By Capt. Scott “Fraz” Murie 

Everything that has to do with our business takes a great deal of maintenance. In order to keep our boats, tackle and equipment running the way they should, we perform maintenance. When we do that maintenance, we think nothing of the cost. We just want the best product for that particular job at that time.

As crew, we spend countless hours doing upkeep on our boats. Maintaining all the systems is a never-ending process. Think about it—from engine room maintenance and pumps, to interiors, metal, fiberglass, skiffs, davits, paint, from stem to stern, the maintenance never stops. But that’s a good thing because that’s what we do. The fact that boats need constant attention keeps us employed, and we enjoy our work.

A boat that is properly maintained will hold its value and last for many years and be very dependable. On the other hand, the boat with no maintenance stays broken down, is undependable, unreliable and is pretty much worthless. Now to my point…

The US Coast Guard has been cracking down on captains in recent years. They are holding back licenses and renewals because of numerous health conditions. Areas of Coast Guard concern include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart problems, sleeping disorders and vision just to name a few.

As crews, we are always on the go! This is especially true for traveling crews and tournament fishing crews! We get very little sleep while underway, eat whatever the sea conditions dictate (and most of that is junk food). Some of us smoke too much and maybe ingest a little too much alcohol!

I believe it’s very important that we do the proper maintenance on our own bodies. Everyone needs to get checkups and do some preventative maintenance on our own bodies. With today’s technology and advancements in medicine, we can often reverse such things as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. No one thinks twice about maintaining our boats or what it cost, so I’m telling you to take time to maintain your health.

You young guys are “bulletproof”— or so you think. Some of us older guys have learned this the hard way and we need to think healthier, too. I see guys my age (and even younger) who are broken down with health issues that might have been preventable. If only they would have done the maintenance required, just as they would have done on their boat! I did it by changing my diet and losing some weight. I reversed some health issues that I was facing with a simple change of diet.

Take the time for yourself and get some maintenance done so you can remain dependable and reliable. You are more valuable than any boat. Don’t wait until it’s too late! Hold your value and last many years. Don’t be broken down and undependable! Do the maintenance on your own body and keep yourself in top running and working order. When you hit that 60 plus mark, you’ll be glad you did!

– That’s my two-minute warning. Fraz

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