Got a bottle of flat cola aboard? Don't throw it away, throw it into your head and let it sit for an hour. It makes a great nontoxic toilet-bowl cleaner, and is much cheaper than the marine store aqua-chems.

The needle on your boat's temperature gauge is rising. This almost always means you have a lack of water flow in the cooling loop. Outboards, most small inboards and I/Os don't have radiators like your car, and instead use the water they are floating on to cool the engine. If that water stops flowing, the engine heats up and can ultimately fail. Solution: Trace the source. In a vast majority of cases, the problem is an obstruction in the raw water intake - like weeds, mud o

It's "Maintenance Monday", and today we're talking about an often neglected, but highly important and necessary part of an enjoyable day out on the water - your docklines. Though the coils shown here allow you to proudly hang your lines out for all to see, it’s a good idea to stow them out of the sun if your boat is not going to be used for a few days or weeks. UV rays cause nylon to become weak and brittle over time, so you’ll extend the life of your lines by stowing them

Boating Tip of the Day: A wire coat hanger can save the day. Bend it into a hook and you can retrieve that wedding ring that fell between the outboard stringer and the hull side — or under the air-conditioner and beside the engine, of course. Cut a small section, and you can bend it into a cotter pin. If a hose or outflow is clogged, or when wasps build a nest in your tank vent fitting, it’s just what's needed for a quick fix.

It's "Maintenance Monday", and today we're discussing how to maintain the waterproof attributes of your boat's canvas surfaces. Acrylic canvas, like yesteryear's cotton canvas, is a tight-weave fabric. It is initially waterproof, yet breathes; it stands up to ultraviolet radiation (sun exposure) better than any other fabric; it snubs mildew; it resists staining; it is colorfast and comes in every color imaginable; and it looks great. Not surprisingly, acrylic canvas--Sunbr

Cost-Saving Boat Maintenance Tip of the Day: Want a cheap home remedy for washing away scum lines, tannin and rust stains on your boat's hull? You can buy oxalic acid, the primary ingredient in most hull cleaners (Is it "Off and On"? - brand name altered for legal reasons) in powder form at hardware stores for about half the price of the prepackaged liquid potion. Mix with water, don gloves and safety glasses and, with the boat in or out of the water, apply with a cheap bru

Coat filet knives with cooking oil after each use, dispensed from a recycled spray bottle. The oil prevents rust from forming on the blade, and it won’t contaminate your dinner.

Boating Maintenance Tip of the Day: Ever need to tighten a nut on one side of a bulkhead, but your arms aren’t long enough to reach around the other side and hold a wrench on the bolt head? Locking pliers serve as a second set of hands when working solo. Tighten the nut by hand, and then clamp on the pliers. Go to the other side and turn the wrench or screwdriver: Most times (we are talking about boats, right?) there’s an obstruction on the side where you clamped the pliers,

Boating Maintenance Tip of the Day: Toothpaste will remove surface rust from stainless-steel fittings. Use a toothbrush to apply, then buff with a rag for a brilliant shine.Out of Crest? Rub lemon juice or lime juice on stainless steel, then buff it with a rag for a deep shine. We’ve found that it also leaves a protective coating. Give us a call today at #MarinerServicesInc. at (239)776-4253 to keep all your boat's stainless steel surfaces shining!

It's "Maintenance Monday", and if you've spent enough time at the helm of a boat, you've had this experience : You turn the wheel, and it feels sloppy or requires extra effort. It’s time to purge and add hydraulic fluid. In this situation, you’ll need to get some hydraulic-steering fluid that meets Mil-Spec H-5606C standards, such as Sea Star/Bay Star No. HA 5430; an adapter hose, like Sea Star No. HA 5438; and a pushpin from a bulletin board. A rag is also recommended. 1