Tapes

Marine and Electrical Tapes - Resources & Information

PartsVu offers a complete selection of Marine from leading boating product suppliers to help you boat with peace of mind. Like marine sealants, adhesives, and gasket makers, Marine Tapes serve a number of useful functions for boaters. From sealing exposed surfaces, providing traction on slippery surfaces, preventing leakage of fumes, and more, carrying a variety of Marine Tapes helps create a safer overall boating experience. 

Need help servicing your outboard engine? PartsVu regularly publishes helpful how-to guides and other valuable maintenance information to help boaters service their outboard engines. Browse our outboard maintenance blog for a wide range of relevant topics and see the FAQ section below, covering everything you need to know about maintaining your boat in confidence. 

Marine Tapes FAQ

What should I know about Marine Tapes?

Here’s some info you need to know about Marine Tapes:

• There are plenty of types of marine tape for boats. Here’s the most common:
• Electrical tape: Insulate and seal exposed electrical components.
• Duct tapes: Prevent leakage from duct work and make other surfaces air-tight.
• Masking tape: Used to protect surfaces while painting, waxing, and polishing surfaces.
• Traction tape: Create friction and traction on slippery surfaces
• Rigging tape: Protects against chafing and sharp edges while providing extraordinary safety for sails, lines and rope ends.
• Hatch tape: Non-moisture absorbing, closed-cell foam tape that seals out moisture, weather, sound and fumes..
• Anti-chafe tape: A high performance polyethylene film with a "light tack" adhesive providing a tough, puncture-resistant barrier preventing scratching or chafing, as well as providing a UV protected surface between the shrink wrap and the covered object. 
• Bimini & Boat Cover tapes: Offers excellent tear resistance, strength and outdoor durability to resist breakdown and fading. Its transparent color makes it suitable for repairs on any color material.
• Silicone Self-Fusing tape: An excellent insulating tape that serves as an alternative to heat shrink tubing, resists saltwater corrosion, and is ideal for high temperature applications (-65° F to +500° F).
• Pipe tape: Also known as plumbers tape and teflon tape, this tape is applied to threads to form an air-tight seal to prevent moisture infiltration and leakage of fluids.
• When performing maintenance during regular service intervals, give a visual inspection to any taped surfaces. Many tapes last for years, but exposure to UV rays, high temperatures, and moisture can break these materials down. In most cases, simply applying a fresh layer of tape after removing the old tapes is all that’s needed. In other cases, you may need to remove any leftover material and residue to get down to a fresh surface for maximum bonding.

What outboard engine tools should I have onboard?

Even if you don’t do your own maintenance, all boaters need some basic boat tools in their marine tool kits to help them out of a jam. Of course, if you plan to do your own maintenance or a portion of your own maintenance, you’ll need to be a bit better equipped.

So which boat tools should you have onboard? The following are our recommendations and the reasons behind them. Of course, the tools you should have onboard are significantly dictated by the type of boating you do. As a practical matter, a near-shore, freshwater boater needs fewer tools than an off-shore boater. While a problem close to the shore can be an annoyance, a problem off-shore might be a whole different matter.

• Fuel filter wrench—good idea to have on board if you get enough water or debris in your fuel system that a fuel filter change becomes necessary.
• Adjustable band filter wrench—you may need to change your fuel/water separating filter if you have water in your system or if you got some bad gas at the marina. US marinas nearly always sell high-quality filtered gasoline, but marinas in the Bahamas are notorious for selling contaminated gasoline.
• Prop nut wrench—carrying this wrench only makes sense if you carry a spare prop. Many boaters carry a spare inexpensive aluminum prop in case they spin a hub or bend a blade so severely that it wobbles.
• Deck fill key/deck plate key/spanner wrench—these universal tools are designed to open all types and sizes of deck fill lids and shackles. Many of these tools also include bonus tools like bottle openers. Perfect for a cold one after fishing.
• Toolkit—if you have room on your boat, all-purpose toolkits can come in handy. 
• Pliers—channel lock, standard, and needle nose
• Leatherman–a very helpful all-purpose tool.
• Rigging knife
• Serrated knife—for cutting rope, your all-purpose tool might include a serrated blade.
• Flashlight
• Emergency plug set—in case a leak manifests while you are out on the water.
• Battery booster pack
• Battery terminal cleaner
• Zip ties—because we all know that you can fix almost everything with zip ties and duct tape.
• Duct tape

How do I perform a 100-hour service on my outboard engine?

To ensure proper engine function, it’s always best to service your outboard engine every 100 hours after the initial break-in period (first 10 hours) and after the first maintenance interval (at 20 hours). 

As an example, the following is a Suzuki outboard 100-hour service checklist to help you service your engine properly. Refer to your owner’s manual for your particular engine make and model for an exact list of 100-hour maintenance tasks:

How do I install a trim tab anode on my outboard motor?

Also referred to as trim tab “zincs,” replacing trim tab anodes is a relatively simple repair that can be performed in a manner of minutes. 

1. First, identify where the trim tab anode on your outboard is. It is typically located above the propeller on the anti-cavitation plate.
2. Next, locate and remove the trim tab plug located directly above the trim tab. 
3. In the cavity, you will insert a socket wrench with an extension to access the bolt securing the trim tab.
4. Make a note of the hash marks by the trim tab, which indicates how many degrees they will be offset. Use a piece of masking tape if you have to remember the location so you won’t have to adjust it after installation.
5. Slowly turn the bolt counterclockwise to loosen the trim tab until it loosens.
6. Insert the new trim tab anode. Replacement is the opposite of installation.

That’s the entire process for replacing a trim tab on an outboard motor. Simple!

How do I protect the exterior of my outboard motor?

For the exterior of your Outboard Engine, coat these surfaces with anti-corrosion products like Corrosion Guard. This rust inhibitor forms a water-resistant barrier on both painted and unpainted surfaces. We recommend using it at every service interval with a liberal application to all metal engine surfaces. You can also use it on outdrives, lower units, and power trim motors.

The marine environment is one of the harshest on the planet. This is why protecting your boat from corrosion is extremely important. For premium defense against rust, we highly recommend this product.

Also, PartsVu carries a wide selection of Marine Spray Paint. The durable enamel coating of these spray paint products, in factory-matched colors, provide excellent coverage against the elements - everything you need to restore or customize your cowling cover.

As is the case with any painting task, surface preparation is very important. Note that paint may fade over time on an outboard motor exposed to the elements over time, so the factory-fresh color supplied in this can may not match older paint exactly. Therefore, the application area may need to be larger to provide for proper blending of the color.

How do I take care of my outboard engine’s exterior? 

PartsVu offers a wide array of polish and sealant products that will restore a lustrous shine to paint, chrome, glass, and smooth plastics like visors, engine cowlings, windshields, and gauges. For your Outboard Cowling and Casing Assemblies, you can expect to repel dust and dirt to keep a long-lasting, ship-shape shine. 

Additionally, boaters can use products like Yamalube External Engine Cleaner, a powerful engine degreaser and engine cleaner, to remove grease, mud, and grime. It is safe for use on most rubber, plastic, and painted metal surfaces.