Too often, winter-weary and anxious fishermen head for the lake, boat in tow, with little or no preparation. And just as often, things go wrong.
That’s why smart anglers and other boat owners need to spend a Saturday afternoon getting boat, motor, and trailer ready for the first half of the fishing and boating season. Everything mentioned here should to be repeated at mid-season.
Trailer tips
Start with the trailer. Check for cracks, loose bolts, expired plates, ragged or missing tie downs, winch problems, and other visible problems.
Check the leaf springs and spray them with a lubricant to eliminate squeaks.
Now pull the wheels and if needed, repack the bearings. If you see streaks of grease on the wheels, it’s a good bet that one or more seals need replaced.
Inflate tires to the maximum cold pressure listed on the tire — a little known practice that adds thousands of miles of life to any trailer tire.
Check lights
Lastly, connect the lights to your tow vehicle and check the lights. Common lighting problems are bad lamps and corroded ground connections.
Spring cleaning
Vacuum the boat and look in storage areas for mouse leavings that need to be removed. Use a spray cleaner and course rag on the seats then apply a vinyl conditioner.
It’s the right time to clean battery terminals and any correct navigation light problems.
And while you are in the boat, check all safety equipment for condition and operation including the expiration dates on flares.
Get your motor runnin’
Now move to the engine. Do not turn the engine over without connecting a water line to the outdrive or lower unit. Just by turning an engine over for a second or two can destroy the impeller, the rubber vaned pump that provides cooling water to the engine.
With water connected, go ahead and run the engine. Bring it up to operating temperature.
Check the dash instruments to be sure they are operating properly. Oil pressure, battery charge, engine temperature are very important. Run the engine for at least 10 minutes to charge the starting battery.
Now you are ready for trouble free boating.
