Boat motors are a primary concern in your business. They keep your recreational fleet on the move, or get your fishing customers out on the water, or help your tour business stay on schedule. In short, you need a fast and easy way to ensure your marine engines supplies are adequate and in good working order.
Whether you're buying brand new marine motors or servicing the engines you already have, there are many options available to you. Know what resources you can take advantage of and the range of choices you have in the following factors:
1. Select boat motors to handle the workload demands of your fleet.
2. Locate professional service facilities for repairs.
3. Consider in-house repair or replacement of broken engine parts.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Outfit your boats with the right marine engines
The boats in your business require specific types of engines. Smaller fishing or recreational vessels owned by a rental business would use outboard motors or stern drives, whereas a small touring or shipping business could have mid-sized boats that would need larger, heavier marine engines. In some cases, consider marine diesel engines, which will provide more power for carrying groups of tourists or product shipments.
I recommend: Mercury Marine is a marine engine manufacturer with a line of jet drives for recreational and sporting boats. Check out options for diesel marine engines at
Perkins Sabre, or view a wide variety of outboard motors at
iboats.com.
Doug Russell Marine also sells various types of marine engines, including both inboard and outboard engines.
Repair your marine motors for a fraction of the cost of new engines
Save your business money by servicing your boat engines rather than replacing them. If your engines are getting old or not working in optimum condition, you can look into the feasibility of repairing them for much less than it would cost to purchase brand new engines, especially if you require numerous motors.
I recommend: Check
Thomasnet, where you can search for boat engine repair services by state. You'll find services like those at
Hughes Power Systems, where you can notify experts of your specific marine engine problem online.
Perform your own repairs with help from marine engine parts dealers
If you're handy with engine work, you can save a lot of money by doing repairs on your own motors. Many engine problems result from a simple broken or faulty part. Ordering the parts you need and installing them on your own is a much cheaper alternative to buying brand new engines or sending them to a repair center.
I recommend: Find the engine parts you need at
MarineEngine.com or
Lighthouse Marine Supply. Also, order an engine manual for your motors at
Go2Marine for more help with repair work.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Look for used marine engines in good working order; they'll be far cheaper than new ones. Also keep in mind your own older engines that don't work or are outdated; you can salvage parts from used marine engines to replace the faulty parts on newer motors that otherwise work fine. If you're knowledgeable about the engines, this might be a cheaper solution.
- Keep local and state emissions laws in mind when shopping for boat engines. Some engines may not conform to laws in your area, so make sure your engines do and avoid penalties and costly re-outfitting.
The official source of Marine Engines is the Marine Engines page at Business.com
Featured Vendors
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