SERVICE

Even the best-built boats need TLC over time. That tiny upholstery tear in the passenger seat needs attention before it spreads. Same thing with the spider crack in the gelcoat. Someone spilled a glass of red wine on the cockpit carpet, and it’s looking pretty shabby, too.

Shorter days and chillier nights mean that winter is coming. Are you prepared for it? Before you put another log on the fire, take a seat and tune into a football game, remember that there are chores to do beyond stacking firewood.

Winterizing the boat is an all-too-familiar autumn ritual for northern boaters. What about boaters living in warmer climates? Is it worth spending the time and money on a boat that won’t be used until next spring?

Taking delivery of a new boat is just the beginning, not the end, of doing business at a Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Boating Center. Here, the experience continues at the service department for as long as you own the boat. 

Preventive maintenance and repairs, rigging new accessories and repowering your boat is what you expect to find at the service department of a boat dealership.

Today’s well-built boats are made to last. That means repowering—or updating the engine—will eventually need to happen if your boat is a long-term investment. What is more, preowned boats need repowering sooner than new boats. In either case, repowering extends the life of a boat regardless of age. That’s a good thing, and so are the choices that can make your boat perform even better.

As a boat owner, you want to spend more time on the water and less time at the dealership. Preventive maintenance and unplanned repairs are obviously givens, and where and who you choose to do the work can prolong those sunny days of fun on the water.

For boaters, nothing is worse than a trip to the lake being cut short by a mechanical breakdown of the boat trailer. The sad—but true—fact is your boat spends more time on the trailer than on the water. The good news is that most problems can be avoided by taking precautionary steps at home.

Winterizing the boat. Just the thought can send shivers down the spines of boat owners. For one, the timing generally means the end of a fun boating season. Plus, winterizing ranks low on the priority list of “fun” fall chores like raking leaves and cleaning gutters.Before blowing them all off, remember, those chores have a purpose. For boaters, winterizing keeps money in the fun budget, instead of being wasted on costly repairs.