Is your sportfish boat ready for the summer season?

Whether you live in a tropical climate like we do or in a place where your boat sits all winter, you should be taking steps to get your rig ready for the summer season. Here are a few quick reminders and ideas to get your boat ready for summer based on what the professional sportfish crews are buying from Sportfish Outfitters this time of year. 

Engines - Scheduled maintenance aside, it is always a good time to check your filters and make sure that your engines are at peak performance. Something as simple as checking the bowls on your fuel water separators can prevent a good day of fishing from turning into a day ending in being towed back to the dock. The same can be said for your cooling system, lubrication system and any other internal part that makes your rig run right. Keeping on top of this will keep your days on the water more fun and less stressful.

Systems - Clean or replace all of your strainer baskets. Change whatever water system filters you have regardless of whether they are due or not and water tanks should be flushed with several cycles of fresh water. Make sure the holding tank is empty and add some tank treatment. Flush toilets with clean water enough to fill waste tank halfway and then add a little more treatment and flush to get the treatment in the waste hoses and let it sit. Then go run the boat and let the treatment do its job. People seem to forget that part or they just wait until the boat smells bad and then add treatment to a dirty tank. That never really allows the tank to clean itself completely. Interior air filters should be replaced as well after everything else is done to get any old smells out. 

Exterior - A new coat of wax doesn't cut it… If the boat has been sitting, it’s time to bring back the shine with a medium compound and polish followed up with a polymer sealant of some sort. If you are not sure what pad to use read this blog. Once you have a good sealant you should be able to do small applications of sealant throughout the summer season or spray and wipe a silica based sealant or quick wax regularly to maintain that shine through the summer season. 

Teak - If you have teak the best way to get ready for season is to sand it, not to just give it a two step cleaning with acid. It’s a common misconception that sanding teak shortens it’s life. In reality, harsh acid cleaners create ridges and places for dirt and moisture to collect by destroying the soft grain and leaving hard grain behind. Eventually, you’ll have to sand it anyway and with multiple acid cleanings you’ll have to sand it even further which truly shortens the life of your teak. Once it’s sanded use mild cleaners with a soft brush or doodle pads. For more tips on teak maintenance read this blog. 

Lighting - Do a full check of all navigation lights, compartment lights,  and accent lights on the boat. 

 Accessories & extras - This is one of the details that really makes the difference. It’s what makes the boats maintained by professional crews stand out. Replace your fender covers. It’s an easy way to make things look perfect and they usually get tired after about a year. The same goes with chafe gear on your lines. Tired chafe gear looks rough. A new boarding mat goes a long way too. It’s the first thing you or a guest sees when they step on the boat. 

Knock out this handful of things and you’ll be well on your way to a great summer season. See you out there and good luck fishing!