“Don’t check the weather, just go outside and deal with it. Be a man.”

Those words, followed by group laughter, have become a mantra for a host of internet memes depicting boaters in life-threatening seas.

They are poor words to live by if you intend to live a long life. In fact, prudent seamanship dictates that no boating angler heads to sea without first checking marine forecasts. Decisions, including the captain’s call to go or no-go, should be based on the expected winds and sea conditions.

Yet, without much warning, conditions can sometimes change mid-trip, defying the forecast. While light winds and calm seas might greet you in the morning, unexpectedly high afternoon winds or thunder storms can brew up big, treacherous seas in the latter part of the day. This leaves you and your crew facing a harrowing trip back to port. The smaller the boat, the higher the danger.

One lesson I learned early in my boating career is that changing the angle of the boat relative to large waves can smooth the ride for an improvement in comfort. More importantly, this can improve the safety factor. Here are some helmsman tips I have garnered over the year for running in rough sea conditions.

Quartering Head Seas

While a straight line between two points is the shortest route, it’s not always the safest, most comfortable or even fastest. For example, when faced with steep, closely spaced head seas, heading directly into them ranks as a hate mission that slows your progress to a crawl. You also risk the possibility of stuffing as the boat falls off the crest of a roller and into a hole at the base of the next angry one.

Instead, try steering off-sea in one direction for a few miles, and then steering the other way for a few miles. This is called “quartering the waves” to help smooth the ride, and the zig-zagging course is known as “tacking.”

Quartering and tacking require strong piloting skills — including good timing, judicious application of throttle and focus at the wheel — to keep the boat on course and deal with the occasional rogue wave. On the downside, you’ll take more spray quartering up-sea, but that’s the price you pay for a smoother, safer ride.

Running Before the Sea

Large following seas loom treacherous as the boat races down the face of a wave, sometimes losing steering and leaving you vulnerable to the roller astern. There’s also the risk stuffing into the backsides of waves rolling ahead. Quartering down-sea minimizes these risks, but try take a wider angle than when quartering up-sea. Also realize the faces of the waves can be very steep. On small boats, keep you crew off the lee side of the boat. Instead, ask them to move to the windward (aka wet) stern quarter. When it’s time to reverse your tack, do so in a lull between the waves, and then come about smartly.

Beam Sea Sense

Beam seas tend to be the least threatening, but they can prove a lot more wet on windy passages. But you can minimize the spray by alternatively quartering sharply up-sea for a while, then down-sea, tacking across the beam seas rather than running a straight course. On the other hand, you can just don foul-weather gear, run a straight course and endure the spray.

Or as the internet memes put it, “Deal with it. Be a man,” at least until you reach your destination.

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Marine hydraulic steering systems have for decades served as smooth-turning mainstays aboard outboard-powered fishing boats. In fact, today’s hydraulic steering systems are so reliable that many boating anglers rarely think about them until they wear out or need fixing.

Yet, boat owners can extend the life of hydraulic steering system components even further with regular, yet simple, inspections and maintenance steps, says Brian Dudra, vice president and general manager for SeaStar Solutions. A market leader in marine steering systems, SeaStar is now a division of the Dometic Group.

“While each SeaStar system is designed for the harsh marine environment, like any critical control system, it requires periodic checks and maintenance,” Dudra explains. “As per your owner’s manual and product labels, hydraulic steering systems should be inspected prior to every use for fluid level, steering response, leaks, or worn/binding components.” In addition, most systems require a small amount of maintenance from a qualified dealer every six months for detailed inspections and greasing of key areas, he adds.

Key areas on outboard hydraulic steering systems include hoses, hose connections, the steering cylinder and cylinder shaft, the support arm, the tiller arm connection, the steering helm where the wheel attaches, the steering wheel, and the hydraulic fluid. Let’s take a look at how to inspect and care for each of these areas.

Steering Helm

When inspecting the helm, make sure the steering cylinder and helm hydraulic hose connections are tight. Dudra recommends greasing the helm shaft when installing the steering wheel to facilitate removal in the future. Check the hydraulic fluid level inside the helm by unscrewing the fill plug and looking inside. “The level should be 1/8- to 1/4-inch below the lowest thread in the fill port,” he says. “If not, fill the helm to the proper level.”

Check the steering response when turning the wheel. It should respond within a quarter turn. If not, the system might need fluid or there might be air in the system, which requires purging. For tilt-and-lock steering helms, ensure that the plastic covers are properly secured in place.

Hydraulic Hoses

“Our hoses are a custom multi-layered composite design, engineered specifically for our systems,” Dudra says. When inspecting these hydraulic hoses, run your hand down them to feel for cuts, chafing or cracks. If you discover this kind of wear, have a qualified service shop replace the suspect hoses.

Also, inspect the hose fittings to ensure they are tight. Feel for hydraulic fluid leaks or weeps by running a finger around the fitting. If you find a leak, try tightening the fitting. If that fails to stem the leak, arrange to have a qualified service shop address the issue. “If a leak is present, you will want to fix the leak and use our hydraulic steering fluid to ensure optimum performance and safety,” Dudra points out.

Steering Cylinder

Front-mount cylinders are the most common type found on hydraulic steering systems for outboard-powered boats. Cylinders are engineered and built to operate smoothly for years while being splashed with salt water. Regular inspections should focus on the cylinder hose connections and glands on each end of the cylinder to ensure that there are no leaks.

If the hose fittings are weeping fluid, the hoses might require replacement. The same applies to the glands, which seal and wipe the cylinder rod as the cylinder moves back and forth. SeaStar offers a gland replacement kit and O-ring seals for the bleeders and other fittings to fix leaks in this area.

Follow the directions carefully or turn the job over to a qualified marine shop. To ensure the steering is secure and tight, check all of the assembly nuts for proper tightness, including the adjusting nut on the starboard side of the support rod, which helps remove slack from the steering system.

After each use it is good practice to spray the steering cylinder down with fresh water to prevent damaging salt buildup.

Cylinder Shaft and Support Rod

These components related to the steering cylinder deserve special attention. Carefully inspect the cylinder shaft for salt buildup, corrosion, nicks or scratches that might damage the cylinder. Any major damage might require replacement of the entire cylinder.

The support rod should be removed and inspected annually. The support rod and outboard tilt tube must be cleaned of all old grease and debris prior to re-applying a good quality marine grease before re-installing.

Purging the System

Air can find its way into the hydraulic system through leaks or when replacing components, and that will make the steering sloppy, unresponsive, a bit noisy and even unsafe. The air must be purged in a process called “bleeding.” Your owner’s manual will explain the process if you want to do it yourself, but it usually requires two people and can become messy from spilled hydraulic fluid. If you lack the confidence, tools or manpower to get the job done, ask a qualified marine shop to handle this.

Water Intrusion

Water can also find its way into the hydraulic steering and eventually corrode internal components that can damage the system. “This is a subjective examination, but can be performed by taking a syringe and sampling the fluid in the helm reservoir,” Dudra advises. “If the fluid looks like ‘chocolate milk’ then the fluid is likely contaminated with water.” If this occurs, the entire system must be inspected for leaks. Once these are fixed, the system should be flushed thoroughly with clean oil to remove any contaminated oil that can cause future internal damage.

Read Next: SeaStar Optimus Universal Electric Steering Actuator

“Steering is a vitally important control system on your boat,” Dudra says. “The ability to safely and confidently maneuver at speed or in close quarters makes for an enjoyable and safe day on the water.”

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Marine upholstery represents a major investment in your saltwater fishing boat, providing comfort and esthetic appeal as well as value. The vinyl material that’s skillfully patterned, stretched and stitched over the foam padding on seats, backrests and coaming pads on today’s new boats is designed specifically for marine applications with inhibitors that resist mildew and UV-wrought deterioration from the hot sun.

You can extend the life and preserve the beauty of your boat upholstery even further by taking steps to protect and care for the vinyl material and the stitching that holds it all together.

Read Next: New Age of Boat Helm Seats

This is particularly important aboard a saltwater fishing boat that typically sees more hard use than other crafts. The upholstery on saltwater fishing boats is subjected to contaminants such as fish blood, slime and chunks of chum—not to mention potential damage when swinging aboard lures, sinkers, fish and cast nets—that other pleasure boats rarely experience.

Here are six ways to ensure your boat upholstery maintains its new look and feel for many years ahead.

1. Remove Upholstery: Many of today’s new boats come with removable upholstery such as forward seating pads that provide comfort for guests when fishing is not a priority. But these often light-colored cushions can become trampled as anglers man the anchor or battle fish around the bow. Before you go fishing, remove such upholstered items and store them indoors to protect them from the elements and aggressive anglers.

2. Clean and Dry: Thoroughly scrub your boat upholstery using a sponge with fresh water and mild soap, and rinse thoroughly with fresh water after every outing to remove salt and contaminants such as fish blood and sunscreen. Then dry all of your upholstery with a clean towel, making sure the vinyl is free of moisture, particularly around the seams. This will help prevent the formation of mildew that can produce dark, ugly stains. It will also help prevent “pinking” stains from developing on your boat seat, backrests and coaming pads.

3. No Harsh Chemicals: Upholstery coverings need to stay soft and supple for comfort and to prevent cracks from developing. Harsh chemicals such as acetone, alcohol, bleach, glass cleaners containing ammonia, and paint thinner—chemicals you might consider to remove dirt or stains—can damage the upholstery. These chemicals tend to turn vinyl and other upholstery coverings hard and brittle, and that leads to uncomfortable seating and cracks in the upholstery. These chemicals can also damage and weaken the thread used to sew seams and piping in the boat upholstery. So avoid using any of them on your upholstery, no matter how desperate you are to clean stubborn stains.

4. Cover Up: Even today’s upholstery coverings, engineered to resist UV, can eventually succumb to long-term exposure to sunlight. This can result in unsightly rust-like discoloration and brittleness. That’s why it’s important to keep your boat interior protected with a boat cover when not in use. Boat covers made from fabrics such as Sunbrella guard against UV rays to keep the upholstery and other interior surfaces looking new for as long as possible. In addition, the water-resistant nature of such coverings helps keep your upholstery dry during rain storms and on mornings when there’s heavy dew. The drier the upholstery, the less likely it will develop mildew and pinking.

5. Deep Cleaning: Over time, grime and mild stains can mar the textured surfaces of your upholstery, giving your seats and coaming pads a dingy appearance. That’s when it’s time for a deep cleaning with a product such as Star brite Ultimate Vinyl Clean or West Marine Instant Vinyl Cleaner. Whichever brand you choose, follow directions carefully. After a deep clean, apply a treatment such as Star brite Vinyl Brite or West Marine Moisturizing Vinyl Protectant as directed. These treatments help keep the boat upholstery supple and add UV protection.

6. Pinking Problem: Pinking is a blotchy stain generated by bacteria, says engineer Scott Laster, CEO of Gestalt Scientific Corp. in Redmond, Washington. “The stains are caused by a strain of bacterium known as Streptoverticillium reticulum that infests upholstery between the top layer of foam and the underside of the vinyl,” he says. The bacteria usually finds their way through the tiny holes in the stitching. The bacteria need oxygen, fresh water, warmth and food. The first three elements are easy to find in boats. Food, on the other hand, requires people — the bacteria feed on oils and sloughed-off skin cells, as well as PABA found in some sunscreens. To prevent pinking, clean the upholstery and dry it thoroughly after each trip. Also, avoid the use of sunscreens containing PABA. If pinking does occur, Gestalt Scientific offers two patented options to eliminate the stains and ensure that they do not return. One is a commercial solution done by a certified boatbuilder or boat dealer, and the other is a self-administered home-treatment solution. To learn more, visit gestaltscientific.com.

Taking the time to care for and protect the upholstery on your saltwater fishing boat preserves your investment and saves you the time and money of prematurely replacing your seats and coaming pads. In the meantime, you’ll enjoy greater comfort and maybe even a few compliments as fellow anglers admire your like-new marine upholstery.

The post How to Care for Boat Upholstery appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Make a habit of checking the caulk seams inside your boat, such as at the joint between the deck and center-console, as well as other junction points. Designed to seal out water and debris, the marine sealant used to caulk the seams won’t last forever. Eventually, it will deteriorate and start to peel away. When that occurs, you need to remove all of the old sealant, then apply a fresh bead. The plastic Caulk-Away tool from Star brite (about $12.50) eases the task of removing aging sealant from corners and where two boat surfaces meet at a square angle. Once you clean up the surface and apply sealant, use Star brite’s Caulk-Rite tool (about $13) to create a smooth, clean finish along the caulk seam.

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Tires can lose about 1 to 3 psi (pounds per square inch) of air ­pressure per month, translating to as much as 9 psi over three months. It might not sound like much. But trailer tires (bearing an ST designation), unlike passenger-car tires, are designed to operate at the maximum-rated psi, which you will find embossed on the sidewall, to maintain their load-carrying capacity. Underinflated trailer tires can also suffer sidewall damage and blowouts on the highway. Check your boat-trailer tires regularly with a quality tire-­pressure gauge. Do it before you head out; the ratings are based on “cold psi,” which means the pressure before the air inside heats up from road use. Add pressure as needed.

The post Keep Your Boat Trailer Tires Properly Inflated appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Reducing glare from onboard lights helps preserve your night vision for safer boating when fishing in the dark. One common source of glare is the all-around white overhead navigation light mandated by the US Coast Guard. ­Hardtops and T-tops block a good bit of the light (particularly on the foredeck), but some white overhead beams still create glare in the aft cockpit. Perko’s Light Glare Shield (about $15) easily clamps to a ¾-inch-diameter light pole directly under the white light to block ­illumination from blasting the aft cockpit, yet the light still alerts other boaters to your presence. The plastic piece is lightweight, minimizing stress on the pole while underway.

The post Avoid Deck Glare with the Perko Glare Shield appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

When a console interior or cabin remains closed for any length of time, it can develop spots of mildew and mold, as well as a musty smell, due to condensation. Leaving such a space open to air it out can prove impractical because a sudden rain might leave it wetter still. Fortunately, there are simple devices to help keep boat interiors dry. For example, the Davis Air Dryr (­available in two sizes, starting at about $70), the Golden Rod ­Dehumidifier (three sizes, starting at about $29) and West Marine’s Air Dryer with Fan (about $100) use 120-volt AC power to dry air in confined spaces. Star brite’s No Damp Ultra Dome (about $18.50) and the Marykate Moisture ­Control Bag (about $30) use absorbent crystals to draw moisture from the air.

The post Air Dryers Dehumidify Boat Cabins and Consoles appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

I have a swivel on my ­anchor to help prevent line twist, but more than half of the time, the claw anchor comes to the roller in the wrong position—with the spade-like flukes up instead of down. That forces me to reach over the bow and spin the anchor to the correct orientation before pulling it onto the roller. The uniquely designed Ultra Marine West Flip Swivel resolves this issue. It automatically rotates the anchor to the correct ­position as the ­articulating swivel travels up and over the roller. No leaning over the bow in rough seas. The Flip Swivel is available in seven sizes to fit a variety of chain and anchor sizes. Prices start at $329.

The post Flip-Swivel Keeps Your Anchor Right Side Up During Retrieval appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Misplacing the drain plug to a livewell marks an inauspicious start to any fishing trip. Here’s a great idea for keeping track of this simple, yet vital, item that I saw employed on the new Everglades 395cc. Each livewell came equipped with an inexpensive nylon hook (about $5) on the rim that lets you hang the plug (which has a loop on top) once you remove it from the drain hole in the well. The hook keeps the plug readily accessible and hard to miss the next time you need to fill the well, and it sure beats scouring every locker, cabinet, nook and cranny to find that dang plug before you go fishing. Think about adding such a hook to your livewell.

The post Keep Your Livewell Drain Plug Handy and Accessible appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

There’s more than one way to add accessories such as rod holders, cup holders, and tackle trays to your fishing boat. One of the most versatile is based on the V-Lock system, which uses a universal mounting bracket. Available in both aluminum and King Starboard (about $38 for either), the bracket lets you instantly add or detach accessories equipped with the V‑Lock tapered insert, also available in aluminum or Starboard. A ­spring-loaded pull pin on the bracket locks the insert in place. ­Boatoutfitters.com offers a wide assortment of V-Lock accessories, ­including rod racks, serving trays, cutting boards and drink holders, as well as the bracket itself.

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