Outboard Motor Oil

Before taking your boat out on the water, you may want to go over the following checklist just to make sure that  she will run as well as she should.  These are relatively easy things to look over that should take no more than half-an-hour.

• Sniff engine compartment for gasoline fumes
• Check marine engine oil level
• Check electrolyte level in batteries
• Check power steering fluid
• Check belts
• Check hoses
• Check trim/tilt fluid
• Check propeller
• Once started—check all gauges

As we inch closer to the 4th of July weekend, bulk oil prices are still increasing as supply and demand in the U.S. dwindle.  With a weak economy and threat of war in the Middle East, oil and gas prices have been fluctuating for months.

Despite all of these issues, analysts are still claiming that gas and oil prices will slide once a peak (which at press time has been around $143 a barrel) has hit. 

Just like with your car, boat motor oil leaks can signal a problem. Find oil leakage can be indicated in several ways, whether it’s a pool in your garage or driveway or if it’s mixed with water when you remove the water plug.  Here are some things you should look at to surmise a leakage problem:

• Check your dipstick before and after you take your boat out. It’s also good practice to do this anyway.
• Check if there’s oil in the oil pan.
• Check the level in your tilt and trim reservoir.
• Change your filter, if necessary.

If you’re still having issues, consult a professional boat mechanic to see if there are any other parts of the boat you may have glossed over.  The main thing is to solve this problem immediately before it causes a great deal of damage to your boat.

Not everyone can afford to rent space at their local marina and so some people find it more prudent to store their boats at home and simply use their car to move their boats from their house to the water.  Here are some tips on how to trailer a boat with ease:

Plan each step of your boat launch, before you leave your driveway. Who is with you, family and/or friends? If so, spend some time with them so they know exactly what will happen at the boat ramp, and what is required of each of them. It is a great idea to perform this in an out of the way place (not on the ramp itself), so your tires and bearings cool down before entering the water.

Make sure you’ve prepared the boat before you head down the ramp, by removing the tie-downs, placing lines in the appropriate places, and double-checking your sea-cock and drain plug. Make sure everyone knows exactly where they will walk the boat, and remember to secure the boat to the dock, so it doesn’t float away.

Every step of the way, you need to be ever mindful of safety. Remember the safety chain (making sure it’s either secured when trailering or unsecured at the bottom of the launch ramp, as determined by what you are doing). And don’t let anyone get behind the boat and trailer, or between the boat and the dock.

Before you leave home, make sure you check your tires and hubs/bearings. Make sure they are greased, filled and in good working condition. Also make sure to check your lights, your breaks and for outboard oil leaks. Remember, a safe trip is the best trip.

Although the Screw propeller had been added to an engine as early as the 18th century in Birmingham, England by James Watt; the engine powered by outboard motor oil only came about in the later part of the 19th century, at which point Frederick William Lanchester recognized the potential of combining the two components to create the first all British powerboat, tested in Oxford England the powerboat was born. Late in that same period fishermen in San Francisco were being transforming their feluccas into early versions of the Monterey clipper, also known locally as put-puts.

Lanchester began to find the conflict between his job as works manager and his research work irksome. Therefore, in 1893, he resigned his position in favor of his younger brother George. At about the same time, he produced a second engine similar in design to his previous one but running on benzene 800 RPM. An important part of his new engine was the revolutionary carburettor, for mixing the fuel and air correctly. His invention was known as a wick carburettor, because fuel was drawn into a series of wicks, from where it was vaporized. He patented this invention in 1905.

Lanchester installed his new petrol engine in a flat-bottomed launch, which the engine drove via a stern paddle wheel. Lanchester built the launch in the garden of his home in Olton, Warwickshire. The boat was launched at Salter’s slipway in Oxford in 1904, and was the first motorboat built in Britain.

Don’t let the gloom and doom predictions of high gas prices keep you from your boating passion. Even with bulk oil costs soaring, it’s still possible to have some money in your pocket when you leave the fuel pier. By understanding your boat’s design - whether it has a displacement, semi-displacement, or planning hull - and doing some easy calculations, you will know the boat’s most economical cruising speed.

Displacement and Semi-Displacement Boats
Displacement hulls are designed to force their way through the water. A semi-displacement hull achieves a partial plane, which reduces drag and wave making. Both have a top speed that cannot be exceeded without increasing the power significantly. A large power increase also means greater fuel consumption.

To figure the maximum speed, multiply the square root of the waterline in feet times 1.34. Using this calculation for a 38 ft. displacement hull boat, the maximum speed is 9.2 knots. To save money on gas with a displacement or semi-displacement hull, do not try to increase your speed past the calculated maximum speed. In the case of the displacement hull, increasing power to go faster will use more fuel without a resulting speed gain. With a semi-displacement hull, your speed will increase, but there will be a corresponding fuel consumption increase.

Planing Boats
Pull back on the throttles with a true planing hull. Fuel consumption increases with every knot while the boat is on plane. A boat with a planing hull has the greatest fuel economy at the point when it first comes onto plane, or begins to skim the surface of the water.

Limiting the amount of time a planing boat displaces water before coming onto plane will also result in reduced fuel costs. This doesn’t mean slam the throttle downs to get up on plane faster. Instead, bring the boat up to speed at a moderately quick, steady pace.

If you are like me, you like to go fast quickly. But, if you follow these tips for reduced fuel consumption, you will finish at the end of the boating season having won the fuel marathon with a few extra dollars in your pocket.

Gas thieves aren’t just a problem on land. With the high price of gasoline, they’re also striking on the water.

Police are saying that they are receiving reports of gas cans being stolen and gas being siphoned from boats left tied to the end of docks or on boat lifts.

They’re reminding boat owners to remove gas cans and outboard motor oil when they secure their boats for the night.

As the specter of high oil prices looms throughout the summer, you can still find discounted boat oil online.  Though many brands have slightly increased their prices, the internet has been a great resource of low priced oil.  Name brands such as Yamalube and Evinrude can still be purchased at a low price, especially when compared to other retailers. 

Do some research and you’ll no doubt find a great deal.

This weekend, it was announced that Saudi Arabia will increase oil output by an additional 200,000 barrels.  This will make the daily total of bulk oil 9.7 barrels.  The news caused a slight decrease in gas prices, though most analysts are saying that this will not cause a dramatic change in prices.

Despite this output, the White House is still championing an increase in U.S. supplies via off-shore drilling.

If you own or operate a sailboat, commercial fishing vessel, or recreational powerboat, now you can keep our waterways clean by properly managing your oily bilge water for free! Oily bilge water pump out stations have been installed at many marinas and lakes for the public to use, and oil absorbent pads are often available for free to help absorb boat motor oil contamination in your bilge water or to clean up any accidental spills safely and efficiently. Plus, oil and oil pad collection stations are conveniently located to ensure your used oil get recycled into new products.

It only takes a few minutes to pump out your bilge and keep our waterways and drinking water clean! All the oil captured by these systems is recycled, the water filtered and returned to our waterways free of contamination.