If you took the exam for a boating license, you must have come across questions about the maintenance for an Inboard boat motor. Understanding different maintenance techniques is extremely crucial. However, not many boaters are aware of the actual methods to maintain a vessel.
Knowing which maintenance is the most suitable for your water vehicle will help you to save time and effort while dealing with problems related to the boat. For instance, when your vessel becomes frozen during winter and is unable to start its inboard engine. You need to winterize your boat engine before winter comes.
Hence, if you are looking for answers for the question: “Which of the following is recommended maintenance for an Inboard boat?”, this article is your savior! In this post, many maintenance methods will be compiled along with detailed tutorials on how to proceed all of them, so you and other boaters can practice them easily.
I will also highlight other tips and notices recommended by boating experts on maintaining the boat engine’s condition throughout the article so make sure you follow all the way through!
Inboard Boat Motor Maintenance Recommendations – By Experts!
Inboard motors navigate using a separate rudder, due to a low gravity in the center of the motor itself. Because of the decreased wake, inboard motors are more suitable for smaller vessels, personal boats, jet skiers or surfers.
The inboard engine is by far the more environmentally friendly alternative due to its fuel-efficiency structure. The design, which mirrors a vehicle engine, contributes to the fuel-efficiency performance. In addition to consuming less fuel, the inboard motor produces higher horsepower and acceleration.
So, is there any way to maintain all those amazing features of an Inboard boat motor? There are actually a lot of techniques to do so and these suggestions will be helpful for many kinds of inboard engines. Follow the recommendations below and apply them to your vessel:
1. Regular propeller inspection
At times, cables, anchor chains, or fishing nets can become entangled in the propeller. Cables and lines are not harmful if they don’t contain any metal elements that flex easily. But when chains become entangled around the propeller, the propeller can crack or scratch.
As a result, you must examine them attentively. Some objects can assist you in avoiding damage, such as ladder interlocks, automatic sensors, alternate propulsions, propeller guards, and wireless cut-off switches.
2. Exterior cleaning
Your boat’s exterior may have interacted withsulfur, chloride, salt, potassium, magnesium, filth, and grime, all of which can compromise its structural integrity. Thorough washing will definitely be helpful in mitigating the effects of those elements. You should use a light marine cleanser and sponge to get the job done.
3. Oil changing every 100 hours
Changing the oil in your boat’s inboard motor is just as important as doing it for your car. This should be the first task on your boat’s maintenance agenda to guarantee it runs well for many years to come.
To help boaters practice this process properly, here is the step-by-step tutorial of the oil changing procedure. First, let’s have a quick look at the necessary tools and equipment:
- New engine oil (same type with the old one)
- Oil filter
- Oil drain pump
- Oil drain pan
- Catch pan
- Oil filter wrench
Now, follow these steps to change the oil of your inboard motor:
Step 1: Run the motor to heat the oil
Before you begin draining the oil from the motor, it needs to be operated for a few minutes to heat up. This will make it simpler to remove because it has a lower viscosity and will mix up any particles that may have accumulated, allowing them to be extracted with the oil.
If you’re cleaning your boat’s oil when it’s out of the water, you’ll have to prepare a set of engine flushers, which are sometimes known as muffs.
Step 2: Attach the dipstick to the drain pump
To get the oil out of the motor, you’ll have to prepare an oil drain pump. The dipstick pipe on most inboard cylinders will contain threads for mounting a drain pump. Unless the dipstick hose on your engine has threads, you will need to buy a pump that approaches the oil pan through your dipstick tube or remove the oil using a pan.
Ensure your pump is snugly screwed on to provide a tight seal and prevent air from coming inside. This will make extracting the oil considerably easier.
Step 3: Drain the oil
After properly connecting the pump to the dipstick threads, direct the hose into the oil reservoir and push the pump until oil begins to escape the tube. Eventually, no more oil will come out of the motor! Be careful not to touch the oil, which may be still hot.
Step 4: Replace the oil filter
After the vessel’s oil has been entirely drained, the following step is to change the oil filter. To uninstall, just unscrew in the direction or any interferences surrounding the filter with a removal tool or a set of channel locks.
Step 5: Refill the new oil
After reinstalling the oil filter, the motor should be refilled with new oil. Pour while monitoring the level on the dipstick, or reference your engine handbook to add the appropriate quantity by measurement.
Tips: You can use a marine fuel stabilizer to prevent boat engine problems.
To learn more about the oil changing procedure, check out this video:
Conclusion
If you pay close attention to the essential maintenance tasks, your boat will work well for a long period. An inboard watercraft is similar to other types of watercraft in that it requires attention and care.
Hence, we hope this article on which of the following is recommended maintenance for an inboard boat will help you do the right thing for your vessel. Did you enjoy the article? Do you want to add anything else? Please let me know and leave a comment below.
Ten years of enjoying countless trips on boats never made me love them any less! So I am here to put all those experiences into good use for other boaters who want to have a safe and fun trip with their friends and families.