Tidelines – April 23, 2015
Despite myself, my boat is back in the water and running great. I say “despite myself” because you would think that the owner of a fishing newspaper would be more boat-savvy and conscientious, but unfortunately for me that is not the case. Fortunately, though, I know people who are boat-savvy and conscientious.
Like others who keep their boat in the water year-round, I have known all winter that I needed to get the bottom repainted for the upcoming season. And I also knew that once the first real warm and sunny days of spring hit, then everyone would be clamoring at the same time to get their boat to the shop for bottom painting—and servicing and any number of repairs and fixes that need attention.
Yes, I knew I needed to get my boat in before the spring rush, and even had the spring rush conversation with Bobby Bailey of Bailey’s Marine back in November, but somehow that didn’t keep me from waiting for those first beautiful days in early April we had that prompted everyone to get their boat in the shop—the spring rush.
However, poor timing wasn’t my only oversight. When dropping my boat off for bottom painting, I mentioned to Bobby that the engine was slow to start (the batteries were putting out plenty of juice and cranking fine, but the engine would crank for a long time before it would start).
Bobby’s next question was very logical, “When was the last time you had the engine serviced?” My answer to him was both problematic and apparently fairly common, “I don’t remember. It wasn’t last year, so I guess the year before.” My answer sounded ridiculous even as the words were coming out of my mouth.
I love learning opportunities, and this quick conversation with Bobby certainly made me aware of an area where I needed some learning—boat servicing. I realized I had been lazy when it came to my boat, but thankfully here was Bobby to turn that around.
He explained the basic process that Bailey’s Marine performs when it comes to getting boats ready for a new season, a process people can do themselves if they don’t feel like paying. Bailey’s Marine would change my oil and my gear lube, and when they changed the gear lube they would inspect for water (no water would mean that the seals were still good).
They would also change out the fuel filter on the engine and the fuel/water separator on the boat, pouring the gas from the separator into a clear mason jar to inspect for water, rust, or other imperfections. Before changing out the spark plugs, Bailey’s would clean the engine base pans and rinse everything off, and then spray it all down—the block and everything—with CRC to help keep the salt off.
Then they would crank the engine and let it run a little while, and while the engine was running they would use that time to look over everything on the boat: trim the engine up and down, turn on all the lights, pumps, and switches to make sure everything’s working, pull the prop off to inspect and change out the cotter pin, and if they found anything that needed attention, I would get a call explaining the issue and asking me to authorize the work.
I knew the value of preventative maintenance when it comes to boats and the saltwater environment, but I had become lazy and just expected the boat to be fine without regular servicing. My plan, I guess, was hoping instead of servicing—not a good plan.
My boat is back in the water, fully serviced with a fresh coat of ablative paint on the bottom, and I am now more boat-savvy and conscientious thanks to my relationship with Bobby Bailey. Thanks to Bobby, I am no longer lazy when it comes to my boat.
Or…thanks to my new relationship with Bobby and Bailey’s Marine, I can just go on being lazy because I know that he and his guys have me covered. All I have to do is wait for those first few days of warm and sunny weather each spring, and then ask him if he can fit me in during the spring rush.
