InTheBite

  • Home
  • News
    • All News
    • Featured Stories
    • General News
    • Captain of the Year
    • Tournament Results
    • First Builds
    • Splash Reports
    • Old Salts Rule
    • Tackle Tips
    • Dock Talk
    • Crew Records
    • Conservation
  • Tournaments
    • Calendar
    • Captain of the Year
    • Champion’s Cup
  • Shop
    • All Products
    • Subscriptions
    • Back Issues
    • Shirts
    • Hats & Visors
    • Miscellaneous
    • Release Rulers
  • Classifieds
  • Job Board
  • Contact
    • Contact InTheBite
    • InTheBite Media Kit
  • Log in

Corona Virus Downtime—The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

September 11, 2020 By InTheBite Editor

Since the beginning of the coronavirus, there has been a lot of downtime because of the shutdowns across America. During this slow time, I have observed some good crews that are taking advantage of these shutdowns while paying extra attention to detailed maintenance on their boat.

I’m talking about time-consuming maintenance items, like removing, painting and servicing pumps, cleaning and polishing brass and stainless, checking bonding systems from bow to stern, flushing AC systems, sanding teak, repairing and refinishing varnish, taking the Racor fuel system out to repaint, rebuild and clean, changing zincs, painting engine rooms and cleaning bilges, removing everything from each locker and hatch on the boat and organizing/cleaning them.

  • OIOpublisher.com

Crews that stay busy every day like this, that take pride in their rigs and are paying attention to every square inch of detail on their boat, are just good. These guys are like money in the bank to their boat owners. They know everything about their boat.

They do the preventative maintenance that keeps their boat race-ready. Nothing is too big or too small. They know the seals are good on the refrigeration systems, they know the impellers are good on their raw water systems, and they know there won’t be any electrolysis problems because they’ve checked and repaired any bonding issues. They know the AC systems, the water maker and ice maker systems are good because they do the necessary maintenance to prevent failure.

One good example of a good crew is Captain Bob Atwell and his mate on the Blanchita. They are as good as it gets. Captain Bob runs a tight ship. He is the guy people come to with questions like, “What would you do. . .?” or “How would you do this . . .?” He is the perfect example of what every owner needs in a good captain. Atwell knows how to get the job done and how to do the job correctly.

Then you have the bad crews. I’m not sure if they are bad, lazy or just ignorant, or if I am just old school. These crews are everywhere. They do just enough work to keep the boat presentable. They spend most of their time just talking about fishing. The problem with this type of crew is that there is much more to maintaining a fishing boat than just fishing.

There is one thing these crews are good at, however. They are experts at calling a repair crew in when something goes wrong. Most of the time they find out their problem was something preventable like the AC system was clogged or a bonding wire was broke.

The fact is they don’t know what needs maintenance because they are not looking for it, and in reality, probably don’t know what to look for. It’s amazing how crews so clueless are in charge of these multi-million-dollar boats. They are easy to spot because they are usually standing around asking what you are doing.

With these types of crews, things can turn ugly real quick when you least expect it. Things that are totally preventable like old or broken clamps breaking on an exhaust or raw water system. Next thing you know, you are taking on water simply because of lack of maintenance.

There is, however, something very amusing to me about these crews. Just ask one of these bad crews what’s going on with their boats and their answers are always the same. “We’re all caught up, just waiting to go fishing.” Yeah right…

– That’s my two-minute warning. Fraz

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Do you have any comments or questions for us? We’d love to hear from you.

    Filed Under: Featured Stories Tagged With: boat maintenance, boat repair, boat work, crew maintenance, two minute warning

    Recent News

    Colombia To Ban Recreational Fishing

    On May 2, the Supreme Court of Colombia ruled that recreational fishing was unconstitutional. As a result, Colombians expect a ban on recreational fishing to take effect within one year. The decision comes after the Court’s 2019 ban on r … [Read More...]

    lines

    Superlines

    Modern dredge fishing has evolved tremendously, with multi-tiered teasers complementing intricate pulley systems mounted to towering outriggers. Mono has been a reliable choice for dredge line and outrigger halyards for years and is still popular … [Read More...]

    I Always Like A Red Head—Is Lure Color Important?

    By Peter B Wright How important is the color of a lure to a billfish, a tuna or any other large pelagic game fish? For many fish, including everything from small bait fish to giant marlin and tuna, color vision can be hugely … [Read More...]

    blue marlin fishing

    Blue Marlin Blast Fishing Tournament

    By Toine van Ierland, Tournament Director Cape Verde on fire! In both 2020 and 2021, we were forced to postpone the tournament thanks to COVID-19, but on the night of April 24, 2022, we finally kicked off the 2022 EFSA European Championship Big … [Read More...]

    New State Record for Dolphin Fish

    Georgia DNR, Brunswick, Ga., May 5, 2022—A 53-year-old Midway man is the new state record holder for dolphin fish (Coryphaena hippurus), also known as mahi mahi, after the Georgia Department of Natural Resources certified his catch Friday. James … [Read More...]

    Leave a Reply

    Connect With InTheBite

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Subscribe to InTheBite Magazine Today!

    InTheBite Magazine Current Cover

    Our latest issue is hitting the docks now! Be sure to subscribe to the hottest bluewater mag on the market. Purchase or Subscribe »

    InTheBite Champion’s Cup

    InTheBite Champions Cup Logo

    New for 2022, the Champion’s Cup is an optional paid entry with a winner-takes-all prize format for teams who want to up the stakes in each division utilizing our longstanding tournament scoring formula.

    Captain of the Year Cup Standings

    COTY / ITB Cup Logo

    News

    • Colombia To Ban Recreational Fishing

      Colombia To Ban Recreational Fishing

      On May 2, the Supreme Court of Colombia ruled that recreational fishing was unconstitutional. As a result, Colombians expect a ban on recreational fishing to take effect within one year. The decision comes after the Court’s 2019 ban on recreational hunting. Then, the Court held that recreational hunting was animal cruelty and a threat to the environment. It has made... [Read More...]

    • Blue Marlin Blast Fishing Tournament

      Blue Marlin Blast Fishing Tournament

      By Toine van Ierland, Tournament Director Cape Verde on fire! In both 2020 and 2021, we were forced to postpone the tournament thanks to COVID-19, but on the night of April 24, 2022, we finally kicked off the 2022 EFSA European Championship Big Game Fishing Tournament, AKA The PENN Challenge. And what a tournament it was. Expectations Two weeks prior... [Read More...]

    • New State Record for Dolphin Fish

      New State Record for Dolphin Fish

      Georgia DNR, Brunswick, Ga., May 5, 2022—A 53-year-old Midway man is the new state record holder for dolphin fish (Coryphaena hippurus), also known as mahi mahi, after the Georgia Department of Natural Resources certified his catch Friday. James Roberts of Midway landed the 68-pound, 1.6-ounce dolphin on April 26. He was fishing over Deli Ledge approximately 80 miles east of... [Read More...]

    • Capt. Patrick Price Memorial

      Capt. Patrick Price Memorial

      By Dave Powell, Captain Patrick Price Reef Project Manager On Sept. 6, 2021, Capt. Patrick Price passed away from COVID-19. Soon thereafter, a group of about 100 boat owners, captains, and fishermen, all friends of Pat’s, got together for afternoon beer in front of Fish Heads Tackle Shop. Their goal was to come up with a memorial to honor their good... [Read More...]

    • Contender One/Costa Wins the Quest For The Crest & Still Right Wins Final Sail

      Contender One/Costa Wins the Quest For The Crest & Still Right Wins Final Sail

      Bluewater Movements, April 14—Record Breaking. That’s the best way to describe the 2022 Final Sail tournament weekend in Miami on April 6-9, 2022. 479 releases across a 41 boat fleet and the top 5 teams combined released 121 fish! Going into Final Sail, all eyes were on the five teams in contention to win the coveted burgundy jacket and this... [Read More...]

    Search InTheBite

    Copyright © 2022 InTheBite, LLC · All Rights Reserved.

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.