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The sun is setting and your day on the water is coming to an end. You head back to the launch but on the way you come across a boater who is dead in the water. Soon it will be dark and you aren't just going to leave them there stranded to hopehully contact a freind of tow service. The conditions aren't bad, in fact they are fairly calm so you decide to head over. After assessing the situation you decide that helping the other boater is not going to put you or your crew in any danger. Now that you plan on helping the fellow boater out, here are some things to think about while doing your duty as good samaritan.

Our goal at Vans Sport Center is to get you the exact outboard motor you want and at a great price. But with so many different options avaliblie across a number of major manuafacuters, deciding which one to go with can get a little frustrating. Having to look at each manufacturer one by one, sifting through all of their models, and comparing their pricing. Your looking at 5 or 6 different seaches to compare each major manufacturer for a single horsepower. Which means a lot of surfing and screen time to come to a conclusion. Thats why we updated our website so that you can easily browse and compare all of your potential options in one convenient spot.

You have been tossing around the idea of repowering your trusty boat for some time but the same question keeps popping up. Two or four? Which is a good question to have for a number of reasons. But to get to the answer of that question, you should first know the difference between the two motors. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. Once you have a good understanding of them, it really comes down to what motor is the best for your application of use.

If you ask any one of our mechanics here at Vans Sport Center what motor issues they see the most, they will tell you that the majority of service work they have to do on outboards now a days is fuel related. Which right there should tell you that making sure you have good fuel is one of the most important and preventive things you can do. The biggest problem with gas right now is the ethonal that is in it. The other major issue is letting it sit around and go bad. Gas can go bad over time due to water getting in the tank, oxygen, light, and the summer heat. This article will talk about some of the preventive measures you can take to avoid problems related to bad gas.

So your looking to replace your propeller. Maybe you busted it up on some rocks when you were a little too shallow or you feel your a little over pitched for your payload. For what ever reason, your in the market for a new one. But what pitch propeller should you get and what exactly does the pitch of a propeller do to the performace of the motor? I'll tell you.

With all of the public inland lakes in Michigan, you can go just about anywhere in the state and enjoy a great day of fishing. Whether your targeting panfish, walleye, pike, or bass, there is probably a lake nearby that holds those fish. But for someone who may not know many of our lakes or only goes a few times a year, they might have trouble locating the best lake for what they are trying to fish. I mean you can go anywhere and catch fish, but some lakes are way better than others for fishing certain species. Now Im not going to give any of my honey holes away, but I will tell you about some quality inland lakes here in Michigan that have public access. Hopefully this article will give some insight on new lakes for you to check out and what species are most targeted in those waters.

I've been an avid fisherman for most of my life, which means I have spent my fair share of time around boats. Being around boats for so long, sometimes I forget that other people may not have had as much practice or know the same tips and tricks I have acumulated over the years. Which is when it can be frustrating for me at times, watching someone struggle or have no clue what they are doing at the ramp or out on the water. That is exactly what I ran into yesterday at the launch as I was trying to load my boat for my weekly Tuesday night bass fishing league. So today when I got to work I thought I would write on the blog and share some boat launching tips in hopes that it will help some novice boater out.

Trim is all about changing the propeller shaft's angle in relation to the boat. If your prop shaft is parallel to the surface of the water then the trim is at zero or a nuetral position. If it is trimmed all the way down and bottomed out, the prop shaft will be angled down away from the surface of the water. Trim it up from the neutral position the prop shaft will be angled up towards the surface of the water. This will create the opposite effect as if it were all the way down. But what exactly is the trim doing to the performance and speed of your boat in these positions?