How-To Guides about Boats & Watercraft

Have a lot of left over rope that you don't need? Looking for an easier way to store your extension cables and the like without getting them all tangled up? Then learn how to make a sailor's chain! This great video shows you the basic steps that you'll take to creating an endless set of slip knots that'll keep your wires, cables and ropes all tidy without.

In this tutorial, we learn how to tie an Alpine Coil knot. When you start your coil you want the starting end to be inside your hand. First, take the working end of your rope on your last coil and make a loop in your rope. Then, wrap a couple of turns around the rope and lock it into place. Once you've made a couple of turns, the working end will go into the loop. To secure, go over to the end from the loop and give it a tug, which will lock the working end into the rope and make a nice way to...

In this video, we learn how to tie the basic knot design of a cargo net. First, tie a double overhand knot on a rope bent into two. After this, make cow hitching on the first loop that you created. Next, make a second double overhand knot followed by cow hitching the second loop. After you do this, you will be able to size up for use! To make this, you must have some prior knowledge of how to tie different knots. If you don't, you won't know how to make the shapes. Use a picture as a reference...

Radio communication is one of the oldest and most effective means of communication via technology, so it's no wonder it's still a popular way to send and receiver signals, especially on the water. Having a Marine radio can be critical when operating a boat on any type of water. There are many uses for a Marine radio, but the most important is to send a distress signal — here's how to do it.

In this Outdoor Recreation video tutorial you will learn how to winterizing your boat engine block. For this you will need some screwdrivers, compressed air and a flexible hose if you have a hot water heater system on the boat. First you got to drain out all the water inside the engine. Remove the two plugs from the block and one plug from the sea pot as shown in the video and drain out all the water. Be careful and don't drop the seals while removing the plugs from the engine. While the water...

Eddie shows us how to remove a boat from the water in this video tutorial. First, take down the canvases and wrap them up. Now, put the antennas down and drive the boat to the loading dock. Next you will need a large truck that has a hitch and trailer attached to it, and secure everything so the boat stays on and doesn't come off of the trailer. Take the drain plug out of the boat before you transport it, to make it lighter. Transport the boat to your house, and place bricks over the front so...

It seems that maintaining the steering system on your boat is a pretty important task. Not only does it make sure your boat is running smoothly and effeciently, but will also make sure that you don't face certain doom. So in this tutorial, find out exactly how to maintain your mechanical steering system on your boat. You'll thank yourself and so will your boat. Enjoy!

If you're looking to replace or just add cables to your steering this video tutorial is just what you need. You'll find out how to install Teleflex QC II steering cables on your boat in no time at all. Just pay attention to the video, take any notes, and good luck!

Nothing is more frustrating that finding yourself out on the open sea and having to manuever around a bunch of stuff lying around in your boat. Not only can it be hazerdous, but also very annoying. So what do you do? Install a storage bag or course! In this tutorial, you;ll find out how to easily install a CE Smith t-top storage bag on your boat in little to no time. Now all your stuff can be easily put away and easily accessible. Enjoy!

When out on the ocean, it's always a smart move to make sure your electronics are close by and easily accessible. The best way to do so is by having it located at the t-top tower of your boat. So this tutorial will show you how to install a CE Smith electronics box on the t-top of your boat. It's easy to do and will have your equipment ready in no time. Enjoy!

This Butterfly knot will accommodate a load in any direction, and is used mostly in outdoor and boating situations, but also could be used as a paddling knot. It's used for securing a loop or many loops in the middle of a rope. Great for mountain climbing and canoeing.

Half-hitches are great knots, but only when use in combination with other knots. By itself, a half-hitch is unsafe and unreliable, but when joined with other knots, can be quite the opposite. Tying two half hitch knots together is great for attaching a rope or line to any object. The half hitch and double half hitch are used throughout specialities, most notably as a boating knot, outdoor knot, and paddling knot.

You can make your own canopy for your boat and save hundreds of dollars from the store bought ones. You'll need 1 inch pvc pipe, some nuts and bolts and you're set. You'll set you're canopy off of some swivel brackets that secure on the pvc pipe with 2 inch screws. This video will show you how to rig everything and you'll be sitting in the shade in no time.

How to change the outdrive gear fluid on your boat. Eddie first want you to get the proper tools for this project which include a flat screw driver, hammer, a slap hammer, the right fluid for your boat ( this can be found in the owner's manual), and pump to pump the fluid to the vent. Locate the drain in the motor and loosen it up with the slap hammer especially if it's tough to loosen. There is a seal that should be retained because it is very important. To speed up the fluid drainage you...

In this Outdoor Recreation video tutorial you will learn how to pump out the waste on your boat for winter. This video is from LIBoatersClub. Take your boat to the waste disposal area and secure it. Remove the cap from the waste tank. Be careful not to drop the cap. Operating the waste disposal unit ashore is very easy. Just switch on the pump, take in some water in to the hose and then attach the hose to the out let on your boat. Hold it tight and open the valve. It will suck out all the waste...

Eddie from the Long Island Boaters Club shows in four easy steps how to prepare the engine of your boat for the winter. He discusses the three items needed for proper preparation and makes product suggestions. Then he takes us through the procedure. He starts by pouring an additive to the oil tank and a stabilizer to the fuel tank. Eddie shows us how to attach a hose to the water jacket to flush salt water. He runs the engine for ten minutes. At the end of that period, he demonstrates how to...

ITS tactical is going to show you how to make a handcuff knot, which is usually used to restrain things. To make this loop you want to make 2 loops, the first being an overhand loop, while the second is an underhand loop. Once you make the loops you want to stack them and then reach inside and grab one side of each loop with the opposite hand and pull the loop through, which if done correctly should create a loop on the right and left. By creating that type of knot it can be used on game if...

This video is some real basic stuff about boat tying and anchoring. Watch to see the right way to tie and anchor your boat.

Learn how to tie a Tarbuck Knot - a handy hitch for attaching a line to a ring, post, or other fixed object. This is a fine knot for camping, climbing, sailing or Boy Scout training.

Learn how to tie a Surgeon's Knot - Symmetrical, Asymmetrical, and slipped - A knot similar to the reef knot but holds better on small round ropes (shoelaces!) then the reef knot and so I use it for tying my shoes. This is a fine knot for camping, climbing, sailing or Boy Scout training.

Learn how to tie a Heaving Line or Franciscan Monk's Knot - a practical and decorative knot used to add weight to the end of a heaving line, or to finish a Monk's belt rope ends. This is a fine knot for camping, climbing, sailing or Boy Scout training.

Learn how to tie a Tautline Hitch - a good gripping hitch that is quick to tie and resists sliding when the pull is parallel to the object to which it is tied. It is quite similar to the Rolling Hitch. This is a fine knot for camping, climbing, sailing or Boy Scout training.

Learn how to tie a Cat's Paw - a handy way of forming a loop in a bight of rope to attach to a hook or other object. This is a fine knot for camping, climbing, sailing or Boy Scout training.

Learn how to tie a Spanish Bowline - a good way of tying a bowline with two loops. This is a fine knot for camping, climbing, sailing or Boy Scout training.

Learn how to tie a Tack Knot - a secure way of attaching a rope to a fixed object such that it won't come undone even if shaken and flogged. This is a fine knot for camping, climbing, sailing or Boy Scout training.

Learn how to tie a Poldo Tackle - A clever arrangement using two interconnected bowlines to form a stable tackle.

Learn how to tie a Sheepshank using a Tom Fool's Knot as a base - This is a quick and stable means of tying a sheepshank knot. This is a fine knot for camping, climbing, sailing or Boy Scout training.

Learn how to tie a Klemheist Hitch - This is a gripping knot made using a loop of small diameter rope applied to the main line or object. It greatly resists slipping when the pull is parallel to the main line. This is a good knot for sailing, boating, general outdoors and even bondage.

Learn how to tie an Artillery Hitch or loop - A secure way of forming a loop in the standing part of a rope so that the loop lies perpendicular to the line. This is a good knot for sailing, boating, general outdoors and even bondage.

Learn how to tie a Constrictor Hitch - a great knot for tying a binding or bundle. It holds incredibly tightly and can be slipped for easy untying. This is a good knot for sailing, boating, general outdoors and even bondage.

Learn how to tie a Round Turn and Two Half Hitches - a quick and secure way of attaching a rope to a railing or other fixed object. This is a good knot for sailing, boating, general outdoors and even bondage.

Learn how to tie a Turk's Head Knot - a decorative knot used to cover a cylindrical object, or it can be worked into a tight ball or sphere. This is a good knot for sailing, boating, general outdoors and even bondage.

Learn how to tie an Anchor Hitch (also known as a Bucket Hitch) - A very secure means of attaching a rope to an anchor or any other object that you can't afford to loose (like a bucket down a well, I suppose - thus the alternate name). I actually do use this hitch for temporary anchor attachment (preferring to permanently splice instead) as well as for my bucket lanyards when washing down my boat's deck.

Learn how to tie a Blood Knot - Used in sailing as a somewhat decorative stopper knot or on the business end of a Cat 'O Nine Tails (hence the Blood Knot's name). This knot can be used in sailing, boating, general use, camping and bondage.

Learn how to tie a variation on an Icicle Hitch - This version can easily be tied in the middle portion of the fixed object with no need to pass a bight over the end. The Icicle Hitch is a knot with far greater holding power than a Rolling Hitch, used to secure a rope to a railing, pole, or another rope where the direction of pull is along the length of the fixed object. This knot greatly resists sliding and slipping. This knot can be used in sailing, boating, general use, camping and...

How to tie a Grass Bend - A good knot for joining together two ropes made of stiff material - seat belt webbing, for example. This knot can be used in sailing, boating, general use, camping and bondage.