Hot Topic

ENGINE OVERHEATING? THERE ARE SOME TYPICAL AND NOT-SO-TYPICAL CULPRITS.

- Peter Frederiksen

While myriad of circumstances can cause an engine to overheat, it is highly preventable in most cases, starting with ample water drawn into the intakes. Inboard-powered boats typically have grillage guarding the intake passages to preventeel grass and other debris from being sucked in. Problems occur when the grill slits or holes are covered with marine growth or too much bottom paint, as the flow to the water pump can be restricted. This can be further compounded when the intake through-hull fittings serve as home to barnacles, which create more constriction.

If you rely on the yard to bottom paint your boat, insist they remove the screens, clean out the through hulls and dab some paint on the insides. Once marine growth calls these surfaces home, you own it, alive or dead, and it crowds out the water available to your engine and other water-dependent accessories.