Your first boat ride of the season is a shakedown cruise that gives you a chance to make sure there are no problems before bigger boat trips Ready to go on your first big boat trip of boating season? You better make sure you have a shakedown cruise first! What is a shakedown cruise? Your...
What’s our spring boat checklist? The main steps we follow to get our boat ready to launch in the spring It’s been a long winter and it’s finally time to start getting the boat ready for spring launch and start our BOATING SEASON! We boat in Maryland so our season usually runs from May to...
Marine industry pro aims to connect boater owners with the boating providers they need for service and maintenance with SHIPSHAPE.PRO Anchors Aweigh is a podcast for all boaters, from aspiring to experienced. Featuring in-depth conversations with boating experts and industry leaders, and packed full of tips, tricks, gear, and industry info, boaters of all levels will...
Boat Used Part Search (BUPS) helps boaters find what their boat needs and get it back on the water as soon as possible Nothing feels worse than having your dream sit under a tarp on the driveway. Several weeks before, the boat owner stood at the helm, master of his craft, and in control of...
Troubleshooting potential boat A/C problems – and how to fix them – if your with your marine air conditioner stops working right on your boat If you’re like us, you spend most of your weekends on your boat throughout the summer season and rely on your marine A/C to keep cool. Spending the night on...
Taking down the winter shrink wrap and putting up the boat canvas is a big spring prep job! [Includes video] There’s a lot to do in the spring to get your boat ready for launch. One of the most satisfying spring boat prep jobs is taking off that winter shrink wrap and putting up the...
Is it time to replace your anchor rode? Follow this step-by-step how-to for splicing line to anchor chain [Includes Video] It’s off-season and time for seasonal maintenance and repairs. The work actually begins during the sailing season by noting issues that need attention. In my case, I noticed that the chain in my anchor rode...
How we winterize our boat every year – a checklist for our end of boating season winterizing plans [with how-to VIDEOS] We boat on the upper Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, so our boating season ends around mid-October. While there are definitely some die hard boaters that keep their boat in year round, we winterize our...
How to remove a stuck boat steering wheel 2 different ways on a Sea Ray to replace it with a new wheel [includes video!] Our 2002 Sea Ray 410 Sundancer has been starting to show her age in recent years so we’ve been updating or replacing parts as needed to keep her looking good. In...
This cleaner is the best boat vinyl mildew remover we have found in over 20 years of boating – before & after cleaning demo! Like most boaters, we have been struggling for years with mildew on our boat vinyl. With a boat, its inevitable you’ll get some mildew on your boat – especially after its...
Our process for basic cleaning and waxing the boat, and some final spring prep reminders before we launch the boat for the season. [includes VIDEO!] Spring boat prep can be a lot of work, but after 20 years we definitely learning a few techniques that can help save some time and effort. Our spring prep...
With multi-season bottom paint you may not need to sand and paint your full boat’s bottom every year – here’s our plan for painting touch up [includes VIDEO] Every spring the anticipation of the boating season ahead also comes with a lot of prep to get your boat ready. Bottom painting, cleaning, waxing, putting up...
How to select the right marine antifreeze and properly winterize all your boat’s fresh water systems to ensure no freezing during winter boat storage When the temperature starts to dip in the northeast where we boat we know its about time to start preparing our boat for winter storage. And the first step is usually...
Fixing a boat AC unit that shows a “Hi PS” error and shutdown due to a faulty water pump trigger [includes VIDEO] When you own a [nearly 20 year old] boat you never know what is going to go next. This time it was our marine air conditioner, but luckily it wasn’t a big problem....