Maintenance & systems
Fix systems with clarity
Three educational packs — not a shop manual. Know intervals, common failures, and the DIY vs pro line before you open a wrench.
Power suite
livePower / Outboard Pack
Outboard service intervals, common failures, and buy-side hours literacy for trailerable powerboats.
- · Gearcase & lower-unit service awareness
- · Hours vs calendar interval discipline
- · Fuel system & ethanol reality
- · Common no-start / overheat red flags
- · Trailer + bunk + bunk-pad inspection cues
Inboard suite
liveInboard / Diesel Pack
Cooling, raw water, exhaust, and hours discipline for inboards and diesel cruising platforms.
- · Raw-water cooling & impeller risk
- · Exhaust riser / manifold corrosion
- · Heat exchanger & zincs
- · Hours-based service vs seasonal storage
- · When smoke / temp / oil pressure means haul-out
Electronics suite
liveMarine Electronics Pack
NMEA 2000 networks, batteries, chargers, and corrosion paths that kill systems quietly.
- · NMEA 2000 backbone & terminator basics
- · House vs start battery isolation
- · Smart chargers & AGM/Li realities
- · Corrosion, bonding, and green wire
- · Plotter / radar / VHF integration checks
Power / Outboard
Service intervals, common failures, and hours literacy for outboard platforms.
Service rhythm
- · Gearcase lube — typically seasonal or per hour schedule in the OEM book
- · Lower-unit inspection for fishing line, seals, water in gear oil
- · Fuel filters / water-separating filter — ethanol markets need discipline
- · Spark plugs, thermostats, anodes on a calendar + hours blend
- · Trailer: bearings, lights, bunks, straps before every long haul
Common failures
- · Overheat from blocked intakes or failed impeller-class cooling parts
- · No-start / hard start after storage — fuel varnish, batteries, kill switch
- · Prop damage and vibration after grounding
- · Corroded battery cables and ground paths
DIY vs pro: Owners can handle visual checks, anodes, basic filters, and trailer service. Compression, powerhead, and complex electrical belong at a dealer or independent marine shop with OEM tooling.
Inboard / Diesel
Cooling, exhaust, raw water, and hours discipline for cabin and cruising platforms.
Service rhythm
- · Raw-water impeller — calendar risk even at low hours
- · Oil and filters on hours — don’t wait for “next season” only
- · Heat exchanger / cooler cleaning and zincs
- · Exhaust riser / manifold inspection cadence (corrosion failures are expensive)
- · Fuel polishing / filters if the boat sits or tanks age
Common failures
- · Raw-water cooling failure → overheat and collateral damage
- · Exhaust leaks and carbon monoxide risk in cabins
- · Soft mounts, alignment issues after haul-out
- · Diesel air / contamination after poor storage
DIY vs pro: Visual zincs, fluid checks, and log-hours discipline are owner work. Heat exchangers, risers, and injection-system work should be pro — especially on diesels.
Marine Electronics
NMEA 2000, batteries, chargers, and corrosion paths that fail silently.
Service rhythm
- · Load-test house and start banks seasonally
- · Verify charger profiles match battery chemistry (flooded / AGM / Li)
- · Inspect NMEA power taps, backbone, and terminators after any refit
- · Bonding / grounding visual checks for green corrosion
- · Software / chart updates on a planned cadence
Common failures
- · Voltage drop from corroded lugs — “ghost” electronics faults
- · Missing NMEA terminators after DIY adds
- · Galvanic corrosion at thruhulls and shafts
- · Parasitic drains killing house banks over winter
DIY vs pro: Owners can clean terminals, label circuits, and verify charger settings. Complex network diagnosis and ABYC-critical wiring should go to a marine electrician.