2002 issue #2 –Features

39 BUYING RIGHTA Surveyor’s Perspective. There are somegreat buys on used boats if you know what tolook for. A marine surveyor explains how toevaluate a boat’s systems and performancebefore making a purchase offer. By Susan Canfield

w w w. d i y - b o a t . c o m DIY boat owner 2002- #2 1

17 10 STEPS TO A PERFECTPAINT JOBOften the only solution to repair dull andfaded gelcoat on an older fiberglass boat isto paint it. While you can do this yourself, aprofessional touch guarantees spectacularresults.By Nick Bailey

27 CORROSION 101This segment in our corrosion series looks at stain-less steel, an alloy that, contrary to popular belief,does rust under certain conditions, sometimes tothe point of total failure. By Susan Canfield

45 REPAIR STATEGIESNot just for the surveyor anymore,find out how a $250 tool can saveyour boat. By Nick Bailey

50 A BARGAIN AT ANY PRICEHere’s how one intrepid DIYer with vision anddetermination transformed the hull and deckof a mid-80s production boat. Includes mold-building techniques, gelcoat application andfiberglass resin laminating.

Columns11 ELECTRONICSThe Weak Link: Fuses and circuitbreakers prevent too much amperage fromtraveling through a wire, building heatthrough resistance that may damage electri-cal and electronic equipment, and moreimportant, cause an electrical fire. Here’show to properly install adequately sized cir-cuit protection devices. — By Kevin Jeffrey

21 PROJECTSNeed More Gauges?; Happiness Is FewerHoles; Anchor Locker Ventilation; Oil PumpStorage.

34 SAILBOAT RIGGINGDon’t Be Foiled By Foils:Centerboards, swing or lifting keels areoften overlooked components on sailboats.Carefree operation requires this equipmentbe inspected and maintained during everyhaulout. Here’s how to remove, repair andreinstall. — By Nick Bailey

47 POWERBOAT RIGGINGStern Drive Alignment: Theengine, transom assembly and sterndrive ofyour engine must be in perfect alignment toprevent major engine damage. To alignthese components as part of your annualmaintenance, you’ll need a custom tool, service manual and some mechanicalknow-how. — By Harry Swieca

56 GOOD BOATKEEPINGMore Duck Foil; Rail Cushion; BarrelShower. — By David & Zora Aiken

Departments2 Currents 6 Talkback Q&A Opt for Marine Oil; As the Juice Flows; AReason to Clean; Which Outboard Oil isBest?; Grounds for Underwater MetalCorrosion; Rudderpost Fix; Painting TrimTabs; Boat Ergonomics; Leaking Deck Joint;Rudder Alignment

10 Tech Tips

Features– 2 0 0 2 i s s u e # 2 –

FR E E t e c hn i c a l h e l p w i t h your subscr i p t i o n . S e e p a g e 9 or l o g on to D I Y O N L I N E a t www . d i y - b o a t . c om

30 THRUSTER FAQ Some things you should know aboutchoosing, installing, operating andmaintaining bow and stern thrusters.

http://www.diy-boat.com

I always believed that the number of secondsthat pass between the lightning flash and thethunderclap gives the distance to the lightning.According to Ewen Thompson, a lightning special-ist with the University of Florida, the actual cal-culation is to divide the time by five. If the thun-der starts 20 seconds after you see the flash, thelightning is 6.4km (4 miles) away. A better ruleof thumb is that, if you hear thunder, you arewithin range of a strike. — JM

STORM TRACKING

2 DIY boat owner 2002- #2 ( w w w. d i y - b o a t . c o m ) 1-888-658-2628

[ Edited by Jan Mundy ]

Auto Versus Marine PartsDIY reader Al Deaver called usregarding the article titled, “ExtremePower Boost” in DIY 2002-#1 issue.Deaver was concerned about theinstallation of the automotive versionof the Multiple Spark Discharge(MSD) as pictured on page 46 andto the right. He pointed out that theunit in this installation is not thespark (ignition)-protected marine ver-sion and a conflict with the ABYCstandard requirements for ignitionprotected electrical equipment in cer-tain marine applications. He wasalso worried about its proximity tothe exhaust riser. The author, DwightPowell, contacted AutotronicControls in El Paso, Texas, the MSDmanufacturer, for clarification.Dwight’s reply follows.

The reader is correct. I recommendall future installers use the MSD 6M-2 marine unit. Both the 6A (automodel) and 6M-2 (marine model)are identical in performance andbasic construction. The 6A unit isconsidered water or splash resistant,while the 6M-2 unit is consideredwater or immersion proof and is

also potted in resin to prevent vibra-tion damage. Both units are effec-tively sealed against any spark emis-sion, except the wiring path. The6M-2 unit also has watertight con-nectors, but since I installed my unitto ABYC standards using propermarine tinned-copper connectorsand adhesive-lined, heat-shrink tub-ing, corroded connections are notan issue. It’s unlikely a spark couldcause any issues with the riser, asthe standard requiring ignition pro-tected components is intended todeal with a spark igniting volatilevapors, not with heat sources. If theheat riser were to burst, I’m confi-dent that the MSD 6A’s water resis-tancy would be adequate. As foronboard vibration, it’s no more, andprobably less, than most vehiclestraveling on a roadway. Were myboat in saltwater and/or a perfor-mance boat, I would definitely usethe marine model. [Ed: Product test-ing for compliance with the perfor-mance requirements of a standard,such as ABYC, are performed by anindependent laboratory, such asUnderwriters Laboratories (UL). Thisis the final consumer assurance ofthe product’s safety in a marineapplication. The dynamics of vibra-tion and water exposure in themarine environment extend wellbeyond those experienced in anautomotive application. In the caseof the MSD 6M-2 unit, the manufac-turer should state whether the prod-uct meets all applicable ABYC stan-dards, and that is what the con-sumer should seek when makingdecisions about marine equipmentpurchases. Where spark and electri-cal integrity in wet applications is atstake on a boat, nothing less shouldbe accepted.]

Pass the Envelope Please…Further to our answer to DIY readerRob Weien’s question on ourTechnical Helpline (see Talkback col-umn, “Grounds for UnderwaterMetal Corrosion” on page 7), wereceived his response. “Wow! Whata thorough analysis and spot-onadvice. Taking your suggestion, Iemployed a professional to inspectthe boat. He tested everything witha meter and found no large currentflow nor any meaningful differencesbetween the plate and adjacent met-als (bronze thru-hulls). I’ve never hadsuch a prompt and well-researchedreply from a magazine at any timeon any subject.”

How to Build FiberglassComponents I’m hoping to rebuild the engine boxand several floor hatches on my7.6m (25') cruiser. I would like tobuild them out of gelcoat and fiber-glass. Any information that mightguide me on my way would begreatly appreciated.Chris Sines, “Vitalsines,” Cape May, NewJersey

Turn to “A Bargain at Any Price,” onpage 50 for details on building andprepping the molds, applying gel-coat and laminating the glass matand woven roving.

Flush AppealI read the article titled “IntelligentSanitation” in DIY 2002-#1 issuewith interest. I have heard that theLectra/San takes several minutes torun through its treatment cycle. Canthe toilet be used during this cycle?If it can be used consecutively (I fre-quently sail with a boat full ofteenagers) what is the capacity ofthis unit? Once it reaches capacity,does the sewage simply back up inthe discharge line then possibly intothe toilet?Ted Hugger via e-mail

According to Raritan, every time thetoilet is flushed, the Lectra/San runs

(continued on page 4)

CURRENTS

THEFT HAPPENS

1-888-658-2628 ( w w w. d i y - b o a t . c o m ) DIY boat owner 2002- #2 3

It appears we are losing the battle against recurrent outboard theft. Having lostthree engines in 8 years, and absorbing an increase in our insurance policydeductible, we now keep our outboard in locked “dry” storage until needed.Our first engine was locked to the kicker bracket with a heavy-duty chain, but itwas easily cut and the engine lifted off the transom. Ditto on the second occur-rence. Thieves trying for the third engine couldn’t remove the Fulton lock thatcovered the motor’s hold-down clamps, so they cut the chains holding the boatto the dock and floated (we suspect towed) it away. A few days later, the boatshowed up, sans engine, but with what remained of the Fulton lock lying in thebilge. Examination of the lock showed it had been pried open (see photobelow), until the threaded barrel-style lock mechanism snapped, revealing theweak link in an otherwise well-engineered device.

While we realize there is no 100% theft proof lock, the Fulton lock did hinderthe process. This was not a quick-and-easy job. Just consider the logistics of firstbeaching the boat, then getting a pry bar under the lock from inside the cock-pit, with a scant 30.5cm (12") clearance to the floor, and bending the lock hous-ing until it breaks. We wanted a professional opinion, so we contacted the man-ufacturer who agreed to evaluate our damaged lock.

Since purchasing our lock, Fulton had redesigned the locking mechanism,available on 2000 and newer models. Engineers pry-tested the new lock toduplicate the condition of our damaged lock. Using a 91cm (3') wrecking barplaced in the slot between the two halves, they were able to bend the newmodel 100% further than our damaged unit before it failed.

If you know of other theft-deterrent measures, we’d really like to hear about them.

Fulton OutboardMotorLok has a locking mechanism on the bottom.

(top) Damaged motor lock waspried apart until the threadedbarrel-style lock snapped.Though both sides were priedopen, Fulton engineers sug-gested that an upward forceon the short side (right) iswhat likely snapped the lock.(bottom) New model withredesigned snap-together lock-ing mechanism took twice asmuch force to cause it to failas our damaged unit.

A battery-operated alarmattached to an outboardsounds mega-decibels when thecord is cut, which hopefullysidetracks an unwary thief,especially if someone is listen-ing and reacts quickly.


for two minutes to grind up thesewage and treat it. After a halfdozen flushes or so the unit is full. Atthat point, with every flush, the unitpushes the treated sewage out the“exhaust,” either overboard, as per-mitted in a discharge zone, or into aholding tank.

Surfing with DIYPlease advise me when the timecomes to renew my DIY Ezine sub-scription. I really like downloadingjust the articles I want to print out ata given time. This saves a lot ofpaper storage. I have no intention ofgoing back to your “paper” maga-zine. Gene DiCrecchio, East Lansdowne,Pennsylvania

More Kudos My husband, Jim, and I thoroughlyenjoy DIY magazine. We’re goingto be adding it to our website wherewe recommend various books, peri-odicals, etc. We’ve also just submit-ted our subscription request. Keepup the great work!Debra Cantrell, author of “Changing Course:A Women’s Guide to Choosing the CruisingLife.”

Why not 303? As a manufacture’s rep of chemicalsthat include marine maintenanceproducts, I have seen and read yourmagazine from time to time as Itravel around the U.S. calling onmarine stores. DIY contains a lot ofuseful information. Recently, I wasdisappointed by misinformation inDIY regarding the use of chemicalsin your maintenance articles. Thisinaccurate information is found in“All About Inflatables,” in DIY 2001-#1. Howard Shure of Airworksstates: “The only UV protectant rec-ommended is non-silicone based303 Protectant.” This is absolutelyuntrue! In fact 303’s main ingredientis silicone. At what length did yougo to ensure that this is fact?

Richard Malland via email

It’s not recommended to use formula-tions containing silicone compounds,such as Armor All, on inflatables asthey make adding accessories ordoing repairs all but impossible.Petroleum-based protectants are justas damaging as they can damageseams and age the fabric prema-turely. We don’t know the chemicalcomposition of 303, and the preciseformula of 303 is proprietary infor-mation. The manufacturer suggestedwe contact B&A Distributing, a largesupplier of inflatable rafts inPortland, Oregon with multiplerepair centers on the West Coast.This firm has been recommending303 to its customers since the late-80s after months of extensive test-ing. “This is a ‘for-real’ product,”says owner Dan Baxter who after30 years is now retired. “This water-based protectant saved my cus-tomers thousands of dollars inreplacement and repair costs,” con-tinues Baxter. “It does the job of pro-tecting inflatable materials and doesso without affecting the material,causing repair problems or a loss inbonding strength.” Baxter recom-mends applying 303 at least threetimes per season or every 30 dayswhen used in the sun. “It doesn’tgradually diminish, instead it worksat 100% for 30 days then it’sgone.” If 303 does contain silicone,then it obviously contains a categoryof silicone that has qualities that areneither equal to, nor perform thesame as, “generic” silicone prod-ucts.WINNERS OF DIY DRAWWinner’s of DIY’s ProductInformation CardGiveaway from the2001-#4 issue are:Brian Wood,Newcastle UponTyme, UK; Rob Linehan, PuntaGorda, Florida; and Derek Austin,Victoria, British Columbia. Allreceived a Vetus Fan 12. To enter towin this issue’s giveaway, log ontoDIY ONLINE at www.diy-boat.comand click on “Product Info.”

Currents

Publisher & Editor: Jan Mundy

VP Sales & Marketing: Steve Kalman

Designer & Webmaster: Guy Drinkwalter

Circulation: Britton Hardy

Copy Editing: The Wordsmith

Cover design: by Guy Drinkwalter

Contributors: David & Zora Aiken, Steve Auger,Nick Bailey, Susan Canfield, Larry Douglas, Robert

Hess, Kevin Jeffrey, Pat Kearns, John Payne,Wayne Redditt, Paul & Sheryl Shard

DIY boat owner™ and The Marine MaintenanceMagazine™ are registered trademarks of JMPublishing. DIY boat owner is published quarterlyby JM Publishing. ISSN 1201-5598

While all precautions have been taken to ensureaccuracy and safety in the execution of articles,plans and illustrations in this magazine, the pub-lisher accepts no responsibility for accidents, mate-rial losses or injuries resulting from the use of infor-mation supplied in these articles, plans or illustra-tions. All rights reserved. No part of this magazinemay be reprinted or used without the express writ-ten consent of the publisher.

Masthead


Q: What is the average longevity of a compass?

A: Temperature extremes and UV exposure slowlycause hardening of O-rings, discoloration of thecompass dampening fluid and clouding of the dial.Plastic domes may develop crazing after such expo-sures. I have seen 30-year-old compasses in goodworking condition because they were protectedfrom vibration, UV and temperature extremes.

Q: How often do I need to adjust my compass?

A: There is no established schedule for this. Somemagnetic fields are subject to considerable changewithout necessarily adding or removing equipmenthaving magnetic components. If considerable devi-ation (greater than 20°) existed prior to the previ-ous adjustment of the compass, it’s prudent to atleast swing ship at the beginning of every seasonor once a year. Such a condition would suggest theproximity to the compass of magnetic equipmentwhose magnetic field is subject to variance. Shouldyou detect error in excess of 10°, compass periodand sensitivity will not be consistent on all head-ings. It’s advisable to adjust the compass in thiscase. For error less than 10°, it depends what men-tal gymnastics you are willing to endure in apply-ing and interpolating deviation. A compass withdeviation will not have the same error value orsign on all headings unless its only source of erroris misalignment.

Q: What causes a bubble in my compass?

A: Air exists in all fluids. Some fluids may becomeair saturated when introduced under pressure, suchas by a pump or syringe. When it’s cold, liquid inthe compass may be under slight negative pressuredue to contraction. This condition could cause air inthe liquid to be extracted and form a bubble in thetop of the dome, only to be forced back into theliquid as the compass is warmed by sunlight or a

temperature increase. It’s important to keep inmind that there is a reason why your compass hasacquired a bubble, and the cause should be cor-rected first (see below for possible causes) beforerefilling.

Q: What causes my compass to loose fluid?

A: A crazed dome that has cracked completelythrough to the inside, a failed diaphragm, a bezelO-ring that has lost resiliency or dried from age, ora failed filler plug or its O-ring. Often the leak isslow enough that the lost fluid evaporates before awet surface may reveal the source.

Q: What kind of liquid do I use to refill the com-pass, and how do I fill it?

A: Some small, expensive compasses are hermeti-cally sealed, so they cannot be filled or repaired.Not all refillable compasses use the same dampen-ing fluid, which may range from silicone to petro-leum base. Compass manufacturers select a liquidthat is compatible with the O-rings, diaphragms andinternal finishes. The fluid must be introducedunder immaculate conditions, and after filling thecompass, a vacuum pump is necessary to extractresidual air from the liquid. I strongly recommendthat you seek the expertise of a manufacturer-approved service facility. — Robert Hempstead

[Ed: See DIY 2001-#2 issue’s “Compass Points” forcomplete details on compass selection, installation,adjustment and calibration.]

COMPASS FAQ

SPARE PARTS

Electronics Bits A.W. Marine in the UK has pur-chased all spares and main lineproducts of Stowe Marine fromSimrad. It can service and supplymost parts for Navigator, Micro,Dataline and IS11 ranges, mast-head units and transducers. Moreinformation is found at www.awmarine. com or email to [email protected].

other place onboard that requires atight seal, check out the Trim-Lokwebsite at www.trimlok.com. Thesite’s catalog format lets you viewprofiles, dimensions and specs onmyriad rubber trim products. For thenon-web browsers, call the companyat 888/847-6565 for a catalog.The company apparently acceptssmall order quantities.

CORRECTION:There is a procedure error in thearticle titled, “Drive Train Tune-up,”in DIY 2002-#1 issue. Page 31, sec-ond paragraph, states: “Remove theshort piece of hose that attaches thestuffing box to the shaft log.” This isincorrect. When the builder alignsthe shaft, a laser or a string line isused to locate all the parts. The onlytime you need to remove the hose isto replace it. A rough alignment isdone when the boat is on land. Thefinal alignment is made after launch-ing.

Gasket OddsWhen you are in need of a replace-ment gasket for hatches, windows,cockpit lockers, iceboxes or any


A: Both AC and DC equipmentcommonly found on boats can bedrawing current even when turnedoff. A common example is most AC-powered stereo and TV equipmentthat includes a remote control. If theequipment was truly off, the remotecould not turn it on. The same thinggoes for many DC-powered marineelectronic devices that remain instandby mode when turned off. Theonly way to be sure they are off is tointerrupt the battery power with anexternal switch. Most products thatuse a membrane keypad-basedon/off switch fall into this category.To determine what is causing theunwanted current draw, you mustbegin at the battery and electricallytrace the various circuits until youfind the problem. First, turn off allDC circuit breakers and/or removefuses on circuits that are connectedto that battery. Connect a digitalmultimeter (DMM) configured for thehighest available DC current (amps)mode in series with the positive ter-minal of the battery. In other words,disconnect the positive wire from thebattery and put one DMM lead on itand the other on the positive batteryterminal. If there are no loads con-nected, the current on the DMMshould be zero. Safety dictates that,before you make this test, beabsolutely certain that the DMM hasfuse protection on this range. If not,put a fast-blow fuse sized at orbelow the DMM’s current rating(commonly 10 Amps; but check thespecific meter) in series with one ofthe leads.Assuming theresult of theabove test is zeroamps, turn onone breaker at atime and repeatthe test. Whenthe DMM readscurrent, you’vefound a load. Ifyou believe youhave a float

switch that is sticking in the “On”position, fix that now. While manybilge pumps are capable of runningfor some time without pumpingwater, this is unhealthy for the motorand will eventually cause the pumpto fail, and you may not realize thatuntil you need it. When you finishwith the meter, be sure you reconfig-ure it for volts, moving the test leadplugs into the proper holes. If youdon’t, the next time you use it tomeasure DC volts, you’ll blow theinternal fuse!— Larry Douglas

A Reason to Clean

Q: While troubleshooting an elec-trical problem, I discovered there isvoltage flow between the positiveterminal of each battery and themetal tie-down rod on the batteryhold-down bracket. This rod con-nects at the bottom by a steel halfring screwed into the fiberglassdeck. I checked underneath andthere are no screws or wires in thisarea. The top of the metal tie-downrod connects to a metal bracket thatreaches across the battery case. Myother battery has a plastic crossbar.Both have about 6 volts across thepositive post to the metal tie-down/deck connection. There is novoltage leak from the positive termi-nal to case. Is this a normal occur-rence? Dale Justice, “Bottom Line,” Vero Beach,Florida

A: While it’s impossible to have acircuit without a conductor, 6 volts isa lot. If you put on some resistancesuch as a light bulb, it’s likely thevoltage on the meter will disappearand the bulb won’t light. The onlysolution that makes any sense is thatall surfaces are very dirty. Leakageacross an electrolyte (dampness inyour case) on all surfaces can causevoltage flow. If you undo the hold-downs, take off the crossbars andtouch the positive post, you’ll likelynot get a reading. Wiping all sur-

TALK BACK Q&AHelp line 1 -888-658-2628

Opt for Marine Oil

Q: I have heard rumors that youshould never put automotive oil in amarine engine. Could you clarifythis? I have been running Mobil 1synthetic oil in my sterndrive foryears. Mark Cavanaugh, Eastlake, Ohio

A: Automotive oils are designed foruse in engines that don’t run at ornear wide-open throttle (WOT) anddon’t have the load or stress factorsthat a marine engine endures. Ifyour marine engine ever overheats,or is required to run at WOT whileyou try to outrun a thunderstorm, theautomotive oils may cause damagedue to a shear point that is lowerthan the recommended oils. Yourmotor oil may be the differencebetween making it to a safe harboror losing your engine power at acritical time. Synthetic oil is great forcold winter starts but when was thelast time you went boating at –35°C(-30°F). Mercury issued a servicebulletin in 1997 indicating that syn-thetic oil, multi-grade oils, oils withsolid additives and non-detergentoils are not recommended forMerCruiser products (unless other-wise stated in your owner’s manualfor high-performance products). Stickto the recommended oil and mainte-nance schedule for the most reliableengine service.— Steve Auger, Mercury Marine

As the Juice Flows

Q: What’s the procedure to determinethe source of an unintended currentdraw? One of my newly installed batterybanks is going flat too frequently. I sus-pect a defective (and new) bilge pumpswitch that doesn’t want to turn off. Howdo I do the detective work to trace thedevice that is pulling power when itshould not?Joel Albert, “Charlie B,” Deale, Maryland

faces with a paper towel and bak-ing soda dissolved in water shouldresolve your current flow.— Jan Mundy

Which Outboard Oil is Best?

Q: There are many different 2-cycleoutboard motor oils on the market.Is there a difference? Melvin E. Woodward, Gloucester Point,Virginia

A: The outboard motor oils that areavailable today have become prod-uct specific and selection dependson brand, age of your engine, typeof fuel system and cost. If you havean older outboard that uses a 24:1oil ratio, then there is no advantagein using expensive oil designed fora Mercury Optimax, for example.Conversely, don’t trust a low-cost,generic oil to protect a new$17,000 computer-controlled out-board. The best oil for your out-board is the one recommended by

the engine manufacturer. Stay awayfrom unrecognized brands. If theprice is too good to be true, thenthere is likely a catch. Ensure thatthe oil you purchase is recognizedas acceptable by the NMMA or theengine manufacturer.— Steve Auger, Mercury Marine

Grounds for Underwater MetalCorrosion

Q: Two years ago I installed aDynaplate on our Westsail 43 to useas a grounding plate for the hamand single sideband radio. To avoidany chance (or so I thought) of gal-vanic corrosion, I didn’t connect theplate to ground or bond it to theboat’s grounding system. All wasfine until the last dive inspection thatfound the plate had turned bluish-green and the four screws werestarting to corrode. I cannot figureout what’s going on, since the plateis electrically “floating” as are thebronze thru-hulls. Any ideas while

we’re still afloat? Rob Weien, “Sea Bear,” San Diego,California

A: Since your Dynaplate is sinteredbronze (an alloy), it is subject to self-corrosion, galvanic corrosion andstray-current when immersed in anelectrolyte (seawater) whether or notit’s connected to a common bondingsystem. Since self-corrosion — elec-trochemical corrosion involving asingle piece of metal, either a puremetal or an alloy — is typically avery slow process, it’s not the likelyculprit here. Galvanic or stray cur-rent corrosion are stronger candi-dates. For a galvanic cell to beformed, two dissimilar metals mustbe immersed in the same electrolyte(in this case water) and connectedvia a metallic path, either by directphysical contact or a conductor. Thedissimilar metals involved can evenbe on two different boats connectedvia the green grounding wire in a


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marina’s AC shorepower system.[Ed: Refer to “Breaking the GroundCircuit,” in DIY 2001-#4 issue for amore detailed explanation.] Straycurrent (electrolytic) corrosion iscaused by an electrical current froman outside source flowing betweentwo metals immersed in the sameelectrolyte. Stray current is the mostrapid of the three forms of corro-sion. It can destroy underwater met-als in a matter of days or, when thesource of the stray current operatesonly intermittently, months. If straycurrent is involved, its source couldbe on your own boat or on a neigh-boring boat if you are normallyplugged into a marina’s AC shore-power system. With the boat afloatin its usual berth, check the corro-sion potential of each of your boat’simmersed metals using a multimeteror corrosion test meter and a silver-silver chloride reference cell. Youcan buy a Guest corrosion testmeter, reference cell and workbookthrough West Marine for aboutUS$230. If you do not have readyaccess to this equipment and/or areunfamiliar with its use, employ aqualified marine electrician (prefer-ably one who is ABYC certified) ora marine surveyor to do a corrosionsurvey for you. You’ll be able todetermine whether galvanic or straycurrent is the culprit and take appro-priate corrective action. — Susan Canfield

Rudderpost Fix

Q: Corrosion has eaten through thebottom of my rudderpost, which hasbecome soft. I need a new post orcut back the post and attach a newsection. Where would you suggestthat I look for either a new rudder orto repair the post. Eric Lipper, “Docket,” Houston, Texas

A: Assuming the rudder is a typicalfiberglass shell with a solid polyesterfiller encasing a stainless-steel postwelded to an internal steel structuralweb you have two options: repair orreplace. To repair, disconnect thesteering, remove the rudder, thensplit the two rudder halves apart toexpose the internal structure. Chiselaway the internal fillers to free thesteel web structure and rudderpost.Repair or replace the corrodedpieces as required. Rebond and

reassemblethe rudderhalves andwrap with anew glassouter skin. Filland fair therudder, thenepoxy primeand reapplyantifouling.Reinstall rud-der and con-

nect the steering system. [Ed:Detailed step-by-step rudder repairinstructions appear in DIY 2000-#3issue.] If replacement is a betteroption, order a replacement rudderfrom an aftermarket supplier, suchas Foss Foam (Tel: 352/529-1104;Web: newrudders.com) or the origi-nal boatbuilder if they are still inbusiness. Disconnect and remove theold rudder. Once you have the newrudder, drill a new rudderpost forsteering attachments, copying thedimensions from the old rudder. Youmay have to trim the rudderpost tothe same length as your original.Reinstall rudder, reconnect steeringand apply bottom paint. — Nick Bailey

Painting Trim Tabs

Q: What is the scoop on applyingantifouling paint on stainless-steeltrim tabs and making it stick? Is abarrier coat a good primer? Wendell R. Cover, “Sta-Sea,” Baltimore,Maryland

A: Currently there are no direct-to-metal bottom paints. An epoxy bar-rier coat should be okay to use, butit’s good practice to first apply ametal etch primer to ensure adhe-sion of the barrier coat, followed bya coating of antifouling paint. Trimtabs andrunninggear(props,shafts, rud-ders andstruts) seemvery toughto protectdue to the dynamic movements intheir usual operational mode.— Jan Mundy

Boat Ergonomics

Q: Do you have information on theoptimum dimensions for dinettes thatwill lower to a bunk. The length andwidth are determined by the boatitself, but I need to figure out the seatheight, depth, and back angle, etc.Eamonn Flynn, “Stella Maris,” Rockwood,Ontario

A: Boatbuilders follow the samerules of ergonomics as builders of allthings designed to accommodatehumans. Ideally, you want a dinetteseat that allows the feet to rest firmlyon the cabin sole, and is just deepenough to comfortably support thelegs and back against the backrest.Recommended dimensions for aproperly designed dinette has a seatheight of 45cm (18") and depth of

38cm to 43cm (15" to 17"). Aseat base-to-backrest angle of95° to 105° allows leaningback 5° to 15°. — Jan Mundy

Talk back Q&A

95° - 105°

45cm(18")

38cm - 43cm(15" - 17")

x

x

GUY

DRI

NKW

ALTE

R

Leaking Deck Joint

Q: My Tanzer 26 seems to be leaking under the rubrailthat covers the joint between the upper and lower parts ofthe boat. The rubrail seems to be one continuous piece soI’m afraid to remove it for fear that I can’t get it back on.What approach is recommended? I assume I have to getat the bolts to tighten the joint and do some sealing buthow can I prevent damaging the rubrail?Peter Henderson, “Tranquillity,” Mimico Cruising Club, Ontario

A: Tanzer 22, 26 and similar rubrails are one-piece unitsstretched into place using special equipment. They are anabsolute S.O.B. to reinstall. Recaulking the hull-deck jointis a problem. I would try prying the rubrail back a fewinches at a time and working a polyurethane sealant,such as 3M 5200 in under the rubrail. An external beadof sealant can follow this where the rubrail butts upagainst the boat. Top or bottom may need to be caulkeddepending on whether it’s rainwater that is leaking or theleak occurs while sailing with the rail under water. If indoubt, caulk both top and bottom. — Nick Bailey

Rudder Alignment

Q: I have a twin inboard 30 Sea Ray Weekender. Therudders are not aligned perfectly parallel. Nor are theyset to turn equidistant to each side. Should this be cor-rected or is there a reason for this?Michael Patria, “Fish N Bones,” Stratford, Connecticut

A: According to Mark Ellis, designer of the Legacycruiser and other sail and powerboats, your ruddersshould not be aligned nor do they turn equidistant.Powerboat designers will either toe in or toe out the rud-ders so they go through the water at different angles toenhance performance. The difference in the angle ofattack is usually determined by experimentation with theprototype hull. Subtle changes in the setup can make sig-nificant handling changes. To determine the exact angleand before making any changes to the setup, I suggestyou first contact Sea Ray.— Jan Mundy


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from CarQuest Auto Parts negatedhaving to replace the switch androute all new wiring for the pumpsfrom the bilge to the bridge.Kent Phillips, Vancouver, Washington

MORE NOZZLE PRESSURE: Aneasy way to increase water pressurewhen showering is to connect thewater supply hose to a smaller diam-eter showerhead.

MOUSTACHE REMOVER: Naturallyoccurring brown tannin in southernwaters is the cause of the ugly stainsknown as the “moustache” on boats

used there. It’s a bigheadache for boa-towners. While host-ing a DIY Workshopat a BoatUS store inWest Palm Beach,we tested variousproducts and founda solution. StarBrite

Rust Remover is a light acid basethat instantly releases the tanninwithout harming the gelcoat. Justspray on, wipe off and rinse.

CLEAN WATER TANK: To removethe telltale brown calcium depositsfrom hot water, I simply wiped thebrown deposit from the areas withinreach through the tank inspectionport, then used a high-pressurewasher to “scrub” out the tank. Fora final cleaning, fill the tank with 4L(5 gallons) of water and 836ml (1gallon) of vinegar, let sit overnight,then drain and rinse. Dudley Hattaway, Walnut Creek, California

IS YOUR ENGINE DRAWINGCOOL WATER? My engine start-uproutine includes checking that wateris being pumped through the raw-water strainer. A close visual inspec-tion shows tiny bubbles swirling

about under thestrainer’s smallplastic lid, but Ihave to stick myhead down inthe engine com-partment to see

TECH TIPS

TECH TIPS WANTEDIf you have a boat-tested tip you’d like toshare, send complete information alongwith your name, boat name and homeport to DIY TECH TIPS: P.O. Box 22473Alexandria, VA 22304

Or email to [email protected]

anything. By placing an orangePing-Pong ball in the strainer I can,at a quick glance and from somedistance, see the ball “dance” in theflow of the cooling water. MichaelWolfe, “River Queen,” Sockton, California

PLASTICIZING ALUMINUM: It’snotoriously difficult to keepaluminum covered withpaint, which tends to flakeoff even after vigorous wirebrushing and priming. Afterseveral years of repaintingmy window frames everyfew months, I covered

them with a plastic film thatstill looks good after two years. PlastiDip is a liquid plastic used to coattool handles, whip rope ends, coatelectrical wire connections and formany other sealing tasks available athardware stores. Mix up a batchthinned with 1/5 part toluene (or lac-quer thinner) and stir, then brush on.In a few places where the aluminumhas continued to oxidize, the coatinghas lifted slightly, but remains gener-ally intact and it’s not noticeable tothe casual glance. Alan Porter, “Te Tiaroa,” Victoria, BritishColumbia

STIRRER’S ASSIST : When apply-ing antifouling paint, it’s importantto continually stir it to prevent sepa-ration of the biocide from the base.To make a stirrer, weld a discardedalternator fan blade to a rod thediameter of the your drill bit chuck.Run the drill in reverse to stir, as therpm is too aggressive in forward.

TEAK BREW: To clean teak, mix500 ml (1 cup) each of ammoniaand clothes wash detergent (withoutbleach) in a bucket of warm water.Don protective gloves and do a spottest to be sure this solution doesn’tharm sealants or bedding com-pounds. Next, apply this mixture tothe teak with a sponge and leave tosoak for about 15 minutes beforerinsing. Don’t scrub or pressurewash the teak. Both procedures canremove vital teak fibers. Tom Green, TeakTrader

EASY BILGE PUMP LINK: As I’vebeen unlucky enough to experiencethat “sinking” feeling, I’ve installedthree high-capacity bilge pumps onmy 21-year-old boat. Alreadyinstalled was a small bilge pumpwired to a small-capacity pumpswitch mounted on the bridge.Installing a 30-amp sealed relaycosting just US$3.45 purchased

CPDs have ratings that help describe theirintended purpose and how they function, as wellas help customers make good decisions whereand when to use them.Amperage Rating: The amperage used to cal-culate the opening speed of the device, not theactual amperage at which the CPD will trip or“blow.” It usually takes an additional 20% or soof amperage above the rated value for the CPDto trip. Opening Speed or Delay: The relationshipbetween the percentage a CPD is operating overits amperage rating and the length of timerequired for it to open. The higher the percent ofcurrent flow to amperage rating, the faster thecircuit protector opens.Interrupt Rating: How much current the fusecan safely handle in short circuit situations. Referto Figure 4 on page 13 to determine what mini-mum interrupt rating is required.Voltage Rating: The maximum voltage for thecircuit in which the fuse is used. — KJ

RATINGS STATS

by excess amperage. Types of CPDs

Fuses are strictly thermal devices thatmelt at a predetermined amperage.They are reliable and relatively inex-pensive, although total cost includesthe purchase of a fuse mountingblock and a protective cover of sometype, spares, since fuses must bereplaced after each overcurrent con-dition, and some form of circuit dis-connect. Circuit breakers can be ther-mal or magnetic devices, or a combi-nation of the two. Circuit breakersare typically more expensive thanfuses, especially for high load cir-cuits, but they also serve as circuit

THE WEAK LINKFuses and circuit breakersprevent too much amperagefrom traveling through awire, building heat throughresistance that may damageelectrical and electronicequipment, and moreimportant, cause an electri-cal fire. You can avoidpotentially dangerous prob-lems by reviewing ABYCstandards to make sureadequately sized circuitprotection devices areinstalled properly.[ By Kevin Jeffrey ]

“E lectrical circuit” refers to acomplete path for electrical

current flowing through wires. Aboat’s power system is comprised ofvarious electrical circuits formed byconnecting a voltage source such asa battery bank or AC power sourceto one or more electrical loads(equipment that uses electricity) bymeans of a conductor (wire orcable). In a DC (direct current) cir-cuit, battery voltage pushes electricalcurrent through various electricalloads when they are switched on,using some of the energy stored inthe battery to perform useful work.In an AC (alternating current) circuitthe voltage source (shorepower,inverter or gen-set) pushes electricalcurrent in a similar manner, againusing energy in the process.

There are primary or main cir-cuits, which typically include themain power sources, either DC orAC (F igure 1). There are also sec-ondary or branch circuits that are

complete electrical paths within theprimary circuits. All electrical loadson the boat, for example, are indi-vidual secondary circuits. Finally,there are internal circuits within eachelectrical or electronic device.

All electrical circuits must be pro-tected from too much current flow,which can cause wire conductors tooverheat and wire insulation to burn,and can damage internal circuits inindividual appliances. Protection ofan electrical circuit is in the form ofan intentional weak link, typically afuse or circuit breaker, which theindustry refers to as a overcurrent cir-cuit protection device (CPD). Circuitprotection on board a boat must betaken seriously. A potentially devastat-ing electrical fire can result when toomuch amperage travels through awire and enough heat is generated tomelt and burn the wire insulation andsurrounding materials, causing a fire.

CPDs are meant to protectagainst unexpected problems, andshouldn’t preclude proper wire siz-ing and adherence to proper electri-cal system design and installationpractices. Sizing wire is relativelyeasy. You simply match the maxi-mum sustained amperage in a givencircuit and the total length of the cir-cuit wiring with a proper wire sizethat will be safe and also prevent anexcessive voltage drop for the typeof appliance used (F igure 2). [Ed:For specifics on wire sizes, factoringin voltage drop, length of run andwhether or not the wire passesthrough a heated space (i.e. enginecompartment), refer to DIY 1998-#4issue, or “DC Electrical Systems”CD-ROM, or sections E-8 and E-9 ofABYC Standards.]

Sizing wire correctly can’t protectagainst accidental grounding throughwire chafe, equipment failure orgrounding a circuit while performingsystem maintenance that temporarilyallows a dangerous amount of currentto flow. CPDs handle unsafe levels ofcurrent by opening the circuit, eitherthrough thermal devices or devicesthat sense a magnetic field created


EL E C T R I C A L

Switch

Main breaker

Main breaker

Distribution panel

See E-9.11.3.1exception 2

Mainfuse

Main circuitprotection Feeder

Sub-mainbreaker

Branchbreaker

Branchbreaker

BranchbreakerAB

YC

FIGURE 1 Main and Branch CircuitProtection


ABYC

FIGURE 3Quick-Reference Comparison of CPDs

Glass Tube Fuse

100 500 2000Amperes

5000 10,000 20,000

Automotive Style Fuse

Thermal Circuit Breaker

Sea Fuses

Magnetic Circuit Breaker

ANL Inline Fuse

Class T Inline Fuse

T-1 Series Circuit Breaker

50

80

150

2000

3000

5000

6000

20,000

FIGURE 2 ABYC Amperage Recommendations

disconnects and since they are resettable the need to carryspares is not as critical. (Figure 3 illustrates a quick-refer-ence comparison of CPDs.) Class T Fuse: Recommended by most inverter manufactur-ers, it has an extremely fast short-circuit response, a20,000 ampere DC interrupt capacity, and is rated for upto 160 volts DC (VDC). ANL Fuse: With a 6,000 ampere DC interrupt capacity, itmeets ABYC requirements for main DC circuit protection onlarge battery banks with a voltage up to 32DC.Sea Fuse: An economical choice for circuit protectionbetween 100 and 300 amperes. It has a 2,000 amperesDC interrupt capacity and is rated for up to 32VDC. Automotive Style Fuse: Inexpensive and widely availablethrough automotive stores, it’s the most economical choicefor between 30- and 80-ampere circuit protection. It has1,000-ampere DC interrupt capacity and a 32DC voltagerating.Glass Fuses: Available in current ratings from less than 1

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cuit breaker. Then, check to see what ampere interruptrating is required for the application (see Figure 4 ).Next, make sure the CPD is rated to open at an amper-age greater than the maximum circuit load and less thanthe rated amperage capacity of the smallest wire in thecircuit. It’s also useful to know the maximum momentaryor surge current experienced in the circuit. ChoosingCPDs that can withstand this surge and still offer therequired protection means you’ll avoid nuisance tripping.As a final check, make sure the CPD’s voltage ratingmeets or exceeds the circuit voltage.

Where to Install?Before locating CPDs in your electrical system, it’s impor-tant to understand the concept that CPDs are installed toprotect individual wires in a circuit, and that they should besized specifically for those wires. Secondary and smallbranch circuits use smaller (in number only, larger in size)gauge wires, so smaller CPDs should be used (Figure 5 ).

Ultimately every wire on board would be protected,

14 AWG

16 AWG

18 AWG

14 AWG

16 AWG

18 AWG

This is the limit factorin this ciricut


FIGURE 5Factoring WireSizeThe smallest wire ina circuit determinesthe amperage of thefuse or circuitbreaker.

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FIGURE 4 How to Determine Interrupt Rating Use the table above to determine the required minimuminterrupt rating per ABYC, or how much current the fuse orbreaker can safely handle in a short circuit condition.

up to 50 amperes, these inexpensive fuses are used forbranch circuits in a variety of applications. AGC modelsare fast-acting fuses, while MDL models are time-delayfuses for high inrush motor type loads.Thermal Circuit Breakers: The T-1 series CPD fromBlue Sea is thermally responsive bi-metal breakers combin-ing switching and breaker function in one unit. They areavailable with ampere ratings from 25 to 150 amperes, avoltage rating of 48VDC, and 5,000 amperes at 24VDCinterrupt rating. Blue Sea’s standard thermal circuit break-ers are similar to the T-1 Series but have a 3,000-ampereDC interrupt rating, a 30VDC voltage rating.Magnetic Circuit Breakers: Available in a wide rangeof styles and ratings, there are standard DC and AC sin-gle pole circuit breakers used for protecting branch cir-cuits in electrical distribution panels. Some low amperemodels, rated as “quick trip” are designed specifically forelectronics. Double pole AC breakers are available toswitch both hot and neutral legs of a 120VAC circuit ortwo hot legs of a 240VAC circuit. Standard magnetic cir-cuit breakers typically have a 2,000- to 3,000-ampereinterrupt rating, although some models are available witha 5,000-ampere interrupt rating.

It used to be that only fuses could handle heavy DCloads, but high load circuits can now be protected withsingle, double or triple pole breakers, such as those fromBlue Sea Systems and Paneltronics. In these devicesbreakers rated up to 100 amperes each are ganged toprovide various levels of protection. Sizes range from50-ampere single pole to 300-ampere triple pole mod-els.

Sizing and Selecting When choosing CPDs, take it one circuit at a time. First,choose whether you want a fuse or circuit breaker foreach circuit. Circuits in an explosive vapor area, suchas gasoline engine rooms, battery compartments andpropane lockers, must be protected by a vapor-proof cir-


Blower

Wiper

Horn

Branch circuits

Distribution panelor switchboard / panelboard

DCnegativebus

Mainfeed

Fuse orcircuit breaker

Fuses orcircuit breakers

Batteryswitch

Battery

Parallel switchor solenoid

Battery

EngineEngine

Bilge pump

Float switch

AccessorynegativebusE-9.5.7.3

To DC ground bus

E-9.5.4

E-9.5.5

DC main negative busE-9.5.7.2

Enginenegativeterminal

Starter motor

Alternator

72" max

72" max

Fuse or circuit breaker



Battery isolation switch orcombined selector / isolation switch

7" or 40" max

7" or 40" max

Positive feed todistribution panel

Fuse or positive feed to engine panelcircuit breaker and / or distribution panel

7" or 40" max

Circuit protectionnot required in cranking circuit

Solenoid

FIGURE 7 The 7 -40 -72 Rule

Blower

Wiper

Horn

Branch circuits

Distribution panelor switchboard / panelboard

DCnegativebus

Mainfeed

Fuse orcircuit breaker

Fuses orcircuit breakers

Batteryswitch

Battery

Engine

Enginenegativeterminal

Bilge pump

Float switch

AccessorynegativebusE-9.5.7.3

FIGURE 6 Sample DC Circuits to ABYC Standards(top) Single engine and (bottom) twin inboard engine DCelectrical systems without AC power systems.

FIGURE 8 Sample AC Circuits to ABYC Standards(1) Single-phase 120V shorepower with shore-grounded (white)

neutral conductor and grounding (green) conductor. (2) A120VAC generator included as an additional AC power source.In both diagrams the ungrounded conductor and the groundedneutral are protected with a single overcurrent protectiondevice that simultaneously opens both current-carrying conduc-tors.ABYC does not recommend fuses to serve this function.120VAC branch circuits are permitted to be single pole in theungrounded current carrying conductors. (3) Single-phase120/240VAC system with shore-grounded (white) neutral con-ductor and grounding (green) conductor. Each ungroundedshore conductor connects through the shorepower inlet to theboat’s AC electrical system through a single overcurrent protec-tion device that simultaneously opens both ungrounded con-ductors.The shore-grounded neutral connects to the boat’s ACelectrical system without overcurrent protection. It may be usedprovided the overcurrent protection device opens all currentcarrying conductors in the circuits (in this case a 3-pole switchis needed). (4) An isolation transformer system with singlephase, 240VAC shorepower input and 120/240VAC output fromthe transformer. Circuit protection is provided by a main shore-power disconnect on the shore side of the transformer and sec-ondary overcurrent protection on the boat system side of thetransformer. Each ungrounded shore current carrying conductor

ABYC

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Rbut that is impractical. In the DC side of an electricalpower system, ABYC standards take a reasonableapproach to circuit protection by exempting mandatoryCPDs from wires between batteries, battery switch andengine starter motor (Figure 6 ). CPDs are required within

18cm (7") of the battery switch andstarter motor on wires leading to vari-ous loads, and within 183cm (72") onwires leading to loads directly from abattery. The 18cm (7") dimension canbe extended to 101cm (40") if wiresare enclosed in a sheath or otherenclosure in addition to the wire insu-lation (Figure 7 ).

In the AC side, thereshould be a main circuitbreaker at each AC

FIGURE 9 Sample AC selector panel.

power source, i.e., at the shorepower inlet(s), generatoroutput and inverter output (Figure 8 ). In addition, thereshould be branch circuit breakers on every branch circuit.On boats with multiple sources of AC power, the main cir-cuit breakers can be conveniently located in an AC sourceselector panel (Figure 9 ). This type of panel allows onlyone AC power source to be capable of supplying power atany given time. In this case the main circuit breakers alsoare serving as manual circuit disconnect switches.

About the author: Kevin Jeffrey works as an independent electricalpower consultant and is the author of the “Independent Energy Guide”and publisher of “Sailor’s Multihull Guide” available soon in its thirdedition.

Resources “Standards and Technical Information Reports for SmallCraft,” American Boat & Yacht Council; Tel: 410/956-1050, Website: www.abycinc.org

ABYC

Power inlet (electricallyinsulated from the boatif isolator is installed)

Shorepowercable

connectorShore

connector

Ung

roun

ded

cond

ucto

r (B

lack

)

Gro

unde

d co

nduc

tor

(Whi

te)

Gro

undi

ng c

ondu

ctor

(G

reen

)

Sho

re s

ide

Boa

t sid

e Gre

en

Whi

te

Bla

ck

Gre

en

Whi

te

Bla

ck

Shore powercable

2 pole 3 wiregrounding type

plugs & receptacles

120 VAC generator

Optionalgalvanicisolator

Generatormain circuit

breaker

To engine negativeterminal or its bus

Main shorepowerdisconnect

circuit breaker

Transfer switchGen-Off-Shore

Branch circuitbreaker (typical)

120 VACgrounding

type receptacle

Shorepowercable

connector

Shorepowercable


circuit breaker

Power inlet (electricallyinsulated from boat ifisolator is installed)

3 pole, 4 wiregrounding type

plug and receptacles

Opticalgalvanicisolator

Generator maincircuit breaker

120/240 VACgenerator To engine negative

terminal or its bus

240 VACDevice

120 VACdevice

240 VACdevice


Transfer switchShore–Off–Gen

120 VACgrounding

type receptacle

Shore connectorB

lack

Whi

te

Red

Gre

en

Sho

re s

ide

Boa

t sid

e

Bla

ckW

hite

Red

Gre

en

Ung

roun

ded

cond

ucto

r

Gro

unde

d co

nduc

tor

Ung

roun

ded

cond

ucto

r

Gro

undi

ng c

ondu

ctor

Shoreconnection

Shorepowercable

Shorepowercable

connectorPower inlet (electrically

insulated from boat)


circuit breaker

Encapsulated single phase1:1 isolation transformer

with metal case


120 VACdevice

120 VACgrounding

type receptacle

240 VACdevice


Transformersecondary

fuse orcircuit breaker

Transformer caseground connection

Transformershield3 pole, 4 wire

grounding typeplugs and receptacles

Sho

re s

ide

Gro

undi

ng c

ondu

ctor

Ung

roun

ded

cond

ucto

r

Gro

unde

d ne

utra

l con

duct

or

Ung

roun

ded

cond

ucto

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Gre

en

Red

Whi

te

Bla

ck

Gre

enR

edW

hite

Bla

ck

Boa

t sid

e

Shorepowercable connector

Shore connection

Shorepowercable

2 pole, 3 wiregrounding type

plugs and receptacles

Optionalgalvanicisolator

Polarityindicator


Main Shorepower disconnect

circuit breaker

120 VAC groundingtype receptacle


120 VACdevice

Power inlet (electricallyinsulated from the boatif isolator is installed)

Sho

re s

ide

Boa

t sid

e

Bla

ckW

hite

Gre

en

Bla

ck

Whi

te

Gre

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Ung

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cond

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Gro

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duct

or

Gro

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1

2

3

4connects from the shorepower inlet to the primary winding ofthe isolation transformer through an overcurrent protectiondevice that simultaneously opens both ungrounded conductors.120VAC branch circuit breakers are permitted to be single polein the ungrounded current carrying conductors. 240VAC branchcircuit breakers must be two-pole and simultaneously open allcurrent carrying conductors.



P R O S E R I E S

off when removing the masking tape.You can test for adhesion, but wherethere is doubt, use 80-grit sandpaperto completely remove the original fin-ish. [Ed: DIY 2002-#1 issue, page47, describes how to perform a paintadhesion test.]

It’s important to determine if theboat floats on its lines. A scum linecan be a valuable clue to the truewaterline. If this is the case for yourboat, you will need to designate thecorrect waterline or shift weightsonboard to correct trim or list.Consider raising the top edge ofantifouling to about 5cm (2") abovethe waterline as polyurethane paintsdon’t tolerate constant immersion andcan blister if submerged for extendedperiods.

Step 2 SetupThe yard lifting equipment moves theboat to the paint booth and blocks itthere. Scaffolding goes up aroundthe boat.

This Bayfield 25 was professionally painted 15 years ago and still gleams.

10 STEPS

ish. This may sound like a disadvan-tage but it translates to being easierto repair runs, sags, orange peeland dust specks or future scratchesby wet sanding and buffing.

Step 1 Evaluation A “standard” paint job presumes theoriginal gelcoat is adhering well andis free of significant cracking or craz-ing. Damaged gelcoat requiresremoval by grinding and extra filling,fairing and priming steps to restore afair and smooth surface. Recoatingan existing paint job can be simplerthan painting the original gelcoat, butdamage that was “papered over” onthe previous job will return to mar thenew finish, so repair this damagenow. If the previous coating is not thesame formula as the new, the incom-patibility could lead to total failure ora tendency for the old coating to peel

The paint job candidate, an early ‘80s C&C 34, has original gelcoat that is faded anddull but in fair condition.

In the spray booth, polyurethane paintsdemand the controlled environment ofa spray booth for best results.

TO A PERFECTPAINT JOBPainting a fiberglass boatmay be the only solution torestoring gelcoat brilliance.You can do this yourself,but a professional touchguarantees spectacularresults.[ Story and photos by Nick Bailey ]

Y ou’ve probably noticed a boathull finish with a gloss so deep

that it reflects every detail. Whileother boatowners struggle with rou-tine buffing and waxing to win abrief victory over their dowdy gel-coat, this boat escapes with anoccasional wipe down. These show-stoppers have been professionallyrefinished with Awlgrip, Imron,Interspray or the like.

Professional polyurethane paintsare usually formulated as eitheracrylic or polyester. The acrylictypes are faster drying and more for-giving in comparison to the poly-ester varieties. They also tend to pro-duce a softer, but less durable, fin-


A paint booth is fitted with an“air make-up unit” designed to sup-ply high volumes of filtered, temper-ature controlled fresh air at one endand exhaust it out the other througha tall chimney. This airflow servesboth safety and practical purposes.It protects the technicians by provid-ing a safe working environment andprevents paint spray mist from hang-ing in the air and resettling on thewet surface as well as precluding apotentially explosive buildup ofvolatile vapor. Intense illumination isprovided in the booth to ensureenough light to reveal the slightestflaw. In warm weather, 15.5°C(60°F) and higher, it’s feasible topaint outdoors. Lots of pro paintjobs are carried out in the open airbut it’s hard to beat the finish qualitythat is possible in a proper paintbooth.

Step 3 Initial Prep WorkAny chips, dings, nicks, or gougesin the hull that are deep enough tofeel are filled and faired, sometimeswith gelcoat, sometimes with filler.Fine scratches and abrasions usuallydisappear during prep sanding butif not, they are filled after priming.Stress cracks or any deep chips thatbreak the glass laminate are groundout and repaired with new glassfiber and block sanded to level. Old

name graphics, registration numbersand pin stripes are removed. Thepainter may want to remove hull fit-tings if they cannot be maskedcleanly and the fitting is simple toremove.

The hull is scrubbed with deter-gent and rinsed with freshwaterand/or cleaned and dewaxed usingproprietary cleaners recommendedby the paint manufacturer.

Step 4 Masking

Carefully mask all the edges of thepaint job with 3M Fine Line #218masking tape. This tape is backedup by regular masking tape overlap-ping the Fine Line almost to thedefinitive paint edge. A polyethylenesheet goes over the top of the boat,is trimmed to fit and taped to sealagainst the upper tape stack. Thisseals the deck and interior fromsanding dust and paint fumes.Attach a brown paper skirt to thelower tape edge. It’s not necessary

to hermetically seal the bottom.Never use newsprint for masking asit can stain the paint surface.

Step 5 Prep Sanding

Applying machinist’s blue dye(diluted with acetone) to a dull hullfinish before sanding helps identifythe sanded areas. The dye can be aconvenient indicator because, withsanding, the dye goes away, andwhen it’s gone, you’re finished.

Prep sand gelcoat with sandpa-per that varies from 80 to 180 gritdepending on hardness of the gel-coat. Pros use air tools but anygood dual action (random orbit)sander using 3M Hookit systemsanding discs works. Keep the sand-ing disc flat to the surface to avoidgouging or scalloping.

Step 6 Prep and Priming Every polyurethane paint jobrequires a special epoxy primer forgood adhesion and to seal the sub-strate. After final sanding, the primerprovides a non-porous, ultra-smooth

Pro Series

Professional painter, Earl Hadcock,makes repairs and completes masking.He uses the recommended solvent washto clean the hull and remove any waxor oily residue that may cause paintadhesion problems later.

Plastic shroud encloses the deck andcabin of the boat in an air and dusttight cocoon.

Prep sanding with a dual action (ran-dom orbit) air sander fitted with 15cm(6") sanding disc. Note blue wash onthe hull as a sanding indicator.

Primer spray application, at least twocoats are needed.

(top) Bow close-up before paint-ing showingding. Decals andsome hull fit-tings will also beremoved.(inset) Bow ding filled and faired.

surface ready for the high gloss top-coat. Prep sanding alone isn’t suffi-cient. The booth air make-up isturned on and compressed air isused to remove dust from the hullsurface and the booth. Residual dustclinging to the hull is removed witha solvent wipe and tack rags.

The two-part epoxy primer ismixed and reducer solvent added toget the specified spray viscosity. Theviscosity is measured by timing howlong the mixture takes to run out ofthe bottom hole of a calibration cup.Some primers are applied at differ-ent viscosity depending on howmuch primer the painter wants to“build” onto the surface, whichdepends in turn the roughness of theprepped surface.

While the mix is sitting for therequired 15-minute induction time(necessary to start the epoxy curereaction) the painter suits up withdisposable airtight Tyvec coveralls,solvent-proof gloves and approvedrespirator. A fresh air supply is notrequired at this stage. Two or threecoats of primer are applied allowingapproximately one hour betweencoats, and then it’s left to cure for12 to 24 hours.

Step 7 Fine Filling and SurfacingThe first primer step may not be thelast. The pearly sheen of the primer

reveals the true condition of the hull.Usually, as a minimum, some finespot filling (surfacing) is needed toaddress pinholes or sanding marks.

If there are large areas of fairingfiller or surfacer left exposed aftersanding the primer, a full secondprime stage is recommended.Otherwise, the topcoat absorbs intothe substrate unevenly. The darkerthe final topcoat color, the more visi-ble the imperfections.

Step 8 Primer Finishing Once cured, the primer is sandedwith fine sandpaper, usually 280 to

320 grit. Hand sanding aroundedges and fittings must be donecarefully to avoid cutting subtlegrooves that will show in the finaltopcoat.

Step 9 Stripes and TopcoatsDust on a wet topcoat is a big prob-lem. The hull and the booth must be

carefully swept with compressed airand the hull surface wiped and tackragged again.

Protective clothing is again wornplus a respirator with a fresh-air sup-ply due to the toxic isocyanate pre-sent in all two-part polyurethanepaints. Each type and brand ofpolyurethane topcoat has a differentcatalyst-to-paint ratio and additives.There are additives that accelerate


Hadcock applies surfacer with a drywallputty knife to squeeze it into minor sur-face imperfections.

Final prep sanding of epoxy primer with320-grit paper.

Final dust removal with a tack rag.

Spray application of the white bootstripe begins with a light tack coat andmay need three to five coats to cover.Yellow and other bright colors take evenmore coats.

Viscosity dilution check of the topcoatwith reducer for proper spraying isgauged by the amount of time the cali-brated cup takes to drain.Mixed topcoat is poured one batch at atime into the pressure pot then smallamounts of additives are added.

Spraying highly toxic two-partpolyurethane paint requires protectivegear including a fresh-air supply to thetechnician. Disposable suit is made ofvapor-proof Tyvec.


the cure in cool conditions, othersthat make the coatings less sensitiveto fish eye, an annoying pockmarkthat can erupt due to any residualcontamination on the hull. The vis-cosity timer cup is again used togauge correct dilution with sprayreducer.

Most paint jobs are two colors,one for the hull and another for theboot and cove stripes. The stripearea is coated first (application tech-niques vary slightly with paint manu-facturers) with three or more coatsusually required. Once cured, thehull color application follows afterapplying masking tape to shield the

stripe. The stripe widthis contoured to give aconsistent apparentwidth when viewedfrom a sight line levelwith the waterline. Asmall piece of tape isapplied and thenpeeled away to testthe fresh paint stripe for sufficientcure to apply masking without mar-ring the finish. If the gloss survivesthis test, stripes are masked with 3MFine Line tape for the edges withmasking paper in between.

Topcoat application follows overthe remaining hull. Paint needs aminimum cure time of overnight upto 24 hours.

Step 10 Unmasking It’s best to remove the masking assoon as possible after the paintcures. At this stage the coating is stilla bit soft and is easier to break at

the mask edge. The tape peels bestif it’s pulled at a right angle to thesurface. There will be paint over-hangs where the paint does not tearcleanly and these must be carefullytrimmed with a razor blade held flatagainst the hull

Post PaintingAfter removing masking, apply vinylname and hull graphics, pinstripes,cove stripes etc. but take care toavoid scratching the “green” paintsurface.

Beyond the initial 12 to 24 hourpaint cure, most polyurethane paintscontinue curing for two or threeweeks while the coating attains opti-mum hardness. During this period,take care when mooring and han-dling the boat to avoid scratchingthe shiny new finish.

About the author: Nick Bailey is a 25-yearveteran of the boat repair business and is ser-vice manager of Bristol Marine in Mississ-auga, Ontario, where this paint job tookplace.

CARE & FEEDING OF PAINTED HULLS

Applying hull topcoat.

Mask removal is done as soon as possi-ble after the paint has cured.

• Never wax polyurethane paint coatings as itdulls and yellows the finish. • Don’t shrinkwrap or allow any other plastictarp to remain in tight contact with the surfaceas it traps moisture and causes blistering. • Beware of haphazard winter tarps that canflap against and chafe the hull. • Avoid fender chafe. Terrycloth fender coversdon’t help as they trap dirt and become abra-sive.• Don’t use abrasive cleaners or scrubbers.Wash regularly with mild soap and water anda sponge or wash cloth. • Stubborn fender smears can be removedwith acetone, lacquer thinner or mineral spiritsfollowed by a water wash.• Avoid the use of two-part teak cleaners asthe alkali and acids in these products can dam-age or stain the finish.• Water spots and salt residue are a nuisanceon dark hulls, but are easily removed with adistilled vinegar rinse.— NB

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NEED MORE GAUGES?

Adding gauges to an exist-ing sender is easy with thissimple device. [ By Larry Douglas ]

Would you like to add anothergauge to an existing gauge circuitbut aren’t sure how to connect it?Whether you’d like a second fuelgauge located at the upper helm sta-tion, or a remote oil pressure gaugefrom the AC generator installed at a

more convenient location, here’swhat you need to know to add agauge to almost any existing system.

Gauges attached to senders areall, in essence, specifically designedand calibrated ammeters. Thegauge pointer moves as the sender

controls the current, which is, in turn,controlled by the pressure, tempera-ture or level that it senses. Nearly allgauges have three terminals on thebackside. They usually are: I (igni-tion) or + for battery positive, S toconnect to the sender, and N or - toconnect to battery negative. The cor-responding sender usually has oneterminal that accepts a wire (the Sconnection), with the other terminalbeing the engine block that connectsto the negative terminal of the bat-tery. [F igure 1] shows the senderand gauge connected in series. Inthis case the current from the nega-tive terminal of the battery goes tothe sender, then through the gaugeback to the battery.

There are two major standardsfor sender resistances, and a few

other, less common,ones. The most com-mon standard is 33 to240ohms, and is usedin most NorthAmerican products.The other major stan-dard is 0 to 90 ohms,often used in productsfrom Europe and theFar East. The sendersand gauges from onestandard are not inter-changeable with thoseof the other as thegauges will read incor-rectly. Be sure youknow which standardyour equipmentreflects since manyaftermarket gauge sup-pliers build to both.

While the seriescircuit makes connect-ing one gauge to onesender quite simple, it

complicates connecting a secondgauge to the same circuit. If youparallel the second gauge to thefirst, you’ve mismatched the senderand its load, namely the gauge, soboth gauges will now read about1/3 low. If the gauge indicates fuel

level, perhaps you could live withthat much error. That error is unac-ceptable and compromises safeoperations if the gauge indicates oilpressure or coolant temperature.

To partially resolve this problem,many senders come in two-gauge aswell as one-gauge models. Theywork properly only when two identi-cal gauges (same manufacturer’smodel, for example) are connectedas shown in [F igure 2]. You can-not, however, add a third gauge tothis sender without degrading theaccuracy. You can add anothersender if it’s practical. Provided theyare designed for the same standard,it’s usually possible to mix manufac-turers of senders and gauges in sin-gle-gauge systems. For the bestaccuracy, it’s a good idea to staywith the same brand. Never mixgauges from different manufacturersin multi-gauge systems using onesender. Each manufacturer buildsgauges differently, so each of thetwo gauges could show a differentvalue.

At some point it becomesimpractical, or even impossible, toprovide a gauge at every desiredlocation where multiple senders areneeded. Gauge-Echo from ESCProducts is a gauge amplifier mod-ule designed to solve this problem


P R O J E C T S

Fuel gauge rear view

Fuel sender unit

ITo ignition switch

From battery negative

N

s

Figure 1 Example of fuel sender wired to fuel gauge.

Figure 2 Example of fuel sender wired to two identical gauges.

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Dual-gauge fuel gauge rear view

Dual gauge fuelsender unit

To ignition switch

From battery negative

I

Two gauges in parallel using a single-gauge rated sender. Note that thegauges don’t read full even though thesender float is fully in the full position.


and enables you to add gaugesalmost without limit. The onlyrequirement is that all the gauges oneach circuit must be of the samemanufacturer’s models. This is thesame requirement as the dual-gaugesender noted above, and for thesame reason. The Gauge-Echocomes in single and dual gaugemodels, and is therefore suitable fortwin-engine operation as well as sin-gle. A typical hookup is as shown in[F igure 3], which is easily accom-plished by connecting to the existingcircuit using the three terminals atthe rear of the gauge. It works witheither standard, of course.

Adding gauges to an existinggauge circuit is usually possible, butneeds to be done correctly or accu-racy will suffer. For additional infor-mation it’s useful to consult the vari-ous gauge manufacturer’s catalogsand web sites. My personal favoriteis Thomas G. Faria Corporation(Faria Instruments) at www.faria-instruments.com. It’s a gold mine ofvaluable information.

About the author: Larry Douglas is a marineelectronics specialist, an avid DIYer, and pres-ident of ESC Products.

HAPPINESS IS FEWER HOLES

With engines, refrigerators,heads, air-conditioning andvarious other water depen-dent equipment onboard,most boats have multiplethru-hulls. Here’s a niftydevice to reduce their num-bers, and limit the holes inyour boat’s bottom.

[ By Sandra Turney ]

While rebuilding my Contessa 26, Iwanted to reduce the number ofbelow waterline thru-hulls for safetyreasons. Fewer holes in the bottomof my boat minimize the chances offlooding or sinking. I installed awater intake manifold, sometimescalled a sea chest. This reduced thenumber of water intakes from four toone.

My design is simple. A 3cm (1-1/4") intake hose connects to theraw-water intake strainer and then to

the manifold. The manifold thendiverts the water via four ball valves:engine, sink, head and a spare forthe future installation of a water-maker or a water-cooled refrigerator.

I was unable to find an off-the-shelf manifold on the market, so Idesigned one and had it fabricatedby a local metal shop. It’s a metalbox that measures 15cm by 16cmby 5cm (6" x 6" x 2") and is madeof 14 gauge 316 stainless steel. Astainless 3cm (1-1/4") OD pipe iswelded onto the bottom of the boxto accept the 3cm (1-1/4") waterintake hose. Four stainless-steel stan-dard pipe threads, two 12mm(1/2") and two 19mm (3/4"), arewelded onto the side of the box,7.6cm (3") apart. The respectivepipe threads accept 12mm (1/2")and 19mm (3/4") standard ballvalves. Four rings are welded ontothe side edges to attach it to a bulk-head with 6mm (1/4") bolts. Themale pipe ends on the box arewrapped with plumber’s Teflon tapeand the ball valves are screwed ontightly. Teflon tape is wrappedaround the threads of the hosebarbs and plug that are screwed

into the ballvalves.Custom fabri-cation of thebox costUS$125,then you’llneed to addthe price ofwhatevervalves andhose barbsare needed.[Ed: The useof stainless

steel in this application should beconsidered a potential for a cata-strophic failure from either stray cur-rent or galvanic corrosion. The mani-fold’s direct connections to othermetals and its state of constantimmersion in raw (sea) water arefactors in creating and/or aggravat-

Projects

Figure 3 Typical connection of two gauges wiredto a GaugeEcho ge1. Both gauges readfull and read the same.

Schematic of 14gauge, 316 stainless-steel water manifolddelivered to a custommetal fabricator forreproduction.Manifold reduces thenumber of waterintake thru-hulls fromfour to one. Note

that handles on the ball valves arerusting, so ensure that all handlesare stainless steel (use a magnet totest). Regularly operate all movingparts and lubricate them with awater-resistant grease.

6"

6"3"

3/4" malethread

3/4" malethread

1/2" malethread

1/2" malethread

1/2"

1/2"

3"

2"

Tabs attached tobulkhead with 16mm (1/4") bolts

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ing such a potential. Thewelding method must alsobe scrutinized for the under-water application.]

After more than 2,414km (1,500 miles) cruising, Ihaven’t had any problems

with water shortage when using the engine and, forexample, the head flush water intake. A water shortagemay be possible if you were using the engine, a water-cooled compressor and the head. Water capacity seemslimited only by the size of the raw-water intake and thesize of the manifold box. [Ed: Water starvation to any sin-gle demand may not be a significant problem in thewriter’s experience, but there are many variables thatcould affect that in other installations. Another potentialproblem is that of siphoning and/or back flooding fromone manifolded service to another. These are not issues tobe easily resolved by the amateur designer or fabricator.Make sure you consult the boatbuilder and the manufac-turer’s of any equipment or engine to be served by awater manifold system for advice before proceeding. Asystem intended to prevent a sinking might be exchangedfor one that ruins an expensive piece of machin ery.]

There was a problem of an air lock between the raw-water intake and the manifold due to winterizing of thewater strainer. After pouring anti-freeze into the waterstrainer and pumping it through the engine, sink andhead, the hose from the strainer to the manifold is par-tially empty. I solved this problem by priming the waterstrainer: fill it with water, screw the lid on tightly to createa vacuum, and use the sink hand pump to pump thewater through and remove the air. When leaving theboat, I always close off the raw-water intake valve as well

as all manifoldvalves. Both raw-water intake andmanifold arelocated under mycompanionwaysteps, which givesme good access tosee what valvesare on or off.

About the author: Sandra Turney has completely rebuilt her 1972Contessa 26, “Sandy’s Beach.” Last fall, she headed south from Ottawa,Ontario, to cruise the warmer waters of southern Florida and theBahamas.

Another example of a watermanifold installed on a newValiant 50 consists of seacocksand ball valves to accommo-date supply and demand.

ANCHOR LOCKER VENTILATION

[ By Butler Smythe ]

Mold is a problem onmany boats and ambi-ent temperature andhumidity variationsamplify the problem.The anchor locker isone of those placeswhere limited ventila-tion can result inhumidity so thick thatwater hangs on theunderside of the deck.Open one of thoseshallow, bow-mountedanchor lockers on many of today’s sail or powerboats on avery hot day and you’ll see that there is no escape for thebuildup of heat and moisture. Even our Island Packet, withits large anchor locker and louvered door access from theV-berth, developed the black mold visible in the photo.

One easy solution is to install a ventilator that allowsair to enter or exit the anchor locker (great for the cabin,too). Simplicity is the key here and some dangers arisewhen a ventilator allows entry of water, bugs and otherundesirables. Trip or toe hazards and snag points for dock-lines or anchor rode also become concerns.

One ventilator that addresses all of those issues is theVetus stainless steel mushroom ventilator. It’s available inthree sizes, is made primarily of stainless steel, except forthe seal and interior closure knob, and can be closed andsealed from the inside as well as from the deck. Whenclosed, it keeps out all comers. When open, it allows air toenter and exit sans bugs and water. Be aware of itsopen/closed position when underway, and if conditionswarrant (rough seas, for example), close it!

This ventilator is easy to install by drilling the appropri-ately sized hole, sealing the deck or hatch edges withepoxy or another appropriate sealant to protect the corefrom getting wet. Pre-drill the holes for stainless screws (notsupplied) and apply a bedding compound (I use 3M4200) to the ventilator’s mounting flange and to the fasten-ers. Position the vent and fasten it. Attach the included plas-tic interior trim ring if you want. That’s it!


Put things away dry, let in some light and ventilate!

Mold on surfaces in anchor lockerforms in a buildup of condensationcompounded by poor ventilation.

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For areas where lines won’t snagor won’t impede movement, the Vetuscowl ventilator with Dorade box hasthe same great mushroom ventilatorin its base. Installing either vent willhelp control the elements that causemold to thrive. Bottom line? Put thingsaway dry, let some light in and venti-late!

About the author: U.S. Navy vet (retired)Butler Smythe lived aboard his Island Packet35 for nearly 6 years. He is now settled intolife ashore and sails his boat out of LongIsland, New York.

OIL EXTRACTOR STORAGE

This simple storage methodhas survived rough seasand a near knock down.

[ By Kevin Dean ]

Oil extractors are a must-have forengine oil changes, but finding asuitable mounting location onboardcan be difficult. A shelf is best, butan open space against the hull will

work. Find a location where the bot-tom edge of the extractor restsagainst the hull in an upright posi-tion. To hold it securely, you’llneed to make some straps.Wrap a strap of 5cm (2")webbing around the extrac-tor and add 18cm (7") tothis length. Cut this piece inhalf. Heat seal all ends toprevent fraying. Sew match-ing pieces of Velcro, about6cm (2-1/2") long to one endof each strap. Again wrap thestrap around the extractor and,holding it in position, screw theopen ends to the bulkhead placing awasher under the screw head. Makea webbing loop for the handle andfasten (refer to photo for placement).Loop the tubing with both ends fittedinto the rubber bushing and mount iton the bulkhead with two webbingstraps fastened with Velcro. Caution:If you are mounting this assembly onthe inside of the hull, glue a woodencleat on the hull so that you can fas-

ten the straps to it. Fastening thesestraps directly to the hull carries therisk of perforating it. Bed all the fas-teners in sealant to prevent moisturepenetration.About the author: Kevin Dean sails “ViaSophia,” a Morgan 32, on the West Coast ofCanada.

Bottom edge of extractor rests against curve of hull.Most of the weight is at this point.

Velcro

Hose

Velcro

Velcro

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Crevice corrosion, caused by stagnant oxygen-deficient water,perforated this 4mm- (3/16"-) thick stainless-steel propellershaft tube, allowing water to flood into the boat. Stainlesssteel was a poor choice for this application; a fiberglass tubewould have been a better one.

[ By Susan Canfield ]

B oatowners tend to focus on the hazards of galvaniccorrosion, which occurs between two or more dis-

similar metals in electrical contact, either directly or viaan external conductor, immersed in the same electrolyte.[Ed: Refer to DIY 2001-#4 issue for a complete discus-sion on galvanic corrosion.] What we often forget isthat most metals in marine use are alloys, mixtures oftwo or more metals. In saltwater, an alloy can generateits own internal galvanic corrosion. Stainless steel is notrustproof. It’s susceptible to self-corrosion, which nor-mally proceeds at a much slower rate than galvanic cor-rosion. The problem is that this self-corrosion is typicallyhidden from view or difficult to spot. Consequently,when stainless-steel fittings and components used in themarine environment fail, the failure is catastrophic.

Stainless steel owes its stainless quality to chromium,which is alloyed with iron. The chromium reacts withoxygen, in the air or water, to form a thin layer ofchromium oxide that is highly resistant to corrosion.With its protective film intact, stainless steel is said to bepassive. Scratch or otherwise damage this layer and itquickly repairs itself so long as oxygen is available. Inthe absence of oxygen, however, the protective layerdoes not reform and the metal is then said to be active.As shown in the abbreviated galvanic table on page29, passive stainless is more cathodic than active(anodic) stainless.

There are significant differences in susceptibility tocorrosion among the many grades of stainless steel pro-duced. Marine-grade stainless has higher levels ofchromium, nickel and/or molybdenum than do lower

Pitting corrosion occurs where a surface irregularity or scratchbecomes more anodic than the surrounding metal.The inten-sity of pitting corrosion is due to the small area of the anode(the pit) relative to the larger area of the cathode (the sur-rounding metal). Regular cleaning and removal of saltdeposits from the surface of the metal can avoid pitting.This11mm- (15/32"-) thick chainplate is pitted where it passedthrough the deck molding. If possible, chainplates shouldbe accessed periodically -– every five years or earlierif leaking -– for inspection and rebedding.


This 4mm (5/32") diameter boltcracked due to pitting corrosionwhen removed for periodicinspection. It corroded dueto prolonged contactwith a wood beamsupporting the sail-boat’s traveler.

This segment in our corrosion series looksat stainless steel, an alloy that, contrary topopular belief, does rust under certainconditions, sometimes to the point of totalfailure.

Examples of Stainless Self -Corrosion



A single pit, barelyvisible between thethreads of this stain-less steel marine-grade nonmagneticscrew, led to failureas the fastener wasbeing cleaned on awire wheel.

Centerboard pivot pins are sub-ject to both crevice and pittingcorrosion.They should be pulledwith increasing frequency as aboat ages and inspected undera magnifying glass. If corrosionis found, the pin should bereplaced.

It doesn’t take much pitting corrosion to seriouslyweaken a chainplate. Once pitting has started it has atendency to penetrate deeply into the metal, much liketermite damage in wood. Note that the affected areason both fittings are located at the point where they pen-etrate the deck molding. Crevice corrosion is also fre-quently found on the face of chainplates fitted against adamp bulkhead or hull structure.

Maintenance

From left to right: Stainless-steel stuffing box hose clamp, barbed tee, travelerbolt, wood screw, bowsprit bolt and centerboard pivot pin.All failed or wereremoved from service due to various forms of self-corrosion.

Pitting corrosion may initiate stressand fatigue cracking.This 12mm-(1/2"-) thick backstay chainplatecracked due to pitting corrosionwhen it was subjected to cold bend-ing to better align it with the back-stay.

Propeller stuffing box hose clamps are susceptible toimmersion corrosion in stagnant water.The presence ofsalt increases the electrical conductivity of bilge waterand breaks down the protective oxide film formed by themetal.Always inspect the underside of hose clampsexposed to bilge water.While the upper portion of thisclamp appeared to be undamaged, the lower portion hadturned into a metallic lace and broke.

Some marine fittings, like this inexpensivetowing ring, are actually chromed zinc (potmetal) or Zamak (a zinc-aluminum alloy).The threaded studs cast into this fitting arenot marine-grade stainless.They havewasted due to crevice corrosion caused byelevated moisture in the boat’s transom.Zamak fittings are poorly suited to themarine environment and are best avoided.


grade alloys. Marine-grade stainless is also non-mag-netic or has a very low level of magnetism; lower gradestainless is always magnetic with its higher percentageof ferrous metal in the alloy mixture. The various stain-less alloys are identified by number. Type 304 is widelyused in marine applications for fasteners, fittings andrigging. Type 316 and more specialized alloys likeAquamet 22 and Nitronic 50 have greater corrosionresistance than 304, however, they are also moreexpensive, and not necessarily as strong as 304.Corrosion resistance and strength requirements are twovery separate issues. High corrosion resistance does nottranslate to increased strength.

When considering the various forms of stainlesssteel self-corrosion identified in the photos in this article,the word “insidious” comes to mind. Knowledgeableboatowners can minimize the risks associated with stain-less steel through the selection of appropriate marine-grade alloys, surface cleaning and polishing, properbedding of fittings and fasteners, periodic disassemblyand inspection, and timely replacement. [Ed: DIY recom-mends removing all hardware and rebedding at leastevery 10 years.]

About the author: Susan Canfield is a marine surveyor with MarineAssociates in Annapolis Maryland.

Resources“The Boatowner’s Guide to Corrosion,” Everett Collier,International Marine, 2001“Metal Corrosion in Boats,” Nigel Warren, SheridanHouse, 1998

Corrosion fatigue (premature fracture) happens when self-corrosion occurs simultaneously with recurring stress. Crackstend to originate at or near the surface as seen in this pro-peller shaft. Note the polished groove caused by over-tighten-ing the stuffing box. Splatter from the leaking stuffing boxcombined with repeated torsional stress has produced a singlelong crack and numerous shorter ones just forward (to theright) of the stuffing box.This damage could have beenavoided through proper stuffing box maintenance. [Ed: Fordetails, see “Stuffing Box Repacking” in DIY 1999-#2 issue.]

Type 304 and 316 stainless steels contain carbon. Differentialheating of the metal in the area of a weld, such as those inthis barbed tee causes the chromium to combine with carbonrather than oxygen, defeating its passivating film-forming role.These areas become anodic relative to the rest of the metal,causing it to corrode.This form of self-corrosion is called welddecay or intergranular corrosion.Weld decay can be avoidedby heating objects that have been welded to about 1,050°C(1,920°F) and then rapidly cooling them. For large objects liketanks where this is impractical, a special low-carbon stainlessalloy (identified by the letter “L” after its number, such as304L or 316L) should be used.

Crevice corrosion occurs wherever stagnant oxygen-deficientmoisture collects, such as at swaged terminal fittings, closed-barrel turnbuckles, threaded fittings and chainplates. Fittingslike this swaged terminal, simultaneously subject to static ten-sile stress and exposure to a corrosive environment, are alsosusceptible to stress corrosion cracking. It’s best to avoid theuse of plastic rigging and turnbuckle covers that trap moistureand other corrosives, prevent good rainwater washing and alsosabotage periodic inspection.

ABBREVIATED GALVANIC SERIESIN FLOWING SEAWATERCathodic/Most Noble Potential in Millivolts

Graphite +200 > +300Aquamet 22/Nitronic 50 SS shafting -250 > +60316 SS (2% Mo) passive -100 > 0.0Monel (70% Ni, 30% CU) -140 > -40304 SS passive -100 > -50Lead -250 > -190Silicon Bronze -290 > -260316 SS active in still water -540 > -430304 SS active in still water -580 > -460Iron/Steel -710 > -600Aluminum -1000 > -760Zinc -1030 > -980Magnesium -1630 > -1600

Anodic/Least Noble Potential in Millivolts

Adapted from the “American Boat & Yacht Council’s Standards andTechnical Information Reports for Small Craft” (7/2001), E-2Cathodic Protection

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position the stern in close quarters,or you want to “parallel” park, liter-ally walking the boat sideways intothe slip.

Q: With twin engines I can “walk”my boat perfectly into a slip. Whydo I need a thruster?

A: Know matter how skillful youare, it’s difficult to steer on a windyday or in a strong current using onlythe engines. A thruster providescomplete control of a boat’s head-ing, regardless of the conditions andmay mean the difference betweengoing boating or staying at thedock. In unfamiliar harbors ofunknown current activity, or whereslips are tight and you need perfectcontrol of your boat, a thruster givesyou the “edge.”

Instead of being in aglassed-in tunnel,

a stern thrustertypically mountsunder the swimplatform any-

where on the tran-som provided it has

enough water coverand the water jet doesn’t hit anobstruction, such as an outdrive.


[ By Jan Mundy ]

W hile waiting out a storm in aLake Erie harbor, I was awed

as the skipper of a sailing yachtsmartly reversed course 180° in anarrow channel to return to the lakewhen he realized the harbor wastoo small for his boat. I’ve since wit-nessed many situations where abow thruster made the differencebetween maneuvering a boat withease and grace, or bump n’crunch,much like they park cars in Detroit.

Docking and handling a boatin close quarters can be anextremely anxious, stressful experi-ence for able operators. Whenbacking into a slip, for example,the stern is controlled somewhat bythe propeller and rudder, but cur-rent and wind can rapidly takecharge of the bow. Unless condi-tions are ideal, many skippers optnot to leave the dock. A bowthruster can transfer control back tothe helmsperson, restoring confi-dence and enhancing ability. “Evenexperienced professional captainslike to have a thruster on a windyday,” says John Mardall of Vetusden Ouden (Tel: 410/712-0740;Email: [email protected]; Web: www.vetus.com). “Once you have drivena boat with a thruster, you’ll neverhave another boat without one.”

If you’re considering adding athruster, here’s what you need toknow about selection, proper instal-lation and routine maintenance.

Q: What are some of the selectionfactors when choosing a thruster?

A: Major differences in thrusterdesign include single or twin pro-pellers, metal or composite pro-pellers, tunnel sizes, power supply,either electric or hydraulic, andretractable or nonretractable (the for-mer sits flush with the hull when notin use). A desirable option is a timedelay. When changing thrusterdirections, this device allows enoughtime for the propeller to come to afull stop, about two seconds, beforechanging direction. This takes amajor shock load off the drive train,which prolongs the life of thethruster.

Q: What are the operating differ-ences between a bow and sternthruster?

A: When backing into a slip, con-trol of the bow can be lost to acrosswind or cross current, so youwould usually put the bow thrusteron first. A stern thruster becomeshelpful when backing into either avery tight slip, where you have to

UPGRADE

THRUSTER FAQSome things you should know about choosing, installing,operating and maintaining bow and stern thrusters.

most boats but can be farther for-ward depending on the underwaterhull shape. It’s always best to selecta larger thruster than scale down toone that delivers minimal perfor-mance in adverse conditions. Whileequipment cost is marginally higher,there isn’t much difference in installa-tion charges between sizes. Whenselecting a thruster, consider this ruleof thumb: What will it take to stopmy boat’s bow dead in the water ina 20-knot cross wind?

Q: What are the differencesbetween electrical and hydraulicthrusters?

A: Length of run time is the maindifference. Electrical units run on 12-or 24-volt DC power and, depend-ing on the unit, have a maximumrun time of three to five minutes.Considering that a normal thrusterburst is between five and 10 sec-onds, limited continuous duty shouldnot be a concern provided theproper size thruster is selected foryour boat. Hydraulic units are muchmore expensive and can run contin-uously. Their installation makessense on a larger boat that isalready rigged for hydraulics withan engine-drive pump.

Q: What is the purchase price of athruster and the installation cost?

A: An electric unit for a 9m (30')powerboat or sailboat averagesUS$2,000. Cost of a professionalinstallation ranges from US$2,000to US$4,000, depending on yardhaul out and labor rates, and theamount of interior renovationrequired.

Q: What determines mounting loca-tion of a bow thruster?

A: Correct tunnel placement is thesingle most critical factor. It must belocated as far forward in the boatas possible to generate the maxi-

mum turning moment, but with ade-quate water depth over the top ofthe tube. There are also minimumtube lengths as specified by themanufacturer. Once a suitable loca-tion is found on the outside of theboat, it’s common to discover thatthe tunnel will pass through a bulk-head or tank. Final tunnel placementis often a compromise between theinstallation criteria and modificationsto the boat’s interior.

Q: How difficult is it to retrofit athruster?

A: Installation of the tunnel isn’tcomplicated but it must be done by

an installer experienced in structuralfiberglass repairs. Once the tube isin, the actual installation of thethruster and wiring is relatively easy.Routing wires and control cablesoften involves removing the cabinheadliner and some cabin furnitureand cutting access through bulk-heads. You’ll save money if you dothis work yourself.

Most thrusters can be installedin any position in the tube from verti-cal to horizontal. It’s much easier toinstall and service the thruster whenthe powerhead is mounted vertically.Many boatbuilders don’t do this asit takes up more room, but where it’san option, it’s the best choice. Ifinstalled within 30° of horizontal, asupport is needed under the motorto prevent movement in a poundingsea. As a practical matter, thethruster should be positioned in thetunnel within reach from one end toreplace zincs, propeller, etc. It’s


Take control: (top) To move the bow toport, a bow thruster uses a side direc-tional force out the starboard side;(middle) Stern thruster directed to port,moves the stern to starboard; (bottom)Operate the stern and bow thrustersimultaneously to parallel park or“walk” the boat.

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Tunnel installation is not a job to betackled by the uninitiated.

Q: Does a thruster increase hulldrag and reduce speed?

A: To eliminate drag in a planningboat, the tunnel is positioned, if pos-sible, so it’s completely out of thewater when the boat is on plane. Indisplacement powerboats or sail-boats, the water in the tube is notcompressible, so there is very littlemeasurable drag. If you’re reallyconcerned, consider adding an eye-brow fairing in front of the tube, ora scallop behind the tube.

Q: Once you’ve decided to pur-chase a thruster, how do you deter-mine what size?

A: Manufacturers provide detailedformulae for calculating thruster size,which are mostly based on boatlength, displacement, windagecaused by the height of superstruc-ture and where it will be mountedrelative to the turning point or centerof rotation, which is the transom on


desirable to have an access hatch from the boat interiordirectly over the thruster powerhead to enable servicing.This is another item often overlooked by productionboatbuilders.

Q: What power system upgrades are needed with anelectric thruster?

A: Thrusters have powerful DC electric motors thatdraw a lot of current, from 100 amps to 600 amps. Themost practical and cost-effective set-up is to power thethruster from a dedicated battery bank situated as closeto the unit as possible. This allows for short cable runsand simplifies installation. Powering a thruster off thehouse bank commonly involves long runs of large cableto prevent power loss. Sometimes these large cables aredifficult to route through the boat. The cost of the cablesmay be more than the batteries, and the labor to routesame may cost more than both the batteries and cables.You will also have to address the charging needs of adedicated battery bank.

The number and size of batteries depends on thesize of the thruster and will be specified by the manufac-turer. Completely sealed, maintenance-free AGM batter-ies are ideal for this application. Though expensive,they can take a large number of deep discharge cycles.If installing a separate charger dedicated to the thrusterbattery bank, it’s good practice to upgrade to 24 volts.You’ll get a longer running time and because of the highvoltage, less energy is used up producing heat.

Q: What happens if something jams the thruster?

A: Most thrusters have a fail-safe device, either a shearpin or spline in the drive train, which breaks when anobstruction stops the propeller and before the gears aredamaged. In most cases, pins are easily replaced frominside the boat. Be sure to carry spares.

Q: What’s the best way to learn how to handle a boatwith a bow thruster?

A: Do a trial run at the dock. Tie the boat securely tothe dock with some slack in the lines and lots of fenders,then run the thruster in short bursts to get the feel forchanges in boat direction. Just a light tap is all that’sneeded to pivot the bow. Next, practice moving theboat in open water, say around a buoy. The more youuse the thruster before you need it in an emergency, thebetter. When docking, go slowly. Don’t approach thedock at 7 knots and expect to have control.

Upgrade

Light duty


DON’T BE FOILEDBY FOILSCenterboards, swing or lift-ing keels are often over-looked components on sail-boats. Carefree operationrequires this equipment beinspected and maintainedduring every haulout.Here’s how to remove,repair and reinstall. [ Story and photos by Nick Bailey ]

A boat with a centerboard givesthe benefits of shallow draft and

the windward performance of adeep keel in one neat package.

Strictly speaking, a centerboard(foil) does not carry the boat’s pri-mary ballast. This retractable under-water foil is designed to provide lat-eral resistance only. Ballast is in theform of a shallow keel or in somecases carried internally. A popularmodel has a ballasted iron swingkeel. A retractable foil that also car-ries all or most of the ballast is morecorrectly referred to as a lifting keel.All the configurations have advan-tages such as flexibility and mobility,and ease in launching and retrievalfrom a trailer. On the con side, themore moving parts, the higher themaintenance and repair costs.

Wear FactorsAny centerboard, swing or liftingkeel incorporates underwater mov-ing parts. A typical centerboard usu-ally swings up and down on a pivotpin. The pin can wear, corrode orseize. This never happens at a goodtime. To lift the board, a wire pen-

Internal Style Case Boat has internal or water ballast and a light swing keel. Example: MacGregor 24Boat has a heavy centerboard that doubles as a ballast keel. Example: Sirius 21

Lube Points:1 Pivot pin 2 Winch pauls and bearings3 Cable

S A I L B O A T- R I G G I N G -

External Style Case Centerboard case is incorporated in the external ballast keel and has a light centerboard.Example: CS22, Redline 25

Lube Points:1 Pivot pin (many models have a bushing that requires no lubrication)2 Winch pauls and bearings3 Cable

Pivot pin accessibleoutside boat

Pennant

Water- t ightcondui t

L ight winch

Pennantthru-hul l

1

2

3External bal lastkeel wi th s lot

UpD

own

Bottom close-up.Note sheave.

View into centerboard box.Note corrosion.

General view

Medium duty

Typical Centerboard Pennant Attachment at Board

Pivot pinaccessible inside boat

Centerboard box

Centerboard pennantattachment at board

Centerboard pennantthru-hull

363kg (800lb)ballast centerboard

Heavy trailertype winch

Water line

1

2

3

Heavy duty

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Centerboard thru-hull: (left) top view;(right) bottom view.

nant is usually led through the hull and is attached to thelower aft trailing edge. The inboard end of the pennantleads to a winch or block and tackle system. This wireeventually corrodes, wire strands break, wire kinks, jumpsa sheave or the assembly jams from some other malfunc-tion or wear.

A lifting keel usually runs straight up and down onguide rails and has all the lifting mechanism componentsinside the boat. There are a variety of keel lift mecha-nisms. Some are simple, some are intricate, but all musthandle heavy loads.

Various electrically driven worm gears, hydraulics, etc. getthe job done easily when working properly. When abreakdown occurs, getting the keel back up (or down)manually can be a real struggle. That’s when a goodmanual back-up system is a must have. All this gear issubject to wear, corrosion and derangement due to run-ning aground. If nasty surprises are to be avoided it mustbe kept in top operating condition.

A Fouled CaseSome centerboard boats were not meant to live on the


Forward plastic sliderbearing bolted to I-beam

Forward guide /support tube

Keel bolts

122

Keel

Centerboard box capped water-tightby I-beam when keel is fully lowered

I-beam

Keel raised for trailering only

I-beam

Keel bolt

Keel

Plasticsliderbearing

Heavy wallaluminum tube

Aft plastic slider bearingincorporates worm geardrive nut

Aft guide / support tube(fixed top and bottom)

12 volt electric winch driving worm gear lift

Removable keel lifting davit with block and tackle

Less than 30cm (12") keel uptrailer position only

1.5m (5') draftkeel down

Keel

Simple L ift ing Keel Example: Melges 24

No lubrication required,Teflon spray optional.

Complex Lift ing Keel Keel is kept in the lowered position and raised only for trailer-ing. Example: C&C Mega 30

Lube Points:1 Worm gear2 Plastic sliders

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How Much is Too Much? This may be difficult to judge. All centerboardshave some play at the pivot pin, some morethan others. Use common sense and look forworsening play during haul out. If in doubt blockthe board securely and lift it with wedges to takethe weight off the pin. Then remove the pin forinspection or replacement under a preventivemaintenance program. For many external cen-terboard cases, the pin may be hidden underfairing putty on the ballast keel. In saltwater itwill likely be corroded and difficult to remove. —NB

PIVOT PIN WEAR


Sailboat Rigging

water full time. They were intendedto be “dry” sailed and stored on atrailer. Nonetheless, owners like toleave the boat in the water, theboard always in the down position,and ready to go. Rarely is antifoul-ing paint applied to the interior ofthe centerboard case. The area issimply inaccessible for coating. Thisresults in fouling problems caused bymarine organisms proliferating in thecase, sometimes called a “trunk.”

Tough armored critters like bar-nacles (in saltwater) and zebra mus-sels (in the freshwater) thrive in cen-terboard cases. Consider this classicscenario. You’re struggling to get theboat onto the trailer and you seethat the board is still not all the wayup. You ponder the problem, butdecide to drive home anyway. Whatcould happen? After a short dis-tance of jouncing on the trailer theboard gets crushed farther into thecenterboard trunk, past all the rockhard critters and into what is now anearly permanent “full up” position;something you may not notice untilthe next sail when the boat refusesto go to windward and the boardwon’t budge.

Diagnosing or fixing center-boards, or even applying antifouling,can be impractical if the boat isstored on a trailer during the off-sea-son. With the centerboard fully

retracted inside the case, it’s invisibleand inaccessible because of the lowposition of the boat on the trailer. Ifyou want to enjoy the convenience ofa wet mooring as well as the mobilityof a trailer you must be prepared atleast once a year to have the boatlifted high enough to fully lower thecenterboard for inspection, mainte-nance, and application of whateverprotective coatings are necessary.

Yearly UpkeepUse this checklist when performingannual service of a board or liftingkeel. Call the boat’s manufacturer ora professional if you’re in doubtabout the particular needs of yourboat.

Wet Moored CenterboardBoats• Check for fouling on centerboardand inside case. Scrape out asneeded.

• If centerboard is steel or iron,inspect for corrosion. If coatings are

in poor condition and a lot of rust isevident be prepared to strip the cen-terboard to bare bright metal with agrinder followed by a rotary wirebrush to clean out the pitting. Ifavailable sand blasting is the idealpaint prep.

• Apply at least two coats of agood epoxy anticorrosion primersuch as Amercoat/Devo Bar-rust,Awlgrip 545, Interlux Interprotect2000 or even straight epoxy resin.

• Prep sand and repaint antifoulingas needed. Make an extension toolto reach inside the centerboard caseif necessary (see “Easy ExtensionTool” on page 38).

All Centerboard Boats• Lower and raise the board or keela few times to inspect the entiremechanism.

• Check the pivot pin to ensure itmoves freely. Lubricate with a mois-ture-displacing lubricant or Teflonspray.

• When board is down, shake it to check for excessivewear and play at thepivot pin. If it wob-bles badly the pinmay need to bereplaced or re-bushed.

• Carefully inspect the entire pennant length for brokenstrands; cracked or corroded swages; worn or flat spottedblocks or guide sheaves. Replace any worn or damagedcomponents. Grease the centerboard pennant cable withwaterproof grease.

• Inspect and lubricate the pennant winch with grease ora Teflon spray.

Lifting Keels Inspect keel lift slide rails and bearing pads. Keel lift bear-

ing pads are almost always plastic, heavy-duty polyethyl-ene or Teflon. Lubricate as specified by the manufacturer.

• Inspect lift mechanism for wear. Lube as recommended.Don’t use petroleum-based lubricants, which are messy. ATeflon spray such as McLube Sailkote, Captain Phab DryTeflon or similar can help.

• Follow all maintenance instructions as specified by themanufacturer.

Service Accessibility If you plan to store your boat off-season at the same facil-ity where you also moor it, check if haul out and relaunchis included in the storage fee. Where there is no extracharge or a nominal charge, it makes sense to invest in aconventional storage cradle that is tall enough to allowinspection and maintenance of the centerboard. If youhave no option but to store on the trailer, you’ll need tobook a lift and a tall temporary cradle or stands to doyour annual maintenance. The same goes for larger cen-



Follow these instructions to make an extension tool for sanding and paintingthe centerboard case.

Cut a stiff spongeinto the dimensions asshown, then using aknife cut a 38mm by76mm (1-1/2" by 3")slot into the bottomedge. Insert a woodhandle sized to fit theslot. A paint paddle(stir stick) fits well.Drill two small holesthrough the handle and sponge, andfasten together with bolts, washers andnuts. Tighten so fasteners are recessedinto sponge. For sanding, wrap a 1/2sheet of sandpaper over the sponge topand staple bottom edge to the handle.Use without sandpaper and the sponge makes a great paintbrush. Be carefulnot to overload the “brush” with paint to reduce drips. (This can be a sloppyjob.) Alternatively, duct tape a regular brush to an extension handle. — NB

EASY EXTENSION TOOL

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terboardyachts as well.Just make surethe ballast keeland hull arewell sup-ported.

For own-ers who don’twet moor andlaunch the boat only for use, fouling is not a problem butyou’ll still need an occasional lift to inspect the system orrepair a pennant or service a sticking pivot pin.

About the author: Nick Bailey is a 25-year veteran of the boat repairbusiness and is service manager of Bristol Marine in Mississauga,Ontario.


B U Y I N G R I G H T

[ Story and photos by Susan Canfield ]

T he process of buying a used boatis often an emotional experience.

It involves considerable risk too, espe-cially for inexperienced buyers. Evenexperienced boaters can make criti-cal mistakes while boat shopping thatcost them time, money and unneces-sary stress. Doing your homeworkbeforehand is key to being a happyboat buyer. If you skip the fundamen-tals, you may regret the day yousigned that purchase contract.

As a marine surveyor, I’mamazed by some of the major prob-lems I encounter during pre-purchasesurveys, problems that cause theprospective buyer to walk, or evenrun away from the deal. Problems vir-tually any prospective buyer can andshould discover before making a pur-chase offer. Unfortunately, many buy-

Don’t wait until you’ve signed on the dotted lineto find a qualified marine surveyor. Do the self-survey, following the checklists on page 42, andengage a surveyor when you begin to look forthat dreamboat. Surveyors know which boats dowhat and how well the various brands and mod-els mature. Discuss your expectations and con-sider the surveyor’s advisories when you start.— Patrica Kearns

BOAT BUYING STEP 1TIP

Standing riggi

ng

Deck non-skid

Portlights a

nd hatches

Railings a

nd lifelines

Bilges

Osmotic

blisters

Grounding damage

Drive tra

in

Head and holding tank

Stress c

racks

Sails

Rudder

Propeller

Fuel tanks

Hull-deck joint

Plumbing

Galley

Ventilation

Heating & air

conditioning

Wiring

Batteries

Stress c

racks

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There are some great buys on used boats if you knowwhat to look for. A marine surveyor explains how toevaluate a boat’s systems and performance before mak-ing a purchase offer.

B U Y I N G R I G H TA Surveyor’s Perspective

ers don’t know what to look for; oth-ers don’t bother.

If you want to avoid the unneces-sary delays and expense that accom-pany multiple surveys, make sure thatyour marine surveyor is not the firstperson to inject some objectivity intoyour boat selection. Use the accom-panying checklists to guide you inyour search. The knowledge you gainin the process will pay big dividendsas long as you own your boat.

Getting your BearingsBefore you go shopping, considerhow you plan to use the boat, suchas for fishing, water-skiing, racing orcruising, and where you plan to boatin protected waters, along the coastor offshore. Focus your search onboats designed to suit your perfor-mance needs and your budget.Knowing how long you expect to

own the boat will help establish anage range for desirable candidates.Typically, the older the boat, the moreit will cost you to upgrade and main-tain it. If you lack the skills and/ortime needed for repairs and normalservice maintenance, be sure to con-sider the cost of having others do thisessential work for you. You can’tescape maintenance costs: Eitheryou’ll pay when the work is per-formed or pay (often more) in depre-ciated value when you sell the boat.

Use references like the“PowerBoat Guide” or “Mauch’sSailboat Guide” or consult your sur-veyor (see “How to Choose ASurveyor?” on page 43) to generate

a list of boats that meet your selectioncriteria. Then, gather additional infor-mation on each of the boats on yourlist. Use a three-ring notebook or filefolders to organize this informationfor future reference. Read boatreviews, visit manufacturer’s websitesand contact owners’ associations. Agreat deal of useful information canbe found using Internet searchengines. My favorite is www.google.com. Just enter the make and modelof boat you’re interested in. You’llfind boat reviews, boats for sale,owners’ associations, boat manufac-turers and more. You can access usedboat prices via the BUC and NADAwebsites. I find it more helpful, how-ever, to look at the printed versions ofthese price guides so I can readilysee the full range of values for anygiven boat’s production run. Bothprice guides are found in the refer-ence section of many public libraries.

Know your OptionsOnce you’ve developed a list of likelycandidates, contact several marinelenders if you expect to finance yourpurchase. Gather information on loanrates based on a hypothetical exam-ple drawn from your list of candi-dates. Don’t forget to ask for thenames of recommended surveyors inyour area. Next, contact the appro-priate government agencies to deter-mine government registration or docu-mentation requirements, applicabletaxes and fees, and any equipmentrequirements unique to your intendedoperating area. Much of this informa-tion can be obtained via the Internet.

Contact several marine insurancecompanies to gather information onrates and policies. When planning tobuy a boat under 9m (26') in length,contact your homeowner’s insurancecompany for a quote. Many marineinsurance companies maintain lists ofsurveyors whose reports they readilyaccept. Some, like BoatUS (www.boatus.com), post this information on


PRE-Purchase Survey

Use a plastic-headed mallet or theplastic handle of a screwdriver to testthe deck molding for delamination.Listen for the degree of vibration gen-erated each time you strike the deck.If the molding is delaminated, you’llhear a dull thud rather than a sharpring. Delamination due to moistureintrusion is most frequently found nearload bearing fasteners that penetratethe deck core.

Look in the bilge! The rudder stuffingbox on this trawler is located belowthe steering quadrant, visible here atthe bottom of the lazarette. A flash-light and mirror will be needed toactually see the stuffing box.Prospective buyers will want to wearloose fitting clothing suitable for climb-ing into sometimes grimy compart-ments.

This trawler has an elaborate fuel fil-tering system; detailed labeling is pro-vided to help the operator. Acousticaltiles that line the engine compartmentalso encloses the fuel tanks, makingvisual inspection without disassemblyimpossible.

A good flashlight and mirror areessential when checking for exhaustsystem leaks and deteriorated pipingand clamps. According to ABYC stan-dards, each section of exhaust hoseshould be double clamped.

their website.Where will you keep the boat? If

needing a slip, call several marinasto obtain a copy of their rate sheetfor skilled and unskilled labor, haul-ing, storage and launching, slip avail-ability and a sample rental contract.If they have a list of recommendedsurveyors, ask for a copy. Next, visitseveral yacht brokerages to assesstheir professionalism, experience andspecialization if applicable. Review asample purchase agreement. Ask forthe names of recommended survey-

ors. Both marinas and yacht brokershave a potential conflict of interestwhen recommending surveyors. If thenames they provide differ significantlyfrom those you receive from lenders,underwriters and experienced boatown-ers, beware. Honest marina managersand yacht brokers will typically recom-mend several experienced NationalAssociation of Marine Surveyors (NAMS)or Society of Accredited MarineSurveyors (SAMS) affiliated surveyors orother highly regarded non-affiliated sur-veyors.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE


Contact several of the surveyors rec-ommended to you. Ask about their experi-ence and specialization, if any. Obtain asample pre-purchase survey report andfee information. (See “How to Choose ASurveyor?” on page 43.)

Now, armed with all the informationyou’ve gathered, calculate the actual costof buying a boat. Start with the approxi-mate purchase price, applicable taxesand registration fees, and costs of the sur-vey, including a haulout. Estimate yourannual expenses including (as applicable)loan payments, insurance, slip rental,maintenance and repairs. Consider settingaside additional money to upgrade theboat after purchase for such items as newelectronics, upholstery, etc.

Explore, Examine, InvestigateYour next step is to assemble a basicboat inspection kit that includes agood flashlight, a plastic-headed mal-let or plastic-handled screwdriver forpercussion soundings, clipboard,paper and pens, and the checklists onpage 42. Include a camera andinspection mirror. Here’s where invest-ing in a digital or video camera canbe justified.

Start your inspection by lookingat the boat as it floats in the water.Does the boat list to port or star-board? Does it float bow or sterndown? If blocked ashore, a scum lineat or near the waterline will often indi-cate a boat’s list or trim. Is the hullsymmetrical? Is there evidence ofgrounding or collision damage? If theboat is blocked ashore, sound the hullbelow the waterline with a plastic-headed mallet or the plastic handle ofa screwdriver to test for delamination.The pitch of percussion soundings willvary as you pass over bulkheads,tanks, or other structural elements.Listen for the degree of vibration gen-erated each time you strike the hull. Ifthe molding is delaminated, you’llhear a dull thud rather than a sharpring. Note the average size and distri-bution of any hull blisters.

On boats with inboard engines,grasp the end of the propeller shaftand try to move it up-and-down and

from side-to-side. If the shaft rattles,the cutless bearing is worn andneeds replacing. [Ed: See “DriveTrain Tune-up” in 2002-#1 issue forstep-by-step bearing servicing.]

Note the condition of the pro-peller, and drive casing on out-board- and sterndrive-poweredboats. Corrosion, oil leaks andimpact damage here are clues toproblems. Check rudders for evi-dence of corrosion and check the

rudder stuffing box for evidence ofleakage. On sailboats, look for evi-dence of weeping from the hull-keeljoint or keel and rudder moldings.

On deck, look for cracks in thegelcoat. Sound the deck molding forevidence of delamination. Check thecondition of the non-skid. Do thehatches and portlights show evidenceof deterioration? Are lifeline stan-chions and/or railings secure? Checkpowerboat transoms for delamina-

PRE-PURCHASE CHECKLIST Use this checklist to determine theboat’s general condition and quality,and help you spot potential prob-lems affecting value and safety.

Planning is EverythingInit ial ConsiderationsHow do you plan to use the boat?How long do you expect to own it?Do you have the skills, interest andtime to repair and maintain it?How much can you afford to spendper year?

Background ResearchBoat reviewsOwners’ associationsUsed boat price guidesContact lendersLoan ratesSurveyors’ list

Contact Government AgenciesRegistration/documentation requiredTaxes and titling feesEquipment requirements

Contact UnderwritersInsurance ratesSurveyors’ list

Contact BrokersExperience/focusSample contractSurveyors’ list

Contact MarinasRate sheetSlip availabilitySample contractSurveyors’ list

Contact SurveyorsExperience/focusSample surveyFees

Costs of OwnershipMortgage ratesTaxes and feesInsurance ratesDockage or mooring expensesSurveyor’s feeUpgrade costsMaintenance costs

10-Point Self SurveyExterior HullAttitude at rest


Symmetry at restCollision or grounding damagePercussion soundingOsmotic blistersCutlass bearingPropellerWeepingCorrosionTransom

DeckStress cracksPercussion soundingNon-skidHatches and portlights/windowsLifelines, stanchions and railingsCanvas

Rig (sail only)Standing riggingRunning riggingSails

SteeringRudderStuffing boxSteering systemVisibility from the helm

InteriorOdorVentilationEvidence of water intrusionAbnormal wearBilges

EngineExternal conditionOilStuffing boxExhaust systemFuel tank/system

ElectricalBatteriesWiringControl panelsShorepower connector

Pumps & PipingPotable water tank/systemWaste holding tank/systemDewatering systems

Domestic SystemsGalley stoveIcebox/refrigerationHeating/air conditioning

Safety EquipmentCoast guard required equipment

tion. Note the condition of all canvas,such as a dodger, bimini, cockpitcover or enclosure.

On sailboats, check the conditionof the mast and the mast step. If themast is stepped on deck, check thecondition of the compression post thatsupports it. Look for deformation andcorrosion problems. Check wireshrouds and stays for broken strandsand cracked terminal fittings. Is thestanding rigging original or havethere been replacements? Is the run-ning rigging worn or mildewed?Consider the number and age ofsails. Determine the type and generalcondition of the steering system.Evaluate visibility from the helm.

Moving belowdecks, check forodors (fuel, waste or mildew).Evaluate the boat’s passive and pow-ered ventilation systems. Look for evi-dence of water intrusion at hatches,portlights and load bearing deckhardware (chainplates, cleats, wind-lass, etc.). Are fabrics and finisheswater stained? Do settee and berth



Marine surveyors are notlicensed, and their activi-ties are not regulated.Their competence is basedsolely on reputation. Hereare the facts you need toaccess when choosing aqualified surveyor.

[ By Patricia Kearns ]

Okay. You’ve set your sights on a fishing boat andthe broker gave you the name of his favorite sur-veyor. You have a friend who knows a lot aboutboats who said he could do the job. Either fellowcan get to it today. What’s to lose? More thanyour shirt. It could be a big pile of money or, atworst, your life.

In North America, there are no laws that regu-late marine surveyors. It’s not like picking a doc-tor, lawyer or accountant that are licensed to prac-tice. In choosing a marine surveyor, you must rely

solely on reputation, and good reputations don’tcome cheap. You wouldn’t chose the cheapestbrain surgeon if you needed brain surgery. Samegoes for a surveyor.

So, what defines “qualified?” Does the sur-veyor have a license? How much will the surveycost? How long will it take? Ask the surveyor for aresume of experience that includes his or hertraining and professional certifications and refer-ences. The lack of an affiliation or professionalcertification does not preclude excellent reputa-tion. In surveying, it’s reputation, reputation, andreputation. Ask for the surveyor’s scope (in writ-ing) of the inspection process and what you needto do to make sure the boat is ready for the looksee. Interview the surveyor personally. He or sheworks for you and only you. Costs vary regionally.Find out what you get for your money.

That brings us to agendas. The only one youneed is yours! The broker quite properly repre-sents the seller’s interests as the seller pays thesales commission. If a broker is pushing a sur-veyor, be wary. It’s likely not in your agenda’sbest interests.

A surveyor is only as good as the value of thesurvey report. Fast turnaround on the surveyreport is not necessarily to your advantage. Inthese days of expectations for instant communica-tions, marine survey reports are like medical labtest reports. Good procedures take time to do andresults take time to analyze. That’s the only kindof survey you want. Unless someone is standing inline behind you to buy this boat, take time togather and digest the information you need. Also,make sure your lender and insurance companiesaccept the surveyor’s work.

If you hear a surveyor’s name come up consis-tently as a “best in class,” remember only onething. Reputation, reputation, reputation.

About the author: A NAMS certified surveyorwith an enviable “reputation,” PatriciaKearns has 30 years marine experience,including assistant technical director withABYC and, most recently, as executive direc-tor of American Boat Builders & RepairersAssociation). She recently formedRecreational Marine Experts Group(www.marinexperts.com) based in Naples,Florida.

HOW TO CHOOSE A SURVEYOR?

cushions show abnormal wear given the age of the boat?Check the bilges tor standing water, oil, fuel, etc. Examineseacock operation.

Note the external condition of the engine. Look for cor-rosion and evidence of fuel, oil and water leaks. Ask for acopy of the engine maintenance log. If the boat is in stor-age ashore, check to see if the oil was changed at layup.Does the engine intake seacock operate? Does the pro-peller shaft stuffing box (inboard engines) show evidence ofleakage? Check the boat’s fuel and exhaust systems forleaks. Is the fuel tank original or a replacement? If neces-sary, how difficult would it be to replace the fuel tank?

In evaluating the boat’s electrical system, start with thebatteries. Are the battery terminals tight and corrosion free?Is wiring throughout the boat generally neat, well supportedand protected from chafe (good), or disorganized, dan-gling in the bilge and replete with wire nuts (a never-do ona boat)? Are all control switches clearly labeled? Does theshorepower connector show evidence of overheating?

Check potable water tanks for evidence of leakage. Ifnecessary, how difficult would it be to replace water tanks?Does the boat have a waste holding tank? If not, does ithave a Coast Guard-approved waste treatment system(Type II MSD)? Do the waste system intake and dischargethru-hull seacocks operate? How many bilge pumps arethere? If not electric, what fuel does the galley stove use?What type of refrigeration system (if any) is installed? Doesthe boat have a heating or air conditioning system? Andlast but not least, what safety equipment is included? Arethere PFDs, flares, fire extinguishers, horn, etc?

Check the DIY editorial archives (www.diy-boat.com/archives or call DIY for a copy) for past articles, backissues and CDs containing information on maintenance andservice. Check your local bookstore, marine chandler orlibrary for books on inspecting and/or buying a boat.

About the author: Marine surveyor Susan Canfield teaches “SurveyingFiberglass Boats,” a five-day seminar for boatowners, marine underwrit-ers, claims adjusters, and marine professionals interested in surveying.The course is offered in Annapolis, Maryland and at WoodenBoatSchool in Brooklin, Maine. For further information, contact MarineAssociates Inc. at 800/582-2922 or [email protected].

ResourcesMauch’s Sailboat Guide, PO Box 32422, Jacksonville, FL 32237; 888/724-5672; www.mauchs.com • PowerBoat Guide, American Marine Publishing Inc.,PO Box 30577, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33420; 800/832-0038, www.powerboat-guide.com • BUC Used Boat Price Guide, 1314 NE 17th Court, Fort Lauderdale,FL 33305; 800/327-6929; www.buc.com • NADA Marine Appraisal Guide, POBox 7800, Costa Mesa, CA 92628, 800/966-6232, www.nadaguides. com •Canadian Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety, 200 Kent, 5th Floor,Ottawa, ON, K1A 0E6; 800/267-6687, www.ccggcc.gc.ca/ obs-bsn/main_e.htm •US Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety, www.uscgboating.org • NationalAssociation of Marine Surveyors (NAMS), PO Box 9306, Chesapeake, VA23321; 800/822-6267, www.namsurveyors.org • Society of Accredited MarineSurveyors (SAMS), 4605 Cardinal Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32210; 800-344-9077,www.marinesurvey.org



REPAIR STATEGIESNot just for the surveyoranymore, find out how a$250 tool can save yourboat.

[ Story and photos by Nick Bailey ]

T he story is always the same. Afiberglass boat is for sale. “She’s

mint!” says the owner or broker.Sure enough, it looks to be in goodshape but the buyer wisely insists ona survey before inking the deal. Orperhaps your own boat requires asurvey before you can get the insur-ance policy renewed. The surveyor’sreport comes back with a long list ofminor problems and a few ominousparagraphs stating: “High moisturereadings with indications of delami-nated core at the following loca-tions.”

Armed with the survey report,you contact the local repair yard foran estimate and are shocked to dis-cover the cost to repair the wet coreis a significant fraction of the boat’svalue, and maybe exceeds it! Why?Unfortunately, wet and delaminatedcore can only be properly repairedby major surgery. The outer lami-nates must be cut away and the wetcore in the affected areas replacedor at least dried out if it’s not toobadly deteriorated. This is a time-consuming and expensive process.

“I had no idea the boat hadthese problems,” is the owner’slament. “Everything seemed fine.”All of which is probably true, but aleaking fitting may not show any vis-ible signs as water seeps ever soslowly year after year, deep into thecore. Once moisture gets into thecore it can’t escape. In northernclimes in winter, the moisture freezes

and expands. This frost heave candamage the balsa or PVC foamcore structure and force the fiber-glass skins and core apart. In turn,this frost-induced delaminationmakes it easier for water to spreadthroughout the core. Damagedareas continue to expand as long aswater can gain entry. By the timeyou notice the deck has a spongyfeel under foot or you spot thedreaded brown ooze seeping outfrom under a fastener on the deckhead it’s already too late. At thoselocations, deterioration has alreadyreached an advanced state.

How can the insidious problem

MAINTENANCE

During a routine pre-launch moisture inspection, the author discovers a watersoaked bow on his ‘60s vintage glass-over-ply Thunderbird.

be detected before significant dam-age occurs? The only simple, non-destructive detection method is amoisture meter. This electronic tool isusually considered to be strictly foruse by the boat surveyor or repairshop. The alternative is to purchasea moisture meter and do your owndiagnostic check a few times a year.For simple diagnostic work youdon’t require an expensive unit.

Strange as it may seem moisturemeters were not developed formarine use and most are not evendesigned for use on fiberglass. Thistool is primarily used by lumber andpaper industries to gauge the dry-

Examine deck fittings regularly with a moisture meter and rebed any that give ahigh moisture level to prevent further damage.


ness of wood and paper. It also has a variety of uses inagriculture and the construction industry. This means youdon’t necessarily have to pay “marine” prices to get yourhands on one. Meters that are specifically adapted formarine use cost more and will give you a more quantifiedreading of relative moisture content. The more general-purpose meter can still give a useful reading but it proba-bly is calibrated for lumber.

Readings on fiberglass and core materials just underthe outer skin will be relative readings or qualitative,which means they cover a range of wet here, dry overthere, for example. Once you’ve tested the unit for samplereadings on a variety of materials with known moisturelevels, you’ll begin to understand how to interpret meterreadings. Regardless, you’ll find places where moisture issneaking into the core around leaky hardware on deck intime to rebed the fittings. If you find very high moistureover more than a few square inches, I recommend youcall a surveyor or marine repair shop to assess the extentof the situation. Most older boats with cored decks havesome moisture problems. Cored hulls are less prone totrouble simply because there are not as many holesdrilled in them, but when trouble occurs in a cored hull itcan be severe.

Moisture meters are also useful on wood boats. Thisspring I thought I had a minor paint repair to do on thestem of my 40-year-old glass-over-ply Thunderbird. Whilecasually checking the stem with the shop moisture meter (arather battered GRP 33 model purchased from J.R.Overseas) prior to doing what I thought would be a touch-up, I discovered the whole bow above the waterlinepegged the moisture meter. Apparently the forestay fittinghad been leaking for some time. I ground back the paint,fiberglass and epoxy fairing filler to expose and dry thewet plywood. Then, with fear and loathing, I removed thedubious looking false stem and found to my relief that themassive stem timber was still fresh, though wet. If I had notchecked with the moisture meter I would have been nonethe wiser, while the soaked stem slowly turned to rot. Inthis case, I was happy to do a fiberglass and epoxy andpaint repair instead of replacing the stem timber.

A high moisture reading signifies that water has entered thedeck core.

�

STERN DRIVEREALIGNMENT The engine, transomassembly and sterndriveof your engine must be inperfect alignment to pre-vent major engine damage.To align these componentsas part of your annualmaintenance, you’ll need acustom tool, service man-ual and some mechanicalknow-how.[ Story and photos by Harry Swieca ]

I f you hear your engine knockingwhen cornering, then most likely

your engine and sterndrive (or out-drive) are no longer in proper align-ment. Engine alignment is critical.Misalignment dramatically shortensthe life span of the engine coupler,driveshaft splines, U-joint and gim-bal bearing and results in highrepair costs. Check alignment atleast annually or as specified in yourengine service manual, and eachtime the sterndrive is removed forservice.

Before checking alignment, besure the boat is properly blocked. Depending on the size of your boat,making these adjustments willrequire special boat lifting equip-ment like a forklift or straddlelift witha qualified operator and crew. Anon-trailerable boat hull must be sup-ported equally all along the keel

and transom,keeping the

waterline par-allel to theground and thetransom as levelas possible. Makesure that there isnothing around theengine area that couldapply pressure on the hull. If theboat is on a trailer, it’s very impor-tant to support the hull equally at allpoints. Tilting the transom upwardallows easier removal of the stern-drive while it’s in the down posi-tion. If the trailer’s rollers compressthe area under the engine, thenadditional supports must be placedunder the transom points to relievethe compression.

Alignment involves removingthe outdrive and inserting an align-ment tool (about $150) into thegimbal bearing, then into the cou-pler, and adjusting engine mountsas needed. If you don’t have theproper tool, mechanical skills orknowledge, I recommend youtake your boat to an authorizedmarine dealer. This work is bestdone during decommissioningand takes about 2.5 hours to do.Use the following directions as ageneric guide and consult yourservice manual for more detailedinstructions. Carefully followsafety precautions outlined inyour manual prior to proceeding.

Step 1Put the drive unit in the in (down)position. Check the manual for gearposition (typically neutral).Disconnect the power trim/tilt cylin-ders by removing both of the cylin-der’s pivot pins (1 ). Secure the cylin-ders up and out of the way to pre-vent damaging the hydraulic lineswhile working on the sterndrive.Disconnect the speedometer hose fit-ting from the gear case housing.Remove the locknuts and washerssecuring the drive unit to the transomassembly (2 ).

Grasp the drive at the end ofthe anticavitation plate (3: photoshows cylinders in place ). Liftit slightly and allow it to fall. Theshock is usually enough to popthe drive free of the housing. Do

this several times until the drivestarts to separate. Support the

drive while slowly sliding it off thehousing studs, until a gap of about25mm (1") appears between thedrive and the gimbal housing.

In many cases, even after all theM

ERCU

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ARIN

E

Before moving adjustment nuts on enginemounts, draw a parallel line with white LiquidPaper (a.k.a. White Out) on each nut and whereit touches the mount. This gives you a visual indi-cator of how far the nut has moved backward orforward of your reference line when realigningyour engine.— JM

TIPFINE TUNING

Power trim cylinders

Locknutsand washers

1

2

P O W E R B O A T- R I G G I N G -



Powerboat Rigging

locking nuts have been removed, thesterndrive will not separate from thegimbal housing. This is caused bymisalignment and can be a difficultproblem to resolve. Cut woodenshims into doorstop shaped wedges.These are used to help separate thedrive. Don’t use metal wedges orpry bars to separate the drive. Thesedamage the housing, resulting inwater leaks and universal joint dam-age. Insert wedges between thedrive and the gimbal housing, oneper side. As you lightly lift and dropthe drive, use a mallet to tap thewedges deeper into the spacing.Repeat this until the drive separatescompletely from the gimbal housing.

Release the shift cable, andremove the drive.

Step 2Carefully inspect the splines on theU-joint shaft for excessive wear (4 ).Also check the edges of the splines

for aluminum shavings from a worndrive coupler embedded in thegrease (as shown in the photo).

Either of these indicates that mis-alignment has damaged theengine’s drive coupler, which nowmust be replaced. If the shaft is ingood condition, inspect inside thebellows for rust or moisture or othersigns of damage. If cracks are foundon the bellows, it should bereplaced. On MerCruiser sterndrivesbuilt since 1984, this requires anexhaust bellows expander. Thisdevice holds the bellows in placewhile the hose clamp is beinginstalled on the bell housing. This isnot a DIY job as the skills requiredcall for an authorized marinedealer’s expertise. Now inspect thegimbal bearing. The bearing is a

large flat ring deep inside the gim-bal housing. Replace the rubber bell-housing gasket if cracked or brittle.Photo shows rust on U-joint bellowscaused by water intrusion (5 ).

Using a flashlight inspect thematching splines of the drive couplerfor wear or other damage (6 ). Insertyour hand into the housing andgrasp the center ring of the bearingand rotate it from side to side. Itshould operate smoothly without anyvibration. Consult your manual if thebearing is difficult to move.

Step 3With the basic checks out of the

way, the next process is the actualalignment. Check your manual forthe proper part number of the toolused to check alignment. Usually it’sa 61cm- (2'-) long metal shaft

3

4

5

6

7

8


approximately 38mm (1-1/2") indiameter with several steps cut intothe shaft (7 ).

Insert the small end of the shaftinto the gimbal housing and gentlypush it through the bearing and intothe drive coupler (8 ). It should moveeasily until it bottoms out with a loudknock (9 ). Do not force the shaft inas it binds easily, making removalvery difficult. If the shaft goes in butdoesn’t bottom out, the front of theengine needs to be adjusted up ordown until the shaft easily slidesthrough the gimbal bearing and bot-toms out in the coupler.

Step 4Engine adjustment is easy if you fol-low the rules.• Never adjust the motor while lean-ing on it. • Be sure the mounting bolts for theengine mounts are secure andtorqued to spec. • If lag bolts don’t tighten into thestringer supports (engine beds), it’stime for a close inspection of thesupport’s structure. Use a probe todetermine if the inner core of thestringer is dry, wet or rotted (10 ). If

it’s dry, remove the lag bolts, and fillthe hole with epoxyresin thickened to amayonnaise consis-tency. Another optionis to cut a pin of hard-wood dowel, of a

diameter size so it fits snugly, thenglue and press it into the hole. Oncecured, redrill the fastener holes. Ifthe supports are very wet or rotted,the engine must be removed, andthe engine stringer supports rebuiltor replaced. • Using a tape measure, record theoriginal distance from the enginebracket down to the stringer. If youget the procedure confused, i.e. goin the wrong direction, you have apoint of return and can start theprocess over. • Open the locking tab (not on allmounts) on the engine mounts thatsecure the adjusting nuts beforemoving them. • When making adjustments keeptrack of your up or down position bycounting each nut flat as you makean adjustment (11 ) (or see “TIP” onpage 47). This allows the mount tobe returned to the starting positionin the event it was moved the wrongway.

• If you cannot get the alignment cor-rect you may have a failed enginemount or stringer of unequal height.Boatbuilders use a jig available fromthe engine manufacturer to locateengine mount heights. This tool does-n’t measure from the stringer but usesthe “X” dimension as a referencepoint. You’ll need an authorizeddealer’s technician to do this.

• During final adjustments, be sureto lock the top locking nut each timeyou check shaft alignment. If youdon’t, the engine can change align-ment during final lockdown of thenuts. • After completing final adjustments,and confirming that the alignmentshaft bottoms out (see Step 3), besure to bend the securing tabs (ifapplicable) on the adjusting nutsback into place.

Step 5With the alignment procedure com-pleted, reinstall the sterndriveaccording to the manufacturer’sinstructions, using the proper lubri-cants. Be sure thebell housing gasket

and water passage O-ring are prop-erly positioned (12 ). Coat studs andthreads with a suitable lubricant,such as Quicksilver 2-4-C lubricantwith Teflon. Coat drive unit pilot, U-joint shaft O-rings and shaft splineswith engine coupler spline grease(or equivalent). Don’t force the driveunit into the bell housing. If the drivedoesn’t slide all the way in, you mayneed to rotate the propeller shaftslightly to align the U-joint shaftsplines with the engine couplersplines. Be sure to use new lockingnuts to secure the drive, and tightenthem following the two-stage torqueprocedure as described in your ser-vice manual. Reconnect the trimcylinders, lubricating components asoutlined in your service manual.

About the author: Harry Swieca is a certifiedmairne mechanic and is currently a marinesurveyor for Davis & Company.

MER

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MER

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Gasket

10

11

9

12

Bought May 1999:A 4.9m(16'3") hull and deck thatclosely resembles a Sea Raybowrider of mid-80s design.“A bargain at $600.”


Wiring diagrams, deck hardwareplacement and other schematics fol-lowed as well as a bill of materials.Since the deck-hull joint was visiblymisaligned, he began reconstructionwith the disassembly of the deck andhull.

1 After drilling outhundreds of rivets,the deck is lifted offthe hull revealingbadly delaminatedwood in the transom.So bad that waterdripped from holes

drilled for the eyebolts.

2 After cutting the inside edges oftransom with a side grinder with a14cm (5-1/2") diamond saw blade,the inner fiberglass laminate and

M ark Yeates knew that a planwas essential to the success of

this project. Every boat project muststart with a plan. At least that’s theapproach Mark Yeates took with hisproject boat. His first task was tomeasure and double-checked thelength, width and depth of the cock-pit, transom and hull. After a prelimi-nary draft, all measurements weredouble-checked. From this he drewcomponents to scale and begansketching interior layouts, about 10 ofthem. Feedback from family andfriends narrowed the design choice.

Launched June 2000:A family boat for tubing and water-ski-ing “Knotty Thots” afloat just 15 months later. “I guess it wasgood therapy cause I’m still feeling good.”

Here’s how one intrepid DIYer with vision and determination transformed the hull anddeck of a mid-80s production boat. With a plan, the right tools and materials and theknow how to use them, he brought this boat to new life as a modern, well-appointedbowrider.

P r o j e c t b o a t

A BARGAIN ATANY PRICE

[ By Jan Mundy ] [ Photos by Mark Yeates ]

What began as an inquiry on the DIY Technical Helpline in1999 started a major boatbuilding project for Mark Yeates.A heart attack at 42 prompted his lifestyle change and thequest for a hobby to occupy his spare time during his recov-ery. Boatbuilding was a natural choice. Yeates worked for anindustrial fabrication firm and had previously owned twoboats. He purchased for $600 a bowrider hull and deck builtin the mid-80s. This was his first foray in boat refitting andhe reconstructed “Knotty Thots” from the keel up. He adaptedhis industrial experience to the project, which is reflected inthe non-typical applications of some materials and processesrepresentative of amateur fiberglass boatbuilding. Because ofhis industrial background, some of the materials andprocesses are non-typical of amateur fiberglass boatbuilding.A very methodical man, Yeates documented every step, fillingtwo binders with layouts, correspondence with suppliers,building schematics, cost analysis and photos. He perusedparts catalogs and boating magazines and toured boatshows for design ideas. Here is his story.

soggy 25mm (1") plywood core areremoved, leaving the outer skinintact. Salvaging enough of the badply to use as a pattern, the shape istransferred onto 19mm (3/4") marineply, then two pieces are cut. Ply lay-ers are bonded together withvinylester resin sprayed on with achopper gun. Once cured, the newtransom core is glued to the outerskin with thickened epoxy resin. Anew inner skin is built up of vinylesterresin with three layers of 1.5 oz. mat,one layer of 24 oz. woven roving,two layers of 1.5 oz. mat followedby 3oz. fine cloth for a smooth finishon the inside. Aluminum angle bed-ded in silver-colored silicone seals thetop edge and provides support forthe outboard engine.

3 Suspecting a waterlogged bilge,the edges of the plywood-over-fiber-glass floor are cut cleanly with theside grinder. Lifting the floor revealedwater-saturated foam that Yeatesfreed with a shovel. Two-part ure-thane foam was then mixed in a pailand poured into the bilge between

the stringers. Expansion of the foamis difficult to control. Too much foamcan push the hull sides out. Foam thatexpanded above the stringers wascut off and the excess tossed into thenext section before pouring morefoam. As the boat had no limberholes to allow water to flow freelythrough the bilge to the bilge pump,Yeates constructed a tunnel runningfrom bow to stern made of fiberglasssheet bonded to the hull with thick-ened epoxy resin and foamed over togive complete floor support. An open-ing at the stern provides pumpaccess.

4 A new floor is cut of marine ply-wood, encapsulated in 1.5 oz. mat-ting and vinylester resin and attachedto stringers with sealant and fasten-

ers. Following his wiringdiagram, Yeates installsnavigation lights, docking lights,switches, wiring for engine gauges,stereo, horn and other accessories.Conduit protects wires from chafe.Once completed, a new floor is cut ofmarine plywood, encapsulated in1.5oz matting and vinylester resinand attached to stringers with sealantand fasteners.

5 Deck goes back on and is rivetedto the hull. Original metal rubrail isreinstalled along with a new rubberinsert. [For tips on installing rubrails,

refer to DIY1997-#4issue.] Acustom cra-dle made ofwood onwheels sup-ports thehull andmakes itveryportable.

6 Mold takes the shape of a moremodern circular splashwell interior toreplace the square one. Once lami-nated and gelcoated, it’s glued to the

splashwell. Next is the installation ofa fiberglass grate that allows bilgeaccess, a battery box, built-in gastank and portable reserve fuel tank,“Just in case I run out of fuel,” saysYeates. A switch mounted in thesplashwell allows interchanging fueltanks without swapping fuel lines.

7 Mold construction for interior linercomprised of three sections. Port andstarboard are on the right in thephoto, transom is on the left. Moldsare made of 19mm (3/4") plywood,finished on one side. A larger-than-required size of plywood forms thebase. Mold dimensions are pencileddirectly onto the ply. Components arethen constructed from these dimen-sions and assembled using screws tofacilitate removing the mold. “This is


To engine

To switch valve

To engine

Fromreserve

From mainfuel tank

Valve has threepositions main, reserveand off Fill

49L (19 gallon) main built-in tank

To switch valve

8L (3 gallon)reserveportable

GUY

DRI

NKW

ALTE

R


a must if you have any area that isan under cut,” explains Yeates. Nextstep is to apply lightweight, sandablefiller to form nicely round edges andhide the wood grain. Flexible plasticcut into different radius com-presses the filler into the cor-ners.8 Completed port mold isfirst sprayed with a 40milsthick coating of DuratecPolyester Surfacing Primer,sanded with 80 grit and fin-ished with 400 grit paper.Some areas required reprim-

ing and sanding again. Mold areasthat are visible receive a coating ofblack Furan, buffed to a brilliant

shine using amedium coarsebuffing com-pound. Next stepis to apply fivecoats of MirrorGlaze mold-release wax,allowing the wax

to dry then buffed off between eachcoat. 9 White gelcoat is now sprayed on,about 18mils thick. Once the gelcoatis just slightly tacky it’s time to apply

the laminates of vinylester resin andmat using a chopper gun applied toa thickness equal to six layers of 1-1/2 oz. mat. Yeates consulted with astructural engineer for the laminateschedule. For tips on doing this task,see “Molding Parts” on page 55.Molds are left to cure overnight andfinished by trimming off excess, grind-ing edges and sanding off any loosefibers. Molds are now dismantledand separated from laminated sec-tions.

10 Interior liner fits perfectly! Lockertops are cutout. Mylar is placedbetween the liner sections and thefloor, then a fiberglass flange is lami-nated to the bottom edges of eachsection. Mylar prevents contact withthe deck and allows easy release ofthe laminated parts. Flange allowsbolting of the sections to the floorwith stainless steel screws. Interior isentirely modular to allow access to

fuel tanks,battery,wiring, etc.It takes lessthan 30 min-

utes to remove the interior.

11 The original floor at the bow hada noticeable bow. It was necessary tocut thefloor, pushit downuntil leveland fastenwithscrews,then installa new lam-inated floorconstructed

Project Boat

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I estimate the total monies spent on all materials and parts, including the trailerand 150hp engine, at $22,049. This doesn’t include a value for my labor as Istopped counting the hours after completing the interior liner molds. I could havebought a new production boat for the same amount or less. But building allowedme to customize the interior, install my own safety standards, gain a hands-onunderstanding of the workings of all components, and it became a family projectthat involved my wife Ruth and son Patrick as well. All construction and installa-tions comply with the Canadian Construction Standards for Small Vessels (compa-rable to ABYC Standards and Recommended Practices for Small Craft in the U.S.)available from the Canadian Coast Guard. Upon completion, I submitted a SingleVessel Data Sheet, survey and other forms necessary to apply for a boat capacityplate, just as a production boatbuilder must do. A label affixed to my boat pro-vides a hull identification number, and notes the maximum weight and loadcapacity, and horsepower rating. — Mark Yeates

of mat laid over wood and sprayed vinylester resin. Afterinstallation, the floor receives a coat of waxed resin, con-taining 5% parrafin wax dissolved in styrene then mixed inwith vinylester resin, and white pigment added. Commonlyused by boatbuilders and industrial manufacturers it givesa resin rich, non-tacky surface when added to the final out-side layer of mat.

12 Helm seat support roughed in with 3mm (1/8") thick,15cm (6") widefiberglass channel(used for industrialwalkways).Numerous moldedplastic access portsfor storage accessmounted in thebow and stern.Support will bepainted with whitepolyurethane paint.

13 Proboard, a bendableplastic, is cut then heatedwith a torch and bent to theneeded shape. These formthe backrests for the seatsand will be covered withcushions. Rot-free, it’s a bet-ter choice than plywood.

14 Finished curved moldedpiece is bonded tothe splashwell inte-rior.

15 The hull is wetsanded with 600grit, then 800,


BUILDERS COMMENTS

MATERIALS BILL

then 1,500 to remove gelcoat oxidation. Greenpolyurethane paint is applied over the red sheer stripe.

16 Beginning of helm reconstruction, a hole is cut for theTeleflex NFB helm pump. Conduit of schedule 40 pipe runsunderneath gunwale on starboard side to house steeringcables, engine harness and a messenger line to later routeelectrical cables as needed. Fiberglass angle on dash topand sides allows fastening of padded upholstery. Plywoodpattern of dash is fitted. Dash panel will be constructed of19mm (3/4") oak.

17 Foam doubles as patterns for the cushions, which arebacked with plywood preserved in Thompsons Water Seal.Holes cut in plywood back allow for water drainage andfiberglass bug screen stapled to the back provides goodventilation. Yeates cut all the materials and his wife sewedand assembled the cushions.

18 Removable ski barinstalls between drinkholders trimmed in 3mm(1/8") oak. When notskiing, a cushion coversthe cavity.

19 Interior linerremoved and outdoorcarpet installed andglued down with contactcement.

20 Drink holderstrimmed in oak,handrails, plastic water-proof speakers and padded walkthrough complete the bowseating area. Same oak trim around drink holders. A fillerpiece made of oak plywood, stained green and finishedwith five coats of clear polyurethane is later added. It fitssnugly against the upholstered sides and top rests under-neath the windshield. Gold vinyl trim available from a lum-


Boat, hull and deck $600Hull cradle $27

Raw MaterialsVinylester resin, 39L (10 gal) $3601-1/2 oz. mat, 4.5kg (10lb) $31Urethane foam, 26.5L (7 gal) $90Acetone, 19L (5 gallons) $48Duratec 3.8L (1 gallon) $35Furan 3.8L (1 gallon) $35Gelcoat, white 3.8L (1 gallon) $47Mold polish $30Proboard, black $68Waxed resin, 3.8L (1 gallon) $4719mm (3/4") Plywood, 1 sheet $25Stainless steel nuts and bolts $14Lumber for framing $94Miscellaneous mixing tubs, paintbrushes and rollers, paint and primer,sandpaper, grinding discs, fillers,sealant, masking tape, tack rags $167

WiringWire stripper, heat-shrink torch $43Fuse and switch panels $40Miscellaneous heat-shrink tube,connectors, conduit, wiring,

negative busbar, fuses $177

ToolsElectric drill, hole saws, drill bits $68Staple gun $49Miscellaneous $73

Equipment and Hardware Battery box $12540 Battery $65Bilge pump $25Blower $25Stainless steel deck steps $24Powerlight $40Pop-up cleats, 10 $265Gas tank, 47L (18 gallon) $150Gas tank, 6.5L (2.5 gallons) $35Tank hold-down kit, tank and deck fittings $182Locker doors, 3 $160

Rubrail insert $40Fenders, 4 $40Compass $55Horn $22Radio splash cover $26Speakers $220Repair of CD player $46Dual cable steering $500Ski bar $175Black vents $77Drink holders $84Windshield $935Graphics and pin striping $452Safety equipment: fire extinguisher,flares, lifejackets, wet suits $335Miscellaneous fasteners andhardware $596

Seats and UpholsteryFoam, 28kg (61lb) $153Vinyl 30m (32.5 yards) $195Stainless steel staples, 6 packs $66Quilt batting $61Fasteners $10Adhesive $25Plywood, 12mm (1/2") $15Carpet $70

TrailerTrailer with load guides and spare tire $1,800Trailer hitch $240

Engine150hp $11,000Rigging and cables $300Prop $200(Engine installation by a qualifiedmarine technician)

DocumentationSurvey $100Trailer license $35

Other Miscellaneous $1,025

TOTAL $22,049Note: Prices in Canadian funds

Project Boat

MOLDING PARTS


beryardmounted alongedge so it does-n’t mar theupholstery.Latches releaseso it folds inhalf.

21 A SeaRay shaped windshield is a perfect fit. Finisheddash includes a compass, 12-volt receptacle for the solarpanel (to charge the battery) and other accessories, multi-function engine gauges, and Chaparral rocker switchescosting $5 each.

22 Launch day! A mid-80s hull design with all of today’smodern conveniences: lounge, bench and helm seating(instead of the typical back-to-back sleeper seats), tele-scopic Powerlight stern light, pop-up cleats, stereo with CDplayer, docking lights, custom two-piece swing-down ladderand much more.

Set up a worktable with all your materials. Since resin seems to trackevery where, wear old clothes or a Tyvek suit and use masking tape tocover your shoes or slip into plastic bags taped at the cuff. Keep acetoneclose to clean brushes and rollers; if resin kicks off these become garbage.Cover the table in plastic sheeting, waxed paper or foil. Precut the matand/or cloth. Don’t make the pieces too big, this is especially true for cor-ners as small pieces allow rolling out the air much easier. I made one ofthe liner parts with sections that were too big, resulting in air pockets onthe gelcoat surface that had to be filled and regelcoated later.

I usually work with three layers of 1-1/2 oz. mat at one time. Applyresin, about the size as the piece of mat you are using, onto waxed paper.Place the mat onto this and apply more resin. Follow this procedure for allthree layers. Now, roll out the mat so it’s saturated with resin and all air isremoved. Once this is done, pick up all three layers at one time and placeit in the mold and roll out any air. Because vinylester resin is very temper-ature sensitive, it’s best to mix small batches. You might consider makinga batch for a gel test and take note of the working time. Repeat this pro-cedure, overlapping the edges of each section, until laminating is com-pleted. In some cases more that three layers canbe applied at one time but the heat theselayers may generate can distort your part.Now, let the laminate cure. While thelaminate is still “green,” (mat isflexible but doesn’t shift) trim theexcess material with a sharputility knife.

If parts require more mater-ial to obtain the desired thick-ness, rough up the mating sur-face with 60-grit paper. If layup is done within a few hoursafter the first lay up cures, sandvery lightly. Sand more aggres-sively if a few days havepassed. Fiberglass dust can bevery itchy to the skin andshould never be inhaled. Wearlong sleeves, gloves and usemasking tape to join them.Wear a dust mask and eye pro-tection. When washing, uselukewarm water. Hot water willcause dust particles to sinkdeeper into skin pores. Always work in a very well ventilated area whenusing resins.

Reinforce large parts that require extra strength with plywood, balsa orone of the special lightweight foams or cores. When using these materials,first rough up the surface with 60-grit paper. Then mix resin and thickeninto a paste with filler, such as microballoons or cabosil. Apply this to thecured laminate and press the core material into it. Add some weight untilthe paste cures. Then lay up a few layers of mat to secure it in place.— Mark Yeates

7"

5"

6"

?"

313 /

16"

163 /

8"

643 /

16"

473 /

4"

27"

203 /

4"

23"

12"

GUY

DRI

NKW

ALTE

R


[ By David and Zora Aiken ]

MORE DUCK FOILNecessity has sparked a number ofsolutions, if not actual inventions, tomarina ducks taking up residenceon swim platforms, many of whichhave appeared in the “Currents” col-umn in past DIY issues. Here are afew more ideas. A super-simple solu-tion is to cover the platform with asheet of heavy gauge plastic andseal it securely with duct (not duck)tape. If you wrap the edges like agift package, most of the tape willstick to the plastic, and you won’thave the nasty problem of removingtape adhesive.

Another option is to take some4L (1 gallon) plastic jugs emptied oftheir original contents and refilledwith water. Line up the bottles nearthe outer edge of the platform sothey are slightly less than a duckwidth apart. Lastly, build a pup tent

of light-weight plywood andsit it on the platform. (See photoin DIY 2001-#4 issue, page 3.) Thesides are too steeply angled for thecomfort of a sitting duck.

RAIL CUSHION On a boat, foam-rubber pipe insula-tion has proved useful forhandrail protection.Rails are theobviousplace for atarp tie-down,

tying spare fuel cans and waterjugs, or clipping a dinghypainter at the usual boardinglocation.

To make, slide foaminsulation tube, alreadyslit down its length,over the rail. Hold thetube in place withsmallcableties. Ifyou planto beawayfrom theboat forsometime andwant toadd someUV protection, use the insula-tion to hide the varnish. Thoughnot as nautical as a proper custom-fitted canvas cover, foam tubes pro-

vide a simple and effectiveoption.

BARREL SHOWER Ideal on the roof of a

houseboat,this unfashion-able cabinshower design

is easily adaptedfor use on other boat

styles, requiring only some simplemodifications to the mounting brack-ets, or installed as a cockpit shower.

Start with a wood, plastic, evenmetal barrel. A 5L (6 gallon)capacity is man-age-

ableand it holds

enough water to be practi-cal. Paint the barrel black to acceler-ate the solar heating. Make two

wood brackets, almost flat on thebottom edge to rest atop the roof,and curved on the top edge tomatch the barrel’s shape. Pick a spotover the shower stall or head areaand mount the brackets to the roof.

Place the barrel on thebrackets, and attach some

strapping to secure it to the brack-ets. Install a fill fitting on the top.Near the bottom of one end, inserta 90° PVC elbow, pointing down-ward, and attach a short piece ofPVC pipe to the elbow. Cut a holethrough the roof and feed the pipeinto the head area. Seal well with3M 4200 or equivalent.

From inside the boat, attach avalve fitting to the PVC pipe. Locatethis water-control switch convenientto the shower area. Now attach alength of hose with a spray fitting orshower head on the end. Make upthis assembly with individual parts,or buy a telephone-style showerattachment. Mount a U-shaped stain-less steel bracket on a bulkhead to

hold the shower hose when it’s notin use.

About the authors: David and Zora Aiken arethe authors and illustrators of numerous boat-ing, camping and children’s books, including“Good Boatkeeping” and “Good Cruising”published by International Marine. They liveaboard “Atelier,” in Grasonville, Maryland.

Top Fill

90° PVC Elbow

1/2" PVC Pipe

1/2" PVC Pipe

1/2"Water Hose

Metal Straps

Teak or Mahogany Brackets

Stainless Steel Hook

Shower Head

2002 issue #2 –Features

Documents

Transcript of 2002 issue #2 –Features