5 Maintenance Tips That Will Definitely Increase the Longevity of Any Boat.

Like most of your belongings and pieces of equipment, boats need proper maintenance to give you a proper service year after year. Boat maintenance as a whole is quite similar to automobile maintenance. As is in the case of your vehicles, if the boats are not properly maintained, you could face uncomfortable situations like boat breakdown, dead battery or fuel problems and likewise. But it does take more effort and finances to maintain your prized boat. There are a few parts or items of a boat which require constant maintenance throughout the year and this is usually done by the boat owner himself or herself. On the other hand, there are a few items that need maintenance after months or a year apart. Most boat owners will prefer to have these parts serviced by experts.

If you are a fellow boat owner, keep on reading to know about various tips to keep your boat in top condition.

1- Keeping the vessel clean: This is a no-brainer. If you keep your vessel free from impurities for most of the year, there should be a good reason to believe that it will give you a better service for a longer period of time. This includes draining the saltwater from the boat which can be damaging for the boat by causing corrosion. You can take professional help to keep the motor and other such parts which could get tricky for you to clean free from saltwater. In order for the exteriors of the boat to look exquisite for most of its service period, cleaning should be done properly and regularly. A boat is exposed to a unique sort of materials and boat parts and accessories are bound to get damaged faster as compared to a car and thus attention is required to clean these typical elements. Freshwater, soap, a brush with soft bristles, and boat wax can be used together to achieve all of these aims. Soaps that are formulated especially for boat cleaning are recommended.

2- Engine Service: You should preferably not wait until the start of the summer season to get the boat engines serviced which is a time when everyone wants to get it done and getting proper servicing for your boat engine might become difficult. Do it well before time. Spark plugs should be changed in this part of servicing and extra spark plugs kept on the boat for emergencies. While operating the boat, weird noise and vibrations coming from the engine could be signs that your engine needs service. So lookout for any such sound and shaking.

3- Oil Checks: A boat owner should be well aware of the oil requirements of the vessel which will vary as per type of boat. Oil checks can be carried out by the owner himself or preferably by a professional. Changing the oil of a boat is not as simple a task as changing the oil of a car because it usually involves a stream of water through the water intake and some other procedures which need to be learned before changing the oil. Thus, try to learn the trade before practicing it.

4- Battery Protection: Boats are usually completely shut down for the few months of winter which is the off-season. This could lead to you ending up with dead batteries when you need the boat. The way to avoid this situation is by disconnecting the batteries at the start of the off-season and storing them at a place where they can be charged separately in a warmer room or similar arrangement. This will certainly improve the life of the batteries. 

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