If you plan to partake in a boat race soon and want to ensure that you perform as well as you can during this event, you should avoid making the following two mistakes.
Not paying attention when refuelling just before the race
One mistake that could have a serious impact on your performance is not paying attention when you refuel your boat a day or two before the race.
If, for example, your boat is powered by diesel fuel and you accidentally refuel with petrol, you could end up causing serious damage to the vessel's engine.
This is because when petrol enters a diesel engine, it functions as a solvent, which dissolves the lubricant that protects the diesel engine's moving parts from the abrasive damage caused by friction. If the engine is turned on after this happens and these parts begin to move, they could end up being severely abraded, and your boat may either perform poorly during the race or it may sustain so much damage that you cannot participate in the event at all.
If you make this error, you may be able to save your engine, provided you take the correct actions. First and foremost, do not, under any circumstances, turn on your boat's engine after making this error, as doing so could destroy the engine.
You should arrange to have the boat towed to the nearest business that provides diesel marine engine services. They will begin the repair process by draining the petrol from the engine, before opening up your boat's engine block and evaluating the damage that has been done to the components housed inside it.
Once this evaluation process is complete, the marine engineer will then attempt to fix any affected parts and, if necessary, replace components that have sustained too much damage.
Provided they have the replacement parts in stock and do not need to order them in, the engineer should be able to resolve the damage caused by the petrol quite quickly and thus ensure that your boat is ready for the race.
Failing to check the condition of your boat's seatbelt before the race
Another mistake that could greatly affect your performance during the boat race is failing to inspect the boat's seatbelt prior to the event.
If, for example, the seatbelt has become frayed and worn, it could potentially snap when you lean against it whilst sitting in the driver's seating during the race.
If this should happen, you could potentially lose your grip on the steering wheel and fall forward. This could not only affect how well you do in the race (as other boats could speed past you whilst you are recovering from this unexpected incident) but could also increase the risk of your boat veering towards another race participant's vessel and causing a serious accident.
As such, it's essential to thoroughly check the condition of your boat's seatbelt before the race and to replace it if it has become too worn.
