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Hope everyone came through the storm without too much damage. My heart goes out to those still stressed, tarped and damaged from the last big blow.
With the waters wind-stirred, it gives you a couple days to do some well-needed basic maintenance before getting back on the water. As the year-round population continues to rapidly grow and with season coming, expect to wait weeks, even months to get service, so learning to do simple maintenance makes sense.
Here are three basic chore groups to perform at home to keep your wallet fuller and you and your crew on the water.
Summer's heat takes a toll on batteries. Make sure to top yours off with distilled water only but do not overfill them. For best performance and long life, keep batteries charged using a smart charger. Expensive lead acid batteries sitting for long periods uncharged have a shortened life span.
While you're under the hood topping off batteries, inspect all connections and replace or clean any questionable issues. Often small wire terminal connections look perfectly good but one small tug of the wire and they break off from internal corrosion. Find them now instead of later. I’m waiting to hit the lottery so I can replace my 4 onboard heavyweight lead-acid batteries with modern lightweight Lithium models which hopefully will continue to come down in price.
Boat fuel tanks breathe through the vents and while breathing they also suck moisture-rich air into the tank and into the ethanol-laced fuel creating an eventual sludge which is eventually pumped into your motor clogging up the works, causing hard starting, rough running and likely shutting down with your next trip inland to the repair shop, just to un-gum the works. With ethanol/water related problems accounting for roughly 50% of all local boat repairs, besides always buying ethanol-free fuel, the easiest way to save money on engine repairs is to change your fuel/water separator filter on a regular basis, especially if you're stuck buying fuel with added ethanol which we now find does more harm than good even driving up food prices.
This 15-minute, low cost, easy-to-perform-by-anyone maintenance chore, may be the number one way to save money in small boating.
Remember to mark the install date on the new filter body. Be sure to lightly oil the filter gasket rubber seal before installing and by all means do not over-tighten the filter. Hand-tighten then inspect for leaks after starting the engine and don't forget to treat the fuel with a fuel conditioner. A boat sitting for months with a tank a third full of untreated fuel in the summer's heat is asking for trouble.
Lastly, if like me you're cursed with boat trailering, when's the last time you not only greased those wheel bearings but actually replaced them? Way under-inflated tires, sidewalls cracked and ready to disintegrate at 60 mph while riding on the burning blacktop? Ever actually put air in your spare tire? Do you have a spare tire? Trailer bunk carpeting all gone and now riding on now warped and splintering wood? Are you down to one flickering running light with both brake lights MIA? Trailer brakes, a rusted out mess? Since you've owned the trailer at any time during the last decade have you taken out your socket set and actually gone over and tightened all the nuts holding the thing together? You may be very surprised at what you find.
Learning easy to do simple home maintenance saves big money and wasted time.
With tarpon scattered throughout the area, the beaches still snook party central, and nearshore reefs hosting a variety of fish from snapper to cobia, there are near endless angling possibilities.
The biggest inshore news is early redfish schooling throughout the area. To the diehard flats angler the sight of heads down, tails up feeding fish, is what it's all about.
Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. You can contact him at 239-282-9434 or via email at captgeorget3@aol.com.