Articles
Practical, season-tested guidance on keeping a recreational boat running well — written to be useful whatever you run.
These maintenance articles are meant to serve as a great general reference for boat owners. Rather than covering a single make or model, each one focuses on the systems and routines common to most recreational boats — engines and drives, fuel and electrical systems, hulls and trailers, and the seasonal rhythm of commissioning and layup.
Use them as a starting point when you are planning a service interval, chasing down an unfamiliar symptom, or simply trying to understand what a job involves before you decide whether to take it on yourself. The goal is to explain the why behind each task, not just the steps, so the knowledge carries over from one boat to the next.
Your owner's manual and a qualified marine technician remain the final word on your specific boat. Treat these articles as the shared background knowledge that makes those sources easier to act on — and log what you actually do in BoatDuty, so next season starts with a record instead of a guess.
Trailer
Surge, electric, and electric-over-hydraulic brakes need different service. What to inspect on the actuator, wiring, breakaway system, and the brakes at the wheels.
6 min read
Cooling System
The impeller sits out of sight until an overheat alarm makes it urgent. Service intervals, the conditions that damage one early, and why missing vanes have to be accounted for.
4 min read
Trailer
Tread depth is the least useful thing about a trailer tire. How to read the DOT date code, check cold pressure, and judge age, damage, and load rating before your next tow.
5 min read
Sterndrive
Cloudy or creamy gear lubricant usually means water has gotten into the gearcase. Why refilling it is not the repair, and what to document before the service visit.
4 min read
Batteries
Flooded, AGM, gel, and lithium batteries each store differently. How to inspect, charge, and isolate them before layup so spring launch is not an unexpected maintenance job.
5 min read
Trailer
Trailer wheel bearings do their work out of sight. Here are the service intervals to plan around, the warning signs worth investigating, and why a grease fitting alone tells you little.
5 min read
Winterization
A system-by-system winterization checklist for trailerable cruisers with I/O power: engine and sterndrive, freshwater and water heater, marine head, generator, air conditioning, and the trailer itself.
6 min read
Winterization
Volvo Penta and Yamaha both recommend changing engine oil before winter layup. Here’s why a fall oil change matters, and what to record before your boat goes into storage.
4 min read
BoatDuty logs what you serviced and when, so next season starts with a maintenance history instead of a guess.
