Page 6 - Blog

When the winch on your boat trailer starts to fail or not work as well as it used to, you'll want to replace it.  And while replacing a winch is not too challenging, identifying the correct winch for your trailer can be.  There are so many variations of winches available in the market, that finding the right one for your application can often be a confusing process.  By following these simple steps, you can ensure that you get the right winch to do the job for you.

When assembling your boat's plumbing system, there are many different combinations of valves and fittings that can be used.  If you're doing this type of work, it is important that you understand the various types of valves that are available, and that you also understand which combinations are right for each application or situation.  Some combinations of fittings and valves are safer and more effective than others, and there are some combinations that should never be used.  Read on to better understand how to put your boat's plumbing system together in the best way possible.

We highly recommend plumbing fittings manufactured by Groco, who has been providing innovative, high-quality mechanical solutions since 1918.  Groco offers a collection of plumbing valves and fittings for your boat that allows you to build a complete plumbing solution.  Here's what they offer...

In 2011, sweeping reforms were made to the EPA fuel emission reduction guidelines.  These changes had huge and significant effects on the marine industry, causing substantial changes to the engineering of the fuel systems that are used on boats.  These changes improve the safety of boat fuel systems, but also increase the overall cost of the systems, sometimes as much as 100%.  The three main facets of the 2011 EPA regulations are low permeation, evaporative emissions and anti-spitback requirements.

Low Permeation

The fuel that you use in your boat is constantly emitting invisible hydrocarbons into the atmosphere.  These hydrocarbons are extremely pollutant and harmful to the environment.  Even when fuel is contained inside your boat's fuel system, hydrocarbons are able to travel through the walls of a plastic fuel tank or a rubber fuel hose.  The 2011 EPA regulations (which are part of the Clean Air Act) set new maximum levels for how much hydrocarbons are allowed to permeate

Hydraulic steering systems are renowned for their smooth operation, making them a popular choice among boat owners.  Hydraulic systems are often incredibly durable and require little maintenance or repairs.  However, hydraulic steering is not completely immune to problems and can incur problems over time.  If your steering becomes loose, has a lot of play or becomes less responsive, you may need to do some boat steering troubleshooting and see whether there are any issues to resolve. 

 This guide will help you identify common problems with your boat's hydraulic steering system and provide step-by-step solutions to keep your vessel navigating smoothly.  We will also look at standard marine hydraulic steering service and maintenance you should perform to reduce the chances of problems cropping up.  By following this boat hydraulic steering troubleshooting checklist, you can discover potential trouble before it spirals into even more expensive, time-consuming repairs.

Troubleshooting your boat's alternator can be difficult and unsafe. Learn the basics of the different styles and alternator circuits so that you have a better understanding of what type of alternator you have on your boat.

Most outboard engines don't require a lot of repairs in their lifetime.  Simple maintenance is usually sufficient for a long-lasting, well-performing engine.  However, one area that you may experience some trouble with is the outboard ignition system.  Most modern outboards use ignition systems consisting of a variety of electrical components.  As you can imagine, any time that there is potential of exposing electrical components to water, there is the potential for damage. Similarly, normal use can eventually wear out some components and require repair.

Troubleshooting an outboard ignition system is not so simple. When people are repairing their outboard's ignition system, one frequent issue we see at Marine Parts Source is that people will end up purchasing several different components trying to guess where the source of the problem is.  We have found that having a better understanding of the entire ignition system and how each component works can help you better understand

For decades, the most popular brand of bilge pumps in the boating industry has been Rule.  Rule pumps - with their easily recognizable red, white and blue color pattern - have been the standard for boat builders who prefer high quality and reliability for over 50 years.  As a result, there are a variety of sizes and types of Rule bilge pumps manufactured and used over the years.  From non-automatic to automatic and ranging in capacities from 360 to 3800 gallons per minute, there's a Rule bilge pump available to fit almost any application.

Learn why anodes are so important for protecting your boat, and why you should be checking and replacing them often.

If you've got a smaller boat - say, under 20 feet long - chances are you experience a lot of difficulty getting that boat up to plane.  Especially for boats with smaller horsepower engines, it can take a lot of running the engine at full power to get the boat on plane.  Also, smaller boats tend to experience a lot of the bouncing or "porpoising" that makes a ride uncomfortable.  Both of these problems can be solved with one easy solution and provide a much smoother ride and a better overall boating experience.

Trim Tabs Explained

Trim tabs are simple devices mounted to the transom of boats to make the ride smoother and to help the boat get on plane quicker.  The traditional trim tabs are hydraulic and use hydraulic fluid to power the actuators that control the angle of the trim tabs.  In recent years, electric trim tabs have also become popular and offer an efficient trim tab solution that requires less maintenance.  The size of the trim tabs you need depends greatly on the