This morning was my annual change the oil day, which occurs around the first week of June. It began when we purchased our first home in 1992. Back then all I had was a gas powered lawn mower, and now it includes the snow blower and the little Honda outboard. This year I also changed the lower unit oil which is good for a couple of seasons. Not really exciting or strictly sailing related, but I recently had a discussion with a friend about boat maintenance and it reminded me that I should change the oil. My friend has a large power boat with an equally large outboard engine and large expenses.
Apparently he had to replace his old engine (about 15 years old) due to corrosion issues (water intake?) and it would coast him a small fortune to fix. He said he did flush it with fresh water after every use but the parts corroded anyway and replacement was not cost effective. I think he also wanted a bigger engine than the one he had (new one is 200 HP). It seems so funny that sailors get around with their tiny (relatively) little engines. And with the popularity of foiling, some sailboat designs are reaching speeds once the sole domain of power boats.