Boating is one of America’s favorite pastimes because it is such a wonderful way to escape the stress of our daily lives and bring family and friends together in an outdoor environment. To millions of Americans, their boat is the perfect weekend or vacation getaway whether it involves fishing, water skiing, wakeboarding, touring or just getting out on their favorite body of water for a picnic and a swim.
For boat owners one of the easiest ways to keep fuel consumption manageable is to be sure your outboard is operating at peak performance by paying attention to the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule. Some of today’s outboards are so trouble free and dependable that it’s easy for the owner to inadvertently overlook scheduled maintenance. However, failing to maintain any outboard can increase the cost of operation, subtly at first and more significantly the longer it is ignored. One of the first things to suffer as a result is fuel consumption. Allowed to go to extremes, failure to maintain your engine will lead to costly repairs.
Two components that can directly affect fuel consumption are also among the easiest to service. Modern fuel injectors require a supply of clean fuel so they can precisely atomize the mixture of gasoline and air, while spark plugs ignite the mixture in a controlled manner so the maximum amount of power is produced from each piston stroke. Just one fouled injector resulting from a dirty fuel filter or a spark plug that is no longer producing a properly shaped spark so it fails to ignite the entire charge will result in incomplete combustion, wasted fuel and increased operating costs. All it takes to prevent this from happening is to replace the fuel filter and spark plugs at recommended intervals with replacement parts that meet the manufacturer’s original equipment specifications.
Outboards are cooled by pulling water from their operating environment through an impeller-driven pump. The impeller should be checked at recommended intervals and replaced as needed to prevent increased operating temperatures, which can rob the engine of optimum performance and cost you lost miles per gallon. Changing lower unit and crank case lubricants at specified intervals while following manufacturer’s recommendations will help your engine deliver the highest mileage while protecting the investment in your boat and motor.
Maintenance is important for the health of your outboard, but also for getting the most boating pleasure out of every gallon of fuel and a well maintained engine runs cleaner, an important consideration for the environment. Â Always be sure to operate your boat safely and efficiently.
Remember to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive.  Dress properly with a USCG approved personal flotation device and protective gear. By: Martin Peters, Mgr Communications
