They say you learn from your mistakes, but sometimes it helps to learn from others’, too. Just in time for the upcoming boating season, BoatU.S. employees have compiled a list of eight spring commissioning mistakes they have made so you don’t have to.
Below, a sampling of tips from the BoatU.S. employees:
– From Mike in Marine Insurance: “When reconnecting my batteries I missed one of the ground wires that had slipped down behind the battery box. I noticed something was wrong when the trim/tilt worked fine but the motor would not start. With so many cables going to multiple batteries, I’m taking a photo this year of how things are properly attached so next spring things go as planned.”
– From Chris in the Boating Safety and Clean Water department: “If you have a trailerable boat with a transom drain plug, take the plug now and attach it to the boat’s throttle control or steering wheel so it will be impossible for you not to notice to install it before launching. Yes, this does happen. I know. Nothing gets your attention more than a little water around your ankles.”
– From Ted in Boating Safety and Clean Water: “When putting on my bottom paint I used a cheap paint roller and soon found out why it was so cheap – it was shedding a fuzz in every pass I made. I also made the mistake of not saving a little extra paint to finish under the jackstands or trailer rollers just before launching.“
To see the rest of the advice from the BoatU.S. employees, visit BoatUS.com.
[Photo from BoatU.S.]
