Boating season is on the horizon. And you’re pumped. Not just pumped, you’re prepped. Or are you? We asked the experts—including mechanics, marina owners, marine insurance providers, and boating safety advocates—for their know-how. Here’s what they had to say.
#1 Fix the little cracks before they become big cracks
“A gelcoat crack is just cosmetic…until it isn’t. Little cracks will eventually turn into big cracks. Cracks are especially problematic when it comes to horizontal surfaces, like on your deck. Unless it really is just a hairline crack, I recommend grinding it out with a rotary tool and filling it to prevent water from getting into the underlying laminate and fibreglass. Once you have water getting into the fibreglass, you’ll start getting structural problems, such as delamination; fibreglass is made of many layers, like a lasagna. Delamination is where the fibreglass separates from the core material. And once water gets into that core, the deck starts to get spongy and soft.”—Geoff Wright, owner of Blue Water Marine Services, Toronto
#2 Stop ruining your boat top
“Over time, the sun is what kills a cover. Stored outside, it will last three to four years. In a boathouse, it can last 10 to 20. However, I’ve seen a lot of people who ruin their boat top by folding it instead of rolling it. The window panels aren’t made to be folded, so they crack, and then you need to replace that whole section. Also, people spray their fabric cover with a sealant to try to make it waterproof. But it doesn’t need to be. It’s designed to be put on tight enough that the water drains off the surface. If it’s not put on tightly, water can pool, and drip through. When people add sealant, the boat can’t breathe. The cover traps moisture inside the boat, so it moulds. Also—and this seems like a small thing—it’s important to maintain the cover’s snaps. Without the snaps working, it’s hard to get a good seal.”—Marc Schleifer, parts manager at Buckeye Marine, Bobcaygeon, Ont.
Photo by Liam Mogan. Illustration by Drew Shannon
#3 Don’t let good fuel go bad
“With running problems, 30 to 40 per cent of the issues we see are from bad fuel. Some people fill up and then don’t come to the cottage for three weekends. Today’s fuel starts to separate within a week or two—the big problem is the ethanol. If ethanol separates from the rest of the gasoline, it becomes corrosive. It can break down any rubber or plastic pieces and eat through your gas line and gaskets. So if you’re not burning through that tank of gas within a week, you need to stabilize your fuel, even if you use premium fuel. Every marina sells it, or try a gas station. A stabilizer will cost you $10, but bad fuel can end up costing you a lot.”—Marc Schleifer
Did you know?
Science time! Ethanol attracts water because of its chemistry. Once it reaches a point where it can’t hold any more water, this water-ethanol mix splits from the fuel and then sinks (water is denser than fuel).
#4 Please stop moving aquatic invasives into (or out of) your lake
“The best way to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive organisms is by doing the ‘Clean, Drain, Dry’ technique. In fact, it’s illegal to introduce an aquatic species into a body of water where it is not native. ‘Clean’ means when you bring your boat back to the launch, you inspect it, the trailer (plus any paddles and fishing gear), for mud, plants, algae, mussels, or other small critters and debris. In your vessel, this includes the hull, anchors, ropes, propellor, and bilge. Remove and dispose of anything you find before leaving the water—put the materials in a garbage can, or dispose of them on dry land at least 30 metres from any waterbody. ‘Drain’ means pulling your drain plug and emptying all standing water from your boat, live wells, ballast tanks, bilge, and gear. And then ‘Dry.’ You want to make sure you let your boat (yes, even your canoe or kayak) dry out completely before putting it in another waterbody. Best practice is to let your vessel dry for two to seven days.”—Katie Church, aquatic invasive plant coordinator at the Invasive Species Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Did you know?
Not only can you accidentally transport invasive aquatic creatures such as trapdoor snails and zebra and quagga mussels when you move your boat between lakes, you can transport invasive plants—even shoreline plants, such as phragmites.
#5 Trailering a boat? Don’t do a lazy job of it
“Sometimes, people use a trailer that is either too small, or is not designed to hold the amount of weight, or that hasn’t been set up properly: the bunks or the rollers haven’t been adjusted to actually provide full support to the boat, front to back. Or they don’t use trailer-rated tires. There’s a $500 fine per tire if you’re not using the proper trailer-rated tires on any kind of trailer. Other problems: the wiring for lighting or lights not working properly; not having the required three safety chains; not having the required three points of attachment—one at the front, two at the back—to actually hold the boat on to the trailer.”—John Gullick, manager of special programs at Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons
Photo by Liam Mogan. Illustration by Drew Shannon
#6 The world’s getting windier; learn to properly dock despite of that
“Not every day is a boating day. But if you feel you have the skills to go out when it’s blowing, the most important thing is to have a plan for departing and approaching the dock. Wind is mostly a problem when it gets on the side of the boat, so you have to keep the bow or stern into the wind as much as possible. The moment you turn side-on to the wind, it starts to blow you off course. If you’re learning, start with the side-on docking style—pull the boat alongside the dock, parallel to the dock, so you can understand how to control the bow on the approach and how to use power wisely. There’s a phrase we use in our classes: ‘In gear to steer.’ With single engine or twin engines, when you turn the wheel at very slow speeds, nothing happens unless you’re in gear.
The other phrase we use is ‘shift and drift.’ Shift as in gear shift: that gives you steerage and momentum. Drift means once the boat is moving where you want to go and you’re getting close to the dock, just let the boat drift a little bit. Once you’re about two boat lengths away, if you’ve got the boat where you need it to be and you’re moving forwards, you don’t need to stay in gear. That helps you control your speed a little. As the boat starts to slow down, if there’s any wind at all, the bow might start to drift offline, so put it back in gear, just long enough to get steerage again, and then back to neutral. Really, when you’re docking, you don’t drive the boat into the dock; it’s about drifting the boat in. You’re in neutral before you touch. Before docking, come to a complete stop by using the reverse thrust, so that way you don’t bump the dock and damage your boat.”—Craig Hamilton, owner and master instructor at BoaterSkills.ca
#7 You really need to get marine insurance
“I always say: any insurance is better than no insurance. For a lot of cottagers, their first instinct is to call someone they have an existing relationship with—whomever provides their car or home insurance, and that broker just adds the boat to an underlying homeowner or property policy. But homeowner’s insurance typically only covers the boat when it’s on the property. With marine insurance, you get better protection. For example, liability that covers you if someone is hurt doing watersports, and pollution liability—so if the boat is in an accident, the cleanup of released gas or oil, and all the wreck removal costs are covered. With marine insurance, if you find that a family of raccoons has set up in your boat while it’s in storage, you’re covered for the thousands of dollars it will take to fix any damage. People think, Well I stored my boat at the marina, so they’re going to cover that. No. They won’t. If they run your boat over with a forklift, sure, then they’re liable because that’s gross negligence. But if, say, a perfectly healthy tree limb breaks in an ice storm and falls on the boat, commercial insurance isn’t going to pick that up.”—Jared Chartrand, director of business development for marine insurance at Orbit Insurance Services, Barrie, Ont.
Did you know?
You could void your policy by using the boat in a way that your insurance doesn’t cover; for example, trailering it south to go fishing in December. If in doubt, check with your provider.
Photo by Liam Mogan. Illustration by Drew Shannon
#8 Store the boat battery the smart way
“When I do marine surveys, one issue I see a lot is batteries just sitting loose in compartments, with terminal posts not insulated, and nothing capable of containing any spilled electrolyte. To me, that’s because people don’t know any better, but there’s a real risk there; it’s a very easy way to start a fire on your boat.
If you have the boat battery loose in a cubby or a cockpit locker and you happen to have a piece of metal in there, a boat hook or a wrench, and it crosses both battery terminals, you short the battery and can start a fire. The battery terminal posts have to be insulated, and the batteries have to be stored in a container capable of withstanding any leaks or spills. The simple answer to that is an inexpensive, $20 battery box.”—Geoff Wright
Photo by Liam Mogan. Illustration by Drew Shannon
#9 Address those damaged wires now
“I always recommend people perform regular inspections of the engine. If you see chafe on wires or their jacketing, or on the insulation, the wire needs replacing using marine-grade wire. If you see wires that are supposed to be yellow or orange, but instead they’re dark brown in a section, that’s an indication that the wire’s overheating. So before replacing it, ask why it’s happening, and fix that too.”—Geoff Wright
#10 Don’t run out of gas. Obviously
“A good rule for fuel: a third to get out, a third to get back, a third in reserve. The thing that people don’t think about is that if they get lost, they could be travelling around a little bit before they find their way, and if they’re fighting heavy waves, they’re going to be using more gas to get through it because the engine’s having to work harder.”—Ian Gilson, director with the Canadian Safe Boating Council
#11 Remember to plug in your emergency tether cord (huh?)
“Four to five times a year, we get a panicked call from someone stuck out in the lake who can’t start their boat. The first thing I ask is if their red emergency tether cord is unplugged. And they’re like, ‘My what?’ It is a big safety feature that many people don’t use. Lots of people have no idea that thing exists. Every boat has one, but often people just have it hanging there by their throttle and they’ve never noticed it. So check that first to save yourself the panic.”—Marc Schleifer
#12 Use the right hose for the job
“If you’re replacing a fuel hose, don’t use just what’s lying around. In the engine maintenance course I teach, there are many different hoses, each with different purposes. I’ve seen people use a sanitary hose for an exhaust system—which can cause it to melt. Or use fish tank tubing or potable water hose for fuel delivery. Fuel hoses are rated for permeability and made to withstand fire. Hoses in the fuel space have to be rated for fire. So take your hose to a marine chandlery and get help to find what you need.”—Geoff Wright
This story originally appeared in our Spring ’26 issue.
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