Sunday, January 24, 2010

Checklist Time...

Owning a boat is an investment, probably a poor one, but still. Over the last couple of years I have tried to keep up with most everything that is going on in my boat. With it having a few years on it it is inevitable that some things need some attention. Being the procrastinator that I am i generally put things off unless they fail to function entirely. Some things I do stay on top of and I regularly check and maintain them. I always check fluids and things concerning my motor. I also yearly grease the bearings on my trailer and lubricate moving parts. About once a month I check all the lights and check the air pressure in the tires although I visually check the tires every time I take the boat out. Being that is kind of a slow time for fishing and the weather has not really been cooperating, I took a little time to work on some things that I needed to.
I usually start out every year by making a checklist of things that I know needed attention and I just check them off as I go. I knew my livewell was leaking down slowly and I assumed that my valve was clogged. I removed it and inspected, cleaned, and reinstalled. Where I discovered that I thing I need to replace the cable. Had I just left this issue I would have had to deal with this leaky valve all year and I would have to keep a close eye on any fish I put in the livewell and risk having one die and possibly costing me a check.
I also had one small section under the passenger and driver's seats that I failed to replace the carpet on while I was tackling that job this past summer. I was finally able to finish that and mark that off of my list.
I lubed and checked the spring tension of my Hot Foot and I checked the proper operation of my "kill switch." Don't want a malfunction with these parts.
My gearcase apparently got some braided fishing line around the propshaft that cut into the seal and allowed some water in, that froze in the recent cold weather and I had to have a little work done on it. Not exactly what I wanted to spend my money on, but it happens and when it's repaired I know that it will be water tight with new seals. It also allowed the inspection of the internal parts (gears and bearings, etc.) which is not bad. Luckily everything was in very excellent condition. That in itself will give me some peace of mind.
All fittings and screws need to be checked every so often to make sure they are tight. I will get that done too. I'm going to add some additional lights from Bluewater LED and I need to check a loose bilge pump one day.
All in all to be it's age, my boat is in good shape because I do these things every year. I still have a couple of small things on my list to do and I'll mark them off as I get to them. My main concern is being 100% ready to fish, without any things that need repairing when it warms up a little. So if you have a few minutes, write down every single thing that you would like to check, repair, or change and get on them as you get a little free time.

No comments:

Post a Comment