Boats

Making the 1,200 nautical-mile ocean passage from the United States mainland to the Virgin Islands requires advanced voyage-planning and navigational skills. The passage transits the territorial...

The rope rode is an excellent option for boats 35 feet and under. The chain rode provides more security, but at a serious cost to your vessel's performance, for smaller craft. Rope rode, being...

Using pine tar, or Stockholm tar, as it's more commonly known, for caulking your boat can be tricky and time-consuming. What's more, not only is the process messy, so is the finished product--if...

Why do small, fiberglass boats have flotation foam? Let's start with the premise that you want your vessel to be unsinkable. We should all agree on that--unless heavily insured. Fiberglass vessels...

Buying a boat is a big investment for most people, so taking care of it is a priority. Removing the grime, dirt and rust from many parts of the boat is generally easy when it comes to using...

Rust is difficult to remove on a metal surface, but when it stains a fiberglass surface -- like a boat's -- fixing the problem requires another solution. Fortunately, cleaners can fix the problem,...

LMI alarms are alarms that utilize LMI technology to increase efficiency and improve the specificity of the alarm's function. This technology makes these alarms more sensitive and accurate than...

Boats come in all shapes and sizes, and one of the more popular types of small boats are made of aluminum. It's lightweight, easy to shape and fairly affordable. But those boats are usually held...

A propane stove on a boat is convenient and easy to use. The flame is simple to control and ideal for cooking. But propane is also highly flammable. It can spill and gather in a pool under the...

The sea holds many hazards, in the form of wildlife, other people or simply actions of the ocean itself. To combat these hazards, continued safety advancements are made to improve the knowledge...

Wen creating a plywood boat and covering it in fiberglass, the combination of fiberglass sheets and laminate resin is important. Fiberglass cloth is the best type to use because it is much more...

The outboard motor is a self-contained engine and propeller connected to the outside of a boat's stern. Two types of outboard motors are two-stroke and four-stroke. There has always been a debate...

Force outboard motors were a subsidiary brand of the Brunswick Corporation of Lake Forest, Illinois. The brand was discontinued in 1999.

Trim tabs are usually two stainless steel planes that are adjustable and attached to boats on the rear hull section of the boat that is called a transom. Trim tabs are attached to increase the...

If you've installed an engine in your sailboat, it will also need a fuel tank installed. This is a task that is best left to an expert if at all possible. The biggest task may be finding a...

Sailing solo around the world is not a trip to be taken lightly. Long distances between continents can trigger loneliness and boredom. Solo sailors must be self-sufficient since there is no help...

Marine batteries, sometimes also referred to as deep cycle batteries, should be tested regularly so they can be replaced before an urgent situation arises. There is a series of tests that you can...

All equipment on a boat is designed to be durable and compact. Emergency equipment is a necessity and some equipment such as an emergency boat ladder can be made economically while enhancing...

The joys of boat ownership are not limited to cruising on the lake, fishing or skiing. Tinkering on the many projects that arise is part of the pride and happiness associated with boating. There...

Boating can be an expensive hobby, and boat owners often need to take measures to cut unnecessary costs. One area in which more money is spent than need be is in the replacement of marine...

Optimax motors are popular outboard engines fitted on power boats. These are available in two-stroke as well as four-stroke and also come with a control module, which is digital, that precisely...

Whether running a whitewater river in Tennessee or paddling the peaceful lakes of Minnesota's north woods, canoes offer a host of recreational opportunities. If properly cared for, they can...

To most, the forces that move the ocean's waters and the direction of the ocean's currents are as mysterious as its unknown depths reaching thousands of feet beneath the surface. The world's...

Having a small boat saves on storage space and fuel, but trying to store items like fishing gear, electronics and personal accessories can be tough. Space on a small boat is limited. Decide what...

As long as ships have gone to sea, pirates have been part of the landscape. Though literature and Hollywood have romanticized piracy, a better way to describe pirates would be to compare them to...

A small boat must be stored properly during the off season or during long stretches of time when it will not be used. There are many ways to store a small boat to help protect it from damage...

Expatriates and their families often find themselves on the move. Shipping cars across international borders takes some planning, but overall is a reliable process. The most common port of entry...

Deep cycle batteries are well suited for marine, RV, solar power and similar applications. They are different from your average car battery, and they must be maintained and checked regularly to...

The propeller on a boat can take a lot of abuse depending on what type of area your boat is used in. For boats used for fishing in ponds, lakes and streams, propellers can be damaged on stumps,...

Many boat owners spend the extra money for a stainless steel prop for their boats, wanting the highest quality, longest lasting finish available. Some are surprised and disappointed to find that...

London, England, located on the Thames River, has been a port city since about A.D. 30, when the area was developed by the Romans. However, there was no centralized organization to oversee the...

One of the most famous ocean liners in the world, the "unsinkable" Titanic continues to garner interest almost a century after it plummeted to the bottom of the sea. Many mistakes led to its...

Whether you're going out on a lake for a short ride in a sail boat, setting out across an ocean for weeks on a cruise or doing anything in between, you might be worried about the water making you...

Aluminum boats are very difficult to paint. Most marine shops and commercial painting companies follow strict guidelines, including extensive preparation, before painting. To get the best paint...

Small cracks and holes in the hull of a fiberglass boat are big problems, since they allow water to seep into the boat and damage and destroy it from within. You can repair these cracks and...

You just bought a boat and you have already taken it out for a spin. By now, you have probably already figured out that keeping the interior of your new boat clean is not going to be an easy job....

An Evinrude boat motor model number reveals specific information about the engine. It is generally 8 to 12 characters long. The codes in the model number represent the following information in...

Drivers of diesel-powered cars are aware of a considerable difference in the price of diesel fuel and regular gasoline; diesel is almost always more expensive, sometimes by a wide margin. The same...

Humans have managed to not only understand the phenomena of the natural world but to use them to their advantage to benefit society. Harnessing electricity and splitting atoms for energy are fine...

Boat owners are usually very careful when it comes to doing anything to the exterior hull surface of their boat. Many of them have been warned or even heard horror stories about damaging the...

Although most people perceive police vehicles as automobiles with flashing lights, they encompass more than the well-known police car. Police vehicles travel on land, water and in the air.

Boat locks work as a sort of "water elevator" to raise ships to higher elevation. This is often necessary in areas near dams or rapids, where the water level on a waterway changes...

Gelcoat cleaning on a car, boat or other machine is a necessity to keep it looking new and shiny. All gelcoats will eventually fade and collect dirt and grease. These elements can collect inside...

Outboard motors are motors mounted on the outside of a boat. The gas-powered internal combustion engine is the overwhelming choice in the design of the outboard motor and has the same systems as...

Mold is a major problem encountered by boat owners. Even when mold is cleaned up entirely, new growth can quickly appear as a result of the wet and humid conditions that boats face daily. In order...

Cruising down a river is both refreshing and relaxing. Riverboats are a throwback to yesteryear and incorporating a dinner cruise only adds to the fun of the ride. In many instances, a river boat...

There is an active secondary market for trading and auctioning used boats. These boats are available for different price budgets and in various sizes and models. Use these tips to help you find...

Before there were trains, cars and airplanes, people often used boats as a primary form of transportation. Until the late 18th century, though, travel on rivers was often a slow, tedious process....

A marine RADAR is a ranging and detection system that picks up signals from objects several hundred feet or several miles away from your boat. The RADAR system sends out a signal in the form of a...

Owning and operating a boat can be really fun but first you must be prepared to act in a responsible manner while operating your boat. A boat captain must always be respectful of other seamen,...