making boat life better since 2010

Where Are The Boat Galley Team Members?

Carolyn –West Palm Beach, FL | Nica — Vermont
 Larry — Marathon, FL | Kimberly — MA | Julie — Texas 

Pam is selling her 1990 Pacific Seacraft 34 — see listing
John is selling his 1967 Rawson 30 — see listing 

Live Hurricane Prep Class with American Sailing

A hurricane doesn’t have to mean your boat will be destroyed! Join me for a LIVE online ASA course detailing everything you need to know to give your boat its best possible chance. Thursday, July 18, 7:30 PM Eastern; $39 regularly, get $10 off with code BOATGALLEY10. Sign up here.

Maintenance/Repair Skills for Cruising

The good news is that the most likely problems aren’t that hard to solve yourself, even if you think you’re “not very mechanical.” My favorite way of learning new skills is to ask an experienced boater to show you “what to do if . . . ” (don’t just watch them; be sure to do it yourself too); otherwise, YouTube and owners’ groups are good resources.

Based on our 17 years of cruising, here are my recommendations of things to learn to keep you going when there’s no one to turn to:

Bilge pump:

• manually trigger float switch if pump does not come on automatically
• clear any blockages

Electrical system:

• add water to batteries (if your batteries require water)
• use house bank (or other alternative) to start engine/generator if start batteries have been accidentally depleted
• use multimeter to see if there is power to any item and then track down where the problem is
• check and change a fuse
• splice and reconnect wires (IMPORTANT: only work on 12v systems unless you’re trained on higher voltages; higher voltages can kill)

Engine/generator:

• check and top up fluids (oil, transmission fluid, coolant)
• change alternator belt (it usually also drives the engine cooling pump so you can’t run without it)
• change impeller
• change Racor and other fuel filters

Propeller:

• clear if line catches on prop

Thru-Hulls (engine cooling water, watermaker, washdown pump, air conditioning, head intake, others):

• where located and how to close
• clean strainers (read more)
• clear blockage (sea grass and plastic bags are the most common culprits)

Propane:

• change tank
• bypass solenoid (it’s a great idea to build in a solenoid bypass so you only have to open a valve)

Dinghy:

• patch a hole (read how)
• simple fixes when outboard won’t start (suggestion: keep a copy of our Outboard Troubleshooting for Non-Mechanics in the dinghy)

Watermaker:

• change prefilter

Water system:

• change filter
• tap to free pressure switch (pressure water only)

Drains:

• clear slow or stopped drains (read how)

Head (traditional marine toilets):

• change joker valve
• clear clog

Of course, you also have to know how to basically operate all your boat’s systems. The list here are things that commonly go wrong and that shouldn’t take calling a mechanic. All you need is a willingness to try!

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The Boat Galley References 

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