Tagged: repairs
Warranties
New boats and accessories offer the promise of problem-free operation and peace of mind. Unfortunately, today’s boats are very complex systems of parts, and occasionally even brand-new components can fail. And, when things go wrong, the warranty can be invaluable. This scenario is well understood by many consumers who have purchased big-ticket items in their life. Two key areas of the warranty process oftentimes overlooked are the manufacturer and servicing dealer. Manufacturers can take a short-term transactional view and work to wiggle out of warranty related obligations, or they can take the long-term customer loyalty view and be accountable, moving [...]
Get in line
It’s the end of October and the boat yard rosters for winter work are starting to fill. Some projects are directly connected to the safety of the captain and crew, such as transom or stringer replacement. Other projects, a new “gelcoat” or an updated T-Top, are cosmetic. While the projects are obviously different they share some common qualities such as remote completion dates and, oftentimes, higher than anticipated costs. So, if you have a professional grade boat project that you’d like to accomplish over the winter, it would be smart to make arrangements with your yard manager, and local banker, [...]
Size Matters
In some aspects of life, size matters – the size of the ship; the size of the sandwich; and the size of the hammer. Recently, in my ongoing research into the repowering area, I discovered another area where size matters, namely, the size of the transom hole for the outdrive in a sterndrive powered boat. Over time, sterndrives have evolved and the transom holes have measurably decreased. Which means that, if you want to replace your older drive with a newer one, it’s highly likely that extensive, and expensive, transom work will have to be done to resize the hole [...]
Running Hot
Recently my Volvo Penta engine, based on a 350 Chevy, started running hot. The thermostat needle which normally swings in the yellow and low end of the green (normal) band, was moving in the upper end of the green band, dangerously close to the red band. Now as you likely realize, this is typically a good point to secure the services of your local professional. However, if you feel comfortable with the possibility of sinking your own boat, as I did, you might move ahead and reflect on the many components of a raw water marine cooling system: hoses, filters, [...]
Smart Boating 193 – Marine Insurance
This show highlights some of the most important sections of a typical boat insurance policy.