Key Largo Outboard Motor Repair

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OUTBOARD MOTOR REPAIR IN KEY LARGO, FLORIDA

SELECTING AN OUTBOARD MOTOR MECHANIC IN KEY LARGO

Key Largo, Florida has unlimited boating opportunities, and you want to make sure you can take advantage of them each time you are ready to enjoy this fantastic area. Could anything be more disappointing than planning a trip on a gorgeous sunny day to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park only to discover your outboard motor has quit running? Watching other people put their boats in the water or pull away from a marina dock is nobody’s idea of fun. Despite being small, Key Largo, FL has plenty of marinas with an on-location outboard motor mechanic, plus there are numerous outboard motor repair businesses in Key Largo or a nearby locale like Tavernier. Since not all marine mechanics are equal in terms of experience and skills, how do you select an outboard motor mechanic in Key Largo that is right for you?

  • Check with your friends who are fellow boaters. Anyone happy with a marine mechanic will be just as happy to give a recommendation. Be sure to explain your specific needs. For example, do you need an outboard motor repair business that will travel to your boat? It makes a difference because not every business offers that type of service.

  • Check an online resource like Mariner Exchange and do some comparison shopping. You can find the names of marinas and repair businesses in Key Largo and other close locations, like Tavernier and Islamorada. You can also do a Google search, of course, but having a listing on the same webpage is convenient and saves a lot of search time.

  • Determine if you might need other services besides outboard motor repair or maintenance. For example, you might want to find a business that will check your boat from stem to stern, in addition to performing outboard motor repairs, maintenance, and winterization tasks.

  • Ask the marine repair business some questions. Are the mechanics factory-certified to work on your outboard motor model? Are they certified by the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC)? What is the average wait time for an appointment? What are the rates for standard outboard motor maintenance and winterization? This is just a sample of the types of questions to ask. Too many people use the first business they can find without doing some research only to discover they should have spent more time doing research.

WHEN TO HAVE YOUR OUTBOARD MOTOR SERVICED

Passing the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge towards the Overseas Highway means you are nearly in Key Largo. If you followed the service schedule in the owner’s manual, you are also well on your way to ensuring your boating trip around Grecian Rocks, the Blackwater Sound, or the Buttonwood Sound is going to be very enjoyable and free of outboard motor problems.

A typical maintenance schedule is having a marine mechanic do maintenance on the outboard motor every 100 hours of use. If the outboard engine is new, the first maintenance routine is done after 20 hours of use. You can winterize your boat if you are not going to use it for long periods of time, even though Florida has great weather year-round. This would be a precaution to make sure your outboard motor is well-protected from the elements when you let the boat sit for a while. Even if you decide not to winterize your outboard motor because you use it 12 months out of the year, it is important to have a marine mechanic check your engine annually for saltwater-induced corrosion and other issues. The mechanic has an experienced eye and can detect developing issues that you may not recognize.

The truth is that Key Largo, FL boating fun depends on the quality and timeliness of outboard motor maintenance.