Small problems can become big problems and what can cost a few hundred dollars today may cost thousands next month. The key is to keep an eye on your boat.  Know what it's doing, and when something is amiss, get it looked at. 

If not heeded, these could result in the depletion of your children's college fund:

1. Damp Bilges

THE PROBLEM: Fluids in the bilge, usually water (either raw water or coolant), oil or fuel.  Know what is in your bilge and where it's coming from. Some small amounts of water may be normal on your boat, but if you start noticing more than usual, it's time to become a detective.

COST TO MAINTAIN: $5 for bilge diapers. 

COST TO REPAIR: $1,200-$1,500 for a new oil pan.

THE SOLUTION: Keep bilges clean and dry. 


You've got a diaper in your bilge, right? At least that's what the mechanics call them - oil diapers. These white sheets only absorb oil and work great when placed under the engine to help you spot oil leaks before they become a bigger issue.

Water in the bilge can come in from a bad drain plug. Replace it or swap it with your spare to see if that's the problem. Bad hose clamps can allow water to leak past. Or old hoses can split and leak.
Oil or fuel in the bilge is more serious. One is your engine's lifeblood. The other is explosive. Bad hoses and fittings are easy to fix. If you're handy you can do it yourself for the cost of the materials. 

More serious is a rusty oil pan. Metal oil pans on older boats can rust, especially around the drain plug. Once the rust takes hold, pinhole leaks develop and oil drips into the bilge. Go long enough, and eventually you end up with quarts of the stuff. Pans rust from water in the bilge. 

Keep things dry and clean and you'll have fewer problem.

2. Things that Go Bump in the Bilge

THE PROBLEM: Extra clicks, clanks and thuds.

COST TO MAINTAIN: $100 for a new belt.

COST TO REPAIR: $2,000-$15,000 for a new engine to solve thunks, clunks, growls and bangs.

THE SOLUTION: You should know what your boat sounds like.

New noises should be investigated.  If it turns out to be Aunt Martha's stomach making the odd noise, great.  If not, figure out what it is. Here's a quick reference list.

Squeal at startup: Loose belt on the engine. The tension on the belt should be adjusted, or the belt replaced. Sometimes the noise indicates a water pump or alternator seizing up. Another cause is pulleys out of alignment - a simple fix when caught early. 

Growling noises and weird clunks: Need to be checked out by a mechanic. Before you go to the shop, determine when the boat makes the noise. When the boat is started?  While you are cranking to get it started? When in gear or out? All of this will help a technician narrow the search. The more precise you can be, the less diagnostic time spent and the less money it will cost you.

Failure to find the source of the noise can lead to engine or drive failure or components coming apart at 3000 rpm. This is never good. Kinetic energy has significant meaning in these situations. 

A loose belt or other issue suddenly becomes an overheated, seized-up engine.  An odd clunking sound becomes an outdrive with shrapnel in the lower unit. Just remember: small noise, small cost; big noise, second mortgage-size bill.


3.High Temperatures

THE PROBLEM: Overheating engine.

COST TO MAINTAIN: $250 for water pump kit. 

COST TO REPAIR: $5,000-$20,000 for a new engine.

THE SOLUTION: Repair or replace the source of poor water flow.

High temperatures cause oils to break down and lose their oiliness properties, becoming sludgy goo. Eventually the engine stops.

If you find the needle inching upward into the red zone, pay attention. This can be a sign of poor cooling. The most common cause of poor cooling is poor water flow. So simple!

First check the water pickup on the drive or thru hull. Plastic bags, large grass and other foreign objects can cover the inlets, and once there will be held in place by suction as the engine runs. If you find an obstruction, clear it and restart the engine.  Restoration of water flow should bring temperatures back to normal.

Water pumps have flexible impellers, which need replacing at regular intervals. If you've waited too long, parts from failed impellers can clog the cooling passages. Be sure to find all of the impeller.

Be sure to check coolant hoses for leaks. Excess water in the bilge can be a result of a failing water hose, so overheating with water in the bilge may give you a clue where to look.


4.Acceleration disappears

THE PROBLEM: Poor performance.

COST TO MAINTAIN: $350 for tune-up. 

COST TO REPAIR: $5,000-$10,000 for a new engine.

THE SOLUTION: Troubleshoot.


When the boat loses power, the problem can be anything from a heavy load to major engine problems. Check for these potential problems:

An overloaded boat. It makes the boat heavy, sluggish and fuel thirsty. Remove anything you don't need or haven't used in more than a year (except emergency equipment).

Clean the boat bottom. Even just a light layer of slimy green stuff adds weight and creates drag.

Explore the engine. It's best to ask yourself simple questions. Did you change anything? A change of props can affect performance; even props that are the same size can perform very differently when made by different companies.

Has anything happened? Striking the bottom can cause a prop to be disfigured. The recent tune-up you did might have been incomplete.

Check exhaust restriction. I recently looked at a boat that just wouldn't plane. The new exhaust manifolds were installed by a previous owner after the engine overheated. What wasn't caught was the blown head gasket, resulting in low power on two cylinders. But there was more to it.

When the engine overheated, the rubber flapper in the exhaust melted and broke loose, clogging the exhaust passage.

Check old gas. usually gas about 60-90 days old. Run fuel stabilizer year-round.

If you can't diagnose a power loss issue, be sure to tell your mechanic everything thing you've done recently to the boat. If it's been more than two years since your last a tune-up, start there.

5.Soft Floor

THE PROBLEM: A soft spot on the deck.

COST TO MAINTAIN: $15 for tube of caulk. 

COST TO REPAIR: $2,000-$5,000 to replace floor or transom.

THE SOLUTION: Keep moisture out of a wood deck. Keep in mind some manufacturers still use wood to core areas of the deck.

Once a symptom becomes apparent, it may be beyond a simple repair. Many runabouts used plywood for their decks. Wood can also be found in transoms and stringers, as well as in the backing for dashes and upholstered panels.

You'll notice a spot on the deck that may feel soft or squishy underfoot. Fiberglass decks cored with wood can have a similar feeling. If the area is small enough, and can be kept dry, it may be possible to drill small holes and inject two-part epoxy into the void. There are even products designed to help preserve damaged wood and strengthen it.

Avoiding this problem is significantly better. Always be sure that anytime you install anything you use a marine-grade sealant to prevent water from getting into any coring material. And store it so water will be able to drain out.

If you fail to replace a small area and let the wet wood expand, the only fix is to remove the entire deck, replace it with new plywood and recarpet. Transoms are an even bigger issue and will require removal of the engine and drive to repair.

One boat came into our shop with water in the bilge. The boat was letting in water from the gimball housing for years. The motor was removed, which revealed a rotted-out transom with no wood left in it. The boat was scrapped.

6.Outdrive Issues

THE PROBLEM: The engine shakes and shudders. You'll also hear grinding noises and feel the boat shifting harder.

COST TO MAINTAIN: $350 for regular service maintenance. 

COST TO REPAIR: $3,500 for a rebuilt drive.

THE SOLUTION: Regular inspection and maintenance of the drive.

Best done annually, but at least every two years, the outdrive should be checked for proper sealing, fluids drained and changed. Shifting cables can stretch, and mechanisms can become worn.

The best time to do these services is at fall layup. The drive can sit with clean, fresh oil all winter. This prevents potential freeze damage if there's water in the oil. It also allows you to plan for future repairs if any problems are found.

In between services you should visually inspect the drive to be sure everything looks OK. Tears in bellows and gear oil leaks caught early can be fixed easily, but failure to see these problems can lead to drive shaft and gear replacement.

We see drives come in that haven't been serviced in years. Bellows have become brittle with age and have cracked, letting water into the drive shaft and U joints. Expensive repairs always follow. In worst case scenarios, complete drive replacement is required.


7.Irregular Shifting

THE PROBLEM: Odd clunking noises when shifting, difficulty moving the shift lever from stop to go and growling noises can all be signs of gearcase issues.

COST TO MAINTAIN: $100 for cables and adjustments.

COST TO REPAIR: $3,500 for a rebuilt drive.

THE SOLUTION: Shift sharply. Learn where your boat's shift point is, and don't hesitate.

Improper shifting creates stalling conditions, as well as a dangerous inability to shift quickly and smoothly between forward, neutral and reverse. This creates interesting docking situations, which can lead to discussions with insurance adjusters and other fun people.

I see a lot of new boats try to gently engage the gears, and in doing so they get that grinding sound they are actually trying to avoid.  
 If the shift point is getting less precise or sloppy, it may be time for an adjustment or new cables. New cables can be a few hundred dollars, but it is far less than a gear set for the lower unit.

Control boxes themselves wear over time, and after a number of years it may be replacement time. When repowering outboard boats replace control cables more than a few years old. Sloppy cable can lead to premature drive failure, and manufacturer warranties don't cover control boxes if the problem was caused by bad cables.

8. Aggressive telemarketers and bill collectors

THE PROBLEM: Ringing telephone every hour of the day.

COST TO MAINTAIN: Cost of your bills.

COST TO REPAIR: Your bills plus interest.

THE SOLUTION: When the phone rings from a blocked number, pick up the phone and hand it to the most talkative, friendly child in the household. Your child and the telemarketer should have lots in common and plenty to talk about. BW