3 Quick Boat and Trailer Maintenance Tips
- By: Richard Thomas
- on December 22, 2021
- Found In: Boating Gear and Tips, Boating Tips, Electronics, Fishing Tips
Do you know what boat and trailer maintenance tips you should be using to keep your boat and trailer in great working condition?
Check out the article and video below for some simple, yet effective tips to help keep your boat and trailer running in tip-top shape!
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Trailer Maintenance Tip: Keep Bearings Running Smooth with Bearing Buddy
A Bearing Buddy helps protect your trailer’s wheel bearings from water, salt, and dirt.
They provide essential protection for trailers that get backed into water, especially saltwater.
Removal: to remove the old Bearing Buddy, lightly tap each side with a hammer in a circular pattern.
As you do, the Bearing Buddy will slowly start to loosen on each side and eventually come off.
Before installing the new one, be sure to check the hub to make sure there’s no rust and check for grease inside.
Installation: to install a new Bearing Buddy, ideally use a rubber mallet.
If you don’t have a rubber mallet, you can use a piece of wood like a small 2”x4” to place against the Bearing Buddy and hit the wood with a regular hammer.
Don’t hit the new Bearing Buddy directly with the hammer, as it could cause damage.
Grease: fill up the Bearing Buddy with grease using the grease gun kit.
To test to see if the grease is full, push the pin in the center of the Bearing Buddy.
If you apply pressure and the pin doesn’t move, the grease chamber is full.
Smack the Bearing Buddy with the mallet or the wood/hammer until it is securely fastened to the hub.
Boat Maintenance Tip: Clean & Protect Your Electrical Connections From Corrosion
Saltwater can make its way into your electronics and corrode your electrical connections, so it’s important to clean and maintain the cables and electric outlets on your boat.
Unplug any electric connections, like a trolling motor and spray the plugs with CRC 3-36 Multi-Purpose Lubricant & Corrosion Inhibitor and wipe with a towel.
If the corrosion isn’t coming off, scrape it off with a knife.
You can also spray the multi-purpose lubricant/corrosion spray down into the electrical outlet.
Trailer Running Board Maintenance Tip: Repair Sagging/Loose Carpet on Your Running Boards
If the carpet on your running boards is loose and/or sagging, it’s an easy fix.
Simply use a standard T50 staplegun and staples to fasten it to the bottom of the running boards.
If the carpet overlaps, staple the bottom side first, and then overlap the top and staple again.
This will cover the running boards nicely.
3 Quick Boat and Trailer Maintenance Tips [VIDEO]
Conclusion
Sometimes a windy day can make for a not-so-great day of fishing.
Or maybe you’re in the off season, and it’s not really feasible to get on the water.
Either way, this is a great time to do some routine boat and trailer maintenance.
Maintaining your boat and your trailer is an essential part of boat ownership.
Just a little maintenance can help you avoid getting stuck on the side of the road, or worse – getting stuck out on the water.
Plus it can help you avoid expensive repairs on down the line.
Do you have other routine maintenance tips you suggest for boats or trailers?
Let us know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who owns a boat who would appreciate this tip, please forward it to them!
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
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When fastening carpet to the bunks try to use marine (monel) staples.
Similar to a round roofing cap used to increase the holding power of the nail, a plastic disk or strip might better hold the carpeting. Brass wire brushes, including a deburring brush, is a helpful tool when cleaning electrical connections.
I think those would be one of the best options honestly since they increase the surface area. I almost got some, but the price compared to 5k staples made me go the cheaper route!
Great Video. Love the idea of the “buddy Bearing”. Thx
It’s definitely a great concept and should help the life span of your hub and bearings!
The reason your carpet most likely came loose is the installer used either galvanized or stainless staples. If you want them to last use Monel staples. They are pricey but will not rust out like stainless or galvanized
https://www.amazon.com/Arrow-Fastener-508M1-Rustproof-000-Pack/dp/B00166NCGG?th=1
Also some di-electric grease on those plugs will help with corrosion.
Great tip Brian! Those are what I ended up going with as well. The installers seemed to be galvanized with the amount of rust I saw.
Awesome. They should last if you got the Monel. Stainless staples don’t hold up as well as Monel. I think it is because they are so thin.
I second the Monel Staples. I forgot about them. Thank you for the reminder.
Great ideas! I had to replace a hub on my trailer this past summer and while doing this I decided to replace the springs also. When I purchased my new parts l noticed the new axles of today and asked the salesman about them. He told me the new style axle has a grease fitting on it already because with the older style axle you have to remove the hub to service the back bearing and not to use the bearing buddy. He said if you use the bearing buddy that you can blow out the grease seal on the back of the hub. With the new axle that has a port between the bearings to get grease to both bearings and to use a regular dust cap on the end. It’s extra work on the older axles but it’s a piece of mind thing for me. Thanks guys keep up the great work.
I saw that some of the new ones did that. Sounds much easier!
I have experienced the seals blowing out. I used to pump the bearing buddy’s full. I always had grease on the inside of my rims from the blowout. Now I fill the BB’s up until it starts to move. My thinking here was that as the bearings heat up the grease expands and needs somewhere to go. If you have it filled up too tight, the weakest spot is the seal. So by filling it up until the BB starts to move, it still has room for expansion. I could be wrong, but I have not had the seal issues since I started this process.
I always recommended that people that were going to leave their boats on their trailers for more than a couple of months to jack the wheels and put jack stands under the axels to keep the tires from developing flat spots. This was true especially on bias-ply tires. Radials did not seem to have this problem.
Great tip Kim! Let’s make the goal to not have them sit that long if we can help it, and fish more! HA
When trailers were left outdoors, I cut a large plastic nursery pot so that it could be inserted and hang over the tire to prevent it weathering from the sun hitting the sidewalls.
Great video and everyone seems to be right on track. Loads of great tips. The last thing I also usually do is thoroughly inspect my winch cable or strap and lubricate the heck out of the winch gears etc. Love your boat. I’ve got the older sister 1993 Mako 181 Flatsmaster.
Awesome tip on the Winch, thats a huge piece as well, I may do another video of additional items such as the jack stand etc. that Steven mentioned too.
Thanks, I have been on a ton of boats in this class/ length and I am extremely surprised how well it performs. I like it more each time I use it, and is perfect for the way I fish.
I leave the bottom of my bunk boards open so they can dry, carpet on the bottom is worthless. Use stainless staples also.
One thing I started doing when I purchased my new rig years ago was stopping by the river on the way in from salt water fishing. I leave the boat secured on the trailer, back it in and run the motor to flush the engine. I also run the engine in reverse for a bit for flush the under carriage to include the springs. I’ve had the trailer now for about four years and have no rust eating my my springs and hardware. It works far better than a garden hose. Not everyone has a fresh water river or lake available, but if you do, it’s a huge help.
Awesome tip Lyle!
You, may want to consider using stainless steel staples…and using a hammer to tap them in all the way after you staple them…they hold better and last longer…
Awesome tip Richard! Sometimes those staple guns can be a bit weak!