TROUBLESHOOTING defective outboard engines and administering first-hand maintenance is now made easier for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF)’s Coast Guard, as 15 officers have been trained and certified in outboard motor maintenance.
An outboard motor is defined as a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method of propelling small watercraft.

Should any of those engines, belonging to the Coast Guard, become defective, it is anticipated that the loss time would not be long since the 15 officers, who were drawn from various units within the Coast Guard, have graduated from a specialised, six-week outboard motor maintenance course (OMMC).
Among the batch of graduates were best graduating student, Able Rating (AR) Delroy Hinds; runner-up student, AR Allison Benjamin; and AR Jadon Correia, who copped the best operator award.
Acting Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard, Lieutenant Commander David Shamsudeen, in his address to the graduates, urged them to be responsible with the force’s assets.

“I challenge you to own these cherished assets that will be placed in your care. Treat them like they belong to you,” he said.
He said too while general safety is of utmost importance, safety at sea is even more important.
The objective of the six-week course was to equip the students with the requisite skills to safely and competently navigate any outboard vessel in any condition, and be able to effectively troubleshoot and administer first-hand maintenance to an outboard engine.
The Course was conducted at the Coast Guard Headquarters, Coast Guard Ship Hinds, and at the Training Division of the Coast Guard.