How Do You Make On Water Repairs Yourself?
• Become familiar with your boat’s propulsion system (outboard, stern drive engine/stern drive unit, inboard engine/inboard transmission) not only for the sake of gaining knowledge or conducting routine service, but so you can perform emergency on-water repairs if necessary. • Invest in a service manual for your boat’s engine, as well as some of the excellent do-it-yourself materials (books, CDs, DVDs, on-line) available at your local marine dealer, library, or on the internet. • Carry spare parts on your boat (and know how to install them). This can prevent an afternoon’s cruise from turning into an all-night misadventure. Exactly which spare parts really depends on what kind of engine your boat has, and where you’re planning to go boating. • Write down your engine’s serial number before you go shopping for parts. On outboards, the serial number is usually on the clamp bracket (the part that holds the outboard on the boat); on inboards and stern drive boats, you can probably find the
