Spring Boat Provisioning

[Capt. Bob]

Gerry did a great job on the pre season maintenance list. Always a good idea to perform spring maintenance on the trailer or in your slip prior to your 1st trip( Shakedown cruise ).

I will add:
1) Charge your battery prior to hooking up. Also, clean the terminals and connections with a wire brush to insure a clean connection.
P.S. When I store the battery in the fall on a shelf in my garage, I give it a full charge and top off the cells with distilled water.

2) I like to spray the electronic connectors to my electronics with QD electronic cleaner as well as the trailer connections. I also use dielectric grease on the more troublesome connections.

3) I have a 4' removable anchor light that I coat with dielectric grease after the cleaning with the QD cleaner. Also the pins in the receptacle. Electrical Gremlins seem to show up in the spring or mid season , usually at a bad time. Try to stay ahead of them. I will test all my electronics, radio, running lights, horn, bilge pump and wipers prior to taking my 1st trip.
It's a good idea to power on these accessories weekly to insure they are working properly and have a good clean connection. I don't like surprises.

4) The steering cable through the outboard motor. I remove the cable and clean the steering tube twice a year with a shotgun cleaning kit. The old grease tends to turn black and harden. Recoat with fresh marine grease. Also, grease the steering tube and any other fittings on the motor. A fresh thin coat of grease on moving parts connected to the shifter cables.

5) Remove the prop, inspect and recoat the prop shaft with fresh grease. A seized prop is not a good thing.

6) The trailer tires tread will usually still be good. The tires will crack from dry rot on the sidewalks or start to buckle or distort from age. Maintain proper pressure throughout the season and spray the outside with armor all or another product to prevent dry rot.

7) Trailer wheel bearings, should be inspected every year or every other if you use bearing buddies on a regular basis.

8) A thorough cleaning followed by a fresh coat of wax and you are good to go.
Happy Boating !