If you want to maximise Australia's favourable climate, you may be thinking of buying a boat, especially if you live close to a marina that would make it easy for you to go out on the water whenever you want. Nonetheless, just as conventional vehicles, boats will develop mechanical problems from time to time. And although these are some issues that will be minor to fix and will not drastically affect your boat's performance, there are still some dangers that could prove quite hazardous to both your safety as well as the lifespan of your boat. Hence, it is advisable to know how best to maintain your boat so that it can serve you for as long as possible. Here is an outline of two maintenance tips that can help keep undue boat repairs at bay.

Tip 1: Store your outboard motor appropriately

One of the maintenance tips often overlooked by newbie owners is the storage of their boat yet this is one of the most pivotal points to note. Generally speaking, most boats can be stored vertically as long as they have the two-stroke variety of motors since this means that the outboard motor already has fuel and oil mixed. However, if your boat is of the four-stroke motor variety, then you should consider the risk of oil draining when the boat is stored in a vertical position. Resultantly, the cylinder, rings and other components can be exposed to damage, and you may even find that your boat always starts to smoke whenever you rev the engine. Thus, for this type of outboard motor, you should consider storing the boat in a horizontal position to prevent costly motor damage. Talk to a professional to learn more about the proper ways to store outboard motors.

Tip 2: Always operate the boat with fresh non-ethanol fuel

It may seem tempting to store the boat with any unused fuel left in the tank and re-use this once you get it out in the water again but this can cause progressive harm to your outboard motor. Instead, it is best to empty the tank once you are done with using your boat and refuel it the next time you want to take it out on the water. Furthermore, people with outboard motor boats are advised only to utilise non-ethanol fuel. Although this type of fuel is more costly than regular fuel, it does provide you with cost savings in the long run. A surprising fact about ethanol is that it gradually degrades various components of your boat, such as the interior lining of the fuel tank as well as the fuel line. Thus, instead of having to replace these parts after a short while it is best to stick to fresh, non-ethanol fuel for your boat.