Boat Caring Tips : A Little Care Will Keep Your Boat in Top Notch Condition

The story of boats is as old as the human civilization. There’s reference of a boat “Noah's ark” in the Bible. Noah's ark was the boat built by the Biblical character Noah to save his family and animals from the Flood. Gondolas were the traditionally used boats in Venice. 

Today, a boat is considered as one of the major tools of watercraft. A boat is a small vessel for traveling on water. It comprises of one or more buoyancy structures called hulls, and some system of propulsion such as a screw, oars, paddles, a setting pole, a sail, paddle wheels or a water jet.

The front of a boat is called the bow or prow and the rear of the boat is called the stern. The right side is starboard and the left side is port. The boat toilet is called the ‘heads’. 

A boat with a housing compartment is called a houseboat or barge. A pontoon boat is a flat-bottomed boat that serves as a dock or as a floating structure to support a bridge. The pontoon boat is also known as a party boat. It is constructed of round tubes (called sponsons) that are attached to the outside, bottom edge of a large flat deck. It has a safety railing that surrounds the deck from all sides. The helm station is placed either in the middle of the deck or off to one side. Pontoon boats may be furnished with lawn furniture, and some deluxe pontoon boats may have upholstered seating, a dinette table, a roof, a cooler, and maybe even a head (toilet).

A recreational boat is used for water sporting activities or other recreational purposes.

Boat Maintenance

People fond of water sports or water adventures keep their own boats. Taking good care of one’s boat is very important. Good care and maintenance enhances the life of a boat and saves a lot of money also.

The following are some boat care tips:

• The boat engine should be flushed each time after it’s used in salt water.

• The underneath of the boat should be washed to prevent salt buildup.

• The entire boat should be washed using soap and water, after every single use.

• A non-skid cleaner should be used to scrub the deck.

• The boat should be completely dried after washing.

• The boat should be covered properly with a boat cover.

• The boat should be waxed every few months to protect the finish from stains and UV damage.

• Boat parts and accessories should be checked regularly, and defective parts should be replaced.

A boat cover is a very important accessory. When your boat is not in use, a cover will keep it protected from harsh weather and wearing. People use various boat covers and boat tops to protect their boats. Custom boat covers, bimini tops and canvas boat covers are some quite commonly used covers.

How to Inspecting Your New Boat, a Small guide about Inspecting Your New Boat

The viewing, or inspecting your boat is a very important part of the buying process.  Inspecting will allow you to see what you are buying before you pay any money.

You may want to use a surveyor to do this, as they will perform a very detailed inspection of the boat you are interested in.  You can be present if you like, as this will give you the chance to ask questions if you like.

Although using a surveyor is the best way to do an inspection, you can do it yourself if you are experienced and confident enough.  There are many parts of the boat to inspect, which makes it nearly impossible for beginners.

If you inspect yourself, make sure you look at  the bottom of the hull, the interior, the control cables, electrical system, pumps, and be sure that everything is in working order.  If the boat has been well maintained, you shouldn't have a  problem looking everything over.  

The engine should also be checked, as it is very important to the boat.  If you don't know a lot about boat engines or engines in general, you  should get a mechanic to look over it for you.  You may want to do this anyway, as the engine can be very tough to inspect.

If everything is up to par, it's time to take a test drive.  Before you fire up the engine, check to see if it's already warm.  If the engine has trouble starting or smokes when cold, the seller could have warmed up the engine prior to you arriving to disguise any problems.

Check for oil leaks as well, checking the bilges at the start and end of the test drive.  When moving around, see how the boat performs. You should experiment with hitting the waves from

different angles, looking for any type of roll or pitch.

Make sure you also test that all the instruments are working correctly, then run the engine for a period of time to see if it overheats.

If you are buying a sail boat, put the sails up and see how the boat performs under wind pressure alone.  Also, make sure you examine the mast and how the boat rigs under load.

If the boat you are planning to buy doesn't pass any of your tests, don't rule it out just yet.  If you are willing to put both time and money into making things work, you can use any problems as bargaining tools to try and get a lower price on the boat.