Minnesota Boat and Trailer Repair
Minnesota is made for boating! Fishing boats, sail boats, pontoon boats, kayaks, canoes, personal watercraft, and yachts… there’s a boat for everyone and every purpose, and nowhere in the United States will you find more boats per capita than in Minnesota. Did you know the land of 10,000 lakes has more miles of coastline than California, Hawaii and Florida combined?
That is why thousands of boaters take advantage of our state’s most famous feature… its lakes! That including rivers and streams (we’ve got nearly 70,000 miles of them) that are all just waiting to be enjoyed! When summer comes, there’s no time to waste.
Think about it: Every state has its “thing.” Georgia has its three p’s—peaches, peanuts, and pecans. Wisconsin has its cows, and ergo its cheese. Washington has its apples, and Florida has its sunshine. And Minnesota? Well, we’ve got our lakes. All 10,000 of them! You can’t ask for a better state if you love boating! And you can’t ask for a better state if you love to fish! (you can’t ask for a worse state if you are the fish!)
We may get a good deal of press for our sub-zero temperatures and our 10-month winters, but we’re best known for our lakes—ahhhhhh, what a great thing to be known for!
Remember To Inspect Your Boat Trailer
See how the boat and trailer are leaning back? This trailer probably does not have enough tongue weight.
When the weather starts warming up and lakes are thawing, you may want to get your boat and trailer seaworthy before your first trip. So here are some times you might want to consider before you head out to a lake or river this year. In order to assure a safe and uneventful season make sure that you go through the list below and make a note of any discrepancies that need attention.
To avoid penalties, take care of legal requirements first; you don’t want to miss out on the summer fun due to missing paper work. Your registration, license, and decal for the boat should all be up to date.
If your new boat (except kayaks or canoes) is longer than 16′, your dealer will apply for title and registration (license) on your behalf, and is responsible for providing you with license materials.
When you register your boat for the first time, know its length, manufacturer, type of hull material (wood, metal, or plastic), type of propulsion, model, year, serial or hull identification number (HIN) and have a sales receipt that shows you have paid the sales tax.
Length is the straight-line distance from the foremost part of the boat (bow) to the rearmost part of the boat (stern). Bowsprits, outboard motor brackets, rudders and other attachments are not included in the measurement.
Boat registrations are good for 3 calendar years (for example 1/1/2003 through 12/31/2005).
Boat and Trailer Inspections
Safe boating begins with safe trailering. How you get your boat to the water is just as important as making sure it works. You should check the trailer you are using to transport the boat, as well as the tires to make sure everything is safe and in working condition.
Proper maintenance and repair are critical to your continued enjoyment and safe use of your boat. Most trailer malfunctions and accidents can be directly traced back to a failure to dedicate some time to the most basic preventative maintenance.
Flat trailer tires – please don’t get on the road with these!
How many times have you seen a stranded boat and trailer on the side of the road? Chances are good the boat owner didn’t properly check his or her trailer, or didn’t secure the boat correctly. Luckily, you can easily avoid embarrassment and damaging your property by selecting the correct trailer and following a basic safety checklist.
Trailer Checklist
* Never tow your boat trailer before you check to be sure:
* Coupler, hitch and hitch ball are the same size
* Coupler and safety chains are safely secured to hitch of tow vehicle
* All fasteners are properly tightened
* Boat is securely tied down to trailer (winch line is not a tie down)
* Wheel lug nuts are properly tightened
* Wheel bearings are properly adjusted and maintained
* Load is within maximum load-carrying capacity
* Tires are properly inflated
* All trailer lighting is working properly
* Trailer brakes are properly adjusted and working (if trailer is so equipped)
* Make sure to check local and state requirements regarding brakes and any additional equipment that may be required
* Also, special attention to your tow vehicle’s hitch is a good idea, as that is the only link between you and your trailer.
Content courtesy of DiscoverBoating.com
