Pontoon & Deck Boat Magazine – March 2018

Better Boater

12 Pontoon^ & Deck Boat March^2018 http://www.pdbmagazine.com

Ah, spring: glorious and most-favored of all seasons. The earth

thaws, the flowers bloom and the world sighs in contentment after

the arctic sneeze of winter dissipates. In addition to being the

season of blossoming love and raging allergies, spring is also the

time to wake up our boats from their long, peaceful slumbers.

It’s time to pull those suckers out of hibernation, get them on

the water again and recommence where we left off at the end of

last season. Aren’t you just itching to get out on the water again

so you can have some real fun?

Well, what are you waiting for? Drop it in and fire it up! It’s

that simple, right? Well, not quite. There are a few things you’re

going to want to do to make sure your boat is still in ship-shape.

We all know how important it is to safely store your boat away

for the winter, but it is equally important to check that your boat

is good-to-go before taking it out for its first spin of the season.

It Happens To The Best Of Us

Before we dive into the logistics of getting your boat out of

storage, I’d just like to make one quick point: everyone makes

mistakes. Even if you’re a veteran in the world of boating, you

can still make errors. Nobody’s perfect. Things slip our minds,

we’re easily distracted and... what was I talking about?

The point is it happens to the best of us. Somebody (who will

remain nameless) shared a rather comical story with us recently.

At the beginning of every season, his engine doesn’t start

without a shot of starting fluid in the intake plenum. To get the

starting fluid in the plenum, you have to remove the upper engine

cowling, which is a two-person job.

Needless to say, removing the cowling is a bit of a grueling

task and this gentleman figured that by just opening the oil fill,

he could almost get to the intake plenum anyway. He reasoned

that perhaps if he just gave it a good shot of starting fluid in the

intake port’s general vicinity that it could save him the trouble of

removing that pesky cowling. So that’s exactly what he did.

He gave it shot, but it didn’t quite work out like he’d planned.

Something sparked and ignited the starting fluid before it was

drawn into the intake, which caused the oil door to blow off. The

cowling’s insulation was soaked in two-stroke oil and went up in

flames.

Thankfully, he had a fire extinguisher handy and was able

to put it out before things got out of hand, and there wasn’t any

serious damage to his boat

other than the top

cowling doesn’t seal as

tightly as it once did.

Now with that

cautionary tale in

mind, I think we’re

ready to jump

right in!

Spring Cleaning

There’s a reason they say

that cleanliness is next to godliness. Part of preparation is

cleaning. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later.

Once you throw off the boat cover or tarp, take the time

to wipe it down, vacuum and power wash it. That boat’s been

sleeping for a few months so it’s probably gathered some dust and

it never hurts to give your boat a little lovin’.

Plus, while you’re cleaning, this is the perfect time to check

for possible problems or any other kind of damage.

Some Necessary Checks

Then you’re going to want to take the time to check a few of

your boat’s vital components. You know how you want to check

Blowing Off The Dust

Getting your boat out of hibernation

By Heather Magda Serrano