Tales from the Woods: Breaking out the Boat

A thorough maintenance check can save problems and avoid
issues down the road for boaters who are getting their
watercraft ready for another season. COURTESY PHOTO

By Bob Chapin

With the very first signs of spring, before all the snow is gone from the shady areas of the lawn, those of us who are boaters and fisher persons think about breaking out the boat and getting ready for the first launch. Even before you roll it out of the garage or pull the tarps or shrink wrap off, you can renew your registration for the boat and trailer at your local town hall or online.

A tip: if you take your old registration to the Auburn DMV you can renew for five years versus your normal one year and at a lower rate. Maine residents get their invasive aquatic species sticker integrated into their registration. Carry your boat and trailer registration with you wherever you boat.

Once you get the wrapper off the boat is a good time to check for mice infestations as they love to make nests up under the bow and in any closed compartments such as undersea storage, floor lockers, live wells, and transom cabinets. While you are there check for chewed wiring and tubing such as transducer tubing, gas lines, and anything coated in plastic. I once had five kayaks gnawed one winter, two with complete holes through the hull. Make yourself a note to put mouse discouragement devices in place next fall if you find any evidence they have been there.

While we are talking about electrical wire now would be a good time to top off your starting battery and any auxiliary battery you use for trolling motors, lights, bilge pumps, etc. If you used a trickle charger all winter, your batteries should be fully charged.

Fully charged means that if you put a simple multi-meter tester on it and set the dial to 50 volts DC, you should read at least 12.1 v—any less and it goes on the charger. It is recommended that you disconnect the electrical leads to the battery while it is on the charger and charge it in an area with good ventilation. The process of charging a battery releases hydrogen gas which is very flammable.

If you were diligent last fall and changed out the lower gear and the engine oil and filed off the burrs on your prop, then you should be ready to go. If not, you have work to do. If it has been three years or more since you last changed out the spark plugs on your engine, then do so now, you’ll be glad you did.

If your hull was intact with no leaks last fall, you should be good to go. With an aluminum boat, if you had a few leaking rivets, you can try hammering them tight with a ballpeen hammer or specially designed punch but be sure and have a friend back you up on the inside of the boat with a stout backstop or risk putting dents in your boat.

If you still get leakage, consider drilling out the offending rivet and replacing it with a slightly larger solid rivet. Should you have a wooden boat, it may require a period of soaking in water to allow the wood to swell and seal any leaks. As a kid we had a heavy wooden rowboat that would leak like a sieve when we first put it in the water. After three days of sitting on the bottom we would bail it out and it would be bone dry the rest of the summer.

Use a boating safety equipment checklist available from West Marine, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife or the Department of Marine Resources to ensure you have all the required gear for the size of your boat and where you will be boating.

This includes all the required lighting when operating after sunset and before sunrise. Check your signaling devices either electronic or manually operated and that you have serviceable Personal Floatation Devices sized for every passenger, including you.

If you have a flare gun, check to see that the expiration date on your flare cartridges is current. I keep date-expired cartridges that appear to be in good shape along with my current ones because if you have to use them you will find they do not last long when deployed and may not be seen in time.

While goose hunting late in the season on Chesapeake Bay, another boater had to use his flares. As I responded in his direction two other boats ahead of me did the same, so I was waived off. I am sure he was glad he had more than the required number of flares. Although my boat has an operational horn, I always carry a manual whistle on my person, just in case.

Lastly, check your anchor and dock lines for dry rot and that your knots are still secure. I always carry a short length of extra line because, well, you always need more line, and you may wish to assist another boater.

For added security and confidence I have a set of Mickey Mouse ears or cuffs that I can put over the water intakes on my motor and connect them to a garden hose. That way I can start my engine in the driveway without fear of overheating the motor. Even with all the above accomplished, I keep my first “shakedown cruise” close to home.

It is difficult to thoroughly check your trailer while your boats sits on it. Therefore, after I have launched for my shakedown cruise, I check over my electric lights, guides, rollers and bunkers, winch strap, winch ratchet lock, safety chains, auto grease hubs and tire pressures. Carry a spare tire on the trailer or in the tow vehicle as well as a jack and a lug wrench as they may not be the same size as the tow vehicle. Safe Boating! <