Trust Your Boat?

 

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                   TRUST YOUR BOAT?  Don't let your boat own you, own your boat

It is that time of year when the vultures show up trying to steel boats at great deals as the season is over and boats are now considered money pits. THE OFF SEASON. Deals are made based on spring sea trials or the risker deal were boats are purchased based on value and how they appear. Appearance the slippery slop of boat buying, the boat is so clean, its like new. The previous owner hardly put any hours on the boat and has been anal about maintenance. You can't take the boat for a test ride. I would never buy a new boat unless I could take it out and put it through its paces.
As a boater the most important thing you must be able to do is trust your boat. If this trust does not exist then you mentally chain yourself to the dock. That kind of mental block will take all the fun out of boating, the first question is usually what is my boat worth? Boaters start to question there choices.

If you suffer a realationship break down with your boat not only will it take its toll mentally, but you will start to listen to all kinds of advise and problem solvers who will un nerve you even more. Marinas are full of dockside experts who generally don't have a dam clue what they are talking about. The money will flow out and every time that you believe you have solved the issue your boat will let you down again. The leading causes of  unrealiability are water in the fuel, shift issues, tune ups, overheat, and corrupted components (parts that have been swapped or only part of the work is done) or a combination of these issues. In most cases the technician and boat owner come to an agreement and the repairs are done a step at a time instead of all at once, or the repair person fixes a genuine problem and doesn't realize there are other issues compounding the problem. New boats provide computors to compensate for many issues and will advise you were the problems lie ( plug and play). Older boats rely on a process of elimination which can be frustrating for all parties involved. These are areas of repair that boaters least like to pay for. They would rather add a accessory or have the boat washed. Money spent attacking these issues is not something shiny to look at. There is a belief like to that because they don't run the boat very much these items can't be necessary.

Here are some of the issues that I have faced in the last two seasons:

• Water  and silt build up in the gas tank (Won't start or stalls at low RPM)
• Coil wires breaking                               (Starts randomly and just cuts out when ever it chooses)
• Distributor caps corroding                    (Stalls randomly starts but runs rough and has no power over 200 rpm)
• Bad ground wires                                  (Cranks slowly and gauges fluctuate. trim pump slow) 
• Melted water pump housings plugging water flow (New impellor motor gets hot on one side and wont run well at all)
• stuck thermostats                                    (Over Heat with stall)
• Contaminated fluids                                (Builds over the top oil pressure or no oil pressure)
• Trim pump relay failure                         (Drive trim works randomly)
• Stretched shift cables                             (Cant find neutral when shifting)
• Corroded lower units                              (Stiff shifting , oil slick reservoir bottle alarm)
• Bad batteries                                            (Motor will not perform no top end hard time to start, other engine dies when I try to start)
• Wrong bolts on water pump housings    (Overheat keep changing impellor)
• Vacuum leaks at carborator base plates  (Engine idles up and down and is lacking power, stalls at idle speed)
• Fuel filters                                               (No start engine cuts out)
• Timing advance modules                        (No power at the top of the RPM range)
• Spark Plugs                                             (Stalls no power running rich)
• Corrosion                                                (No start, gauges dead, eating starters and alternators)
• Over heat causing head gasket failure    (Got hot now consumes coolant)
• Wrong starter                                           (Sounds horrible when starting or wont start at all)
• Broken Bolts                                            (No shift at all)
• Shift interrupter                                      (No start, thumps load through shift cant find neutral)
• and the list goes on and on

A stalling issue which is the one that really makes a boater uneasy and can be contributed to any number of these issues, stalling can the worst problem to diagnose (you can chase this issue around and around).  For boaters who really enjoy their time on the water this is the most fear full issue, made worse if you have a single engine. At least 11 of the failures on the above list can cause the motor to stall. Over a dozen of the failures listed above are considered maintenance and are most often over looked because the boat doesn't see many hours. WRONG.

LOW HOURS only contributs to these isssues as the motor doesn't get a chance to get hot and dry out engine components or the engine compartment. Run your boat regularly and you will have a better more reliable boat. Bad fuel is  a sign that the boat doesn't see or did not see any hours at all you have to burn off and turn the fuel over this issue can really be a pain in the ass. If you have a third fuel tank on board have it pumped out and disconnected if you never use it. Don't spend all your money on dock jewelry spend some on fuel and run the boat regularly. If you intend on using the boat as a cottage then either set the boat up for this usage or expect the boat to bite you in the wallet when you suddenly want to go out. If you are looking at buying boats in the off season have a plan to spend cash in the spring don't expect to drop the boat and all will be ship shape (some numbers have been released that say to be prepared for as much as 50% of the boats purchase price on a larger boat). If you purchase a boat that has low hours and you start to use it expect issues to pop up! The same applies if you buy a boat which has been up graded with a lot of new bells and whistles.

Your boat will talk to you if you let it, it will tell you how it is feeling and what it needs. Just listen you can develop a relationship with a boat they are quircky and some times give you attitude. Some days they just do not want to go (remind you of anyone). Keep your problem solving  simple stupid, boats live in the worst environment constant movement, shock, weather, and long periods of no use. It is said that 90% of breakdowns are operator error and there is some truth to that statement however failures will happen due to the environment. If you prepare a service plan that is not full of holes, educate yourself or find a technician you can trust, and do more than make sure the shore power is plugged when you are away for extended periods. You can keep your boat reliable and know that the boat you love can be trusted.

Don't let your boat own you, take steps to own your boat!

                                                                                                           Author  BW

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