A winter boat show is a great way to enjoy a day looking at what’s new in the marine marketplace. While it’s always fun to inspect the latest offerings when you are actively shopping for a new ride or accessories, a lazy stroll down the aisles also reveals no shortage of interesting ideas you can use to upgrade your present boat.

But when making modifications to your boat based on what you have seen on other boats, take note. A wise man told me once that it is best to measure twice and cut once. I have since elaborated on his advice, and my rule is to measure three times before bringing a saw or power driver into the boat and I am glad I do.

Back in the spring, for instance, I wanted to add a new water separator fuel filter to my outboard powered boat in anticipation of the ethanol-laced gasoline that I would be using this season. I was in a rush to get the job done late on a Friday afternoon because I wanted to launch the boat at high tide the following morning.

Now being an optimist, I held the filter bracket against the motorwell to locate a suitable mounting position with nothing but my eyeballs to serve as a guide. Fortunately, a couple of engine cables were in the way. As I tried to move them to better position the bracket, I had an epiphany. If I mounted the filter where I wanted it, I realized there would be a problem with the cables when steering the boat and when I raised the motor out of the water at the end of the day. Removing the filter for routine changes also would be a concern. Taking another look at the situation, I was able to find a better location and saved myself time and aggravation.

I have learned that it is always easier to remove things from a boat than to add them, and rushing into a project is fraught with shoals and extra expense if you are not careful. Some boat owners, for example, are facing the prospect of replacing their boat’s fiberglass fuel tanks because of the solvent properties of the new ethanol gasoline used in some areas of the country. Having new tanks manufactured from aluminum is not a big chore in itself, but the installation of these new units can be troublesome to say the least. Internal fuel tanks are installed early in the build process of the boat long before the deck goes on.

Old tanks can be cut out carefully once the gas has been removed, or in some cases may be retrieved through a hatch with some modifications. I had such an experience years ago, but the tanks contained diesel oil and by cutting along the cockpit centerline we were able to make enough room to hoist the tanks out with a little twisting and turning. Once repaired, the tanks went back in easily because nothing had changed with the original dimensions. I had thought at first it might be wise to build new tanks to increase the capacity but when I studied the fuel lines, fittings and other factors, it would have meant ripping the entire back end of the boat apart. Putting it all together again would have resulted in unforeseen headaches and I quickly reverted to the original tankage. It simply was not worth the potential problems and the added costs.

A friend of mine came back from a boat show with the idea to add a T-top to his center console boat. The difference was his boat was not the same brand as the show boat, which had been designed with increased laminates and backing plates to handle the stress the top would place on the various mounting points.

Since my friend could not add these features to his boat, he reasoned that by lathering on plenty of 3M 5200 adhesive and a bucketful of bolts and lock washers it would have sufficient holding power. I urged him to reconsider this plan because ,despite their relatively light weight, a T-top creates stress where it fastens to the boat and absorbs stress when placed under load, from wind, sea state and other factors.
My friend went ahead with his project, and it was not long before I heard from him again. He wanted to know if I thought reinforcing the console with plywood backing plates would help correct the wobbliness the top imparted to the console when the boat was at cruise speeds. I told him I would stop by and take a look, but when I arrived at his boat I was surprised to find him lining the inside walls of the console with as much wood as he could fit. I also noticed that the mounting plate fasteners screwed into the deck had left sizeable spider webs where they were secured. This was simply a job that never should have been attempted because the boat was not set up for this type of addition when it was built.

Eventually my friend added enough plywood, adhesive and screws and bolts to hold the T-top in place without shaking the console loose, but it is a poor solution to an obvious bad plan. The top as it was installed is going to cause more problems and if the boat is used in rough water some serious damage could result. But it does not end here.

When I went for a ride in the boat with the T-top secured as best as it could be, I became aware of another phenomenon that really irked me. The boat ran fine in its mid-range but at higher speeds it began to porpoise, and adjusting the trim on the outboard did little to correct it. My friend admitted this annoying characteristic only became apparent after the T-top was added. The combination of the deep-V hull and the T-top acting like a sail in the wind had totally changed a nice running boat into a marginal one. I left the boat and my friend with the suggestion of investing in a set of trim tabs but I have not heard from him.
Certainly most boats can be improved with the addition of new equipment. Many boats I see at boat shows, for instance, feature rather poorly done canvas and vinyl enclosures, yet when scanning the price sheet it is obvious these are high-ticket accessories. Badly fitted enclosures wear out quickly because they lack support and cannot handle wind and spray sufficiently, or perhaps employ an over abundance of metal fasteners, which stretch the material out of shape, weakening it. When it is time to replace the enclosure I would recommend using metal or nylon tracking in place of the snaps for a tighter, more precise fit.

Any project you undertake to improve your boat should net those results. So take your time in the planning stages to avoid problems that will only compromise your work. And remember too, it is always best to measure twice so you only have to cut or drill once.