Boat Maintenance at the Dock

The bilge hatch is the first thing I check when stepping aboard any vessel — before I look at the engine, before I inspect the rails, before anything else. What I find in those first five seconds tells me more about an owner’s maintenance habits than a full conversation ever could. Back in the summer … Read more

That moment when you spot a fresh gouge in your gel coat hits different when you know what it costs to ignore it. A neighbor of mine put off fixing a dime-sized chip for two seasons — moisture worked underneath, delamination spread, and when he finally called a shop, the quoted repair ran $1,200 and … Read more

Stand over the waterline of a neglected boat and you’ll see it immediately—rust-colored streaks bleeding down from every fastener, a chalky white bloom across the hull sides where salt crystals have etched themselves into the gelcoat grain. Run your fingernail across one of those streaks and you feel the texture, roughness where smooth gloss used … Read more

Hurricane season along the Gulf reminds boat owners of something basic and hard to ignore: a hull fouled with growth becomes a liability. What starts as a thin slime coat thickens into weed and barnacle buildup that slows your boat, burns extra fuel, and eventually puts stress on your engine and steering systems. For twenty … Read more