together.

If your boat is going to not be used for a few months, its a good idea to get that fuel out and use elsewhere if at all possible. Otherwise the alcohol abuse will get your motor
 
#27 ·
For the lower unit//freezing issue, buy yourself one of those flood lights with the steel clamp at Walmart, and clamp it to//or on the trailer close to your lower unit. It will keep it warm, and it will not freeze if you leave it on at night. I used a cheap time to run it at night when I had my boat in storage way back when. $10 bucks for a light, that will save you about a grand.
 
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