| If you are ever thinking about owning a boat, the | | | | or riding through salt water, it will ruin your engine |
| first thing you should consider is how much it is | | | | over time which is why you need to make sure |
| going to cost. After you've determined that you | | | | that your water pumps are inspected regularly. |
| can afford it and have found a place where you | | | | If you have a closed cooling system on your boat |
| can store it, you need to make sure that you | | | | (aka: fresh water cooling), you need to be wary |
| know how to actually operate it. Most states, if | | | | of crud building up. The build up will act like an |
| not all, require boat owners to have a license that | | | | insulator, gradually slowing down the cooling |
| proves they actually know how to operate their | | | | system on the boat. When you are pouring |
| boat. For a lot of people, getting a license means | | | | coolant into your engine, make sure that you |
| that one will have to attend a class that instructs | | | | aren't pouring too much. As we all know, too |
| him/her on all of the safety features and general | | | | much of anything is usually a bad thing. And |
| operating features of a boat. | | | | actually, having too much coolant will cause |
| According to one boat enthusiast, David Pascoe, | | | | unwanted crud to build up. Also, make sure you |
| you should regularly inspect your boat. Depending | | | | read the manual for instructions on how to |
| on the size of your boat, this inspection shouldn't | | | | properly pour in the coolant (because there is a |
| take longer than thirty minutes or so. By | | | | specific process for doing it). |
| inspecting your boat on a regular basis, you can | | | | Changing the oil in a boat is slightly different than |
| save yourself hundreds (even thousands) of | | | | changing the oil in your car. Unlike a car, which |
| dollars in repairs down the line. According to | | | | requires you to change the oil every 'X' number |
| Pascoe, many boat owners don't really know or | | | | of miles, the oil in a boat (if its diesel) needs to be |
| understand too much about boat engine | | | | changed at least every 100 hours. This is because |
| maintenance. Most boat owners place too much | | | | carbon builds up in the oil, which will transfer to |
| emphasis on changing the oil, not realizing that the | | | | the piston ring grooves and eventually cause the |
| majority of boat engine damage is the result of | | | | rings to stick, which is NOT a good thing. For gas |
| failure to maintain the cooling system. Contrary to | | | | engines, oil change is not as dependent on the |
| popular belief, a boat engine cooling system is | | | | number of hours but, rather, should take place |
| different from a car. Unlike cars, boats use the | | | | before the oil blackens. You see, as oil |
| water that they are floating on to cool the engine. | | | | accumulates engine by-products, it will get darker, |
| Therefore, if you're riding around in polluted water, | | | | becoming more acidic in the process, which can |
| more than likely, your engine is getting the worst | | | | cause internal damage to your engine. This is why |
| of it. For this reason, Pascoe recommends having | | | | you want to change it before it becomes black. |
| good filters (aka: sea strainers). This is not a place | | | | The frequency with which you would change the |
| to be frugal; find out what type of water your | | | | oil in a gas boat will depend on a number of |
| boat usually sits in. If your boat is usually docked | | | | things, such as geographic location. |