Time as moved swiftly this fall and once again Thanksgiving and Christmas is almost upon us. Lets keep the boater in the family in mind this season. You may find some great Black Friday deals here. Some quick thoughts on gifts are Garmin hand-held GPS units, O’Brien skis, wake-boards, or tubes, detailing kits, VHF radio’s, and fishing gear. You also don’t want to leave out the family dog. Protect them with a doggie life vest or a doggie ladder. As always shop around for the best deal.

The next step in winterizing is to change the oil.  You want to change the oil now to eliminate the dirt and to coat the engine with clean oil before storage.  The steps are to run engine to warm up the oil so it flows better and to ensure that the dirt is suspended in the oil.  Drain the oil.  Remove oil filter and replace with a new one.  Refill the engine with the recommended type and amount.  Not much to it in telling but in practice?  It could be that simple to a lot more complicated depending on what you are dealing with.

Lets start with 4 stroke outboards.  Most will have a plug around the mid section ether on the side or on the back.  Remove the plug and drain the oil.  You may trim the motor and turn it to the side to allow for better draining.  Once all the oil is drained reinstall the plug with a new gasket.  Then remove and replace the filter making sure to lubricate the o-ring.  Some outboards may require that the side cover be removed to access the filter.  Finally refill with recommended oil checking the level with the dipstick periodically.

Changing oil on inboards or sterndrives can become a little more complicated mainly due to the construction of the boat. The oil needs to be extracted from the engine by pumping it out the dipstick or through a hose that is provided. After removing the oil remove the filter using the appropriate wrench. Be sure to have a catch pan below the filter or/and an oil absorbent cloth to prevent a mess in the bilge. Seats, bulkheads, or dividers might have to be removed to reach the filter unless you are lucky enough to have a remote filter. Install the correct filter making sure that you lubricate the o-ring. Refill the engine with the proper type and quantity of oil.

There you go, you now are ready to fog the engine.

Below are some recommended extractors and supplies.

The first step  of winterizing your boat should be stabilizing your fuel.  Stabilizer will keep your fuel from breaking down and varnishing.  Most brands will keep the fuel good for one year.  The easiest way is to add the stabilizer to your fuel before you use the boat for the last time.  (if you are not using it year round as I recommend)  that way it is mixed and drawn through out the complete fuel system.

In the northern parts of the country it is all ready time to think about winterizing an putting the boat up for the year.  Some services you need to think about are hull cleaning/acid wash, oil and filter change, winterizing the engine and drive, winterizing fresh water systems, and shrinkwrap and storage.  In the coming weeks I will be posting more detailed information.

Are people abandoning boating in today’s economic environment?  No,  people need that escape now more than ever.  They are just being more realistic with their purchases.  The boat purchaser today is looking for more value which can lead them to the pre-owned boat market.  Where do you find a good pre-owned boat?  Look in classified ads or at a marina that deals in used boats.

So how do you make sure you have value in a boat once you found one you like?  Follow these suggestions to a more satisfying purchase.

When checking a boat over you want to inspect the boat and the motor.  Starting with the boat:

• Walk around the exterior of the boat. You should be looking for chips, cracks in the hull.  Check under the boat along the chimes.  Look for signs of a rotten hull around the drain plug.
• Climb into the boat  and walk around.  Does the floor feel solid or is it soft and spongy.  What condition is the vinyl on the seats, are they cracked and brittle?  Look in the storage compartments and up under the side boards.  Are these areas clean or is there small pieces of wood from rotten panels.
• Move to the console.  Flip the switches.  Does the bilge pump work, how about the blower?  Do the interior lights work?  The navigation lights?  Try the horn, is it working?  Turn the steering wheel, does the drive turn, is it stiff?  (Some sterndrives have power steering which may feel stiff when the motor isn’t on.)
• Once you have checked out the boat it is time to turn to the motor.  The very first check should be a spark and compression.  The compression check determines the health of the internal engine while the spark determines the ignition system.  After you determine the motor is healthy it is time to inspect the belts, (looking for worn, checked belts excessive belt dust) wiring, (broken, frayed, cracked insulation, corrosion on terminals) hoses.
• Next up is the drive.  Check the gearlube – level, color, smell, foreign material.  Put some weight on the drive and bounce it, does the transom flex any.  If it does you may be looking at a rotten or rotting transom.

Once you have determined that the boat fits your needs and passes inspection it is time to determine the value.  There are several guides one could use ABOS Marine Blue Book and NADA Guides.

Today I want to touch on one, if not the most basic principles of boating. I have seen it time and time again. The trailer goes down the ramp and off comes the boat. Everyone piles in grinning and joking and down the lake they go. But wait, what’s that? They are back! Someone frantically runs for the trailer and hurriedly backs it in. The boat is quickly loaded and up to the top of the ramp they go with water shooting out the side as the bilge pump works overtime. Water is also pouring out the bottom of the transom. Choice words are being hurled back and forth. What happened? Someone forgot the DRAIN PLUG!

Before your day begins you should run through the pre-launch checklist. Included in the check list is inspecting the drain plug to make sure it is in tight. There are many different types of plugs. You should familiarize yourself with yours.

	T Handle – Used in most Inboards.			Rubber snap type – can be used in most aluminum boats. Tip: make sure handle is up so moving water will not flip it out.
	Twist type – can be used in most aluminum boats.			Rubber snap type – used in livewells and some paddle boats.
	Brass 1/2 in. – used in most runabouts.			Plastic – used in various types

Welcome to the BoatGuy.net.  It is my goal to share with you ways to enhance your boating experience.  I am writing from northwest Indiana were my experience includes runabouts 17′-30′, pontoons to 27′, fishing boats and jon boats with outboards and  jets  from 10′ to 24′.  Since that is my experience that will be my focus.   Lets make enjoying the water a life long experience.