The importance of performing annual maintenance on a boat’s systems and having them tested in a laboratory.

The importance of performing annual maintenance on a boat’s systems and having them tested in a laboratory

Here are the most important systems on your boat. To ensure worry-free, enjoyable trips or stays on board, you need to think about prevention and have all the fluids analyzed.

1- Engines

2- Transmissions

3- Generator

4- PODS (if applicable)

5- Diesel Fuel

All these systems (1 to 4) require oils and/or coolant.

When using conventional (or mineral) oil, it’s not just the number of hours that tells you it’s time to change it; it’s the type of oil that no longer performs optimally after a few months or a year.

We also shouldn’t forget transmission oils and the oils in the PODS (there are three types of oils in the ZEUS PODS, for example). These fluids, like coolants, need to be changed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations for each of their components. You must be vigilant and follow these maintenance schedules.

Sometimes, it’s difficult to see that a problem is developing in one of these systems based on a visual inspection alone.

Fortunately, there are laboratory tests for all oils and coolants. For example, here in Montreal, we have the Toromont (Caterpillar) laboratory service that analyzes all types of fluids, regardless of whether you have Volvo, Cummins, Caterpillar, Yanmar, MAN, MTU, Mercruiser engines—in short, it doesn’t matter. I also include all brands of generators and transmissions.

Interestingly, if you always choose the same laboratory for fluid testing (including oils), you then have a history of your tests, allowing you to see the progress or history of your tests over the years.

This is an exceptional prevention tool that helps alert you to potential problems developing on board your boat.

We all know that prevention is better than cure. This saying also applies to boats to avoid sometimes costly repairs.

This is a good habit to get into. But you must ensure that the person taking the samples does so according to industry standards to avoid any contamination of the samples.

You need a special pump and a lot of plastic tubing that must be replaced for each sample taken.

These laboratory tests are like blood tests for humans. They are very revealing.

Before and after each outing, we recommend inspecting your engine room for any oil stains, even small ones, or even the appearance of water. However, this requires keeping your engine room clean so you can be alerted as soon as fluids appear that were previously absent.

These are, of course, tips, but they can save you a lot of money.

Also, note that you can test your diesel fuel. After a few years, it’s a good idea to also perform this type of analysis.