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TRAILER CHECK
Boats and Trailers are not used much in the winter but unfortunately boats and trailers still deteriorate to some degree.

Corrosion is one of the main causes of deterioration. UV is another problem that can cause some concern especially with plastics, rubber and paint being the main ones.

I’ll start with trailers because without them you go nowhere. Submersible lights are great if maintained properly. Check lenses for cracks or chips and while doing so make sure that the gasket that the lens goes onto is lubricated. This can be done with silicone grease to ensure a good seal. Next check the bulbs and contacts. A good idea is to use good quality Hella bulbs, which don’t fall apart so easily with vibration. The contacts that the bulbs sit in should be clean and if possible sprayed with CRC soft seal. This product looks horrible and smells horrible, but does a great job in stopping corrosion. The rear of the lights are very important. This is where most of the water

will get in , if not sealed correctly. I have found that smearing silicone grease or even Vaseline on the cable where it enters the light is a good backup to the so called seal that comes with the light. Another thing to watch for is wires working their way out of the light. This can expose the wires to the uv rays which will eventually perish them. Check that the wires are protected where they come through any steel of the trailer. While you are still at the back of the trailer, make sure your WOF and REG., are up to date. Just to conclude the maintenance of your lights, I would like to add that unplugging your lights before you back into the water is a great idea. It stops cold water from being sucked into the hot cavity behind the lens.

Moving up to the front of the trailer, the plug and cable should be inspected for wear, in case it has rubbed on the ground at sometime. Undo the plug and look for crushed or broken wires. Before you put it back together spray it with soft seal.
BOAT CHECK
Starting with the batteries. Lets first look at the external condition of them. The top of the battery should be clean and dry. A dry rag is all that is required to do the job. The battery terminals should also be clean. Remove any corrosion by scraping or brushing lugs and terminals. Don’t forget to check the threads of the bolts or terminals as well. If you have an obvious amount of corrosion on these terminals, there is a good chance that you have some battery drain or leakage. Leakage can be caused by so many things. The subject is too big to talk about now. But to eliminate any kind of leakage, you must have an isolating switch near your battery. This prevents any power drain from your battery while you are not using your boat. I will explore this a little further in the next article.

Loose wires can be another problem if not sorted straight away. They will cause a high resistance joint. This is due to the fact that all the power required for the instrument, is trying to get through one very small connection. This causes it to work harder and in doing so, gives off heat. Just similar to a light bulb with no light. The end result is an instrument running on less power. This may cause it to intermittently switch off and on, or not go at all. If connections are very loose they will quite often give off sparks. This is the last thing you need if it is close to a battery or stray petrol fumes.

Another thing to look for in your boat this summer is, wires running over sharp objects. Look under the gunwales and make sure you have protection under the wires where they rest on brackets or cross vertical uprights. Split tubing, rubber matting and spiral- wrap are just a few items you can use. Aluminium boats are the worst for having rough edges everywhere.
ABOVE: Good Wiring

BELOW: Bad Wiring
Here is a list of things that you should not have on your boat.

Twisted wire joints

Insulation Tape over joints

Break-off connectors hanging in mid- air

Break-off connectors used to join wires in the middle of a run.

Non- supported wires

Non-Tinned wires (marine wire only)

No brass or copper on aluminium boats, unless covered or insulated from hull.

Bare metal terminals ( Spray with CRC SOFT SEAL)

This article is merely a guide and if you follow it I am sure you will have a lot less chance of things going wrong this summer.