Get the boat shipshape
IT’S NOT a bad time of year to do some maintenance, to ensure your boat and tackle is ready for the run-off.
One sometimes overlooked aspect of maintenance is simply cleaning out the boat.
It’s amazing how much junk accumulates.
In a small trailer boat, you can might remove so much excess weight that it might improve performance.
You might have an extra person sitting in your gunwhales in the form of junk.
Last time I cleaned out my boat I found way more huge snapper leads than I would need for one trip, as well as a 20L jerry of water in the bow put there for a long trip, many useless old lures with rusty hooks, four bottles of sunscreen, an extra gaff, rusty hooks, knives and old flares.
Back then, I usually kept all my fishing gear in the boat, both bluewater and barra, when it would be better to have separate tackle boxes for both, and put the appropriate box in the boat as needed.
The first time I pulled the timber floor off and removed the flotation foam I found a lot of small junk that had slipped past the sides of the floor, including old copper coins, hooks, sinkers and the like.
Some of these things can cause electrolytic reactions in alloy hulls, creating weaknesses and leaks, and it is quite a common occurrence, especially in unpainted hulls.
Electrolysis wrecks a boat 24/7, while you sleep, so looking for old metal junk under the floor should be a priority.
With your wooden floor, if it is screwed on with flotation underneath, be sure the timber is in good order, because that flotation foam will exert a lot of upward pressure if the boat is ever swamped. If the floor pops off and the foam floats away, you are sunk.
Check that electrics, be sure you have spare fuses, and replace your navigation and anchor light bulbs if needed. Check that lifejackets are still in good order, that your flares are in date, and test your EPIRB.
There was a range of GME EPIRBs that were found to be potentially faulty — check the GME website for more information. Outboard maintenance includes checking that you have strong water stream out of the impeller, and if not, finding out why.
The rubber impeller pump in the outboard leg needs periodic replacing, especially if you do a lot of work on mud and sandbanks as grit gets in.
Spark plugs should be checked, and if your propeller has a chunk missing or a bent blade now is a great time to fix it, because a blade that is out of whack will strain the bearings on the outboard leg.
Try getting some grease into your outboard’s pivot point and oil the control arm joints, as well as the inner controls under the cowling.
If you have old fuel that’s been sitting around, now is the time to get rid of it and replace with fresh fuel.
Old fuel is very bad for outboards and it is the reason most outboards go to service shops. Old fuel gets gummy and clogs up carburettor jets.
Try to run your outboard dry before any period of storage, not easily done with fuel injection engine.
Fuel that smells like paint stripper is old, any old jerry cans of fuel in this condition should not be used in an outboard. Maybe save it for the lawn mower, at least it won’t leave you stuck at sea.
Another common cause of outboard trouble is deteriorating fuel hoses and split fuel bulbs, so have a look at these. Don’t mount the new fuel bulb in backwards.
Trailer winch straps and wires don’t last long, so check these, especially where it hooks up to the boat. Winches need oil and are so much easier to use when well lubed.
Trailers, of course, need regular wheel bearing maintenance, but have you ever checked the U-bolts for tightness. On new trailers, and after driving rough roads, the U-bolts can work loose.
Check your trailer lights, and if you need a quick fix there are removable light boards available that can hang off the back of the boat.
Vehicles are used all the time, which oddly enough helps keep them in good order, and any problems are soon noticed. But how long has it been since your vehicle had a full suspension and drive-train lube?
If you drive unsealed roads you should be greasing your suspension regularly, and replacing air filters.
And then there is fishing tackle. With fishing reels, there’s not much better you can do than take them to your local tackle shop for a service.
These fellows can usually make an old reel work like new, sometimes even better.
On rods, look for loose runner inserts — there’s nothing more annoying than having a runner insert pop out on the first cast of a long-awaited fishing trip. I always carry a few spare rod runners and tips, with some binding and fast glue to effect a quick fix.
Used lures need maintenance, a night spent with a sharpening stone could make all the difference between hooking a barra and losing it.
Other things — a first-aid kit should always be in the boat, along with vinegar to treat box jellyfish stings. When fishing the tropics I use ice bottles in my eskie because they act as a backup water store should I break down and need extra water.
Don’t forget to have toilet roll stored away, zinc and sunscreen, and a camera. Some mobile phones take crappy pictures — if you want good pics for the archives consider a waterproof camera like a Lumix, which takes stills and video.
And how about some Christmas additions?
Drink holders are always useful, and if you go bluewater, removable outriggers are easy and cheap to install.
Pedestal seat mounts make barra fishing so much easier and enjoyable. And a decent sounder, or even sidescan sonaris seriously stuff good for barra fishing
See fishingterritory.com on Christmas Day, when the North Australian Fishing and Outdoors Magazine Lowrance HDS10 winner gets named.