Boats / Learning Academy Learning Academy · first-class
Learn before you fall in love Six modules at floor rank — calm, enthusiast-grade education. Not financial advice, not a formal survey quote.
Boat Buying 101 ~12 min path
Type, length, water preference, and budget — how to shop with a survey mindset before you fall in love with a listing.
· Sticker is not ownership cost · Match vessel to water and storage · Plan survey budget before deposits · ZIP + water preference stick for the whole journey Reading a Marine Survey ~18 min path
What a survey covers, how findings become negotiate / repair / walk decisions, and why independence matters.
· Independent surveyor over broker-picked only · Write contingencies into the offer · Hull, systems, soft goods, title — read each section · Strongly recommended ~$10–15k+ or older vessels (educational guidance) Marine Electrical Basics ~15 min path
House vs start, chargers, corrosion, NMEA 2000 literacy — why “ghost” faults are often voltage drop.
· Voltage drop looks like bad electronics · Terminators and backbone matter · Chemistry-matched chargers protect batteries · ABYC-critical AC work is pro territory Engine Types & Failures ~16 min path
Outboard vs inboard / diesel rhythms — hours vs calendar, raw-water risk, and common failure families.
· Impellers fail on calendar too · Hours alone don’t prove care · Records beat verbal “always dealer serviced” · Overheat → protect the engine, then diagnose Seasonal Ownership (winterize / commissioning) ~16 min path
Dockage, winterize, commissioning, and the annual math owners forget at purchase.
· Wet-slip costs can dwarf insurance · Winterize is non-optional in freeze climates · Commissioning is a handoff, not a free day · Model multi-year TCO before you close Safety & COLREGs ~12 min path
Bilge, fire, CO, flares, and navigation-rules literacy — educational pointer, not a substitute for official study.
· Rules of the road are not optional · Bilge, fire, CO, flares before fun · Know haul-out vs day-fix red lines · Deepen COLREGs with Engineering · Digital Marine Captain Public-domain educational framing only. For navigation rules, study official COLREGs materials and deepen with Engineering · Digital Marine Captain when you need industrial / vessel ops context.
