You may have all of the equipment you need to ensure your
boat is ready to enjoy a long life out on the water, but that doesn’t mean
you’re exempt from rookie mistakes. Whether you’ve just acquired your first
boat or you’re a seasoned veteran of boating, it will help to refresh yourself
on the basics of boat maintenance.
Boat Care: What NOT to Do
Most boat owners don’t actually intend on making a mistake
with their boat. Unfortunately, mistakes are made sometimes simply due to a
lack of knowledge. Here are a few rookie mistakes that can be easily fixed just
by making sure you know what to do:
- Don’t
pour fuel into the water holder. Most of you boat owners are responsible.
You don’t have to be told twice where to put the fuel. But let’s face it:
sometimes, people will absent-mindedly put fuel where it doesn’t belong. In
order to avoid any bad habits, make sure you concentrate every time you
re-fuel. You’ll save your boat a lot of grief. - Don’t use
regular wax on custom graphics. There’s nothing more exciting than taking
your boat out for a spin after having custom graphics installed. And there’s
nothing worse than losing those graphics to fading, sun damage, and simply
using the wrong products. Make sure you use a dedicated wax like Graphix Wax to help ensure
your custom graphics are well-protected. - Don’t use
generic cleaner. Your boat lives in a different environment than your car.
As such, it needs a different kind of cleaner. Use Boat Cleaner rather
than generic cleaner, and take full advantage of its biodegradable formula.
Boat Care: What You SHOULD Do
There are also sins of omission—those mistakes you make
simply because you weren’t focused at the time. These mistakes are highly
preventable, but you’ll have to be aware of them before you take your boat out
if you want to be sure you can avoid them completely.
- DO make
sure the drain plug is in. Failing to put the drain plug in place before
heading out on a boating venture is a classic rookie mistake. The good news is
that once you’ve made the mistake, it will soon be obvious. The bad news is
that it will be obvious because your boat will be filling with water. Make sure
you know just how many drain plugs you have on your boat before you take it out
on the water for the first time. - DO give your
anchor plenty of slack. Many new boat owners make the mistake of assuming
that depth is a linear thing. Not so. Lakes have sudden, hidden drop-offs just
as often as they have steady shifts in depth. A fishfinder is a great way to
check for depth; if you don’t have one, acquire a nautical chart of the area.
And when in doubt, be sure to give yourself extra slack.
A word of advice: most of these mistakes can be avoided with
a little bit of know-how and the right products to support your boat’s
health. But it’s only when you put the two together
that your boat benefits for the long-term. Happy boating!
