FAQ

In Canada, insurance for recreational boats is not a requirement but we highly recommend it. Purchasing insurance will help protect your investment and the people you invite on board. Policies vary depending on boat size, motor size and engine type. Talk to one of our sales or finance team and we can make some recommendations on Marine specific insurance providers in our area. sales@buckeyemarine.com

Yes, in our climate it is required to avoid major damage from freezing. At Buckeye, we winterize all makes and models including small outboards, sterndrives, inboards,  and jet engines. See pricing and details for winterization here; Winter Service Rates - 2021 | Buckeye Marine. Book your appointment today service@buckeyemarine.com

The skeg on the bottom of the outdrive protects the propeller, and aids in steering the boat. A bent skeg can cause your boat to steer improperly. A damaged skeg or one in bad condition will affect the water flowing at the propeller and the cavitation will cause your boat to run less efficiently.  

If your boat has an overheat alarm sound and it is safe to do so turn off your motor immediately. Assess for smoke or damage from heat. Be prepared for fire. Check for obstructions on the water intake of the engine. If water intakes are obstructed allow engine to air cool. If there is no fire and it is safe to do so open engine hatch to allow the engine to air cool more quickly. Call for help or a tow and bring your boat into a certified service provider ASAP. 

All boats (besides from jetboats) have a raw water impeller to pump water from the lake into the motor for cooling. Different engines house this impeller in different places but its function remains the same. To draw water from the lake to cool the engine. Raw water impellers are a rubber wear part that has a lifespan. Depending on the engine they should be changed from annually to every 3 years depending on manufacturer specification. Because of their composition runtime has very little bearing on how often the impeller should be changed and an impeller with low hours is actually more susceptible than an engine with high hours as the rubber dries out and cracks. Impellers should be replaced in the spring prior to launch as this is when they are most susceptible to failure. A failure with the impeller typically causes catastrophic engine overheat.  

There are several schools of thought on this topic. It is our recommendation to leave the boat as empty as possible. Modern fuel has a very low shelf life, and all grades contain various additives that are prone to separation. Although part of the winterization process is to add and run fuel preservative to the tank the quality of fuel is so bad that leaving a tank completely full and running spoiled gas through the engine is more likely to cause issue than leaving the tank empty and the tank generating a small amount of condensation. It is our recommendation to leave the tank as empty as possible and add preservative. Then in the spring, fill with the best quality fuel available as well as adding fuel preservative to the new gas to ensure best performance and minimize damage to the engine from bad fuel.

Yes, once a refundable deposit has been placed, we will setup a viewing and water test appointment. We have full time Water Test Captains that will take you out on the water in your new boat before we finalize a sale. This test drive will usually take 1-2 hours and during this time the captain will show you how to operate your new boat, discuss maintenance, manufacturer warranty and go over safety equipment required. If you have more questions about the boat buying process, please reach out to our sales team sales@buckeyemarine.com

Yes, we offer consignment for many makes and models of boats. Please speak with David at finance@buckeyemarine.com to discuss. 

All registrations are done through Transport Canada online. Please visit the following website and follow the instructions https://www.pcl-pep.snbservices.ca/1001/pubweb/default.aspx?lang=en-CA