Although winter may not be on your minds in late summer, it is the time to start thinking about it. Many of you will be busy winterizing your stern drive and inboard powered boats to prevent freezing of water that doesn’t self drain from the blocks and exhaust manifolds. Although outboard motors are self-draining, there […]
Getting Ready For Winter
For some of us, unfortunately, the boating season is limited to the nicer weather that comes with the summer months. In just a few months it will be time to start thinking about putting boats away for those of us in the northern part of the US. There are still some seasonal maintenance items that […]
Choosing The Right Propeller
Choosing the right propeller is one of the most important things you can do for a motors longevity, regardless of the manufacturer or model. Not only is it important to initially choose the right prop, it is important to know when an adjustment to the prop might be necessary at any point in the life […]
Speed Bumps
From time to time you may notice that your boat does not run as fast as it used to, or an identical boat is faster than yours, and you may be convinced the engine is the problem. Often, there are other factors or boat issues that cause the problem. Let’s take a few minutes go […]
Batteries And Chargers: What You Need To Know
Battery chargers are on almost every boat so lets take a look at some of the requirements and limit this discussion to lead acid batteries – not lithium-ion batteries. Lead acid batteries come in three types: wet cell, gel cell, and AGM(Absorbed Glass Mat). Since batteries are used on so many boats and for many […]
Sensor Installation
While installing most new sensors is an easy procedure, a simple mistake can easily damage them. Water pressure sensors are a good example of this. The sensor itself is installed into a large metal body. During sensor installation or removal, if force is applied to the “connector” portion of the sensor instead of the metal […]
Prop Nut Torque
With the nice weather and the boating season in full swing in most parts of the United States, it is a good time to check the torque of the prop nut. This is part of the maintenance schedule and is recommended to be done after every 20 hours of use. The fact that the nut is […]
Lower Unit Gaskets
New type gaskets are being used on lower unit drain and oil level screws for all Yamaha outboard models beginning with January 2016 production. Yamaha is also supplying these new gaskets as replacement parts for all current and previous models; the previous part number supersedes to the new one. IMPORTANT These new-type black gaskets have […]
EFI Engine Storage Fogging Oil
With the mild early winter enjoyed in many parts of the country, many boaters extended their fishing season. When they are finally ready to get their boat winterized, make sure to use Yamalube EFI Engine Storage Fogging Oil. This product is designed to make the process of fogging an EFI motor quick and simple. Using […]
Is This The Right Propeller For Me?
One question often asked about props is, “How do I know if I have the correct pitch?” Luckily, that answer is pretty simple. At wide open throttle (WOT), with a normal load in your boat, your motor should be in the top 30% of its full throttle range. For the vast majority of Yamaha outboard […]