Boating

Features to look for when selecting boating or marine binoculars.

Pontoon boats can be a lot of fun for family activities such as fishing or swimming, and are easy to drive and maintain. Pontoon boats are made for lower speed activities and cruising, and can...

You might use salt water to swab your decks, but salt residue on an anchor is a sure ticket to a marine supply house for a new anchor, particularly if your original is stainless steel. Stainless...

A zinc anode is a block of zinc that's attached to a metal part of a boat or outboard motor. If you lay a piece of zinc on a piece of aluminum in a bath of saltwater, a natural battery forms; the...

In his book "Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair," boating guru Don Casey writes, "The most common surface malady of fiberglass boats is a dulled finish." He presents a three-step approach to keeping a...

Keeping the teak areas of your boat clean can seem like an overwhelming task, especially if it's a fishing boat. While teak is a hardy wood that can stand up to tough conditions, if you don't care...

In the spring, summer and fall, you will see aluminum boats carrying fishermen to their favorite fishing spots on most lakes and rivers. Most of these boats are purchased with oars, a small...

Storing dock lines may seem like a hassle, particularly if you're only going to be boating for an afternoon, but keeping your dock lines stored will add years to their life and help prevent...

To help keep your boat looking great, you must clean your vinyl boat upholstery regularly. Vinyl is very porous and collects much of what it comes into contact with. Because boats are exposed to...

Like any rope, dock lines only coil properly in one direction. The strands of the dock line either twist counter-clockwise (called a "left-hand lay") or clockwise (a "right-hand lay"). Left-hand...

Your dock lines need "tender loving care," just like your boat. While you might hear that dock lines get hard with use and exposure to the salt in salt water, it's actually a lack of proper...

Donating a boat can get you a tax write-off and help a charity. If you intend to buy another boat, you can even keep your trailer and donate the boat without it, regardless if the boat is still in...

Your life revolves around boats. You take every opportunity to get on the water with friends, you wander through boatyards and marinas, and you search the boating magazines every month. You're...

Polypropylene rope has several characteristics that make it useful aboard your boat: it floats, it's lighter than nylon or natural fiber rope the same same size and it doesn't "snap back" when its...

Ranger boat seats are made of soft, weather-proof vinyl with a hard plastic frame. You should clean your boat seats frequently to keep them looking better and the vinyl upholstery supple. The sun,...

While dock lines usually have an eye splice on one end--where the end of the line turns back on itself and is interwoven with the strands to form a permanent loop--the wear from use, called...

Boat owners must own batteries, which, in turn, require battery chargers. Marine battery chargers help maintain batteries that often haven't been started for months. They also provide assurance...

If your activities involve the use of a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, you may occasionally think about how convenient it would be to have a lanyard attached to the GPS unit. The...

When wind or water currents make it difficult to trawl slowly, a drift sock can be the best way to control your boat's speed and allow you to fish effectively. Also known as drift chutes or sea...

Many marine engine problems can be traced back to a few simple issues such as poor connections, a badly adjusted or dirty carburetor, or the need for a tuneup. A rough-running engine can cause...

Many people are attracted to the idea of owning their own boat, whether it is a small fishing boat, a sailing vessel or a yacht. Like homes and cars, the prices of new and used boats are...

A bowline knot can be used to tie a water-ski tow rope to your bass boat and doesn't require you to mount a ski pylon. The bowline ties quickly, won't unravel under a load, and can carry 80...

Proper kayak care is vitally important to the performance and longevity of your carbon fiber kayak. Proper care takes into account the stresses the boat undergoes during the paddling season as...

In a boat--which pitches, yaws and rolls--your battery requires a more robust restraint system than the one found in your car. While a battery box will contain any spill that might occur as the...

In these days of high speeds and noisy motors, rowing your own boat down the river or across a lake can be an extremely satisfying experience. Old or much-used wooden oars, however, may need a...

Marine engines generally operate in harsher climates than automobiles and are designed to endure more punishment. Most marine components are designed to last in hot, wet conditions, but some are...

You should always empty the gas from your boat's tank when you're getting ready to store it for the season. It's dangerous to leave flammable liquid sitting, and the gas can lose its...

In general, boaters want to avoid underwater objects for their own safety, and the safety of their boats. Knowing where underwater stumps and felled trees are located, however, has a special...

Working aloft on your boat, you'll be using a bos'n's chair. The bos'n's chair may lead to a false sense of security, since you're seated on a relatively stable seat. If the boat rocks, you simply...

Cable, also known as wire rope, isn't measured in the same way as fiber rope. Fiber rope, whether a natural fiber like manila, or a synthetic fiber like nylon, or polypropylene, is measured by...

Pitch is "the theoretical distance a propeller would advance longitudinally in one revolution." Webster's notes that this relates to the angle of a sloped surface, representing the angle of the...

Whether you've nosed up on the bank to let traffic thin or a squall blow over only to realize that a falling tide will leave the bow--the front--of your boat high and dry, or if down-flow has...

So you're out on the water in your outboard powered boat, the sun is out and you're having a great time. Suddenly (or maybe after coughing and sputtering a bit), your motor stops. What can you do...

You attach a rope to a boat using a fitting called a cleat, which is permanently attached to the boat. Shaped like the letter "T," the cleat is designed so that the rope may be quickly wrapped...

The Soo Locks are the largest locking system in the world. The system includes two sets of locks located on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The locking procedures for taking a boat through the Soo Locks...

Chelsea clocks have been the standard for shipboard clocks for over a century. Although the materials for Chelsea clocks may vary, and the movements may be mechanical or quartz, the maintenance...

Wood is a common material for boat construction. It provides strength and rigidity to composite assemblies and can add aesthetic value to a boat when finished "bright" with stain or varnish. If...

Stained rope provides decorative possibilities for your wheelhouse, including whistle cords, coverings for railings, flat or twisted sennit for upholstery covers, or even flat-turned turksheads...

Boat trailers are designed for rugged use. They are regularly backed into water and driven over rough terrain. The lighting system on trailers gets equally rugged use. This system consists of...

Power steering on a boat uses hydraulic rams--a hydraulic cylinder and piston--to move the rudder, which steers the boat. The size of the hydraulic cylinder will determine how quickly the rudder...

Life Vests save lives. The U.S. Coast Guard categorizes life vests into three types: * Type III vests, designed for boating in calm water where quick rescue is available. * Type II vests, designed...

Lexan boat windows sometimes retain water as a surface film; the water doesn't run down the window like glass or Plexiglas. Normally, this isn't a problem; but if you're bringing your boat into a...

Whether the grab rail is attached to the overhead (ceiling) of a cabin or wheelhouse to keep you upright in rough seas, or attached to the bulkhead (wall) adjacent to a ladder (a set of steps or...

Most boat owners have damaged a propeller at least once. Most props on newer outboards or inboard/outboard engines have a break-away rubber hub built into the body of the prop to absorb shock and...

That vinyl boat cover is great for keeping the rain out, but if you leave it out in the sun, the ultraviolet radiation can cause it to fall apart. Those windows, too, suffer from exposure to the...

Teak brightwork--the unpainted teak woodwork on a boat--makes a gorgeous accent or even an attractive deck on the right boat, but untreated teak stains easily. When a guest spills a drink on your...

She rubs against the dock, she gets fuel spilled on deck or around the filler pipe--nothing big, but visible--the engine has left a track across the stern and she has rust stains in one or two...

Aluminum boats can last for years with proper maintenance. The aluminum does not corrode and doesn't need to be painted. Occasionally, however, the rivets in an aluminum boat can form very small...

Aboard a ship, a set of steps or stairs is called a "ladder." Using the ladders aboard a ship safely means observing rules developed by government agencies and "the normal practice of seamen" over...

Boat covers protect your vessel from UV rays, rain, dirt, debris, rodents and moisture buildup. This takes the vulnerability off of your boat and puts it on your canvas cover, which can often...