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Boat Engine Maintenance and Tips

Boat engine maintenance assures your mind remains focused on catching fish, as opposed to fixating on some weird sound emanating from your lower unit

For the better part of a decade, the old ten-horse outboard hanging on the back of the jonboat shared by a buddy and I seemed to thrive on neglect. Pretty sure we never checked the spark plugs or changed lower unit oil or replaced fuel filters or any other basic bit of outboard engine maintenance. When the lower unit sprang a crack, we simply gave it a rough weld job and threw her back in the drink. Problem solved.

That theory lasted until the day my buddy and I found ourselves stranded five miles downriver, the sound and smell of grinding metal finally driving home a rather important point about boat motor maintenance. As in, taking care of your engine isn’t just one possible course of action—but the only way to roll on the river.

Like my buddy and I, you might still run a vintage 2-cycle outboard on the back of your fishing ride; or maybe it’s a stealthy new 200-HP 4-stroke rigged to the transom of your bass boat. In all cases, caring for your on-water transportation assures your mind remains focused on catching fish, as opposed to fixating on some weird sound emanating from your lower unit.

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