CAUTION: Always carry several spare fuel filters. Under normal circumstances you won't need them. But if you do need them it will be at the worst possible time and you will need them desperately! In heavy seas, any accumulation of debris in the bottom of the tank will get stirred up and mixed with the fuel. When you need the engine the most, the filter will become clogged with the debris, the engine will be starved for fuel, and it will die.