Northern Wilds by Northern Wilds Magazine

NORTHERN WILDS April-May 2012

Spring Cleaning for Watercraft By Lee Boyt

It’s ﬁnally time to take the boat out of storage. Before you hit the high seas, though, there are a few important details to handle.

Bath Time Covers, canvas, carpet, and upholstery need a thorough cleaning and adequate drying time to prevent microscopic creepycrawlies from taking up residence. Following the manufacturer’s recommendations, use mild cleansers and rinse generously with fresh water prior to air-drying.

Electric Slide

Scrub the boat inside and out with a strong, environmentally friendly cleanser. Pay particular attention to the bilge, livewells and baitwells, as these areas tend to attract nastysmelling organisms. Use a product specific for your boat’s type of windshield or windscreen to avoid damaging plastic components. After drying the boat with a A spring cleaning will help you have a trouble-free boating season. | PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALUMICRAFT chamois or soft towels, apply a marine-grade wax to the outside of engine to separate out a winter’s worth of stroke outboards, sterndrives), drain and the hull to keep your vessel looking sharp. fuel contaminants and water. After going refi ll the gearcase/lower unit lube, and Plus, it’ll be easier to wash the next time. through a couple of tanks of fuel, replace top off the hydraulic steering fluid. Grab Don’t wax the interior; we don’t want slip- all the fi lters again. Yes, it’s a hassle, and your grease gun, and shoot a dab of marine pery decks underfoot. costs a few extra bucks, but being proac- grease in every fitting on the outdrive, outtive could prevent fuel-related issues in the board and steering system. future. The price of fi lters is a lot less than Remove the propeller to carefully inpuking a powerhead due to crummy fuel. spect each blade for nicks, dings or other Replace every fuel fi lter on the boat and Change the engine oil and oil fi lter (four signs of impact, and have the prop repaired or replaced prior to using the boat. While the propeller is off, wipe all the old, gunky grease from the propeller shaft. Check to make sure that no fishing line is wrapped around the propshaft, because fishing line can cut through the propshaft seal, allow-

Have the batteries charged and loadtested, replace them if they’re not up to spec. Make sure the terminals are clean, and use stainless steel hex nuts instead of wing nuts for vibrationproof connections. Check out the main charging system as well as onboard chargers to ensure the batteries are receiving the nourishment they deserve. Individually energize each electrical device to make certain that the navigation lights, bilge pumps, recirculating pumps, and accessories are working as they should. It’s better to discover (and rectify) a problem now than on a dark, stormy night.

Mechanically Speaking

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ing water into the gearcase. If you do ﬁ nd ﬁshing line around the shaft, it’s in your best interest to have a marine technician examine the seal and pressure-test the gearcase to see if the seal needs replacing.

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Give the engine a complete tune-up, including replacing the spark plugs, spark plug wires, belts—the full package. You’ll have the conﬁdence of knowing the engine is at the top of its game, freeing your mind to focus on having fun.

Gear Up and Go After the chores are done, restock the boat with all your gear, including lines, safety equipment and life jackets.