First, if you just remember one thing from this article, remember - never swim in a marina.

Why? Because in a marina, you have people, water and electricity. When everything is working properly, that is a recipe for fun and great times. But, if just one wire chafes through its insulation and shorts to ground, there is the potential for tragedy.

 

Create a Custom Checklist for Your Boat

We suggest that you invest in about two hours of time from the marine technician at your dealership and together, create a winterizing and summerizing checklist.

Far too many people do this in the spring; drop into the nearest big box store and grab a season's supply of universal, discount-priced 2-stroke oil, car oil for their 4-stroke outboard and inboard engines and maybe some all-purpose grease for their cables and steering gear.

In both California and now in Florida, class action suits have been launched against gasoline companies alleging that they knowingly sold gasoline to boaters containing ethanol and that the ethanol would attack and damage the fibreglass fuel tanks in older boats.

When was the last time you sent your propeller shaft to the machine shop to be checked?

How old are your engine mounts? Have you replaced your cutlass bearing recently? Do I sound like your mother?

Well, if she were here, she'd be giving you some important advice!