I Learnt the Hard Way: Why I Never Leave My Outboard Uncovered Anymore

I will be straight with you. I was one of those blokes who thought outboard covers were a bit unnecessary. Flush the motor after every session, check the oil, keep the fuel fresh - I did all of that. But a cover? The motor is built tough, it lives outside, it handles the water. What is a bit of sun going to do?

Turns out, quite a lot.

About two summers ago I started noticing the cowling on my 200hp Suzuki was looking a bit rough. Faded in patches, a couple of small cracks starting to form along the edges. I figured it was just cosmetic - a bit of wear and tear, nothing to worry about. Then one afternoon I went to flush it after a session off the Sunshine Coast and noticed one of the rubber seals around the lower cowling had started to dry out and pull away. Still functional, but not far off causing a real problem.

Took it into the shop and the bloke behind the counter took one look at it and asked me the same question I should have been asking myself for years.

"Do you keep it covered when it is parked up?"

I did not. And the sun had been quietly getting stuck into it every single day.

What actually happens when you leave it exposed

Here is the thing nobody really talks about until something goes wrong. UV radiation in Australia is brutal - genuinely some of the most intense in the world. And it does not just fade the paintwork. It breaks down plastics, dries out rubber seals and gaskets, degrades the gel coat and works away at anything that is not designed to sit in direct sun indefinitely.

For an outboard motor that is parked up in a driveway or on the side of the house between sessions, that means it is copping full sun for days, weeks, sometimes months at a stretch. Day after day the UV is doing its thing, even when you are not thinking about it.

Add salt air into the mix - and most of us who fish are living or launching somewhere near the coast - and you have got a combination that accelerates the whole process. UV weakens the surface, salt finds the gaps, moisture follows. What starts as a cosmetic issue can turn into seal failures, electrical problems and corrosion if you leave it long enough.

My situation was still early enough to sort out without a massive bill. Some blokes are not that lucky.

The moment I actually changed my habits

That was the wake up call I needed. I went home, had a look at the motor properly for the first time in a while and realised just how much the sun had taken out of it in a relatively short time. The motor had maybe 120 hours on it. It should have looked a lot better than it did.

I picked up an outboard motor cover that same week. Honestly I felt a bit embarrassed it had taken me that long.

First time I used it I remember thinking it was going to be one of those things I did for a few weeks and then got lazy about. But it takes about 30 seconds to put on after I rinse down and park up. Thirty seconds. It just became part of the routine - flush, wipe down, cover on - same as locking the car when you get home. You stop thinking about it pretty quickly.

That was two summers ago. The motor looks noticeably better than it did before I started. No new cracking, the seals are in good shape and the cowling has held its colour a lot better than I expected given the condition it was heading toward.

What I picked up from Fishing Superstore

I grabbed an outboard motor cover from Fishing Superstore and have not looked back since. They stock a range to suit motors from 6hp right through to 225hp so finding the right fit for my 200hp Suzuki was straightforward. Whether you are running a small tinnie motor or a bigger offshore setup, they have got something that works.

A few things worth checking when you pick yours:

• Fit - make sure it is sized for your motor's HP range. A cover built for a 40hp is not going to sit right on a 150hp
• UV resistant material - the cover itself needs to handle prolonged sun exposure or it will break down before the motor does
• Breathability - block the UV and weather but still allow enough airflow so moisture does not build up underneath
• Easy to use - if it is a pain to put on you will find reasons not to bother. The best cover is the one you actually use every time

It is one of the cheapest forms of insurance you can buy

I think about it this way now. A quality outboard motor cover costs a fraction of what even a minor seal repair costs, let alone anything more serious. For something that takes 30 seconds to put on and comes off just as quickly, the return on investment is pretty hard to argue with.

The sun is not going to go easy on your gear just because you have looked after it in every other way. A cover is the last line of defence between your motor and the one thing you genuinely cannot control.

I wish someone had told me that a bit sooner. Hopefully this saves at least one of you the same lesson I had to learn the slightly more expensive way.

Look after your gear out there.