From the Helm - Dog Days of Summer

This From the Helm is written by Gary Poole one of the owners of Buckeye Marine. Gary is a Master mechanic, Boating Ontario certified sales professional and can most often be found in what staff jokingly refer to as his "outside office" the yellow fork lift tractor or behind the service desk.

Dog Days Of Summer

If ever the term dog days of summer is appropriate it would be right now in the Kawarthas!  Truly one of the hottest driest summers on record, which translates to the perfect conditions for spending time on the water.

Your boat however, may not like the super hot temps as much as you do. You may be experiencing run-on when shutting down your engine.  This occurs when there is too much heat build up in the engine compartment, a very likely event in this current weather trend.  Contemporary boat construction is so plush and tightly fitting in the engine compartment, that fresh air circulation is inhibited.  By simply turning on your blower for a few minutes before shutting the engine down, the problem can be averted. 

You may also notice that different species of algae, weeds and plankton grow profusely in this weather.  Not only can it be unpleasant for swimming it can also impede the smooth running of your boat if allowed to grow on its hull.  Algae on the hull can restrict the speed by up to 25%.  To keep unwanted algae growth in check find a local sand bar or shallow spot and wipe off the boat, no chemicals necessary.  If you keep the hull waxed or bottom coated the less likely algae growth will occur.  The smoother the bottom surface of the boat the more efficiently it will run.

So with a little proactive maintenance these hot weather boating predicaments can be avoided and you will be able to spend those dog days on the water with not a worry!

P.S. Even with these hot weather issues, boating when its warm is way better than when there’s snow!