How-to: Maintenance

Last night I spent a little time looking over my latest book Advanced Marine Electrics and Electronics Troubleshooting and one of the photos reminded me of a funny time I had on a sailing trip near Annapolis, Maryland. We were cruising down the bay when suddenly all of our instruments that were linked to the GPS decided they weren't going to tell us anything. Blank, caput, nada. So, as is my nature, I immediately began thinking about why. We had a strong signal with lots of satellite coverage when we started, only about 30 minutes prior to this moment. It had to be something stupid that had caused this. Well it surely was, and it could happen to you if your electronics installer was thinking like the person who had done the install on the boat we were sailing. My first reaction was to look for the GPS antenna, you know they like a clear view of the sky above. I didn't see the antenna on this boat. Why? Because one of our crew members was sitting on it. I don't blame the crew member for this, I blame the installer of the GPS for not thinking about the ergonomics of the cockpit on this boat, something I've written about before in earlier posts on this site. The picture below tells the whole story here. The picture above is from a different boat, but it tells the story just fine. That circular disk to the left of the winch is the GPS antenna. Its definately located in an area where someone might just drop their butt from time to time. Or maybe smack it inadvertently with a winch handle, or perhaps get the jib sheet wrapped around it on a fast tack when releasing the sheet. At least in that case the sheet might tear the antenna off the deck and get it out of the way as the sheet runs......... Electronics installers of the world...stop putting these antennas where they are vulnerable to the day to day activity on the boat, and if you have any questions about what actually happens when a boat is underway, you know how to reach me. …Read More

One of the tasks I've enjoyed over the last few years is my role as a judge for Cruising World Magazine's Boat Of The Year contest. A lot of folks not familiar with how CW conducts this contest think that its just a bunch of us going out sailing for the week and deciding which boat we liked the best. Well it is that, but a lot more. We actually dig into the boats that enter the contest, I mean really dig. My role as a systems and Standards compliance specialist gets me right into the guts of the boats that enter, every nook and cranny. What am I looking for you might ask? Details, details, thats my job. I thought I'd share with you one of my pet peeves today so you can check your boat closely this spring, before it bites you................ In the photo below you will see someting that is unfortunately turning into a bit of a trend with some builders, and my hope here is that someone will point out my disdain for this technique with a builder of their choice. What you are looking at in the center of the photo are the back side of the boat's shore power inlet receptacles. What are they held into the boat with? Self-tapping screws and I would add, self-tapping screws that are way too long for the job at hand. First of all, self-tapping screws are a lousy choice for this job. A properly sized threaded machine screw with a flat washer, lock washer and nut would be the proper way to secure these inlet receptacles. But hey, that would take more time and add cost to the boat right? Exactly, which is why this trend to self-tappers, they're quick and easy and will indeed hold things in place, at least until the warranty on the boat runs out...... But lets move beyond the mere quality side of this issue into the safety side. In the photo above I didn't actually crawl too deeply into the boat. These sharply pointed screws where just sitting there in a cockpit locker just waiting for you to reach in to grab a dock line and bite the back of your hand, sure to draw blood. Depending on the boat, I find these exposed screws all over the place just waiting to bite you or leave a nice tear in that new spinnaker you just spent a gazzillion dollars on. You've got two choices here. The easy way around this is to acquire some plastic or rubber tubing that will fit snuggly over the screw and cut a length just a little bit longer than the exposed screw threads. Slide it over the screw leaving the excess length of tubing to protect the point of the screw from coming in contact with your body or your new sail. This I must emphasize, is NOT my recommendation for a proper repair, but at least you will have prevented your boat from biting you while you're still making payments on it. The best bet is a bit labor intensive. Carefully inspect all the nooks and crannies of your boat and one by one, replace these self-tappers with properly sized machine screws, washers and your choice of nylock nuts or lock washers and regular nuts. In all cases, if the screw is too long for the job, resize it so you don't have all of the excess as shown in the photo above. Don't let your boat bite you! …Read More

I'm still poring over all of the new information I received while attending the Miami Boat Show several weeks ago. One thing that caught my eye on the electronics end is Fusion's new MS-RA200 marine stereo radio. It caught my attention because unlike many stereo radios installed on boats, this one has some truly marine useful features. The face of the unit is shown here: What makes this radio so much better than most others? Well it takes care of multiple boat related issues. First of all it is IP rated to IP65, which means it'll withstand a direct hit with the hose when you're washing down the boat and it's impervious to dust. Beyond that, its got a high output with four channel 50W capability that'll keep the tunes coming over engine noise. Perhaps more important though is that the radio can also receive marine VHF and weather broadcasts, so again, you can listen for important VHF broadcasts over the noise of the boat, a common complaint with a lot of us (not being able to hear important broadcasts while underway). The unit is SIRIUS satellite ready and is completely compatible with MP 3 tracks stored on a jump drive via its USB port. Its APPLE ready and can play all your iPod tunes via an optional MS-IPDock that is also waterproof. Even better, if you have an iPhone, the radio will automatically mute audio and play the phone's ring tone when you get an incoming call. It'll automatically go back to the tunes when you complete your call. Does it have a CD player? Nope, and who needs one anyway now that MP-3 and iPods have taken over the world of music. The unit sells for $169.95 and will be available next month according to Fusion. I want one for my center console. This radio was made with my boat in mind!       …Read More

Yesterday’s news of the new Kadey-Krogen 52′ — which was made sort of under the public radar — at last month’s Trawler Fest in Fort Lauderdale, reminded me of just one more benefit of these events. If you’ve never been to a Trawler Fest, which are owned and operated by Passagemaker Magazine, and you’re thinking [...] …Read More

I'm not talking about foul weather boots or your car being illegally parked, or your computer running here, I'm talking about some very important electrical terminals on your engine. In the photo above we see a classic and potentially dangerous situation. The white, high output alternator positive terminal in the center of the photo has no protective rubber boot on it. Even worse, and a little harder to see is the starter motor positive terminal shown to the right of it (partially obscured by the black rubber hose) with no boot on it.  Most boaters don't realize that the starter motor on their boat is the ONLY electrical circuit on their boat that is not required by the ABYC to have an over-current protection device (fuse or circuit breaker) installed in it. Most alternators won't have one anywhere near the device either. We've had cases where underway in rough seas a tool box has inadvertently opened up and allowed a wrench or screw driver to bounce around in the engine space on the boat. If one of these or any metal object comes in contact with one of these unbooted terminals and also comes in contact with any other part of the engine sparks are going to fly! I'm talking about what we call a dead short circuit here, one where a heavy current will flow that can easily start a fire on board. In the case of the alternator, a fuse will probably blow shutting the short circuit off. But, in the case of the starter motor circuit, you'll have to wait until the heavy cable supplying the starter motor burns up before you can count on the circuit shutting down. Odds are it'll burn long enough to ignite something else in the area of the cable. As part of your spring check-ups get these terminals booted! The boots are available at the electrical department of West Marine or any good ships store and are really cheap insurance. …Read More

Selene Annapolis Charter has teamed up with the Sea Sense Powerboating School to offer the Selene 47 Holiday for charter and/or instructional charter on the Chesapeake Bay in 2010. Charters are a five-day, four-night on-board comprehensive experience. Sea Sense will provide a structured course covering boat systems, operation, course plotting and navigation, boat handling, docking, and [...] …Read More

Today I took a short stroll through the boat yard and snapped the photo of a trim tab you see below. It made me think back to an article I posted here back in December entitled Rust Never Sleeps. That article turns out to be one of the most popular I've written since I started blogging last year. Looking at the trim tab below made me think of another area of maintenance you need to think about as spring approaches, and it ties in directly to that original post.  The concern here is the matter of crevice corrosion common to stainless steel. I explained that phenomena in the December article so check out my archives to learn about that specifically. So to begin, let me start out with a true story that I hope will drive my point home. Several years ago I received a call from a boat builder that I had recently done some training for with the ABYC. It seems they had a rather interesting problem that nobody could figure out. Several of their boats, equipped similarly to the one shown above, had been motoring along when suddenly the trim tabs came flying off the back of the boats. So the question was why? Since I had been to the factory a short time before the call I remembered watching the folks on the production line actually installing the trim tabs on a boat and remembered quite specifically what I had seen. This all made answering the builder's question that much easier. The fasteners, which are nothing more than # 8 or 10 self-tapping screws had not been properly sealed when they were installed. This allows water to seep in around the screw head and is the beginning of crevice corrosion to the screw. Eventually the heads of the screws corrode off and the trim tab pulls away from the back of the boat's transom. In the photo above you can see lots of sealer all around the hinge and oozing out around the screw heads holding the hinge to the transom, so originally things were done correctly. But a closer look shows that some of the sealer is breaking away, and the screw to the far right on the hinge is actually beginning to seep some rust, a sure sign that crevice corrosion is setting in. On the boat above, part of the spring maintenance procedure should be to remove the tabs, clean up the old sealer and rebed the screws, replacing them as needed. This is something that nobody does until something breaks, just like with my boat builder. The installers were putting a tiny dab of sealer on the screws and driving them into the transom. No sealer was oozing out from around the heads of the screws. Crevice corrosion got em.... I should also point out here that the long term problems can go way beyond a few broken screws. The screws I'm talking about thread directly into the boat's transom laminate, which is most often cored with either wood or in some cases foam. Not totally sealing them will allow water to eventually work its way into the laminate. Now add a few years of freezing and thawing cycles to this moisture and you will eventually have rot on the inside of the laminate...you get the idea. So, this is an area where more sealer (3M 5200 works great here) is a good thing. Make sure that all of the fasteners have fresh sealer oozing out around the screw heads and leave it to cure. It may look a little messy, but don't forget, all of this gear is underwater anyhow once the boat gets launched so nobody is going to see it. …Read More

As I cruised through the Miami Boat Show last week I spent a lot of time looking at very fine details on a lot of boats. One of the thoughts that always enters my mind when I look at steering systems in particular is what might happen if what we in engineering circles call a single point failure were to occur on a high speed boat's steering system. You get the idea, blasting through the water at 50 mph and suddenly the steering lets go. The steering system on your boat is one of the few areas where a single point failure could occur, and it could have some pretty wild results. Prevention is easy, but you need to be aware of a basic fact about "Nylock" nuts used to hold the steering system of your boat together. In the photo below you can see four of these nuts in place. What you're looking at is a steering link between two large outboard engines and the ends of the two hydraulic rams that control the steering and synchronization of the two engines as they turn from side to side. In this case, particularly with the steering link, if the nylock nut were to rattle off at high speed and the bolt the nut was holding place were to rattle out of place you might end up in a situation where the two engines are pointing in different directions! I don't think I need to elaborate on what that might be like at 50 mph. The point here is two-fold. Remember that nylock nuts are only intended for use ONE time. Secondly, always look carefully at them to make sure the bolt threads actually protrude all the way through the nut and the nylon ring that acts as the locking device. Often, the bolt isn't quite long enough to achieve this and that means there is actually no protection against the nut backing off the threads. Details, details, but these are the sorts of things guys like me are trained to look at. Just passing this on, and yes I did find several brand new boats where the locking section of these nylock nuts were not engaged due to the use of bolts that were too short! …Read More

Of all the engines I looked at while at the Miami Boat Show, Yamaha really stood out front this year. They've introduced not one, not two but thirteen new outboards for the 2010 model year and I must say they have really done some amazing things with this new product line. Yamaha has managed to hit all the hot buttons with this new line of engines. Better acceleration, dramatically better fuel economy and lighter weight are all engineered into these new engines. By tweaking every aspect of these engines engineers have been able to increase fuel economy by anywhere from 12-17%. Weight savings have been achieved that bring these engines in at significantly lighter weights than even some of the 2-stroke competitors, we're talking numbers like 75-80 lbs. lighter. That's significant! Besides these breakthroughs, they've increased charging system outputs, which historically has been a bit of a gripe with Yamaha outboards on their larger engine offerings and they've really done a lot to enhance corrosion protection levels on these same engines.   So, this year my vote for "most improved" in the outboard engine area goes to Yamaha. …Read More

Today's visit to the Miami Boat Show brought yet another home run in. Charles Industries has introduced a new series of battery chargers that changes everything, their new IMC series, shown below: These new chargers bring new meaning to the catch phrase "smart charger", and provide the functionality needed on modern boats. In fact these units are so sophisticated, they will serve owners well for years to come. Here's why. many boats today are using combined 12 / 24 volt systems to accomodate larger engine starters and some systems are beginning to be at least partially 24 volt. No problem since the IMC series offers four battery bank programability at either 12 or 24 volts and each bank can be programmed to different parameters with precision levels down to 0.10 of a volt. This is important stuff in today's market as batteries become more sophistcated and different vendors dictate varying charge levels at each phase of battery charging to maximize battery cycle life. Batteries aren't getting any less expensive either, so maximizing cycle life is important. In terms of amperage, the series is available in 20-120 amp configurations depending on your boat's capacity requirements. The 40 amp and above units have an integrated limp home mode that would enable the battery charger to function, albeit at a lower output level, in the event of a power module failure within the device. Further it includes a "smart alarm" function that tells you if there is a complete failure (no output), high and low voltage and battery failure via an audible alarm. Optional temperature sensors are also available to further enhance the precision level of charging. The signifigance of all of this is perhaps best explained with a real world example of how it may be applied. A typical boat today will have a bow thruster with its own battery(s) nearby and engine and house battery banks mounted furter aft in the boat. You may decide that you want extra large capacity flooded cell batteries to run house loads, but a smaller AGM type battery up front to run the bow thruster. In this example you have two different battery technologies employed, each with very different charging needs. No problem with the IMC series. Program each bank exactly as the battery vendors want and you're all set. How about the future? Battery technology is changing almost yearly. Who knows exactly what's around the corner? With the functionality available in the IMC software, you'll be ready for whatever comes at us because no matter what the next great thing in batteries evolves to, recharging is still going to be a function of amps and volts. You'll be able to re-program an IMC to whatever comes at you in new battery technology. Going on a world cruise? Not a problem as these chargers have universal AC input at either 50 or 60 Hz and a voltage input range from 90 to 265 VAC. Of course coming from Charles the units are Marine UL listed with ABS, FCC abd CE certifications pending. The Charles IMC series chargers were my home run of the day. Hats off to the Charles design team. They really had their eye on the market and the needs of modern boaters with this one. …Read More