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Welcome! Here is our home of blog posts of support, tips and advice on all things outboard, boat, trailer and marine related. Happy reading...

How To Replace Gear Oil

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 30 July 2020

Whether your outboard is 2 stroke or 4 stroke it will have a gearbox. The gearbox is the area of your outboard that the propeller is fitted to and, as the name suggests, a gearbox is where your outboards forward, neutral and reverse gears and bearings are located. Keeping these gears and bearings in tip-top condition requires lubrication. Marine gear oil is what is used and should be replaced every season. It is a pretty simple task, provided you have the right tools and take the correct steps to do the job... continue reading

 

How To Check An Outboard Thermostat

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 27 June 2019

If I were to ask you what the five most important things to check when servicing an outboard were most would rate a thermostat pretty low and some, in fact, wouldn’t even rate it. We are trained to think that the heart of the cooling system is the water pump and it should be checked and changed annually, and this is correct, but if the water pump is the heart of the cooling system then the thermostat should be considered the brain!... continue reading

 

How To Store Fuel In Your Boat

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 7 March 2019

You’re heading home from the boat ramp, it’s been your last outing for the season and soon the boat will be flushed, greased and stored away ready for the next boating season. But as you’re going through the storage process in your head you pass a gas station and the question you ask yourself every year jumps to mind, “Should I be filling the fuel tank up? Or should I be leaving it almost empty?” What to do?  This question has appeared on Forums, Facebook Groups and has been asked of Outboard Technicians since Noah strapped a two stroke on the Ark... continue reading

 

How A Water Separator Fuel Filter Works

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 21 November 2018

Bad fuel can quickly cause problems for outboard engines by clogging injectors, gumming up carburettor jets or causing all sorts of running problems that can result in a shortened outboard life and hefty repair bills. Water and impurities can enter a boats fuel tank in a number of ways, such as... continue reading

 

Getting Your Boat Spring/Summer Ready

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 28 September 2018

Spring is in the air! Yep, it's that time of year that many have been waiting for... boating season. Soon the snapper will be plentiful and the warmer weather will be inspiring many to hit the water. If you've laid your boat up for the Winter now is the time you should be checking things over and ensuring that your boat, trailer and outboard are seaworthy... continue reading

 

Boat Show Tips & Tricks

Author: Melissa Buckingham   Date Posted: 28 June 2018

Well, it's that time of year again... boat show season. Some have already kicked off and some are yet to come but anyone who is attending a boat show needs to be well equipped. So, here are our tips and tricks for surviving a boat show... continue reading

 

Why You need to change your head gasket

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 30 May 2018

The term 'blow a gasket' is certainly a widely used term in the Aussie vocabulary and almost as Australian as 'she'll be right' or 'stone the crows' but unfortunately, for those of us in the boating scene, unless you're hearing about a mates reaction to losing a big fish it probably means you're outboard is in strife and needs a new head gasket and possibly more... continue reading

 

What To Look For When Inspecting Your Water Pump

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 27 April 2018

Your outboards water pump is its main cooling mechanism, without it your engine would overheat in seconds leaving you bobbing around the ocean like a randomly positioned FAD. If you're someone who doesn't mind getting out the paddles on the odd occasion and getting a bit of exercise then perhaps this blog isn't for you but, if the idea of a 3km paddle back to the boat ramp isn't your thing, then please read on and see why inspecting your water pump is so important... continue reading

 

6 Workshop Tools You must have

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 28 March 2018

They say a bad tradesman always blames his tools however, you can only blame yourself if you don't have the right tools! Working on outboards can be challenging at the best of times and these challenges can be amplified if you don't have the right tools for the job. Below are a few of the tools I believe are a must have, for any marine technician working on customer outboards or the DIY'er working on their own or their mate's outboards... continue reading

 

Tips for Buying a used outboard

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 28 February 2018

One of the biggest misconceptions that people have is that an outboard with good compression on the block is in excellent order. This is only a partial truth. An outboard does not only consist of the engine block, a damaged gearbox or trim and tilt unit can be an expensive exercise to repair or replace and can quite easily cost you thousands of dollars... continue reading

 

What Sand and weed can do to your outboard

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 30 January 2018

As we all know, our rivers, bays, seas and oceans all consist of various environments. Environments can be anything from sand, rock, weed, gravel, mud and so on. When operating our vessels, large or small, in these environments we need to be mindful of any risks we may be exposing our outboards to and how to avoid potential damage... continue reading

 

Genuine Vs. Aftermarket

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 22 November 2017

So, this is something I have been a bit reluctant to write about, being that I have a biased view and vested interest in aftermarket parts. However, it's something I get asked about all day every day by both trade and retail customers so I will take my Outboard Spares hat off and be Switzerland for the integrity of this blog... continue reading

 

Zinc vs. Aluminium Anodes

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 20 October 2017

All anodes, depending on the outboard make, can be different shapes and sizes and made of different materials depending on the environment they’re being used in. Below I'll be covering the two main types of anodes, Zinc and Aluminium, and the environments that suit them best... continue reading

 

Understanding Propellers

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 18 September 2017

Propellers, every outboard has one. Whether it's stainless steel, aluminium or plastic they all have the same task, which is to push your boat forward or backward. But, the wrong propeller on your outboard can cause under performance in the way of a lack of top-end speed, hole shot or could possibly cause excessive load on your outboard resulting in powerhead failure... continue reading

 

What Needs replacing on your outboard

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 17 August 2017

It's about this time of year, when Spring is just around the corner and the chill of Winter is subsiding, that most of us decide it's time to give our outboards a once over and make sure they're good to go for the upcoming season. It's at this stage that there's some contention on what to replace, why to replace it and when to replace it... continue reading

 

Outboard Oil Ratios

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 25 July 2017

Anyone who owns, or has owned, a two stroke outboard would have asked themselves the question; how much oil do I mix with my fuel? 100:1, 50:1 or 25:1? It is one of the most asked questions for those required to pre-mix their oil and fuel together. Below I have listed the oil ratios recommended by manufacturers and a few tips based on my experience... continue reading

 

What to check before going boating

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 5 July 2017

Going boating should be a relaxing and enjoyable experience with family and friends, however, a lack of preparation can see a nice day planned turn into a shemozzle with your boat never leaving the launching ramp. Here is my quick and easy checklist for your boat, trailer, motor to ensure your next planned outing on the water goes smoothly... continue reading

 

How to flush your outboard and why it's so important

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 22 May 2017

One of the biggest killers of the modern outboard is corrosion and often it's not what you see, but rather what you don't see that causes the biggest problems. Outboards are raw water cooled and draw water directly from their environment to cool down. In fresh water, this is not a problem but in saltwater, it opens the engine up to salt build up and corrosion within the outboards internal cooling passages... continue reading

 

Why Won't My Outboard Start?

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 21 April 2017

There's nothing more frustrating than getting to the boat ramp to find that your outboard won't start. We've all been there before and we'll probably all be there again one day too. The following is a small checklist of some of the obvious areas to check if you're experiencing troubles... continue reading

 

Troubleshooting 2 Stroke Ignition Problems

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 30 March 2017

This most common thing I get asked over the phone to assist with is diagnosing outboard ignition problems. Whilst I am always happy to try and help in diagnosis, it can be very hard to do so over the phone. Apart from having the right tools to assist in diagnosis, a basic understanding of how a two stroke ignition system works is fundamental. The following is a list of what makes up an ignition system from start to finish... continue reading

 

Tips For Buying A Used Boat

Author: Stuart Buckingham   Date Posted: 23 March 2017

It's hard not to be excited about buying a new boat. You've just seen a bargain on the side of the road and as you make the U-turn to get a closer look your head fills with images of large snapper, kingfish and sunny days out on the water with the family. This is exactly what boating is about but, be wary that your boating dream doesn't become your boating nightmare... continue reading

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