DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 1

CONTENTS 2004-3DIY boat owner 2004-3www.diy-boat.com 1-888-658-2628

Columns 8 SCUTTLEBUTTSeal of Good Boatbuilding: Is therea boating equivalent of the famous “GoodHousekeeping Seal” or a consumer reportfor making comparisons before you buy?By Patricia Kearns

22 DIESEL ENGINESLube Oil: The Blood of Diesel Engines:How to prevent damage and select theproper oil for our engine. By Larry Blais

26 ELECTRICAL FAQBy John Payne

38 ELECTRONICS Satellites at Sea: Watching TV, surfingthe web, e-mail and phoning from yourboat while at sea has become a reality.By David Anderson

46 SAILBOAT RIGGINGLeaking Keel Bolt Fixes: Once you’veisolated the leaking offender you havethree repair choices and they proceedfrom easy to difficult depending on howpersistent the leak is. By Nick Bailey

52 DIY PROJECTSRod Box Project; Shrinkwrapping Afloat;Just Add Air and Peat; Building a CustomHardtop

64 VIEW FROM THESTERN

The Zen of Boat Restoration: Is itpossible to find the perfect boat torestore? It’s a question even this seasonedboater can’t answer. By Roger Marshall

2 CURRENTSLetters, News, Wanted

10 TALKBACK Q&A Questions from DIY Readers

11 DIY TECHNICALHELPLINE — It’s FREE

Technical Help with your subscription. Log onto DIY ONLINE at www.diy-boat.com

15 Tech Tips

Departments

2 Removing 3M 5200— this stuff works!

16 THAT SINKINGFEELING The difference between the intrusion of alittle rainwater and the inexorableprogress of a leak below the waterline isthe difference between a boat that floatsand one that doesn’t. This article looks atleaks below the waterline, how to findthem and how to fix them. By Nick Bailey

29 SWEET WATERA boat owner’s guide to potable watertanks, piping, and the prevention andcorrection of odor and taste problems.By Sue Canfield

34 DECOMMISSION-ING YOUR STERNDRIVEAn organized approach to preparing yoursterndrive-powered boat for lay up overthe winter or for long-term storage. By Steve Auger

41 BEAUTY OR BEAST?Besides knowing a boat’s age and enginehours, here’s what you need to consider,including boat type and usage, hull con-struction, structural problems andmechanical damage, before refitting orrestoring a fiberglass boat. By Nick Bailey

48 KEEPING THELOG, TRIP BY TRIPRecording your boat’s aches and pains ina trip log can identify troublemakingbefore it advances to a major problem,thereby reducing operating costs andimproving confidence in your boat,engine and equipment. By Peter Pisciotta

WIN — 3M FIBERGLASS RESTORER & WAX

FREE TECHNICAL HELP WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONTo subscribe call 1-888-658-BOAT (2628)or log onto DIY ONLINE at www.diy-boat.com

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Log onto www.diy-boat.com for:•DIY Back Issues•DIY EZINE •1995-2003 Index

DIY ON CD-ROM See page 57

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-26282

Seminar Pay-offThe magazine is a gem and the seminarsshine bright. What we learned at theseminar translated directly into resultswhen we redid the faded, chalky hull onour boat. She looks like a new boat now.You provided the know-how and we tookcare of the rest, with great results. We,and our boat, thank you.Steve and Pam Haines, Boaz, Kentucky

Ed: DIY is conducting seminars at vari-ous upcoming boat shows. Topics includefiberglass repair, gelcoat restoration, paint-ing, bow to stern checklists and more. Fordates and locations log onto www.diy-boat.com and click on "Event/Seminars."

What's This Silicone? In your 2004-#1 article, "Leak-proofingCabin Windows," reference is made to"…high flex glazer's silicone." What spe-cific product(s) are being referenced? Canyou give me specific brand names?Wes Herdman, "pNeuma J," Ladysmith,British Columbia

Nick Bailey replies: Some of the high flexglazer's silicone products we use at BristolMarine and who recommended them tous include: Dow Corning #795 Siliconebuilding sealant recommended by HunterYachts, which beds its big windshield-style cabin windows with this stuff; DowCorning #999A building and glazing sil-

icone; GE SilPruf SCS 2000 weather-proofing sealant recommended and usedby Sabre Yachts to bed its cabin win-dows; GE Ultra Glaze silicone recom-mended by Bomar to seal replacementhatch lenses. There are likely other prod-ucts that qualify as glazer's silicone. Lookfor silicone with the ability to expand orcontract 50% plus and excellent weath-er resistance and adhesion.

Seal Failure on Racor I read your solution to Doug Moore in the"Talkback" column on page 9 in DIY2004-#2 issue, about his twin Caterpillarengines that suck air. I had a similiarproblem and discovered it was causedby the Racor fuel filters. There is a primerpump on the top of the filter and the O-ring ring for the pump doesn't seal prop-erly. When using the pump the leakallows the fuel to escape. I resolved it bytaking the supply line out of the fuel tankand using an electric fuel pump and ashort length of fuel hose (in a pint of fuel)pressurized the system one engine at atime. Richard Douglas, "Orphan Annie," Ivy Lea,Ontario

Diesel FAQs

While reading the diesel column in DIY2004-#2 issue, I was surprised to findsomeone was also having problems find-ing a decent selection of parts for theirPerkins Prima 50. I was more surprisedto find my name attributed to the ques-tion. Not two days later, a friend andmechanic from my local boatyard, whoread my submitted question, told meabout Trans-Atlantic Diesels of WhiteMarsh, Virginia. I contacted the firm andthe person I spoke with was not only veryfamiliar with my engine but had all theparts I needed. Best of all was the firm's

Currents

Edited by Jan Mundy

FEATURES WEIGH BIG

"What do you most often consider first whenpurchasing new equipment for your boat?"was the question asked on DIY ONLINE lastmonth. Of the six choices listed, “features”was surprisingly selected by 43% of respon-dents. Price and magazine recommenda-tion tied for second with 18%. Nearly equalwere brand (11%) and friend's recommen-dation (12%). Only 1% of respondentschoose dealer recommendation for theirequipment purchases. To enter DIY's cur-rent poll, log onto www.diy-boat.com.

DIY WINNERS

Winner's of DIY's Product Information CardGiveaway from DIY 2003-#4 issue whoreceived the 3M Marine Detailing Pak, are:Tom Hill, Limehouse, Ontario; RobertThibert, Ste. Genevieve, Quebec; and DaleWoodruff, Crescent City, Florida. Winner's ofDIY's Product Information Card Giveawayfrom DIY 2004-#1 issue who received ajug of 3M Marine Hull & Deck Cleaner, are:Leonard Franks, Highland Park, Illinois;Jason Harrity, Saint John, New Brunswick;and David Sheely, Norman, Oklahoma.When you need information from marinemanufacturers, log onto DIY ONLINE atwww.diy-boat.com and click on"Information On Marine Products." Thisautomatically enters you into this issue'sdraw of three bottles of 3M MarineRestorer and Wax.

Yes, You CAN Remove 3M 5200 I was somewhat skeptical when I first read thehype and manufacturer's claims about Debond2000 Marine Formula, especially having tested,without success, other products that boast theability to remove 3M 5200 polyurethane sealant. Ifyou were to ask 3M Marine about how to remove5200, the typical response is: "Why would you wantto remove it? It's meant to be permanent." If you'rereally persistent, the contact mightrecommend passing piano wirebetween the bond line and hard-ware (slim chance!). On DIY's proj-ect boat (see DIY 2004-#2 fordetails), we needed to remove theexisting outboard motor bracket Iinstalled 12 years ago with 3M 5200to install the new Garelick bracket.We ordered a 4 oz. (105ml) bottleof Debond. Voila! It worked fast,removing the bracket in less than20 minutes. When you need to remove bondedhardware, buy this stuff. It's now available for pur-chase at DIY ONLINE at www.diy-boat.com. Justclick on "MRT MALL." Sorry, U.S. orders only.

Smash, bash and bruteforce won't remove hard-ware that was properlybonded with 3M 5200.

Start: Apply a thin coat-ing of Debond to boltheads and bond linearound bracket. Wait a

few minutes then saw along bond line whereaccessible to agitate thesealant.

5 minutes: Sealant is easi-ly peeled off around boltheads.

7 minutes: Bond breaksaround bolt heads and boltswere extracted with Vice-Grips.

9 minutes: Apply a second thincoating of Debond aroundbracket edge. Wait 2 minutes.Bracket easily pops off usingcrowbar as alever.

13 minutes:Pull off rightbracket.

Finish: Scrape off old sealantandsol-ventwipe. Total time fromstart to finish was 20minutes.

— Jan Mundy

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 3

Engine Service After Long Term Storage

After three years in drydockundergoing a complete refit (see

"Fresh Look" in DIY 2004-#2 for details), we finally launched our boatthis summer. To recommission the 150hp Mercury outboard (1990 vin-tage with carburetor not EFI), we decided to test run the engine beforelaunching but it wouldn't start. Closer inspection found the engine fuse,the one hidden inside the black box (there are two fuses on this engine)completely corroded inside the fuse holder. This was an easy fix. Withthe sterndrive placed in a massive "bucket," we connected the fuel line toa portable fuel tank containing a "soup" of high-octane gas and two-cycle oil mixed at a ratio of 24:1 (1 quart to 5 gallons/946ml to 19L) ratherthan chance the three-year-old fuel in the inboard tank. Before runningthe engine we removed the old fuel filter/water separator. Horror! Thisfilter was contaminated with water and thick syrup-like goo that smelledlike varnish. After replacing it with a new one we ran the engine for 15minutes on the “soup.” So what was to be done with our 60-gallon (227L)inboard fuel tank that was merely a 1/4 full? Surely, it was full of waterand stuff mechanics call "orange goo." Do we empty it and clean out thetank, which is the recommended action, or…? Along came Steve Auger,DIY's engine specialist, to the rescue. Steve's Plan B called for filling upthe tank with 94 octane or higher fuel, double the fuel stabilizer quanti-ty for the first tank and add two-cycle oil at a ratio of 200:1. To the exist-ing fuel we added three 12 fl. oz (350ml) bottles of octane booster and1/2 quart (473ml) "dry gas" (a.k.a. gas line antifreeze, a mixture of iso-propyl and butyl alcohol, commonly added to automotive engines andas a rule, never added to marine engines as fuel stabilizer has the sameaffect), and then followed Steve's recipe. Many runs later and anovernighter and our engine just keeps humming.

— Jan Mundy

Consequences of a three-year hia-tus: (above) corroded engine fuseand (right) contaminated fuel fil-ter/water separator.

willingness to lend me the engine-specific tools to change thetiming belt/chain. Thanks DIY!Jim Westpfahl, Lindenhurst, New York

Pumping ActionAre you familiar with the reliability of bilge pumps (I think Rulemakes one) that activate every few minutes or so and eitherpump out water that is present or immediately shut off if wateris not at the pump's lower set point?Larry Awalt, Ellicott City, Maryland

Ed: Rule makes the Automatic/Computerized Series Pumps thatrange from 360 gallons per hour (gph) up to 4,000 gph. The fea-ture behind the pump is that they operate at an extremely lowamperage draw and cycle every two to three minutes sensing water.When the impeller senses an increased resistance from the water,it activates the pump and turns it on. Now that the pump is on, it dis-charges the water. Once the water is discharged, the pump shutsoff and goes back into its sensing mode. Power draw is low untilthe pump activates and turns on again when it senses water.

CorrectionDIY reader Pete Dubler of Fort Collins, Colorado, emailed us about an error in DIY 2004-#2. The article, "A Strong Case For Treated Sewage," states: "While feder-al law requires...bacteria count to be less than 1,000 per milliliter (ml), the bacteria count in the discharge from a Lectra/San is less than 10 per 100 ml…." Those two numbers are equivalent since 1,000 per ml is equal to 10 per 100 ml. From my years of conducting water pollution research, I recall that all the standards are expressed in terms of bacteria counts (colonies on a culture plate) per 100 ml of water. The 1,000 per ml should be 1,000 per 100ml. Additionally, B.O.D. is mentioned and defined as biological oxy-gen demand, then the term "B.O.D. 5" is used after that. BOD5 is the defined as the "five day biological oxygen demand."

DIY EZINE Gets LinkedIs it possible to link the web addresses

Publisher & Editor: Jan MundyVP Sales & Marketing: Steve KalmanDesigner & Illustrator: Joe VanVeenenSales: Don RobertsonWebmaster: Jeff KalmanCirculation: Britton HardyCopy Editing: Patricia KearnsTechnical Advisor: Recreational Marine Experts Cover design: Joe VanVeenenContributors: Steve Auger, Nick Bailey, Bob Smith, Susan Canfield, Peter Caplan, Roger Marshall, John Payne, Peter Pisciotta DIY boat owner™ and The Marine Maintenance Magazine™ are registered trademarks of JM Publishing. DIY boat owner is published quarterly by JM Publishing. ISSN 1201-5598While all precautions have been taken to ensure accuracy and safety in the execu-tion of articles, plans and illustrations in this magazine, the publisher accepts no responsibility for accidents, material losses or injuries resulting from the use of information supplied in these articles, plans or illustrations. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reprint-ed or used without the express written consent of the publisher.

currents

Boating's Surely Soul Food

MOTHER OF RIGS

John Payne, DIY's electrical consultant, is the commissioning manager for this BP Thunderhorse, the newly launched and larg-est floating semi-submersible in the world, shown here riding piggyback (yes, that ship is carrying this giant rig) from South Korea to U.S. When installed off the coast of New Orleans, Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, it will produce 250,000 barrels of oil a day. Some statistics: dry weight is more than 60,000 tons; size is 1,184' (110m) by 1,130' (105m) square. Height to upper deck is 187' (57m) and height to top of drilling derrick is 417' (127m). Draft when operational is 98' (30m). There are more than 746 miles (1,200km) of electrical and instrumentation cables and the Kongsberg Simrad Vessel Management System has some 16,000 inputs and outputs with networks of fiber optic cables. Additional oil production modules will be added in U.S., boosting the weight 20,000 tons.

"As we drove out of the harbor on our new SeaRay 420 Sundancer, we over-heard several of the marina’s full-time residents commenting on how "the other half lives," and sounding some-what envious of the fiberglass opulence we appeared to enjoy. Their words made me think and I realized that it simply doesn’t matter if you have a boat or a yacht or that its hull gleams with a new paint job or is dimmed by decades of exposure to the elements and use. We are all commonly bound by the magi-cal lure of the water. For a few hours each weekend, you become the person your dog thinks you are. Kind to neigh-bors, willing to lend a hand or a tool, generous with your own food and drink, hospitable to the curious passerby who strolls about the docks, perhaps jealous of your boating lifestyle. It matters not how you earn your living, the car you drive or whether your children graduat-ed with a PhD from Harvard or an A.A. degree from the community college. Instead, in the company of your fellow mariners, you swap tales of memorable dining experiences, the best place for fuel, tips for locking through the Trent-Severn and dreams of cruising the North Channel or wintering in Florida. Boating is a great equalizer and maybe one of the last safe communities where your kids can run free and boat hop, where you probably don't think much about locking up at night and where it's okay to lend a tool to a neighbor, know-ing you'll get it back with genuine grati-tude and, if you're lucky, a cold beer."

— Alan Wendt, commenting after the Sea Ray Rendezvous held in Belleville, Ontario.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-26284

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 5

mentioned in your articles? For example,in the DIY 2003-#2 EZINE (web edition)the section on Harken on page 33 listedits web site but the link is not active. Adsare hyperlinked to advertisers sites andthese work fine, thank you for that. Larry Fischer, Belfair, Washington

Ed: What a great idea. We've been publish-ing the EZINE for many years and until nowno one thought about it. You'll find the textlinks working when the 2004-#2 issue wentonline. Thanks for the input.

WANTED

DIY reader David Cox is looking for infor-mation and specs on his US Yacht 25 (alsoknown as a Bayliner Buccaneer). Contacthim at davidcox@tampabay.rr.com.

Fabric SourceIn DIY 2004-#2 issue, you featured an'80s cuddy cruiser as a project boat. Asone of your sources on page 56, you lista product called "Marilux" from Germany.I was just wondering if this is spelled cor-rectly as I couldn’t find anything resem-bling it on the web. Also, how does thisproduct compare to Sunbrella in function,ease of manufacturing, cost, longevity? Jerry Rose via email

Ed: The product is actually calledMarkilux (misspelled in article) and it'san acrylic fabric with a polyurethanebacking, made in Germany. It doesn'tbreathe as well as Sunbrella, whichmeans you need to keep a corner flapopen for air, but it doesn't leak andremains watertight. It's also a muchtighter weave, making it very durable.

CURRENTS

Cruising, Rendezvous Style

"From Sea to Shining Sea Ray" was the themefor this summer’s Sea Ray Rendezvous heldin cruising grounds across the countryincluding Chesapeake Bay, Chicago, Illinoisto Traverse City, Michigan, and Sport BoatRendezvous on Lake Powell, Utah andBelleville, Ontario. Sea Ray dealers host theserendezvous for their customers in differentlocations each year. Rendezvous plannershandle every detail from marina reservations,organizing themed dinners and other funactivities, right down to ensuring the mari-na has enough fresh fuel on hand for eachfleet. Captains’ meetings held about twoweeks prior to departure help cruisers pre-pare for the events. Detailed itineraries,routes and brochures about each marina anddestination help boaters and their crews plantheir activities. Veteran cruisers often ren-dezvous at the location, while those newerto boating find a great deal of comfort andcamaraderie running with the group. Not onlydo they sharpen their seamanship skills, theyalso know that, if a breakdown occurs, helpis quick to arrive. Participating Sea Ray deal-erships typically schedule rendezvous eachsummer and announce their calendars inJanuary. Contact your local Sea Ray dealeror visit www.searay.com.

— Alan Wendt, Wendt Productions, Odessa,Florida

(top) Thirty-four boats, ranging in sizefrom 21' to 48' (6.1m to 14.6m), madethe four-hour cruise from Alexandria Bay,New York to Belleville, Ontario, for a longweekend in July. (bottom) Boaters gath-ered for a Sea Ray tradition, docktails atMeyers Pier where the two-burner gour-mets onboard like to trot out their partycreations to share.

Will a moisture meter give an accurate reading on a boat that's afloat?

Let's say you want to check the moisture contentin the bilge area around the skeg or prop shaftwhere it passes through the hull but don't wantto go through the expense and time of haulingout. According to DIY's Nick Bailey, it might bepossible, depending on the characteristics of theparticular moisture meter you are using. The pop-ular GRP 300 model from J.R. Overseas will readto a depth of about 1/2" (12mm). If the hull is lessthan that thickness, the meter will go to full scaledeflection (FSD) reading the water behind it. Onthe other hand, readings on a 1- (25mm) thick,cored hull in the water, may be artificially ele-vated but won't go all the way to FSD so, in thatcase, the meter can be used for useful diagnos-tics. As is often the case with moisture meters,the difference between one reading and anoth-er is more telling than the absolute percentagescale reading.

Metering shallow bilge of a modern racingsailboat. Suspect areas marked in red. Meterreads wet due to water in core and severedelamination.

BEST HAND CLEANERUntil I discovered Cupran Special, I'd alwaysremoved any residue on my skin with sol-

vent, usually lacquer thinner,after painting or working withepoxy resin or sealants. Thishigh performance handcleaner is awesome stuff. Iteffectively removes oil-basedpaints, adhesives, glues, etc.Apply to dry hands and watchas the walnut shell scrubbersclean your hands. Skin isvery porous and absorbseverything it contacts. When

working with coatings and adhesives, besure to wear gloves, apply a barrier creamto unprotected areas and wash up with thisskin friendly cleaner. A 8.45 fl.oz. (250ml) bottle sells for $6.85 and should last a very long time. — Jan Mundy

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-26286

By Jan Mundy

DIY editorial and sales team attended theMarine Aftermarket Accessories TradeShow (MAATS), held in Las Vegas in July.Below are some of the product highlightsfrom the show. The first seven productslisted won NMMA Innovation Awards fornew products at the show. Six categories,judged by members of Boating WritersInternational, including DIY's editor JanMundy, ranged from aftermarket elec-tronics to water sports equipment.

The EchoPilot Collision Avoidance SonarSystem (CASS) is a wideband, forward-looking sonar that can "see," in real time,floating and semi-submerged objects up

to 1,200 yards ahead of the boat. CASSalso incorporates a GPS and solid-stategyroscope, so that targets on a collisioncourse with the boat can be identified,and an alarm will be triggered. Retails foraround US$14,299.(www.echopilot.com)

Vexilar's AlumaDucer is the only trans-ducer to transmit through aluminum hullswith no loss of signal strength. It'sdesigned to automatically compensatefor the loss of signal strength that occurswith a standard transducer when mount-ed on an aluminium hull, a great plus foraluminum fishing boats. Comes withmounting adhesive and surface prepara-tion kit. Retail is US$90 with a univer-sal pigtail and US$20 extra for a specif-ic sonar adaptor (200 KHz). (952/884-5291; www.vexilar.com)

Can't tell when your anode is worn?

PerformanceMetals' WearI n d i c a t o rAnode, a.k.a.the anode fordummies, is asacrificial alu-minum anodewith a redpolypropylenewear indicator

embedded in the metal that lets youknow when 50% has been used andshould be changed. (877/612-5213;www.performancemetals.com)

Planning on anengine repower?Need help withengine align-ment? 8-wayA n c h o rA d j u s t a b l eEngine Mounts(about US$80)simplify enginemounting using

eight fore and aft adjustment points. It'sa great time saver when setting a newengine or rebuilding existing enginemounts, as there's no need to worry about

NEAT BOATING STUFF

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DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 7

how true the stringers are in your boat.(888/586-4455; Web: www.imperi-alquality.com)

If you like to standat the helm, you'llappreciate Skydex'sSea Shocks. Madeof durable polymersmolded into spring-like shapes createdby a former Nikeshoe design engi-neer and originally

developed for Navy SEAL boats, thesefloor mats utilize high-performance cush-ioning material to up to 75% of theimpact experienced in rough seas.(303/790-4003; www.seashocks.com)

Couple-Mate (US$39.95 to US$49.95),a trailer alignment device from DuraSafeLocks, guides the trailer coupler directlyover the hitch ball every time, helpingprevent dings and scratches to the towvehicle and eliminating the need to getin and out of the vehicle to check its posi-tion. The Couple Mate eliminates thearguments between the person backingthe vehicle and the person guiding themto the trailer ball. (262/544-5615;www.couplemate.com)

When you need a Band-Aid for your inflat-able, purchase a Clam Seal (US29.95)glueless inflatable repair patch. It instant-ly repairs small tears or punctures, up to3-1/2" in length, in any inflatable or fabric,without glue. This device inserts into a

tear andh a n dtighten-ing ofthe nutbr ingsthe twohalves

together to stop leaks indefinitely until apermanent repair can be made.(www.bartonmarine.com).

Prop guardsmake goodsense onsome boatsbut are rarelyseen. TheR i n g p r o p( a b o u tU S $ 3 5 0 )was inventedin Australia as

a performance prop and it has turned intoa safety device. Sold in the '90s in the U.S.as the Stealth Prop, in 1995 it underwenta complete redesign. Available in February,2005 in 15 models for 9.9. hp to 115hp outboards, this aluminum prop offerssuperior maneuverability and acceleration.(www.ringprop.com)

Recipient of anInnovation Award atlast year's MAATSshow is the hand-held signaling horn(model #545-5000) fromInnovative Lighting.A better "mouse-trap" than conven-tional air horns, it'swaterproof, floats,meets USCG

requirements and is warrantied for 5years. Powered by one 9-volt battery,there's no concern for leaking air canis-ters and a horn that doesn't blow whenyou really need it. Just carry some sparebatteries. (800/949-4888/; www.innov-ativelight.com)

Dometic's Breathe Easy anti-allergenicair conditioning filters have electrostati-cally charged fibers to attract and retainmicro-particles in the air, providing extraprotection against dust, lint, pet dander,mold and mildew and reducing the effectsof diesel fumes, bilge odors and othersmells. Various filter sizes fit marine airconditioning units from 5,000 to 24,000BTU. (www.marineair.com)

NEAT BOATING STUFF

If your boat'splumbing allowsthe overboarddischarge ofsewage, theUSCG requiresthat the thru-hullseacock beclosed and locked

in the no-discharge position when in no-discharge waters. Forespar has the per-fect solution for you: optional lockingplates that allow placing the handle inthe closed position and a padlock usedto securely lock the valve closed. Thesefit Marelon 93 Series seacocks in the 1"(25cm) to 2" (5cm) sizes. (949/858-8820; www.forespar.com)

Know the posi-tion of yourBennett trim tabswith the all-newTPI. Easy toinstall, replacethe standardupper hinges with

the TPI upper hinge sensors, drill a holefor the sensor wire, mount the TPI dis-play and run wiring to the helm station.Works with all Bennett tabs. (954/427-1400; www.bennetttrimtabs.com)

Interlux has launched anew two-part polyure-thane called Perfectionthat's specially formu-lated for the do-it-your-self painter. It replacesInterthane Plus, whichwas introduced morethan 25 years ago.Perfection's newer tech-

nology resins contain flow aids to improvethe paint’s leveling. This results in a pro-fessional spray-quality finish when appliedwith a brush and roller. Unlike InterthanePlus, it rarely needs thinning when brush-ing and rolling but still needs to be thinned25% to 35% for spraying. Perfection alsouses a technology called HALS (HinderedAmine Light Stabilizers) to help protect thepaint film from UV damage and fading.One of the big pluses for boat owners isthe expanded color range and high gloss.(www.yachtpaint.com)

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-26288

Is there a boating equivalent of the famous“Good Housekeeping Seal” or a consumerreport for making comparisons before you buy?Companies that “do it by the book” guaranteeyou an extra measure of built-in safety.By Pat KearnsMost boaters believe that some official authority certifies therecreational boats they use and that some officious, safety-minded body approves the accessories, equipment, and serv-ices they access for their boating enjoyment. Boat shows andbrokerage advertisements seduce prospective buyers withgleaming topsides and enticing interiors. Are all these boatsbuilt “by the book?” What are the ABCs for boat builders andservice facilities? What about the plaques that proudlyannounce that the boat is “…built to USCG requirements…?”What does all this mean to the consumer?

Except for federal requirements for hull identification num-bers, there are no U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) requirements fordiesel-powered recreational boats 20' (6m) or more in length(sailboats, kayaks, canoes, inflatables and raceboats are except-ed entirely). All other USCG regulations refer solely to recre-ational boats that have gasoline engines. Even these impor-tant regulations are limited to minimum requirements for loadcapacity, safe loading, maximum powering and minimumflotation (20'/6m or less only); ventilation of volatile vapors,fuel and electrical systems, and start-in-gear protection (gaso-line only). These rules and regulations are published in theUnited States Federal Code of Regulations (33CFR), and theyare the laws for every boat builder manufacturing boats forsale in the U.S. to the recreational user.

The USCG does not post “inspectors” in boat and equip-ment manufacturing facilities or boatyards. Industry self-cer-tification to comply with these laws has worked extremelywell. The Federal Boat Safety Act (FBSA) of 1971 set forththe successful cooperative USCG/marine industry methodsfor handling defect notifications and recalls campaigns thatobviate the need for any enforcement tactics. Twenty-five yearsof steadily declining boating accident numbers, during a peri-od of tremendous growth in boating, testify to the success ofthis system. Most boating accidents are due to operator error;bad boats are rarely the problem.

What about all those boats not covered by the FBSA and33CFR? What about all those diesel-powered sailboats andcruisers we see at boat shows or the ones in brokerage ads?How can you compare them? Where’s the pedigree? Well, itshould be some comfort to know that 80% of the domesticrecreational boats you see were built by manufacturers whorely on the voluntary standards and recommended practices ofthe American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC). ABYC’s “bible”

ScuttlebuttScuttlebuttSeal of Good Boatbuilding of standards, Standards and Recommended Practices for

Small Craft, contains more than 60 areas related to design,construction and engineering for manufacturers. ABYC stan-dards are also the basis of the National Marine Manufacturer’sAssociation (NMMA) blessing in its Boat and Yacht CertificationProgram. So, if you see a boat with the NMMA Certified stick-er, you have at least one yardstick for comparison.

When you buy a house or have one fixed or remodeled,building inspectors enforce certain codes, and electricians,plumbers and other contractors must be licensed by the state(province) jurisdiction, and demonstrate their knowledge ofthe codes. You can’t rely on the same level of assurance whenyou buy any boat or marine products and services. Compliancewith USCG requirements may mean little, or, nothing if thelaw does not apply to the boat or product. Boatyards and serv-ice facilities are not regulated at all. You want more? Find outwhether a boat or equipment manufacturer (service techni-cian, boatyard, or surveyor) practices his craft by the "book.”

There are other certifying bodies that are active in the marineindustry, an entire alphabet soup of acronyms that includethe Marine Industry Certification (MIC). This group is a thirdparty certifier of businesses and individuals who have suc-cessfully met the requirements and acquired the competen-cies for MIC certification by taking courses offered by a widerange of training and educational programs. For boatyards andmarinas and skilled technicians in diesel repair, fiberglassrepair and other disciplines, this means courses from theAmerican Boat Builders & Repairers Associations (ABBRA),the International Marina Institute (IMI) and the technician cer-tifications from ABYC. There is also a global layer of certifica-tion in the form of the International Organization forStandardization, better known by its acronym, ISO (the alphacharacters stand for the Organization’s initials in French).

There are lots of “wonder words” out there (certified, approved,inspected, commercial, etc.) that are used to create an assur-ance of quality. I call them “wonder” words because they makeyou wonder what they mean. Most of the government and vol-untary standards generating organizations have websites, as dothe other certifiers and associations. You can start with ABYC(www.abyc.com). Its site includes links to the others.

Companies that know and use ABYC standards, and whoboast other certifications and quality assurances such as thosementioned above, guarantee you an extra measure of built-insafety. When dealing with these companies you get the valueadvantage of a product or service that far exceeds the bareminimums required by law — from the ABC of the USCG allthe way to XYZ of the ABYC, NMMA, MIC, ISO et al!

About the author: Besides being DIY's proof editor, Patricia Kearnsformerly was assistant technical director of ABYC. She is a NAMScertified marine surveyor and operates Recreational MarineExperts Group based in Naples, Florida.

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DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262810

NOTE: DIY boat owner Magazine reservesthe right to publish Technical Helplinequestions in the "Talkback" column of bothprint and electronic (DIY EZINE) issuesand on CD-ROMs.

Cracking Keel Joint

Q: The join between the hull and leadkeel has a hairline crack in the fiberglass,which appears to be more cosmetic thanstructural. There is nothing that I can seethat suggests an impact though glass ischipping off in places up to 1/4" (6mm)deep. I want the repair to ensure that nowater will get between the hull and the keel.Bob Griffiths, "Refuge," Parry Sound, Ontario

A: The crack you describe is a commonsailboat maintenance problem and typi-cal of boats with an external ballast finkeel. Most fin keel sailboats develop, to agreater or lesser extent, a crack at the cos-metic fairing putty at the keel-to-hull joint.If the crack gets big enough to see day-light through or you have a leak at a keelbolt, you should check for proper torqueof the keel bolts. Regardless, it's good prac-tice to tighten keel bolts to the propertorque specs every 10 years. I doubt the1/4" (6mm) material you mention has anyfiberglass in it or contributes in any wayto the structure of the boat. Rather it's alayer of fairing putty put there to stream-line the joint. Repairing it is a beautifica-tion project only and, for the rabid racers,a perfectly faired keel can mean ananosecond of improved performance onthe race course. Separation at the joint hasno bearing on water getting into the boatand besides, it doesn't matter if water getsbetween the keel and the hull, only if itgets past the sealant at the keel bolts andinto your bilge. If you decide to fix the crackand the loose filler, grind off or chisel awayany poorly adhered filler and replace it withfresh stuff. You can mix up your own fillerusing polyester or epoxy resin and micros-pheres or buy a few gallons of premixedfiller (VC Watertight, 3M Premium Filler).Trowel it on as evenly as you can and thensand smooth with a dual action sander ora professional 1,500 rpm sander/bufferthat has a nice thick foam sanding padand an 80-grit disc. If you are really fussyor you are going racing, the final shaping

should be done with a long sanding board.The problem is that, after doing all thiswork, in a year or two the crack will beback due to the natural flexing of the boatin this area. The only way to make it goaway for any length of time is to overlapthe joint with fiberglass tape about threelayers thick. This adds resilience that theputty doesn't have but it's a whole lot ofextra work. Regardless, this crack, pro-vided it remains a hairline crack, is just acosmetic problem.— Nick Bailey

Bilge Ventilation: ARodent FeastQ: Mice nested in the hull of my 1988Sea Ray 250 Cuddy and ate all the bilgeventilation hoses. The only thing left is thehose ends with hose clamps attached tothe vent barbs. There are louvered ventson either side of the hull, three transomvents and a bilge blower. How do I hookup the new hoses and how far down dothe hoses extend into the bilge?Lewis Reynolds, McHenry, Illinois

A: The powered ventilation systeminstalled in an inboard gasoline enginespace (or fuel tank space) is a critical safe-ty system designed to dilute and/or purgepotentially explosive fuel vapors that cancome from leaks in the engine compart-ment or thefuel system.Dilution ofthe vaporsr e d u c e sthem to astate belowtheir lowerexp los ivelimit, i.e.,what can beignited by as p a r k .Purging thevapors canr e m o v e

them entirely unless they are forming con-tinuously. While the USCG only requiresone powered ventilation system motor,ABYC standards require one motor for eachgasoline engine installed. All this must beaccomplished without allowing water toenter the engine compartment through thevents. When upgrading this system, installthe blower inline with one of the three inlethoses. If there are three inlet holes thenthere should be three inlet hoses. The inlethoses should extend into the bilge and beinstalled in accordance with ABYC H-2,which requires that blowers be mountedabove the normal level of accumulatedbilge water and that the ducts be perma-nently fixed, self-draining so that any waterwill drain from the ducting, be located inthe lower one-third of the compartmentwith duct openings above the normal levelof accumulated bilge water and positionedas nearly as practicable below the engine(s)that it (they) serve(s). While your nose isthe best test for vapors, always run theblower for five minutes before starting anygasoline fueled inboard engine and run theblower anytime you are operating the boatbelow cruising speeds. — Steve Auger

Why a BlowerQ: My best friend has a 40' (12m)Regal, powered by twin MPI engines andwith a bilge blower that hasn't worked fora year. I've explained the danger but herefuses to listen. Please comment so per-haps he will believe me.David Baker, Hendersonville, Tennessee

A: Just to be sure I contacted theAmerican Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC)for clarification and received this reply fromthe technical director: "I think your friend

Talkback Q&AHelp line info@diy-boat.com

Cracks along the hull-to-keel joint are com-mon in fin keel sailboats.

Note: • Locate and route vent hose and blower as shown, secure with required hardware • Secure vent hose with tie-wraps • Apply silicone to all screws during inst. * Ref. Dwg. 10-120 for vent box and cover installation

4” Dia. Vent Hose

4” Dia. Vent Hose Detail A

Blower Motor

Port Vent Box

Route DownTo Blower MotorSee Detail A

4” Stbd. Vent Box

FWD. FWD.

FWD.

Ventilation schematic for Sea Ray 250 CC, courtesy of Sea Ray.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 11

believes that since the engine does nothave a carburetor or throttle body injec-tion and is, instead, multi-port injection,that he may not need a blower anymore.I can't imagine a boat of this size with anengine space that is open to the atmos-phere per ABYC Standard H-2.6, and assuch, does not require a blower for eachengine. He needs natural ventilation anda blower for each engine and, yes, theyshould be in working order!” This is alsoa CFR requirement (section 183.610),which differs only in that the ABYC stan-dard requires a blower for each engine(including a generator). Unless the enginecompartment is, according to the ABYCand USCG definition, open to the atmos-phere, it needs blowers for powered ven-tilation. Aftermarket failures to maintainventilation systems in operational condi-tion will lead to an increase in accidents.The law (CFR) applies only to new boatand equipment manufacturers. It’s up tous to make sure our boats are maintainedto the safety standards to which they werebuilt. — Jan Mundy

PowerpilotTroubleshooting Q: The previous owner installed ANavico Powerpilot PH8000 on my power-boat. The installation includes the PC8000Power Pilot Control Unit and the H8000Hand Programmer and was very carefullyintegrated into the console but unfortu-nately without a wiring diagram. In auto-matic pilot mode, the system drives theboat off course. The only identifiable faultthat I have been able to find is that, whilethere are 5 volts (correct value) across thered and green wires on terminal block FB1(feedback unit), the voltage swing on theblue and green was less than 2 volts yes-terday and 3.1 today. The input voltage is13 volts and doesn’t change muchbetween the on and off condition. Otherknown symptoms and facts: the readou-

ton the hand programmer is correct andfollows rotation of the sending unit. Thereis a Ritchie electronic compass on the samevoltage source connected to the same iso-lator switch, which is across the red andblack terminals on the Powerpilot unit. Itresponds only intermittently and not cor-rectly, to its sending unit. Isolating both thepositive and ground from the Navico unitdoes not appear to change this, nor doesit correct the Powerpilot. I have an old backup GPS with a large LCD display. The dis-play is barely visible (although it was adjust-ed in the shop by a certified technician lastweek). Isolating it has no effect on eitherthe Powerpilot or the compass. There isno apparent (that I can see) corrosion any-where in the system from the batteries for-ward nor is there any obvious damage toany of the wires. There is also no change inthe symptoms whether the voltage sourceis the batteries alone, on the charger orwith the engine running. The radar, pri-mary GPS, anchor windless, bow thrusterand other house functions appear okay. I’mguessing I have a low voltage problem but,except for the feedback unit, all voltagesread okay on a standard voltmeter underboth load and no load conditions. Norman Thomas, "Columba II," Owls Head, Maine

A: As you appear to be competent witha multimeter, I will advise the test proce-dure of the FB1, which I believe to be theproblem. First, it is a "moving transducer" inthe form of a potentiometer. As the pilotwas installed by the previous owner thenthe working hours would be indeterminable.With age, it eventually wears out. (If it werea volume control on a stereo amplifier, itwould be heard as crackling.) Your voltagereadings indicate this may be the case.Voltage across the red and green is 5 volts.This is correct and is connected to eitherend of the potentiometer winding. Greenis the negative side. Connect meterbetween green negative and blue. Blue is

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Technical HELPLINE

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the wiper. With the rudder amidships, volt-age between green and blue should be2.5 volts. The FB1 has a notch to indicateamidships on the housing. As turning thewheel moves the wiper, the voltage shouldincrease and decrease from 2.5 accord-ingly. The feedback has an electrical outputangle of 90°. If you disconnect the FB1arm and move it manually 45° either sideof center, the output voltage on the greenand blue should now change from 0 voltsto the supply rail level of 5 volts. Eachdegree of movement, therefore, equatesto 5 volts divided by 90 equals 55 milli-volts per degree or 0.055 volts. The pos-sible fix is to rapidly move the arm of thefeedback back and forth in an attempt toclean the track and wiper contact. Carrythis out and remeasure the terminals. Ifthere is a marked improvement, then youare on the right track. You are looking for asmooth voltage transition from low to highbetween green and blue as the feedbackis operated. An analog meter is best usedfor this but a digital will do if the resolu-tion is set right. If you confirm the feed-back is the problem and have trouble get-ting a replacement FB1, please advise.The compass issue is more complexbecause the pilot is using this informationto move the rudder. You need to isolateFB1 problem first, as it the easiest to test.As for the GPS display, you do not men-tion make and model. However, the LCDscreens do lose intensity with age. Thereshould be a menu option to adjust con-trast and brightness. Brightness refers tobacklighting and people get the two mixedup.— Frank Leyvraz Electronic ServicesManager Quin Marine Pty Port Adelaide,Australia

Flo-Scans VerifyUnequal Fuel Usage

Q: I'm a devoted fan of DIY and finallyhave a question for which I am gettingconflicting answers and need your opin-ion. My 1989 Bayliner 4588 has twin220 Hino turbo engines with 1,200 hoursand also Flo-Scan meters, which verify myproblem. When filling up with fuel, I con-tinually take 25 to 30 gallons (113.5L)more in the starboard tank. The Flo-Scansshow a usage of 2 gallons (8L) on the star-

board engine more when I cruise over1,500 rpm. The gen-set and heating areseparate. What could cause this problem? Bob Claney, "Disconnected," Port Angeles,Washington

A: Twin-counter clockwise flywheelrotation engines never consume thesame amount of fuel. It's typical for theright hand propeller rotation engine toconsume slightly more fuel that the lefthand propeller rotation engine. In orderto transfer the output shaft rotation fromcounter clockwise (engine) to clockwise(propeller), the engine must drive anadditional preloaded shaft, bearing andgear assembly inside the transmission.The left-hand rotation engine doesn'thave to drive those extra parts and,therefore, the right hand unit consumesmore fuel.— Steve Auger

Intricacies of AC PanelWiring

Q: I'm just getting to the electrical por-tion of refitting my boat and though I'mquite familiar with household wiring andhave purchased your MRT DC and ACElectrical Systems CDs. I'm unsure of theproper connections to the four Paneltronicselectrical panels: model 5306 main break-er; 5301 120 volt branch breaker; 520312 volt; and 5204 12 volt. House break-ers are simple: wire to one side of thebreaker and it connects to the bus on theother side. These pre-wired breakers havewires going everywhere. The main break-er has a "Shore 1" (three breaker),"Generator" (two breaker), "Inverter" (twobreaker), "Shore 2" (three breaker) and"Parallel" (two breaker). Where do I con-nect the inputs from my shorepower andwhere do I take off power to the isolationtransformers prior to returning to the mainbreaker? These main breakers all seem tobe interconnected and the “Shore 1” evenappears to ground to the panel.Eamonn Flynn, "Stella Maris," Rockwood,Ontario

A: We contacted Paneltronics on yourbehalf and received a reply from NestorQuiros: "General marine wiring practicesare different than household wiring. Werecommend you brush up on ABYC stan-dards, section E 11. [Ed: Refer to DIY1998-#4 issue or the MRT DC Electrical

Systems CD-ROM for complete wiringdetails.] The input from each power sourcecomes into the "Line" side (top of the break-ers on model 5306) and the output is onthe "Load" side (bottom of the breakers).All meters are pre-wired, so there's no con-cern there. Since you have isolation trans-formers, we suggest additional double-polebreakers to protect the primary of eachtransformer. From the secondary of eachtransformer, connect to the input of eachshore main breaker on the 5306 panel.The shore mains may appear to be three-pole breakers but they are two poles tointerrupt the hot and the neutral from eachsource. Our shore main breakers includea reverse polarity trip coil. It makes thebreaker trip automatically upon sensingreverse polarity. This is a nice safety fea-ture since not only is there an LED indi-cator but the breaker itself will not oper-ate under reversed polarity. In your case,this will never happen, as you have isola-tion transformers and, since your boat ismagnetically coupled to the dock, therewill never be a reversed polarity conditiononboard. The breaker itself is marked asto where to connect the hot and the neu-tral connections. Generator and inverterbreakers are double-pole breakers and eachwill accept a hot and neutral from the cor-responding source. On the parallel break-er, do not make any connections. Thiscomes wired from our factory and is par-ticularly useful when underway, or at amarina offering a single 30-amp cord. Theparalleling switch allows you to safely par-allel Bus A and Bus B, so that both areenergized by one source. In order to wirethe main AC panel 5306 to the branchbreaker panel 5301, you need to "drop" ahot and neutral from the output of the firstset of breakers to Bus A and, from the sec-ond set of breakers, to Bus B. Paneltronics

Talkback Q&AHelp line info@diy-boat.com

What may appear as a maze of wires, pre-wired electrical panels from Paneltronicsare relatively easy to install with tech helpand wiring diagrams available at www. paneltronics.com.

offers free technical support. If you have any questions, contactone of our techs on our toll free number 800/ 367-2635. Wiringdiagrams are available for each panel at www.paneltronics.com."

Replacing Transmission Seals

Q: My 1986 Albin 27 has a Nissan diesel LD 28 with a Hurthtransmission HBW 250 that apparently needs transmission sealsreplaced. I would like to remove the transmission myself andhave a local shop replace the seals. Have you covered this processis a previous issue? What parts, seals, special tools and manualare required for this job? John Bain, "Drifter," Hilton Beach, Ontario

A: If the rear engine supports are secured to the bell housingof the engine instead of being mounted on the transmission (thestandard mounting since the Hurth doesn't have a secure mount-ing surface), you should have little difficulty in removing the Hurth250 from your Nissan diesel. The Hurth 250 transmission mountsto an adapter plate bringing the engine mounting flange up insize to that of the Borg Warner transmission. To remove, dis-connect the shift cable and shaft coupling. Slide the shaft aft

about 2" (5cm) ifpossible. You prob-ably don't need thatmuch but more isbetter. This providesenough room todisengage the inputdrive flange fromthe drive damper.With the transmis-sion disconnected,remove the six bolts

holding the adapter to the engine bell housing. Now that thetransmission is unfastened, it should slide off. I suggest that yousend the Hurth unit to an authorized ZF Hurth service center.Don't attempt the seal change yourself. This unit is unlike manyothers, which have the seal assembly separate from the cou-pling end. It must be taken entirely apart to replace the seal. — Bob Smith

Surging Gen-SetQ: My new boat has a 7.5 kW Quicksilver generator thatsurges when running. How do I adjust this? Mark Cavanaugh, Eastlake, Ohio

A: Your generator is basically a Nissan motor hooked up to aGenerac generator. I would advise you to order the service man-ual, part 90-813719 for gas models (about US$65), from anyMercury dealer. Assuming you have a gasoline model, your surg-ing is likely a carburetor problem. You need an AC electrical fre-quency meter available from Electronic Specialties, Spring Grove,Illinois (tel: 815/675-1812), to correctly adjust the air/fuel mix-ture screw. With the genset warmed up, turn the air/fuel screwclockwise until the AC frequency starts to drop and then turn thescrew counterclockwise, past the high reading, until the frequencystarts to drop again. Finally, turn the screw clockwise until thehighest frequency is achieved. If the engine continues to surge

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 13

Cutaway of the Hurth 250 transmission.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262814

you have a carburetor problem. If it's adiesel engine, the injectors they are likelyleaking and need servicing. — Steve Auger

Getting CushionsClean

Q: Can you suggest a way to clean vinylcushion covers and the foam inside? Cabinand deck cushions are the originals sup-plied with my 1978 Cheoy Lee.Brian McDowell, "Christina III," Vancouver,British Columbia

A: There are different products for clean-ing vinyl. Some boaters have success withSoft Scrub, a household product. (Spottest first and never let it dry before rinsingoff.) 3M Marine Vinyl Cleaner works welland has an UV inhibitor to prevent damagefrom UV rays. DIY recently tested CaptainPhab Inflatable and Vinyl Cleaner on ourpowerboat's cabin cushions and it did anexcellent job. To descent cushions, pur-chase a jug of Captain Phab Stain & OdorRemover (www.captphab.com), formerlyknown as Zyme Zapper. Soak the cush-ions with this solution and then work itthrough the foam, much like you're stomp-ing grapes. Thoroughly dry the foam. Itmust be completely dry before stuffing into

the covers or you'll have a moldy mess. — Jan Mundy

Filings in Gearlube, No ProblemQ: When I drained the lube from my1988 Mercruiser Alpha One drive, I get asmall "fuzz ball" of ironfilings on the magnet ofthe drain plug. Thelower unit was rebuilt in1998 (gears and bear-ings replaced) and thedrive appears to beworking well. There's nowater or brown oil inthe drained lube. I runthe engine about 30 to50 hours a year and change the gearlubeeach year at end of season. How much,if any, metal filings are acceptable? Do Ineed a adjustment or overhaul of the lowerunit?David Beach, "Knot Home, Waupoos,Ontario

A: You can rest easy. Your photo showsnormal metal accumulation on thegearcase fill screw magnet. Each time youshift from neutral to forward or reverse asmall amount of metal (less than a hun-dred thousands of an inch) is removedfrom the clutch and gear. The magnetkeeps this metal from getting into the bear-ings. Change the lube every 50 hours anduse Mercury Hi Performance gearlube andthe drive is good for 1,000 hours or longerbefore requiring major work. It's commonto see hair-like fillings on the plug, a rea-son for changing oil annually. Somethinghas to give considering that these enginesare meshing aluminum with stainless steelcomponents.— Steve Auger

Replacing OutboardMount

A: The outboard motor mount on my1979 Pearson 23 has a lot of lateral play(probably worn rubber bushings). It alsowill not hold reliably in the up position withmy ancient Johnson 9.9hp outboard. Addsome wave action and the motor getsjarred into the down position. Is replacingthe mount a big deal? Four screws mountit onto the transom. Roger L. Wesley, "Champagne," Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

A: Most of these auxiliary outboardmotor brackets have the same basicdesign. The manufacturers seem to ratethem for more horsepower than they canwithstand when used on larger, heavyboats. This job can be tackled with basichand tools and should not pose any realproblems for the DIYer. I would advise youreplace your original bracket with one ratedfor 20 to 25 hp. Follow the installationinstructions with the new bracket. Bracketsusually fasten to the transom with carriage-style through bolts. Be sure to use sealeron the stainless-steel bolts to avoid leaks.Also, torque the bolts with a torque wrenchso you spread the torque equally over thefour bolts. — Steve Auger

Talkback Q&AHelp line info@diy-boat.com

Captain Phab Inflatable and Vinyl Cleanerdid an excellent job of removing dirt, greaseand mildew from our vinyl cabin cushions.

Replacing outboard bracket might involvereleasing the existing sealant bond withDebond (see page 2 for complete instruc-tions), then solvent cleaning the matting sur-faces, possibly redrilling new mounting holesand filling the old ones and then installing thenew bracket with copious amounts of sealant(i.e. 3M 5200 or 3M 4200).

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 15

FLORIDA WRAP Plastic shrinkwrap film is much too air-tight to cover a boat in tropical climates.A better choice is Shade Cloth, a 50%knit white mesh netting material avail-able from International GreenhouseCompany, Slidell, Illinois (Tel: 217/288-9337, Web: www.igcusa.com) in 20' (6')widths and sells for $3.60 per lineal foot(30cm). Andre Garneau, "E VOILA II," Beloeil, Que.

RESTORE AGED FORMICA If you have a veneer countertop that'sshowing some wear, solvent wipe thesurface, sand with 220-grit paper, sol-vent wipe again then paint with a one-part polyurethane paint, such as InterluxBrightside. Add a flattening agent tolessen the gloss.

MILDEW-FREE CUSHIONSOnce a year remove the foam (open cellonly, not closed-cell foam) from yourinterior cushions and spray them with amold and mildew preventative, i.e. 3MMarine Mildew Block or Captain PhabMold & Mildew Preventative, and letdry. While you’re at it, spray carpeting(do a spot test first), sails, showers, etc.to create an invisible barrier where moldand mildew won't grow.

TIGHT SCREWSWhen a corroded screw refuses tobudge, take a hot soldering iron (or hotknife) and touch the tip of the screwuntil the screw heats up and breaks freeof the rust.

CURE FOR RUSTY TOOLSTo store tools onboard, give them a lightcoating of oil and put some moisture-retaining crystals (silica gel) in the tool-box to absorb the moisture and thenindividually blister pack the really specialones (see π).

BACKYARD BUILDERSThe U.S. Coast Guard publishes twodocuments that are available on-line:"Boatbuilder's Handbook" is gearedtoward regulatory requirements (FederalLaw 33CFR183) and safety for boat-builders but the information is essentialfor serious boatowners, especially whendoing any electrical work on their boat.(www.uscgboating.org/regulations/boat-builder/index.htm); "Safety Standardsfor Backyard Boat Builders (CG-466),"is geared towards the DIY boatbuilder.(www.uscg.mil/d8/mso/louisville/down-load.htm).Al Corkins, Battle Creek, MI

MAST BARRIERTo isolate dissimilar metals on masts,Peter Linwick of Florida Rigging &Hydraulics (www.rigginghydraulics.com)recommends using Tef-Gel under theheads of all fasteners. For large sur-faces, use PVC Tape.

ANT EXTERMINATIONFor immediate relief from pests use anant and roach killer in spray or bombform. For long-term control, at the sametime, sprinkle a ring of powderedcleanser, i.e. Ajax, were your boat con-nects to “ground” (power cords, dock

lines, gangplanks, etc.). Make a paste ofequal amounts of boric acid, poweredsugar and yeast and place on waxpa-per or a plastic cap on the ant trail.

Tech TIPSTOP SCREWS SPLITTING FIBERGLASS To stop screws from splittingfiberglass, drill a hole of theappropriate size then countersinkthe hole opening.

WHICH END IS UP?To quickly determine which end of acover fastens where, sew small redand green patches on the inside of thetop at the corners where they attachto the windscreen or stern. Match thepatches and you’re covered. Doug McKenzie, Toronto, Ontario

VULCONIZE ITA vacuum packaging machine, avail-

able from many hardware stores, isgreat for keeping food fresh and pro-tecting it from pests. After you've blis-ter packed your food, bag your clothingand bedding, cameras, handheld elec-tronics, matches, safety flares and othergear to protect from moisture, you mightwant to individually bag your tools toprevent corrosion before tossing in thetoolbox.

TECH TIPS WANTEDDo you have a boat-tested tip or tech-nique? Send us a photo (if available) anda description, your name, boat name andhomeport and mail to:

DIY TECH TIPS P.O. Box 22473 Alexandria, VA 22304

Or Email to info@diy-boat.com

Reader tips are not tested by DIY, but wewon’t publish anything we feel mightharm you or your boat.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262816

By Nick Bailey

Although there are rare examples of thecoveted dusty bilge, most owners expectto do a little dewatering on their boatoccasionally. However, leaks from aboveand leaks from below are not createdequal.

Discounting rainwater leaks, someboats are tighter than others and it'simportant to know what the normal bil-gewater accumulation is for your boat.Mental calculations may be required toassess the “normal” state. Here’s a goodexample. The stuffing box drips every 15seconds, yielding .12 fluid oz. (4ml) in15 minutes and translating to about 1quart (946ml) every three days or so.”Not a big deal. Even if a familiar leakcannot be described as “minor,” manyboaters are comfortable with the knowl-edge that the rate is constant and theyare committed to a maintenance routinethat keeps the boat afloat. If you knowwhat is normal for your boat, you shouldbe able to judge when a leak is gettingworse. Just beware of the faulty logicthat a leak ignored will eventually stop.

Unexpected water below the floor-boards can be a scary surprise and amystery leak should make you nervous.After all, you don’t know if it's a minorissue, such as that pesky tapered plugon a worn seacock or the harbinger ofdoom, a critical component somewherethat is literally hanging by a thread andjust waiting for the right Murphy’s Lawmoment to let go. There can be no peaceof mind until the leak is identified andfixed.

Leak Finding Often, finding the leak is more timeconsuming and difficult than fixing it.

This is why many repair facilitiesoften suggest “You find it, we’ll fix it.”That can be money-saving advice.

Easy-to-find leaks occur at hull fit-tings. Tools required to find these leaksare simple: a roll of paper towels, flash-light and small mirror. Check the insideskin of the hull by hand for wetnesstrickling down from any thru-hull, rud-der port (often visually inaccessible), theshaft log, stuffing box and strut fasten-ers. Other culprits are trim tab and swimplatform mountings. If it feels wet, movein for a close inspection. Use the papertowel to dry off the hull and the fittingand inspect closely using the flashlightfor illumination. Look for the first appear-ance of a trickle or drip. Dry it again andverify you are seeing the first point ofemergence. Use the mirror to check thebackside of the fitting. On a thru-hull,for example, it's important to determineif the bedding compound sealing thethru-hull is leaking or if it's an attachedvalve or hose. On a stuffing box or rud-der port, you must discriminate betweena routine drip at the packing gland,which can be controlled by an adjust-ment of the stuffing box nuts, and amore sinister leak from a cracked shaftlog tube or from under the backing plateof a rudder port assembly. Finding aleaking keel bolt on sailboats requiresthat the bilge or keel sump be moppedperfectly dry so that the very first drop ofwater welling up from under a backingplate or worse, from a crack, can bepositively identified. Powerboats withsterndrives most commonly suffer fromleaks originating at the U-joint or thebellows. These can be hard to see but

look for a slight trickle of water on theinside of the transom below the tran-som assembly. Many of the sources ofthe leaks described only become appar-ent when the boat is underway or“working,” so to speak. Seeing themwhen the boat is quietly afloat in itsberth or at the mooring may be impos-sible, so consider that the dynamic ofmovement may be required for thisscrutiny.

What happens if all the below-the-waterline fittings on the hull check out asdry but the bilge keeps filling up withwater? At this point, to find what is leak-ing and why, true detective work isrequired, employing a logical method-ology to follow up any clues.

First Clue: When doesthe leak occur? If, for example, water in the bilge stopsrising at the same time the water tankis found empty, it's logical to concludethe two might be related. That's an easyone. Is the leak constant whether under-way or at the dock? If it only occursunderway, does it happen at every out-ing, only in big sea conditions or only atcertain speeds? Any intermittent leakneeds to be caught in the act, requiringyou to carry out testing underway toduplicate the circumstances under whichthe leak occurs. The waterline of anyboat moving at displacement speedspeaks at the bow wave and the sternquarter wave. This can submerge thru-hulls that are well above the waterlineat rest. Other intermittent leaks can orig-inate at the engine cooling system orrunning gear and will only show upwhen the engine is running. If a sailboatonly leaks when it's heeled, a keel bolt orkeel sump crack leaking under load ora fitting on the leeward hull side siphon-ing into the bilge might be implicated.In this case, change tacks and observewhat happens.

Second Clue: Wheredoes the leak originate? If the leak is constant, dry the bilge andidentify the direction from which the firsttrickle arrives. This will at least narrowthe search for the point of entry to port,starboard, forward or aft. However, leaksare devious and boats are built with hid-den conduits and inaccessible compart-ments. The location at which the leak

P R O S E R I E S

That Sinking FeelingIt's a fact that, at some point in time, most boats will develop a leak.The difference between the intrusion of a little rainwater and theinexorable progress of a leak below the waterline is the differencebetween a boat that floats and one that doesn’t. This article looks atleaks below the waterline, how to find them and how to fix them.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 17

exits into the bilge may be a long wayfrom its entry point into the hull.

If the leak appears to originate frominside a closed compartment or fromunder the edge of a hull liner, it may benecessary to cut an access hole to facil-itate the search and install an inspectionport to close the hole later.

Leaks on sailboats with full keels andencapsulated internal ballast can betricky to diagnose. These boats usuallyhave two lines of defense against leaksoriginating from the keel. The hull skinitself is the first defense and is usually avery thick lay-up at the leading edge andkeel bottom. Given the knowledge thatboats with deep keels do occasionallyrun aground, the builder will usually capthe ballast with a secondary glass layeracross the top of the keel (Figure 1). Thissecondary defense forms the floor of thebilge and will keep the boat dry in theevent the hull skin is holed. It's safe toassume that if there is a leak at the innerskin there must also be a leak at theouter skin.

Powerboats, too, can often presentdiscovery problems. Many have a dou-ble bottom filled with flotation foam orbe otherwise arranged with liner mold-ings so that the inner skin of the hullcannot be viewed without destructivedisassembly (Figure 2).

If the leak's origins are truly hidden,the best course of action is to haul theboat and search the outside of the hullfor damage. It helps to leave the bilgefull of water and look for the telltaletrickle of water leaking out. You maybe surprised by what you find.

Fixing Leaks Leaks at hull fittings, such as seacocks,valves, hoses, instrument senders andrunning gear are common and usuallystraightforward to fix. Generally, any leakat the bedding compound sealing a thru-hull or hardware bolted through the hullrequires hauling the boat and completeremoval and reinstallation of the fitting.Attempts to add “goop” to the outsideperimeter of the fitting or worse, theinside, rarely succeed. Unfasten andremove any hoses or valves and thenunscrew the clamp nut or individual fas-tening bolts securing the fitting. Aftercutting away as much old sealant aspossible, a thru-hull can usually bepushed or knocked out from inside theboat. The old sealant will probably havea strong grip (despite the fact it's leaking)and it will probably be necessary to“gently” break the fitting loose with adead blow hammer. This can be a wood

mallet or even a small sledge providedyou use a softwood block to intervenebetween a steel hammer and the fitting(Figure 3). (Ed: To easily remove thru-hulls bonded with 3M 5200 usingDebond refer to “Yes, You Can Remove3M 5200" on page 7 in this issue.)

Thru-bolted hardware with an exter-nal flange such as a rudder ports orprop shaft strut will probably need tobe wedged and carefully pried loose. A2" (5cm) or wider chisel works well forthis job. After removal, clean all the oldsealant off the hull and fitting. Checkthe fitting carefully for cracks or exces-sive corrosion. Proper reinstallationrequires lots of polyurethane sealantunder the outside flange, on the edgesof the hull opening and on the insideof the hull under the backing block.Replace any old wood backing blocks

Engine

Deadwood

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Ballast Cap

Encapsulated Ballast

Deep Bilgesump withgarboard plug

Figure 3 Removing a stuck thru-hull.

PRO SERIES

Figure 1 (left) Sideview-of a typical full-keel configuration; (right) Keel cross section.

Figure 2 Foam flotation conceals the hullpreventing visual inspection.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262818

with new wood or, even better, a pieceof UHMW polyethylene or use some ofyour StarBoard scraps. Replace any cor-roded fasteners with new.

While you’re at it (the four mostexpensive words in the English lan-guage) inspect the hose connected tothe thru-hull. Replace any cracked,weathered or substandard hoses. Ifthere is a garden-variety gate valve on athru-hull, replace it with a quarter-turnball valve or seacock that meets thematerial and testing requirements ofANSI/UL 1121 as specified by ABYCstandard H-27.5.2. Provided there isenough room on the overlap when thehose is inserted onto the fitting hosebarb, always use two hose clamps. [Ed:For an opinion on when to use one ortwo hose clamps see “Scuttlebutt” inDIY 2004-#1 issue.]

Hull BreachesThis category could be subtitled “emer-gency repairs.” Small holes from thingslike errant drills or screws can be sealedfrom the outside, even underwater, by

applying an emergency epoxy “stick”patching compound or Marine-Tex. Thisquick patch stuff usually doesn’t workwhen applied on the inside becausehydraulic pressure is working againstit. Larger cracks or holes require haul-out and proper structural repair but thatis an entirely separate topic for anotherwriting.

About the author: Nick Bailey is DIYMagazine's repair specialist and has spent26 years in the boat repair business. Heis the service manager of Bristol Marine inMississauga, Ontario.

Use paper towel to thoroughly dry the fit-ting and surroundings.

PRO SERIES

Leaks at skin fittings are comparatively easy to find.

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11Issues

The Portable Solution

Fingertips are a superbwetness sensor and willoften find a leak that isimpossible to see.

Inner liner mystery leaks: water arrives via the limber holes andcollects in the bilge sump but where does it originate?

Adding an inspectionport in the liner ordouble bottom canopen inaccessible loca-tions.

Inaccessible spacesbelow the floor mayhold water, requiringyou to cut an accesshole to get a pump inthere. (Note pumpimprovised from alarge syringe.)

This imbedded propshaft strut is suspectedof causing a hiddenleak. The success ofreglassing it will onlybe known after launch-ing.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 19

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262820

Mysterious Bendit 23 This sailboat suffered an incident theprevious season where it somehowfetched up on the boulders of a stoneseawall in light winds. Routine repairwork took care of the minor glassdamage to the bow knuckle and rud-der as well as the dings on the keel.The following year there were occa-sional complaints of water in the boatbut the owner could not find a leak.When the boat returned for additionalrepairs, we found spaces between hulland liner full of water that could notdrain to the bilge to be pumped out. Asmall access hole was cut, theretained water pumped out and theboat left undisturbed overnight. Thenext day a quick check revealed a drybilge. We had the dreaded intermittentleak on our hands.The break in thiscase was noticing a water stain on thequarter berth bunkboard adjacent tothe transom. Sure enough, when twopeople were in the cockpit (or the aftberth) the transom edge rested belowthe waterline and seepage began withmost of the water disappearingbetween the inner liner and the hull.On this boat, the hull and the one-piece transom/deck are bonded togeth-er at the lower transom edge. Minorgrounding the previous season haddelivered a blow to the transom via therudder and caused the bond at thetransom bottom to crack slightly. Abarely visible hairline crack in theflange edge was the only visual dam-age. Grinding out and rebonding thejoint fixed the leak.

Lesson learned: To find an intermit-tent leak, duplicate the load conditionsof normal use.

Puzzle of the Glue 26Following a good run, this pocketpower cruiser gave the owner fits byoften depositing a gallon or two ofwater on the cabin sole at the bottomof the companionway stairs. The

engine compartment, however,remained dry and the boat generallydid not leak a drop when sitting at thedock. Eventually, during a test run,water was spotted trickling out fromunder the fridge. Removal of the fridgerevealed a small, open thru-hull in theside of the hull at least 12" (30.4cm)above the waterline. The fitting wasnot connected to anything but wasprobably the icebox drain once upon atime before someone installed thefridge. Now, at a certain speed, itwould catch a bow wave and funnelwater into the boat. We solved theproblem by capping the thru-hull.

Lesson learned: Just because a fittingis above the waterline when the boat isat rest, don’t assume it will be so whenunderway.

Frustrating Farm 36This well-equipped, full-keel cruising sail-boat arrived by truck one day and waslaunched by the lift. Wait a minute, thisboat leaks! (Owner says it didn’t before.)Water visibly trickled down from underthe inner liner from somewhere ahead ofthe keel on the starboard side. All sea-cocks and hull fittings proved to be dry.The boat was hauled and cradled andthe hull examined carefully. There mustbe a hole in it somewhere but no holewas to be seen. Alas, we decided to againlaunch the boat for more leak tracing.This time interior things were dismantledand inspection holes opened. The rivuletwas followed further back to the source:a completely inaccessible spot under atank. This time we were waiting as theboat was hauled. Again, no sign of a holebut wait, what about under the lift sling?The boat was cradled yet again, the slingsdropped, and there (hidden by the slingduring the second haulout and by thecradle pad during the first haulout) was atiny chip in the gelcoat through whichprotruded the shiny end of a stainlesssteel screw. This overlong fastener heldan interior subassembly and was notsupposed to be in contact with the hull.We speculated that one of the truck’scradle pads was placed in this locationand the pad flexed the hull inwardenough to allow the screw tip to workits way through the hull during truck-ing. In the end, it took hours of investi-gation and four haulouts to find a sneakylittle problem that was cured by a minor

glass repair.Lesson learned: If all other hypothe-

ses prove impossible, the only remain-ing one, even though improbable, mustbe correct. We were right the first time,there was a hole in the hull but it washidden.

Scary Iceberg 37 This boat had been in the shop for along time refitting for that cruise of alifetime. Lots of new equipment and anew engine had been installed plusmassive batteries, extra tanks, wind-lass and an all-chain rode, radararch, etc. Now the work was donebut things were behind schedule andthere was no time for a shakedowncruise. A 20-knot wind on the beamset perfect conditions for an overnightpassage down Lake Ontario. Oneitem that had not been looked at dur-ing the refit was the electric bilgepump. (“It works fine,” said theowner.) The pump's discharge thru-hull was aft on the hull side justbelow the sheer, ordinarily a perfectlygood location. But this boat washeavily laden and being driven hard,frequently putting the leeward deckawash. Unfortunately, the quarterwave was big enough to keep thebilge pump discharge (on the leewardside) below water most of the timeand unknown to the crew, water wassiphoning back into the bilge. Sometime after midnight the problem wasdiscovered when the immersed bat-teries began to fail and, by then, theboat was feeling sluggish. The floor-boards were awash by the time sailwas taken in and the boat was (man-ually) pumped out. No leak could befound. Sailing resumed and finally,cold lake water could be seen gur-gling from the submersible bilgepump deep in the keel sump. Acheck-valve solved the problem butthe discharge thru-hull was later relo-cated to the transom. (Ed: ABYC doesnot recommend installing a checkvalve on a bilge pump dischargehose. Should it stick open, water willsiphon back into the boat. Better toinstall a vented loop.)

Lesson learned: What is above ver-sus below the waterline will vary con-siderably due to load and sea condi-tions.

LEAK INVESTIGATIONS

Any marine repair yard will havelots of examples of leaks thatrequired true “gumshoe” work tosolve. Here a few examples fromBristol Marine. Only the nameshave been changed to protect theinnocent (or guilty).

Why Boats Sink, Part Two — Inboard/Outboards

rains, when debris is most likely to wash into the water. On the flip side, lake drawdowns can expose such things as previously hidden stumps; reduce speed and check with the local water authority to find schedules. And slow down in unfamiliar areas; it’s better to mangle a prop than tear off an outdrive.

The Seaworthy study also found that 15% of dockside sinkings were caused by water back-flowing through the scuppers into the boat. Rain will add a lot of weight quickly if the scuppers are clogged, and it is especially important with low-profile boats to use a garden hose to keep them clear and free-flowing. If you opt to wet-store your boat over the winter, plan on visiting frequently to make sure snow and ice aren’t collecting in the cockpit. An alternative is to fit the boat with a snug cover that directs water and snow overboard. Finally, a high-water alarm is also useful, but make sure the battery stays fully charged so it can be heard.

One cause of sinking that isn’t unique to I/Os are leaks from below-waterline fit-tings. Only bronze and Marelon fittings meet the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) standards. A few sinking claims were caused by overheated engines melting rubber exhaust pipes. Anytime the engine overheats, exhaust hoses and clamps should be carefully checked.

Poor docking arrangements accounted for 11% of I/O sinkings. In some cases, a

Damage avoiDance

seaworthy

In the November 2006 issue of BoatU.S. Magazine, Part One of “Why Boats Sink, Outboard Powered Boats” appeared. This is Part Two, focusing on why inboard/outboards sink.

Inboard/outboard (I/O)-powered boats and outboard boats are similar in design; some manufacturers sell the same boat with a choice of I/O or outboard power. However, research by Seaworthy on insurance claims revealed that the reasons for sinkings are vastly different.

While outboard-powered boats tend to sink at the dock due to cockpit arrangements that allow rain to accumulate faster than it can be drained by the scuppers, I/Os’ weak link — 44% of the time — is the rather deli-cate connection between the inboard engine and the outdrive known as the bellows.

And while outboards sank underway 32% of the time due to taking water over the gunwales or, most often, the transom, I/Os sank underway 36% of the time due to strik-ing a submerged object.

The bellows or boots — pleated, flex-ible rubber membranes — run between the engine (the “I”) and partially submerged outdrive (the “O”) to seal the transom where cables and shafts pass through. They work well, but have one weakness: Bellows have a limited lifespan. Many boats have more than one bellows (driveshaft, shift cable, exhaust, etc.), any one of which has the potential to sink the boat. The study showed that bellows leaks account for 44% of sinkings at the dock and 20% of the sinkings underway. A bellows that is over five years old is living on borrowed time.

All bellows should be carefully inspected for cracks at least annually, more often in a hot, sunny climate. If one bellows shows signs of wear, all of them should be replaced.

And don’t take any chances with bellows clamps; replace them whenever the bellows are replaced.

Thirty-six percent of underway sinkings in the study were caused by boats hitting submerged objects such as a rock, a sandbar or a floating log. A woman in Florida hit an alligator with her 19-foot boat, which immedi-ately started taking on water. Not wanting to sink near an angry alligator, she gunned the engine and made a mad dash toward shore. The boat sank a few feet from land, and the woman was able to walk to safety ashore.

Extra vigilance is required after heavy

boat’s outdrive snagged on the dock at low tide and then caused the boat to fill through the scuppers as the tide came in. These types of sinkings can be prevented by mak-ing sure lines to the boat are tight enough to keep the boat safely away from the dock, but also loose enough to allow for tides. Spring lines can help; so can flexible fiberglass mooring whips. Note that when all else fails, it may be easier to simply move the boat to a larger slip.

A few sinkings also occurred because someone forgot to insert the drain plug when the boat was launched. When that someone is likely to be you, a simple way to jog your memory is to tie the plug to your ignition key.

Because their transoms don’t require cutouts, boats with I/Os aren’t as vulnerable to taking water over the transom or gunwales as their outboard-powered counterparts (32% for outboards). But, I/Os aren’t immune to swamping — 12% sank from taking water over the transom or gunwales. — By Chuck Fort

Great Fall Reading — Seaworthy, the 274-page book by editor Robert Adriance, Jr., collects the best true stories from 20 years of BoatU.S. insurance claims files. To order a copy, go to Amazon.com. Subscriptions to the quarterly magazine Seaworthy are $10 per year. For more information, go to BoatUS.com/Seaworthy or call 703-823-9550, ext. 3276.

Surprisingly, I/Os with leaking bellows accounted for 44% of sinkings at the dock.

BoatU.S. Magazine November 2007 43

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262822

By Larry Blais

A diesel engine is put to its toughest dutyin a pleasure boat. Not so much from usebut from the lack of use. These enginesoften lay dormant for long periods and thenstart and run, usually at a temperaturecooler than the ideal.Maintaining healthy engineoil under these conditionsmay be difficult but it’s nec-essary to get the normal lifefrom the engine. Rarely domarine engines wear outwith use. They are just notrun enough to die fromexhaustion. They do, how-ever, often wear out abnor-mally or suffer damagebecause of oil contamina-tion, poor oil selection orimproper oil level.

By far, the leading causeof oil contamination is waterentering the engine throughthe exhaust. Seawater canback flow through animproperly designed orinstalled exhaust system ora leaking water jacket (formore details on exhaust sys-tems refer to “ExhaustSystem Primer” in DIY2004-#1). Over-crankingduring engine starting canpump seawater into thewaterlift in a wet exhaustsystem, eventually floodingthe engine through the exhaust.

Condensation andCombustionAnother cause of water contamination iscondensation. Since most bilges tend tobe humid, moisture can enter the engine

through the crankcase ventilation systemwhen the engine is not running. This smallamount of water is rarely a problem unlessthe engine is subjected to long periods ofdormancy.

A far greater source of condensationis combustion gasses. When a hydro-carbon (HC) like diesel is burned, it isoxidized when the carbon (C) atoms areunited with oxygen (O) atoms to formcarbon dioxide (CO2) molecules and thehydrogen (H) atoms are united with oxy-

gen (O) atoms to form water (H2O) mol-ecules. The carbon dioxide is in the formof an expanding gas and the water is inthe form of an expanding superheatedsteam. Both supply the force to pushthe piston down the cylinder inside theengine. However, some of these com-bustion gasses will leak past the pistonand into the crankcase. Automotivediesel engines that are run regularlyrarely have a problem with these “blow-by” gasses because the small amountthat enters the crankcase remains hotenough to be vented out of thecrankcase before it has much of achance to condense. Marine enginesusually run cooler, being thermostati-cally controlled to operate at tempera-tures below 160F (71C) to prevent min-erals, phosphates, sodium, etc. fromseparating out of the raw water (espe-

cially saltwater) and col-lecting on the hot metalsurfaces of the coolingsystem, thus hinderingthe transfer of heat to thecooling water. This cold-er running temperatureresults in a coldercrankcase that in turnpromotes condensation.On engines equippedwith an oil cooler, thecrankcase temperaturemay be even lower pro-moting even more con-densation. Add to thisthe fact that pleasureboats typically experiencegreater blow-by becauselong periods of dormancyallow the cylinder cast-ings to change shapedue to internal castingstresses without the pis-ton rings having theopportunity to wearenough to seal to thenew shape and all thisadds up to even morewater condensing in thecrankcase and contami-

nating the oil. A side note: most marinecrankcase ventilation systems vent thesegasses into the engine’s air intake.Engines with excessive blow-by may runrich, as these inert, blow-by gasses dis-place needed oxygen in the air intake,especially at higher power settings.

D I E S E L

Lube Oil: The Blood Of Diesel Life The leading causes of damage to a marine diesel engine areoil contamination, poor oil selection or improper oil level.Here’s how to prevent such damage and select the proper oilfor your engine.

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Engine cross section: 1 Cylinder body; 2 Cylinder liner; 3 Valve rocker armsupport; 4 Valve rocker arm; 5 Precombustion Chamber; 6 Decompressionlever; 7 Intake silencer; 8 Exhaust manifold; 9 Camshaft; 10 Piston; 11Connecting rod; 12 Oil pan; 13 Dipstick; 14 Lubricating oil inlet pipe; 15Starter motor; 16 Fuel injection nozzle; 17 Fuel feed pump.

SIDEVIEW OF A YANMAR 2 GM (1985)

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Cold Start-up

Another way marine engines suffer from long periods of dor-mancy is bearing damage at start-up. The longer an engine setswithout turning, the more the oil tends to drain out from betweenthe crankshaft and the main and rod bearings, between the camand the lifters, between the pistons and cylinders, etc., leavinga thinner and thinner film that may not keep the metal surfacesfrom colliding and rubbing when the engine is cranked and start-ed, resulting in metal loss from these surfaces. If boat ownershad any idea how much damage is done when starting an enginethat has sat for more than a few weeks, they would not hesitateto install a pump to pre-lube the engine before turning it over.

Reducing SootSoot is another major oil contaminate that can be easilyreduced in most pleasure boat engines, especially sailboatengines. Soot is created when diesel fuel is not completelyoxidized in the combustion chamber. Diesel fuel is designedto ignite at about 250F (121C) at normal atmospheric pres-sure and, under pressure, the ignition point is somewhat high-er. The temperature required for complete combustion in thecombustion chamber is very high, over 1,000F (535C). Mostsoot that contaminates engine oil is the result of improperwarm-up and operation. Diesel engines generate the mostsoot when under no load because the gasses inside the com-bustion chamber will never reach the temperature needed forcomplete combustion even when the cooling water registers160F (71C). Running a diesel in neutral at the dock for longperiods produces lots of soot that will foul the combustionchamber and contaminate the oil. Running in gear at the dockwill lug the engine, which can be even worse.

In most engines, this soot can be sharply reduced by fol-lowing these simple practices. Run a diesel without heavyload as little as possible. This means, start and warm up theengine at the dock just long enough to be able to maneuverwithout heavy clatter or the engine dying. Once in open water,slowly increase the power over a five-minute period until theengine reaches full throttle. (Note that this will only be pos-sible if the propeller is properly pitched to the boat and theengine just reaches the upper rpm limit of the governor at fullthrottle in gear.) Run at full throttle until the exhaust becomesperfectly clear. This indicates that the combustion has gottenhot enough to burn diesel fuel completely and has burned outthe soot that accumulated during warm-up. If the exhaustdoesn’t appear clear in 15 minutes, there is probably somethingwrong with the engine and it should to be checked. Now,throttle down the engine to cruise. If the engine is to be shutoff, such as on a sailboat where the sails are to be hoisted,the engine should be brought slowly down to an idle in gearover a period of about 10 minutes before it is turned off. Thisallows the engine to cool evenly.

Need for Oil AnalysisNeedless to say, engines produce small amounts of wear met-als during normal operation. Some of these are too small fora full-flow oil filter to catch. At some point, as these wearmetals accumulate in the oil, the oil must be drained andreplaced. Oil analysis will reveal the amount of these wear

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DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262824

metals contaminating the engine oil, which will help deter-mine when the oil needs changing or if the engine is in trou-ble and needs to be inspected. (For more information on oilanalysis refer to “Oil Test: Troubleshooting with Oil Analysis inDIY 2003-#3.) Fleet operators often extend their oil changeintervals beyond the manufacturer’s recommended intervalwith the aid of oil analysis. Sometimes, by fitting engineswith fine micron by-pass filters and running premium oilssuch as synthetics, operators can extend their oil changeintervals even more.

What About Synthetic Oils? In short, the hydrocarbon molecules in a good synthetic oilare designed and chemically created (usually by joining shortchain hydrocarbons into long chains) to posses certain supe-rior qualities of lubricity, anti-oxidation, etc., especially at veryhigh temperatures, while conventional oils are mostly hydro-carbon molecules extracted from crude oil plus some impu-rities and some enhancing additives. Few topics about enginesseem to excite so much passion and debate as the topic ofsynthetic oils. One of the few things that everyone seems toagree on is that the current synthetic oils on the market are noteven close to being the same. In normal operation, somehave proven to be far superior to even the best conventionaloil and others are actually semi-synthetic blends of mostlyconventional oil. In abnormal circumstances, such as startingafter long periods of dormancy or seawater contamination,some synthetics have proven to offer more protection thanconventional oils, others less.

Unfortunately, the typical pleasure boater hasn’t been ableto take advantage of the longer oil change interval of a goodsynthetic oil mainly because of oil contamination from blow-by, etc. Also, boaters simply do not run their engines enoughin a lifetime for the engine to really benefit from the superiorlubricating properties of a good synthetic oil. In practice, aquality conventional oil of the proper type and weight hasproven to be adequate in most marine engines. [Ed: Onlyuse oil that is specified in your owner’s owner.]

Selecting OilHere are two easy steps to select the best oil for your engineand for the conditions that you will be running it in. Almostall modern engine oils are classified by the AmericanPetroleum Institute (API) by their API Service Categories,

which are then displayed on the oil container in a circleshaped label. Check your owner’s manual for the right clas-sification for you engine. Most four-cycle diesel recreation-al boat engines call for CF-4, CG-4, CH-4, and/or the new CL-4 service categories. If your engine is older, the classifica-tion my have become obsolete and replaced by a new cat-egory. Check the chart above for the current category(s) thatcan be used in place of the obsolete ones.

In the center of the API Service Symbol (above) the SAEviscosity grade appears. For years we were shown chartsthat indicated what grade (or weight) of oil should be usedwhen the ambient (surrounding) temperature was within acertain range. A straight 40 weight was shown to be appro-priate in ambient temperatures from about 63F (17C) to120F (49C) and a straight 30 weight was shown to beappropriate in ambient temperatures from about 36F to 95F(2.2C to 35C), etc. This implied that a lighter weight (ormore viscous) oil was needed in colder climates to allow thestarting motor to crank the engine and a heavier weight oilshould be used in hotter climates. In the actual use of mostoils at various temperatures, the chart has turned out to bequite misleading. This was due in part because the originalSociety of Automotive Engineers (SAE) test to determine thegrade number had nothing to do with ambient temperature.The oil and apparatus was heated to the boiling point ofwater before a measured quantity of oil was timed to see

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API Service Symbol (1)Performance level: oilsdesigned for diesel-engine service fall underAPI’s “C” categories. (2)Viscosity: the measure ofan oil’s thickness andability to flow at certaintemperatures. (3) Fueleconomy rating for oilsintended for gasolineengines only.

Listing of current API Service Categories. Refer to your owner’smanual before using any oil as oils may have more than one per-formance level.

DIESEL

how fast it could empty through a capillary tube and thenthis time in seconds was rounded to the nearest grade num-ber. The grade indicates the viscosity of the tested oil at 212F(100C), not at any ambient temperatures shown on the chart.Since different oils thicken as they get cooler and thin out asthey get warmer at different rates, this test does not revealthe true viscosity of the tested oil at either the cranking tem-perature nor the running temperature, which in a marineengine usually hovers around 160F (71C) but can range frombelow 50F (10C) due to an oversized oil cooler in cold waterto over 212F (100C) in an engine that needs an oil cooler.In 1997, SAE implemented new testing procedures that itimproved in 1999 to more accurately represent an oil’s qual-ities under various conditions. The biggest improvement con-cerns what we now call multigrade oils.

What’s in “W”Multigrade oils have two grade numbers with a “W” between.The first grade number represents the results of SAE crankingand pumping tests at very low temperatures. For example,the 10W grade cranking test is conducted at a -25F (-32C),the pumping test at -30F (-34C). Most of these oils containadditives (usually polymers) to help them attain these lowtemperature qualities. The grade number after the “W” isdetermined by the minimum kinetic viscosity at 212F (100C).Single grade oils have just the one grade number and it’sdetermined by a range of kinetic viscosity at 212F (100C).Mainly because of the limited mature of the SAE tests, otherorganizations have developed their own methods of gradingoil viscosity. Unfortunately, they are virtually unknown to thegeneral public.

Oil SenseWith all this said, what a marine engine really needs is an oilthat will lubricate during cranking without overloading thestarter and will still adequately lubricate at running tem-perature. Experience has shown that a high quality straight30 weight conventional oil of the proper API service cate-gory will do this job quite well in most marine diesel enginesregardless of the ambient temperature. How is this possi-ble? What if the ambient temperature is cold enough thatthe chart recommends a 20-weight oil? Just remember thatit is very hard on a diesel engine (and usually futile) toattempt starting it in ambient temperatures below the rangeof a straight 30 weight without heating the engine in someway. If the engine is equipped with a heater such as a blockheater, the heater must raise the temperature of the engineup into the range of a straight 30 weight if it has any hopesof helping the engine start. If the ambient temperature ishigh enough that the chart recommends a 40-weight oil,just remember that the temperature of the oil inside awarmed up engine, where it is really doing its job, will nor-mally be about 160F (71C), close to the temperature of thecooling water thermostat, regardless of the ambient tem-perature around it.

Once an oil has been selected and installed in the enginealong with a good quality oil filter, don’t forget to check thedipstick regularly and then change the oil and filter at leastonce a year.

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Edited by Jan Mundy

Note: Due to an illness, Johnwas unable to prepare the sched-uled article on “Isolating MultipleBattery Banks.” This will appearin an upcoming issue.

Q: My boat has four batteries, oneeach for starting the twin main engines.The remaining two start the genset andprovide 12-volt power when away fromthe dock. The main engine batteries aregroup 27 combination starting/deep-cycle batteries as are the house/gensetbatteries. With the flip of a switch themain engines charge the start batterieswhile underway and the house batter-ies can help start one main engine inan emergency. I also have a parallelswitch to provide emergency startingpower between port and starboardengines. Presently, the two house bat-teries are hooked up in parallel and Ineed to replace them. The battery salespeople I have spoken to aren’t muchhelp from a technical perspective andI’m getting mixed opinions from otherboat owners. So far, there is lead-acidverses gel, 12-volt verses 6 volt hookedtogether in series, Group 27 verses 31to improve capacity or just replace withGroup 27 deep-cycle, lead-acid batter-ies. I’m unable to make an informeddecision based on function verses cost. Ron M. Gabriel, “Obsession,” Newport,Rhode Island

A: You are actually correct in look-ing at cost benefits and the decisionvery much depends on the type ofboating you do. You do not say howlong the existing house batteries last-ed. If you really have a capacity prob-lem, then upgrading is a good idea.In most cases, capacity problems canbe resolved with improved chargingsystems. If you don’t have a problemand your boating use pattern is notchanging, then keeping the samecapacity is sensible. The use of two6-volt golf cart type deep-cycle flood-ed cell batteries is one option provid-ed regular maintenance isn’t a prob-lem and, you are using a high qualitymarine battery charger while dock-side. With a good regulator to ensurecomplete charging, these are fairlybulletproof and should have a longlife, depending on usage. AGM bat-teries offer some advantages over gelbut they are expensive. To keep costslow, my first recommendation is twoGroup 27 deep-cycle batteries. Nextoption is two 6-volt deep-cycle bat-teries for more power if you need toupgrade. Option three is to purchaseGroup 27, AGM batteries, for astraight change out. Remember thatyour battery charger must be able tobe set to charge the type of batteriesyou are using.

Q: I have bought a Link 10 batterymonitor and would like some info asto the best way to install it on my1989 2557 Bayliner Command

Bridge. The alternator gives 52-ampsoutput and there are two 160 Ah deep-cycle batteries and a one-two-both mas-ter switch. I would like to dedicate onebattery to starting and one to houseloads. How do I wire the Link to chargeboth batteries?Alex Loudon, “Argyll,” Johannesburg,South Africa

A:The Link 10 monitor manual con-tains information that you should con-sult. The main use for a Link 10 is onthe house battery bank and the Link10 not rated to take the starting cur-rents used by engine starter motors.The common starting and charge linegenerally goes to the “common” of thebattery switch. You select position onefor starting and then switch to bothwhen running to allow both batteriesto charge. Finally, switch to positiontwo for just house bank charging. TheLink 10 amp meter shunt input goesinto the house bank switch output (usu-ally you select position two as the housebattery output) to the battery and thisthen takes the current input and out-put to the house battery bank. I pre-sume that, in your arrangement, thestart and charging line are single cableback to the battery and not two sepa-rate lines.

Q: I have two 200-amp batteries andcannot find a switch to handle thissetup. I have found a heavy-duty switchwith settings for one, two or both thathandles 360 amps. If I have it on“both” that would be 400 amps. Anon/off switch won’t work, as it doesn’tallow me to charge a selected battery.Any ideas?Steve Camp, “Argo,” Athens, Greece

A: The switch should be more thanenough to meet your needs. Switchesare based on the maximum current car-rying capacity and you have to verifywhether this rating is continuous orintermittent. The switch is not rated forthe battery you install but must be ratedfor the current that will flow through itand the attached cables. While the bat-tery may be a 200-amp hour (not

E L E C T R O N I C S

ELECTRICAL FAQJohn Payne, DIY’s electrical advisor provides solutions to ques-tions concerning batteries and 12-volt power systems submittedto DIY’s Technical Helpline

DemystifyingBattery Options

Link ChargingMultiple Batteries

Sizing BatterySwitches

amps) and the cold crankingamps (CCA) may be around

500 plus, this is not the cri-teria. A starting motor typ-

ically draws 60 to 100amps, so a switch mustmeet this value, asshould the cable, as aminimum. The switch

rating is normally 360 ampsfor either set of contacts being max-

imum rating for any combination of one,two or both. Even if a 200-amp battery is connected to oneand two, the maximum current that is liable to flow throughthe 360-amp rated switch contacts is 100 amps, if start-ing motor uses that much, though it can momentarily peakhigher in the initial starting surge for a fraction of a secondbut this is not an issue.

Q:My new boat has two AGM batteries and is poweredby two Yamaha 9.9 hp four-stroke outboard motors with anoutput voltage of 15 volts. Such a high voltage can resultin overcharging of the batteries. The problem is that onlyone wire is used between the engine starter charger and thebattery(s) and current must be able to flow in both direc-tions. How do I install a battery charge controller (or regulator)that allows two-way current flow and disconnects motorcharging voltage when the AGM batteries have become fullycharged and still maintain a connection to the battery forstarting? Though this boat uses separate starting and housebanks, charging must support both batteries and can bechanged via switches. At the moment, a separate AGM-sen-sitive charger that operates from shorepower is used to chargethe batteries but is bypassed when motoring. Herbert King, “Tango,” Belleville, Ontario

A:There is no way to regulate or control the output wherethe output is using the same line. In most cases, as thecharge output is connected internally, the best way is to havea technician separate the charge output line within the out-board. A new and separate line is then used to bring charg-ing out to the batteries. There are charge control devicesthat can then be used within that charging line that will limitthe voltage to the battery and some dual output units canenable a cross-connected system between each of the bat-teries. For an AGM battery, you will have to come back toaround 14.3 volts maximum. An alternative is to install adiode in the charge line output to reduce charge voltage to14.3 volts. It’s highly unlikely that you will cause any over-charge of the batteries given the relatively small charge out-put and large battery size. For the dual battery setup, thecharge line from each outboard can simply be split througha small diode isolator to each battery so you get some over-lapping redundancy. This dispenses with the requirementfor switches

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Limiting Outboard Charging

Q: I’m replacing the house battery bank in our 43'(13m) sailboat and will be installing four or five batterieshooked up in parallel. I’m aware that it’s important to usebatteries of the same type, age and condition. Since Iwant to limit the depth of discharge of the bank, is it alsoimportant to use the same size of batteries, i.e. all 4D, sothat all the batteries in the bank are discharged the sameamount? Frederick Feldbauer, “Temerity,” Willsboro, New York

A: It’s necessary to work out a system based on the loadrequirements of your boat. You should aim for a maximum50% discharge before recharging and use a charge setup,e.g., an alternator rated to the required charge. This wouldbe coupled to a quality alternator controller. Any setup in aboat like yours will have the start battery and house batter-ies, ideally consisting of two battery banks. Each of thesetwo banks would be around 210 amp hours (Ah) each (i.e.two 105 Ah batteries in parallel), one bank carrying elec-tronics, etc. and the other larger for powering electricallymore demanding or “noisy” loads. Ideally, they would thencharge off the same power source via an isolator system.Planning any system is an exercise in analyzing all therequirements and balancing them. In practice, you will findthat one of the house banks will discharge more than anoth-er and this is not a problem if the charge configuration issimple and effective.

Q: I want to install a battery isolator together with an extrabattery in my ski boat. How do I do this? Richard Bidleman, “Xta-Sea,” Bethel Island, California

A: This is an easy task. Install the new, additional batteryadjacent to the existing battery in a suitable battery box.Install the battery isolator close by in a protected position.Take the existing cable feeding from thebattery to the engine and con-nect to the commonof the switch. Installa new cable fromeach battery to theone and two termi-nal of the batteryswitch respectively.The engine can be startedfrom either battery or both and,when charging the battery bank, stays on both. The housepower supply to electronics, etc., should go off one batteryand the supply should be connected to the new battery ter-minal two on the switch. When you leave the boat, turn thestitch to off and all circuits are then disconnected.

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Installing a Battery Isolator

Battery Picks for Battery Banks

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By Sue Canfield

Are potable water quality problems a con-tinuing irritant aboard your boat? Do youavoid drinking the water from your storagetanks? Do you begin every weekend afloatby carrying gallons of bottled wateronboard? If so, it’s time to take the “SweetWater Challenge.” The rewards for doingso are well worth the effort.

When diagnosing onboard water qual-ity problems (taste, odor and color), startwith your water source ashore. Ensurethat your boat carries a drinking watersafe, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)approved garden hose and use it to fillyour tanks whenever possible. Let thewater run long enough to completely flushthe hose, then taste, smell and observethe color of a water sample before fillingyour boat’s tanks. If the quality of yourusual water source is sub-par, install anappropriate onboard water treatment sys-tem much as you would at home.

Water treatment systems can be usedto remove taste and odor as well as sed-iment, rust, algae and other microscopicsolids. Point-of-use (POU) systems treatwater at a single faucet. Point-of-entry(POE) systems treat water as it’s drawnfrom the storage tanks or enters the boatvia a municipal water inlet. The efficacyand cost of filtration units varies widely.Before you buy, review the product’sPerformance Data Sheet, which lists thecontaminants the unit has been certifiedto remove and to what percentage.Compare both initial product and replace-ment filter costs. For consumer informa-tion on water treatment systems, visitwww.epa.gov/safewater. For a list of cer-tified products and a comparison chartof leading brands, go to www.waterfil-tercomparisons.net.

Based on my experience as a boatowner and marine surveyor, I’d have tosay that most water quality problems arenot source related. More often, they stemfrom poor water system design or instal-lation practices, the use of inappropriatesystem components and/or improper sys-tem maintenance.

Design and InstallationSystem design and installation practicesare key to minimizing the potential forcontamination. Among other things, theAmerican Boat and Yacht Council’s recre-ational marine industry standard, “H-23,Installation of Potable Water Systems,”requires drinking water systems to betotally separated from any contact withwater used for other purposes. For exam-ple, H-23 prohibits the use of a Y-valveto allow a potable water pressure pumpto also function as a bilge, sump or salt-water pump. It requires all potable watersystem components (including piping) tobe installed above the normal bilge waterlevel. It also requires that storage tankvents be designed to prevent contamina-tion by excluding overboard water, insectsand other foreign objects.

If your boat has water contaminationproblems, check to ensure that its watersystem design and installation are con-sistent with the ABYC standard. If youown a sailboat, ensure that the storagetank vent is not located in the hull top-sides where it may be subject to immer-sion when the boat is heeled. Water tankscan be safely vented inside a boat if thevent fitting is located above the level ofthe storage tank inlet. A copy of the ABYCstandards book is available for referenceat the customer service desk at manymarine stores; individual copies

of H-23 can be purchased online atwww.abycinc.org.

Key ComponentsABYC and FDA require that materials incontact with potable water be non-toxicand corrosion resistant and not impartany undesirable taste, odor or color. So,let’s consider those system componentsthat are key to water quality, starting withwhat H-23 calls the “storage tank inlet.”(Marine stores typically call them deckfills or deckplates.) To prevent contami-nation from entering the tank, the inletshould be located as far as practicablefrom fuel tank fill and sewage pump-out

P L U M B I N G

Sweet WaterSweet WaterA boat owner’s guide to potablewater tanks, piping, and the prevention and correction of odor and taste problems.

Reinforced potable water hose is opaquerather than clear to prevent algae growth,which leads to off-taste and foul smellingwater.

Thermostatic mixer valve inserts into thecoolant feed line to the heat exchanger fromthe engine. Sensing bulb attaches directlyto the upper side of the hot water tank.

Pressure relief valve

Thermostaticmixer valve

Quick connect plumbing: Cut tubing, insertinto fitting and push together. Tubing israted for extreme cold or hot temperatures.Connectors and hose can be reused.

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P L U M B I N G

Vetus flexible tanks make ideal replacements for deteriorated metaltanks or carried onboard for extra water capacity, then rolled up andstowed when not needed.

Vetus waterheater has adouble copperwall to transferheat fast andkeep it hotlonger.

Replacement water pressure pumps, like this Flojet Sensor8, deliv-er superior performance, quiet operation and water on demandregardless of the number of open faucets (no more cold waterbursts while showering).

Reinforced hose isused to plumb thisshower sump.

fittings, preferably in a vertical plane, and have a liquid-tightscrew cap fitted with some type of tether to prevent its lossoverboard. The inlet should be permanently and clearly marked“Water” to minimize the possibility of contamination with gaso-line or diesel fuel. Believe me, it happens. I once had acrewmember inadvertently top off my boat’s diesel tank withpotable water.

Many boats also have a separate municipal water inlet. Byconnecting a drinking-water safe hose between a municipalwater inlet and a faucet on shore, you can have a continuoussource of pressurized water without having to fill your tanks oroperate the water pressure pump. Municipal inlets too shouldbe clearly labeled “Water” and have a liquid-tight screw cap.

The 1-1/2" (38mm) ID hose typically plumbed between thedeck fill and storage tank should be labeled “FDA-approved”for use in potable water systems.

Water storage tanks on boats are most commonly roto-molded plastic (linear polyethylene) or welded stainless steel(preferably corrosion-resistant type 316L or 317L). Althoughnot acceptable to ABYC, given their propensity to corrode, alu-minum water tanks are used as well. A relatively small num-ber of boats have fiberglass (composite) tanks made withresins not approved by the FDA for potable water storage. Ifyour boat’s aluminum or composite tank is still giving goodservice, however, it need not be replaced simply because it isABYC or FDA non-compliant.

When a replacement water tank with a capacity of 50 gal-lons (189L) or less is needed, FDA-approved rotomolded poly-ethylene is typically your best and least expensive option.These tanks are lightweight, come in a wide variety of shapesand sizes and won’t corrode. If properly cared for, they’ll lastfor the life of your boat. Since it’s technically difficult to includefull baffles in rotomolded tanks, large tanks, say 50 gallons(189L) or more are usually custom-welded polyethylene orstainless steel. Welded polyethylene tanks have been knownto burst their seams, so look for an experienced fabricator whowarrantees its product. A recent Google.com search for “marineplastic tanks” yielded a number of custom fabricators.

FDA-approved flexible bladder tanks, which can be rolledup and stowed away when not in use, are an attractive optionfor boatowners seeking additional water storage capacity. Aflexible bladder may also prove to be the most suitable replace-ment for an oddly shaped, deteriorated metal tank.

Storage tank vent lines, normally 1/2" (12mm) or 5/8"(16mm) ID hose, should be labeled “FDA-approved.” Whileclear or reinforced clear FDA-approved PVC hose is frequent-ly used for this purpose, it’s far better to use hose that’s opaque.If no light can get into a potable water system to promote thegrowth of algae, its contents should remain clean and drink-able almost indefinitely. Be sure that the vent hose runs onan upward slope to the vent fitting. Any low spots can trapwater that will block the air trying to get into the tank as waterbeing drawn out, thereby causing suction problems at thepressure pump. Flexible bladder water tanks do not have tobe vented since they can readily collapse without being dam-aged.

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Water distribution lines should belabeled "FDA-approved" and opaque,given that systems plumbed with clearhose will be prone to water quality prob-lems. If you’re upgrading the potablewater system on an older boat, use oneof the new quick-connect plumbing sys-tems from Flair-It, Flojet, Sea Tech orWhale. Flexible red and blue color-codedpiping can be readily cut to length with

a sharp knife and the system assembledusing quick-connect fittings that requireno additional tools. Copper tubing willalso work well, but it can corrode, is farharder to work with and costs more too.

System MaintenancePotable water systems require minimalmaintenance, especially if assembledusing appropriate materials. Be sure tocarry spare deck plate O-rings, a replace-ment deckplate screw cap or plug andextra stainless-steel hose clamps.Lubricate deckplate O-rings and checkwater system hose connections andclamps annually for evidence of leaks andcorrosion.

Always disinfect your boat’s potablewater system at the start of each boat-ing season. Before starting, ensure thatthe water heater is turned off at the elec-trical panel. Icemakers should be turnedon to allow the feed line to be disinfec-ted. Remove any POE or POU filter car-tridges as well as any aerators at faucets.Flush the entire system with potablewater and then drain it completelythrough every faucet. Next, fill the entiresystem with a chlorine solution having a

P L U M B I N G

CALORIES BURN HEAT

Raritan water heater is available in 6, 12and 20 gallon (23L, 45L and 75L) modelsfor engines with or without heat exchang-ers.

Seagull IV X-1F undersink water purifierfrom General Ecology removes foul tastesand odors, and meets EPA FederalStandards for microbiological purifiers forwater-borne organisms. It works withoutthe use of electricity, added chemicals orproducing wastewater.

Water manifold reduces number of thru-hulls and resultant holes drilled below thewaterline in your boat.

In some parts of the world a water heateris refered to as a "calorifier," which comesfrom the word "calorific," meaning to pro-duce heat, and "calorie." Websters definesa small calorie as the amount of heatneeded to raise the termperature of onegram of water 1C and large calorie refersto 1 kg of water 1C. Translating this toheat, 1 gram calorie/second equals 14.286BTU per hour. Hot stuff!

Force 10 6 gallon (23L) water heater.

strength of at least 100 parts per million (see “ChlorineCalculator” above). Allow this solution to stand for at least 1hour. Drain the entire system again, flush it thoroughly withpotable water and discard the first two buckets of ice generat-ed by the icemaker (if installed). Fill the tanks with potablewater, clean the sediment filter installed to protect the pres-sure pump, install new treatment system cartridges as appro-priate and replace any aerators at faucets.

If your boat’s water tank is stainless steel, open the access portat the end of the boating season and inspect the interior witha bright flashlight. Look for evidence of corrosion that typical-ly starts at welded seams and baffle plate welds. If there’senough corrosion present to materially affect the taste, odorand/or color of stored water, replace the tank during the off-season. Given the difficulty and expense that can be involved inreplacing corroded metal tanks, it’s no wonder many boa-towners procrastinate or install a taste/odor filter as a stopgapmeasure. However, it pays to be proactive. Water leaking frompinholes in the sides or bottom of a metal tank can producesignificant damage in adjacent structural members (and woodveneers) over time.

At the end of the boating season, check your water heaterand icemaker owner’s manuals for the manufacturer’s recom-mended winterization routine. Drain the water system com-pletely. Then, with all drains and faucets open, use an air pumpto blow any residual water out of the system. Alternately, pumpa 30% to 50% non-toxic (propylene glycol) antifreeze solutionthrough the system. Marine stores typically offer an assortmentof winterizing accessories, such as water heater bypass kits,hand pumps and blow-out adapter plugs that fit your boat’smunicipal water inlet (if one is installed).

About the author: Susan Canfield is a marine surveyor inAnnapolis, Maryland. A frequent DIY contributor, she also teaches“Surveying Fiberglass Boats” at WoodenBoat School in Brooklin,Maine.

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ABYC H-23 recommends that potable water systems be disinfec-ted using a chlorine solution with a strength of at least 100 partsper million. Unfortunately, H-23’s chlorine calculator uses 1%sodium hypochlorite rather than household bleach (typically 5%sodium hypochlorite). Instead, I use the U.S. Navy’s Manual ofNaval Preventive Medicine chlorine calculator, a portion of whichis excerpted below:

For 5% Liquid Sodium HypochloriteQuantity 50PPM 100PPM 200PPM(gal/litres)

100/379 13oz/384m 26oz/769ml 52oz/1538ml50/189 7oz/207ml 13oz/385ml 26oz/769ml25/95 4oz/118ml 7oz/207ml 13oz/385ml10/38 3Tbsp/44ml 3oz/89ml 6oz/177ml5/19 5tsp/25ml 2oz/59ml 3oz/89mlThe complete table can be viewed atwww.vnh.org/PreventiveMedicine/Chapter6/6.25.htmlFor a discussion of the Navy’s tank cleaning procedures, visit www.vnh.org/PreventiveMedicine/Chapter6/6.22.html

Chlorine Calculator

�

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By Steve Auger

MaterialsAnti-corrosion sprayEngine storage sealEthylene glycol antifreezeFuel stabilizerMarine engine oil and filterNon-toxic propylene glycol antifreeze Service manual Sterndrive unit gearlubeTwo-cycle motor oil

I'll not dwell on a step-by-step proce-dure for laying up your sterndrive asthis varies for each manufacturer.Instead, I'll discuss the boat care prod-ucts you're going to need and their basicapplications, followed by the serviceprocedures in the order I would nor-mally proceed with winterizing.

Mandatory is a service manual foryour specific power package. Besidesdetailing complete procedures, this pub-lication will warn you of the personalsafety hazards associated with eachprocedure. A service manual also iden-tifies all drainage points for the coolingsystem and supplies the fluid capaci-ties of the different systems. Follow theprocedure for each process as outlinedin your service manual and the chancesof a surprise when you relaunch aregreatly reduced.

De-Freeze withAntifreeze You'll need 1 gallon of the non-toxicpropylene glycol antifreeze (3.78L) foreach small engine (2.5L through 4.3Lengines), 2 gallons (7.57L) for V-8engines. Never use ethylene glycol forwinterizing the raw-water cooling sys-tem, as it's a highly toxic environmentalpollutant. You do not have to fill theengine block with anti-freeze. Instead,

use non-toxic antifreezeto flush out any pock-ets of water that maybe trapped within thecooling sys-tem. Todo this,pull hosesoff the ther-mostat hous-ing and backflush eachhose. For theexhaust mani-fold, for example,pour non-toxicantifreeze into the man-ifold cooling jacket via thethermostat housing hose.You'll first see water flushed out then

the non-toxic antifreeze appears. Onceyou see the antifreeze reinstall themanifold drain plug and reconnectthe hose to the thermostat hous-ing. Follow this procedure foreach component of the coolingsystem. Using this procedurereduces or eliminates dumpingantifreeze into the water onengine startup when relaunch-ing the boat.

Engines with closed cooling requireethylene glycol antifreeze. Drain andreplace the coolant every two years or300 engine hours. Modern closedcooled (also call freshwater cooled)sterndrives, 1998 and newer, useantifreeze, called Dex-cool. This prod-uct can be used for up to 5 years or500 hours before replacing. Eachengine manufacturer has a specific pro-cedure for draining and refilling theclosed cooling system. So, you guessed

it, refer to your service manual fordetails. Note: Be sure to cap-

ture and recycle the oldantifreeze and oil.

Stabilizethe Last RunAdding fuel stabilizer retards the degra-dation of the octane in the automotivegasoline used in modern marineengines. Automotive fuel doesn't havea very long shelf life in a vented tankbefore the octane level starts to dropbelow the minimum acceptable 87octane rating for marine engines. Referto the stabilizer instructions for fuel-to-stabilizer ratios for both summer usageand off-season lay up. Add fuel stabi-lizer using the off-season storage ratioto the tank prior to running the enginefor the last time and bring the engineup to operating temperature. This getsthe stabilizer through the entire fuel sys-

P O W E R B O A TR I G G I N G

Decommissioning Your Sterndrive Power PackageAn organized approach to preparing your sterndrive-poweredboat for lay up over the winter or for long-term storage.

Location of manifold drain plug on thisengine.

Preferred liquids for long-term storage.

tem before the boat goes into storage. Adding it to the tanklater only protects the fuel in the tank but not the remain-ing components of the low-pressure delivery fuel system.

Feed the Fuel System Mix two-cycle outboard motor oil at a ratio of 24:1 with pre-mium fuel in a 2-gallon (7.57L) portable outboard motorfuel tank. Add fuel stabilizer and you have an electronicallyfuel-injected fuel system winterizing “soup.” This replacesthe fogging oil used on carbureted engines in the past. Thismixture protects both the high-pressure EFI fuel system andengine internals unlike fogging oil, which never addressedthe fuel system and has become the most common area forfailures after recommissioning. Remove the fuel line runningfrom the boat's built-in fuel tank to the engine fuel inlet fit-ting and plug the hose temporarily (cover with a plastic bagand seal the open end). Now connect your outboard tankfuel line to the fuel inlet on the engine. Before taking thenext step, be sure to ventilate the boat to remove all gasolinevapors that may have accumulated as you opened the fuelsystem. Start and run the engine at idle for 10 minutes.Shut down the engine and remove the outboard tank andline. Reinstall the boat fuel line to the fuel inlet on the engineand tighten the clamp. Your fuel system is now winterized.This process can be performed in the water or with the waterintake on the sterndrive on a flushing device. When you’re fin-ished with the “soup,” store the container properly, neveron the boat.

Engine storage seal is added to carbureted models only.This process can be performed in the water or running on

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Outboard tank containing "storage soup" connects to fuel inleton engine.

Evacuate engine oil via the dipstick using a vacuum oil changepump and replace oil filter, lubricating the seal on the new onebefore installing. Be sure to protect the engine with anti-corro-sion spray.

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a flushing device. Inject storage sealinto a warm engine idling at 1,000 rpmdirectly through the carburetor duringdecommissioning to protect engineinternals. Never use storage seal on EFIengines. It plugs up the idle controlvalve and creates a stalling problem.

Oily Facts Automotive oil or filters are not meantfor marine engines. Use only oils rec-ommended by your engine manufac-turer and stay away from cheap oil.Instead, purchase a brand name, e.g.,Mercury or a name brand as advisedin your owner's or service manual.

Warm the engine to operating tem-perature and then shut it down. Use avacuum pump (available from mostmarine retailers or DIY ONLINE atwww.diy-boat.com) to remove theengine oil via the oil dipstick tube.Remove the oil filter and replace it witha new one. Lube the oil filter seal witha film of motor oil (do not use grease)and hand tighten the seal on theengine. Pour 2/3 of the correct motor

oil into the engine oil fill. Start and runthe engine at idle for 60 seconds. Usingthe oil gauge (dipstick) as a guide, addsmall amounts of oil until the oil is up tothe full mark on the oil gauge (dipstick).Be sure to capture and recycle theengine oil. This process can be per-formed in the water or on a flushingdevice.

Once you are done working in theengine compartment, coat the entireengine with a film of silicone anti-cor-rosion spray protectant. This reducescorrosion of the engine compartmentcomponents while the boat is in stor-age.

Drive Maintenance There are two types of oil for the stern-drive unit, hypoid and semi–synthetic,also known as High Performance gear-lube. Once again, stay away from thecheap stuff. Pay the extra money for thegearlube that is specified in your serv-ice manual. It has the additives thatprevent water from mixing with the oilto reduce the damage caused if watergets in the drive. It’s a “pay me now orpay me later” investment. A replace-ment drive starts around $6,000. Someolder OMC drives are electric shift andrequire specific oil. Modern Mercruiserdrives use High Performance gearlube.When purchasing gearlube, invest inthe 1 quart (946ml) bottle and thehand pump accessory. If you have acurrent sterndrive, this allows you to fillthe drive from the bottom (drain screw)until the oil pours out the vent screwat the top of the drive without havingto switch to another bottle as you wouldif you used the squeezable tubes ofgearlube. If your drive requires more oil,you can simply unscrew the bottle fromthe pump and install a new bottle with-out the oil running out of the drive.Older sterndrives have up to four dif-ferent reservoirs for gearlube. Onceagain, your service manual is the bestsource of information for the correctdraining and refill procedures for yourdrive system.

Service ProceduresHere is the order in which I wouldnormally proceed with winterizing.Again, refer to your service manualfor specific instructions and safetyhazard warnings.

Step 1Fill fuel tanks with fuel and add the cor-rect amount of fuel stabilizer. Start andrun the engine(s) until operating tem-perature is achieved.

Step 2Shut off engine and change engine oiland filter.

Step 3Close the fuel shut off valve (if soequipped) and install your fuel sys-tem winterizing mix (in the outboardmotor tank) and run the engine for10 minutes.

Step 4Run the engine on a flushing device.

Step 5Clean flame arrestor and PCV hoses, ifequipped.

Step 6Lubricate all grease fittings as recom-mended in your service manual. If yourdrive has universal joints, give them ashot of grease as well. Don't forget topurchase a drive gasket installation kit,if required.

POWERBOAT - RIGGING

(top) Hand pump with threaded end(shown attached to an outboard gearcase)makes easy work of changing sterndrivegearlube. Always fill gearcase from bot-tom. (bottom) Modern sterndrives typical-ly run on a high performance gearlube.

Easy dispenser pump attaches to marinelubricant to grease zerk fittings (shownwith an outboard).

Check service manual for location of sea-water drain plug.

Step 7Drain the seawater section of your cooling system. Your serv-ice manual will guide you to these drains as they are usu-ally well hidden.

Step 8For freshwater cooled engines, check your closed coolant,with an antifreeze tester. It should read a freeze tempera-ture of -35F (-37C) or colder. If the coolant needs replac-ing, follow the guidelines in your manual for draining, refilland bleeding the air from the closed-cooling system.

Closed coolanttank.

Step 9Drain and refill the sterndrive unit with gearlube recom-mended in the service manual. Alternatively, you can storefully charged batteries onboard provided they are checkedmonthly and charged as needed. A discharged battery willfreeze, which renders it useless.

Step 10Remove and charge batteries. Store in a warm (above32F/0C) location.

Step 11Clean and paint any exposed metal on the drive and or tran-som assembly.

Step 12Replace sacrificial anodes if 50% or more consumed.

Drive anodes come in vari-ous shapes. Carry exactreplacements for yourengine.

About the author: Steve Auger has more than 35 years experi-ence servicing all makes of outboard and sterndrive engines. Heis DIY's engine technical advisor and service traininginstructor/Mercruiser product support specialist at MercuryMarine.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 37

"Stern Drive Lay-up and Start-up," DIY 1999-#3 issue"Stern Drive Alignment," DIY 2002-#2"Common Winterizing Mistakes," DIY 2003-#3

ADDITIONAL READING

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262838

By David Anderson

Hockey, baseball, the Weather Channel,news and the latest movies ... over 200channels of entertainment can comestreaming into your boat via a marinesatellite antenna, all while you're still atsea, even in the roughest waters. As yourboat pitches, yaws or rolls, fast-acting cor-rection mechanisms adjust antenna posi-tion to keep the antenna locked on yourchosen satellite. Even a small system canmaintain a reliable satellite link in heavyseas and high winds.

A tracking antenna controller makesacquiring the right satellite service easyand lets you keep up with new servicesas they are added. To receive a picture,simply enter your current position, pick asatellite and the system does the rest.Alternatively, the system will search thesky for you. All you do is sit back, relaxand watch TV, just as you do at home.

Sea Tel (www.seatel.com) offers a rangeof direct broadcast satellite (DBS) anddirect-to-home (DTH) systems withradome-enclosed dishes ranging in sizefrom 18" to 48" (48cm to 122cm). Model1898 is for boats 30' (9.1m) and longer,model 2498 for ships 50' (15.2m) andup and model 3098 for boats over 60'(18.2m). All three models feature full sta-bilization, high performance, CONSCANtracking, marine durability and ultra-quietoperation. When properly mounted, thereis minimal interference from a sailboat'srigging and a perfect picture is often pos-sible, even when the dish is partiallyobstructed by the mast. The principle dif-ference between the systems is that thelarger dish sizes provide for greater cov-erage area while at sea and have lessattenuation due to rain, fog, snow and ice.

Designed for power and sailboats as

small as 30' (9.1m), the 1898 unit fea-tures an above-deck radome that meas-ures 21" (53cm) high by 20" (51cm) indiameter, contains an 18" (48cm) diam-eter antenna dish and weighs 33 pounds(15kg). Below decks, the 1898 connectsto 12-volt DC current and features a small(3" x 5"/7.6cm x 12.7cm) panel-mount-ed control unit for operating the system.In the U.S., model 1898S uses circularpolarization and works equally well withDIRECTV, USSB and Dish Network. InEurope, model 1898E uses linear polar-ization and receives all the new digitalservices from Astra, Eutelsat and Orbit.Suggested list price is US$5,395.

What about Voice and Data?A variety of maritime voice and data prod-ucts and services are also available. Witha maritime satellite voice and data sys-tem, you can send and receive telephonecalls using a satellite network. When allother forms of communication fails, asatellite phone works flawlessly, even instorm conditions. Using a WaveCall anten-na system mariners can access Internet-at-Sea services through a simple click ofan icon or pick up the phone and placeor receive a call from virtually anywherein the well-traveled world.

You can connect an ordinary telephoneto WaveCall with the standard phone cordin the same way you do on your hometelephone line. The data connection isequally simple with no additional modemor network card required. Basic configu-ration of a Windows operating systemallows the computer to access theGlobalstar constellation of 48 low-earth-orbiting satellites (LEOs). In North

America, the earth station gateways areequipped with a dedicated high-speedInternet connection allowing you to useGlobalstar as an Internet Service Provider(ISP) to connect to the Internet or to logonto your existing ISP account.

System ComponentsTypical system components include aradome assembly containing both a trans-mitter/receiver and an antenna, a below-decks interface assembly to connect theradome assembly to a telephone andcomputer, a 12-volt DC Power supplycapable of sourcing at least 3 amps toprovide the operating power required bythe radome assembly via the interfaceassembly that has a display/control panel.You'll also need a two-wire telephone, acomputer with a standard serial (COM)port for 9600 bps (baud per second)Internet data, e-fax and e-mail usage, inter-connecting antenna and data cables andcomponents to ground the radome andinterface assemblies in accordance with

E L E C T R O N I C S

Satellites At SeaWatching TV, surfing the web, e-mail and phoningfrom your boat while at sea has become a reality.

(top) Sea Tel model 1898 is designed forpower and sailboats as small as 30' (9.1m).(bottom) Interior of 3918 Sea Tel antenna.

Iridium Motorola 9505 satellite phonehas a small antenna, which can be anuisance on board but is easilyreplaced with a factory-installedcone antenna attached to a sternrail or post. With a usage rate ofUS$1.20 per minute, using com-pression software (details atwww.uuplus.com) acceleratestransfer time.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 39

proper grounding practices for marine elec-tronics equipment.

Basic SatelliteInformation Satellites move and are “visible” for about10 to 15 minutes. Because you don’tknow what part of the sky the satelliteswill be in, you must be in a location wherethe antenna can see as much of the skyas possible. The Radome assembly shouldsee the entire sky down to 10° above thehorizon all the way around the antenna.

Satellite systems use high frequencymicrowave signals that are strictly line ofsight. This means they do not go throughor around dense objects like a mast orsuperstructure and they won’t passthrough or around objects adjacent to yourboat, such as buildings and hills. If some-thing gets between the satellite and yourantenna, your phone won’t work until anunblocked satellite is received or you moveto a better location.

Radome MountingLocation On small boats, selecting a mounting loca-tion for the radome is usually a compro-mise. This will usually be atop an arch ora cabin roof. The antenna must be at least5' (1.5m) away from other transmittingantennas that can generate signals thatinterfere with the radome. Although radioand radar interference is not common, thefurther the radome assembly is from theseother antennas the less impact their oper-ation can have on it. The radome assem-bly should be rigidly mounted to the boat.

TelephonesIf you provide your own telephone, chooseone that employs standard DTMF tones(industry standard tones), not pulses, fordialing. In addition, your telephone mustuse standard tip and ring wiring. For opti-

mal results, your telephone should havegood voice quality. Sound quality is deter-mined both by the telephone, and the sig-nal reception. You may need to try sever-al phones before achieving the best result.You can have the equivalent of extensionphones, sharing a line but make sure thatthe total REN (ringer equivalency num-ber) of all connected phones does notexceed a REN of 5.0.

ComputersTo use the data capabilities of the system,you will need a computer with an avail-able COM port. This port connects direct-ly to the data port on the below decksinterface assembly using a standard DB-9 serial cable. The computer needs to beproperly setup for packet data operationto work with the system and you will prob-ably want to install some special SatSpeedsoftware that significantly enhances datathroughput. SatSpeed is an InternetCompression Service exclusive to WaveCallthat allows users to upload and downloadfiles 3 to 5 times faster. For example, usingSatSpeed software a 9.6 kbps-ratedmodem operates like a 56K landlinemodem.

Airtime Rate PlansA variety of rate plans are available for thecontinental U.S. and the Caribbean. Withno roaming or long distance charges oncalls to or from Canada or Mexico, Plan400 is popular with cruisers.

Other OptionsKVH Industries also offers a line of marine

ELECTRONICS

Photographillustrates atypical sail-boat mountingarrangementatop a sternarch.

Typical system components.

The low-profile design of the TracVision C3satellite TV antenna from KVH is ideal forhardtops, houseboats, workboats and canalboats. It works with any high-poweredDIRECTV andDVB-compatiblesatellite in North America and Europe.

satellite television and telephone prod-ucts. With antenna dishes ranging indiameter from 18" to 32" (46cm to81cm), KVH Tracvision products are com-patible with all modern TV satellites. KVHoffers a full range of Inmarsat airtime serv-ices. More information is available atwww.kvh.com.

Globalstar offers a range of productsand services to support voice or data com-munications for all sizes of marine ves-sels. Service areas currently extend over200 miles (322 km) or more off virtuallyall-coastal areas in North and SouthAmerica, Europe, Australia and East Asia.Service has recently been expanded tocover most of the North Atlantic andbroader reaches of the northeast Pacific.Globalstar mobile satellite phones allowfor communications both at sea and onland. More information is available atwww.globalstar.com.

The Iridium Satellite System providesa range of global mobile satellite voiceand data solutions with complete cover-age of the Earth (including oceans, air-ways and Polar regions). The service iswell suited to mariners wishing to com-municate while crossing oceans. Moreinformation is available at www.iridi-um.com.

With these products and services,Satellite TV entertainment, voice commu-nications and Internet access truly are avail-able virtually anywhere you choose to go.

About the author: A professional engineerwith an extensiveknowledge of boatsystems, DavidAnderson operatesStand Sure Marine(www.standsurema-rine.com) and hasmore than 40 yearsof sailing experience.

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R E F I T

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 41

By Nick Bailey

The refit or restoration of an old boat isone of those endeavors that appears tohave no practical value but can be verysatisfying emotionally to the appreciativeeye. Everyone takes notice of a gleamingmahogany runabout or gaff-rigged wood-en sloop that typify the world of antiqueand classic boats. Nonetheless, fiberglasshas been around for over 50 years andhas become the recreational boatbuilder’s material of choice. Now thatsome are old enough to qualify as “clas-sic,” old glass boats sporting impeccableurethane paint jobs are beginning to gettheir share of the oohs and aahs.

Despite the fact that wooden boatrestorers wear their heroic mantle proud-ly and snort at the notion that an oldglass hull could present serious refitobstructions, in comparison to fiberglass,the nature of wood construction simpli-fies hull repairs. Wood hulls may bemade from biodegradable materials butat least they have replaceable parts. Therestoration of a wood hull can be carriedout one plank or rib at a time. If theongoing replacement of degraded parts iscarried out diligently, there is no theo-retical upper timelimit to how long awood boat will last.Nelson’s flagship atTrafalgar, “HMSVictory,” is about toundergo a multi-mil-lion dollar refit usingoak grown fromacorns planted atNelson’s orders200 years ago.

Unfortunately, afiberglass hull ispractically mono-lithic, a “oneshot” deal and, ifthe hull is justplain tuckeredout, what can youdo? There are afew options forstructurally repair-ing the whole hullbut none of themare easy and maymake a refit imprac-tical. You don’t usu-ally get the option ofjust slipping it into a new hull.Like wood, glass hulls are notimmune to the forces of naturebut, in this case, it's not biolo-gy but chemistry and physicsworking against them. The twodestructive agents at work on aglass laminate are: moisture,which can attack resin or seepinto cored laminates, and flex-ing, which not only breaks indi-

vidual glass fibers but also causes layersof glass or core to de-bond and separate,an evil known as “delamination.”

Besides knowing a boat's age and engine hours,here's what you need to consider, including boattype and usage, hull construction, structuralproblems and mechanical damage, before refit-ting or restoring a fiberglass boat.

Beauty or Beast? 1979 F32 TROJAN

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1973 ALBIN 25

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Blisters CasebookOnce upon a time people thoughtfiberglass hulls were inert in contactwith water. Glass fibers are but, overtime, some polyester resins proved tobe surprisingly soluble (see “AboutPolyester Chemistry,” left). Water mol-ecules penetrate into a susceptiblelaminate by seeping through the gel-coat and wicking along the glassfibers. Once in contact with the resin,

R E F I T

ABOUT POLYESTERCHEMISTRY

Polyester is manufactured by pres-sure-cooking a mix of glycols anddibasic acids to form long chains ofmultiple (“poly”) ester molecules.These molecules have multiple reac-tion sites to bond and form strongcross-linked chains with each other.However, not all the reaction sites areused up so the resulting solid materialis said to be “unsaturated” or capableof further chemical reactions. Thequality of this original cooking processhas a lot to do with just how unsaturat-ed the polyester resin is while in serv-ice. To make a liquid resin, this solidunsaturated polyester base is dis-solved into a monomer, usuallystyrene. The styrene monomer is alsounsaturated and is designed to reactwith the polyester base in the presenceof a catalyst. The boat builder mixesthe catalyst with the resin during thelay-up process and the result is asolid, relatively saturated or unreac-tive resin. I say relatively, because thecross-linking process that takes placewhen conventional polyester resincures at normal room temperatures isnormally only around 80% complete.Poorly manufactured resin or impropercatalyzing can result in a higher per-centage of unlinked reactive sites.Many of these open reactive sites arequite happy to take up stray water mol-ecules that find their way into thelayup and this allows hydrolysis tobegin. Today, more production boatbuilders are using dicyclopentadiene(DCPD) polyester or vinylesters. Thehigh-end builders routinely post-cureepoxy hulls under vacuum in an auto-clave. All of these approaches yield amore water-resistant hull.

The heavy solid glass hull of this classicmid-60s Cheoy Lee is a good refitcandidate.

They don’t build ‘em like this anymorewith 2”- (5cm-) thick solid glass!

Minor osmosis is no immediate threat butshows hydrolysis is at work. Time for abarrier coat before things get worse.

Wet core below the waterline meansmajor repairs.

Repairing a delaminated area on the hullof a lifeguard rescue skiff.

the water can react with soluble polyester components(mostly glycols and dibasic acids that are not fully boundor cross-linked into the polyester), a process known ashydrolysis. The hydrolytic process picks apart the poly-ester molecules and the resin begins to leach away. Amicroscopic droplet of leachate solution (consisting ofwater and those pesky polyester components) collects inone of the tiny voids or air bubbles that exist in all glasslaminates. Additional moisture is drawn in by osmoticaction, the droplet grows and eventually a blister forms. Asthe process continues, the hull develops a classic case ofosmosis blisters. A minor case of blisters is a cosmeticproblem and affects only the gelcoat. A severe case formsbig blisters deep inside the laminate, which can lead tomajor hull delamination and weaken the hull to the pointof being unseaworthy.

Blisters can be repaired but the cost is high and theprognosis iffy. The conventional blister repair techniqueof drying the hull, removing the gelcoat and, in the worstcases, layers of leached laminate, finally re-skinning theboat with new laminate and/or an epoxy or vinylester bar-rier coating usually works. This traditional repair strate-gy does not correct any problems with the fundamentalresin chemistry but concentrates on repairing the exist-ing damage and denying moisture access to the laminatefrom the outside. Moisture can still get into a susceptiblelaminate from inside the boat via condensation, bilge wateretc. and, unfortunately, there are hard cases out therethat refuse to stop blistering even after a good conven-tional repair.

In theory, weak resin chemistry can be improved. Thepatented HotVac (www.hotvac.com) technique uses heat-ed vacuum blankets to suck the moisture out of the lam-inate while simultaneously heating and post-curing theresin. The elevated temperature of the post-cure cyclereactivates the polyester to form additional cross-linkedmolecular bonds. Theoretically, this means less solubleleftovers to get involved in hydrolytic reactions.

Core ContentsCored hulls can suffer from hydrolysis and the resultingosmosis blisters are at risk of a far more dramatic prob-lem resulting from poor workmanship or abuse. If thecore lay-up is not well sealed during construction and/orsomeone drills a hole for an aftermarket thru-hull belowthe waterline and does not seal it properly using the pot-ting technique, water will seep into the core. It may takeyears on a quality hull to saturate a significant area. Incold climates, the process is accelerated by frost heav-ing that can debond the core from the inner or outer glassskin. All core materials are degraded by water absorp-tion but balsa wood core is particularly vulnerable tolong-term saturation. If caught early, while the balsa isstill sound, it may be possible to dry the core, otherwisemajor surgery is required. This involves removing eitherthe inner or outer skin, digging out and replacing the old

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DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262844

core material and re-skinning therepair area. Depending on the extentof the problem and the quality of theboat, this sort of repair can be more

expensive than a blister repair but ona great boat may still be worth doing.

Hull Flexing The other great killer of fiberglasshulls is flex (stress). Motorboat hullstake a constant beating and are builtas lightly as possible to encouragequick planing. Over the years, themechanical characteristics of thehull laminate degrade as each waveimpact (or pothole encounteredwhile trailering) bends the laminateand breaks another tiny glass fiberor knocks it loose from the grip ofthe resin. Gradually, the hull losesstiffness and becomes more andmore flexible. Stress cracks appearat stringers, bulkheads and run-ning strakes. Eventually, delami-nation occurs as the bond hold-ing the individual laminate layerstogether fails. A delaminatedpowerboat hull won’t survive long

in normal service.M a j o rc r a c k se x t e n d i n gdeep into thelaminate willsoon appearand with themthe risk of a

catastrophic hull failure. This usual-ly occurs when the edge of anathwartship crack snags the high-speed water flow on the bottom anda piece of the hull is instantly peeledback. At a time like this, you arelucky if the missing chunk is just anouter layer of a multi-layer laminate.

Sailboats can also suffer fromaccumulated mechanical damageinflicted by years of use and abuse.Everything from bashing through ashort chop on the way to a weathermark to improper cradling can con-tribute to a global loss of stiffnessin a hull and eventually to areas ofdelamination. The good news is sail-boats don’t suddenly rip open veryoften. Mechanical damage to hulllaminates can be repaired but canbe a daunting job, technically andfinancially. It's just a matter of grind-ing out delaminated areas and lay-ing in new fiberglass, plus filling andfairing etc. If the whole hull is tired,in other words just too flexiblethroughout, you are faced with a jobthat is equivalent to building a newhull using the old one as a malemold.

Selecting a RefitCandidateSo, it seems that a fiberglass hull canslowly dissolve and/or get beaten to

death. Is this the fatethat awaits themall? If so, when?No one reallyknows how long aglass hull will last. Itall depends on analmost infinite numberof variables and theanswer will be differentfor each boat. If you areplanning to refit anyglass boat, it should besurveyed carefully. Youneed to make an educat-ed guess about the hulllongevity of your potentialrefit candidate before goingto all that time and expense.Get a surveyor to help withthis assessment.

R E F I T

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1975 C&C 24

Despite the fact that glass hulls vary widely, you canmake some educated calculations based on the follow-ing factors. First, is the quality and type of original con-struction. Generally thicker and heavier is better thanthinner and lighter. Many early glass boats were built tothe same thickness as their wood predecessors. Otherthan hydrolysis and blister issues, not much goes wrongwith these old heavy hulls . A hull from a high-end builderwill usually last longer than one from a budget boatbuilder. Everything else being equal, you get what youpay for. High quality cored construction (if properly main-tained) is much stiffer than solid glass of the same weightand can hold up very well in the long term, provided thecore stays dry. One of the first successful balsa coredhulls, “Red Jacket,” was designed by C&C and built byBruckmann to win at SORC in the late ‘60s. “Red Jacket”is still in top condition today, recently winning seasonchampionships in the Toronto, Ontario area. Nonetheless,be careful of old racing boats that feature an ultra-light-weight hull. These are very strong and stiff when new,but some were experimental and were never designedfor a long haul.

Second is the boat's age, hours, history of use (orabuse) and maintenance experience. A boat that washauled periodically will be less waterlogged and proneto osmosis; likewise for a boat with a good barrier coat-ing. Beware of planing powerboats with high hours.Anything from the ‘70s has probably been beaten todeath. Avoid all planing powerboats coming out of com-mercial, police or military service. Even a high qualityhull can be thrashed in a few years by 2,000 hours ofservice annually. It would take an enthusiastic weekendboater five to 20 years (depending on the latitude) to putthose hours on a hull.

Lastly, is the type of boat: power versus sail, high speedversus moderate speed. There are always exceptions but,to summarize, cruising sailboats and displacement power-boats age better than lightweight racing sailboats andplaning powerboats.

Any glass hull can be repaired and renewed. It's justa question of whether it's worth it to do so. If Nelson’s"HMS Victory" or the "USS Constitution" had been builtof fiberglass, I’m sure ways and means would be found tocarry out the necessary repairs today. Some boats deserveto live forever be they wood or glass.

About the author: Nick Bailey is DIY Magazine's repair special-ist and has spent 26 years in the boat repair business and isservice manager of Bristol Marine in Mississauga, Ontario.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 45

�

ADDITIONAL READING"Buying a Used Boat," DIY 2002#2 issue"Cored Hull Repairs," DIY 2000-#3 "Delamination: Diagnose, Cure, Prevention," DIY 2000-#3"Hinging and Crack Repairs," DIY 2000-#3 "Repairs to Wet Decks," DIY 2002-#3

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262846

Story and photos by Nick Bailey

There are three ways to repairing a leak-ing keel bolt — tighten the bolts,recaulk the bolt or drop and rebed thekeel.

First, tighten the bolt(s). To tightenthe keel bolt(s), a large socket wrenchor torque wrench is required. (Refer totable on facing page for the torque rec-ommendations). This may require a tripto your local tool rental emporium. Thisjob is best done on the hard with theweight of the hull resting on the keelbut it's initially worth trying while theboat is still in the water. Consider your-self lucky if the leak stops after the keelbolts are tightened.

If tightening fails, the next step is toattempt resealing the leaking bolt(s) by

adding caulking at the bolt and underthe keel bolt washer on the inside ofthe hull. Remove the nut and washerfrom the keel bolt stud (or the boltitself). Clean off the old caulking and

jam paper towels around the keel bolt toabsorb the water seeping in while youprepare to recaulk. Unfortunately, sim-ple recaulking rarely works because thehydraulic pressure behind the seepingwater is enough to push throughuncured sealant and establish a leakpath before the sealant cures. The trickhere is to speed up the sealant cureand/or create a “cofferdam” that willhold back the leak long enough for thesealant to cure. This can be done in acouple of ways. One traditional method

R I G G I N GS A I L B O A T

Leaking Keel Bolt FixesOnce you've isolated the leakingoffender you have three repair choices and they proceed from easy to difficult depending on how persistent the leak is.

Should retightening fail, try the insidereseal with 3M 5200 Fast Cure.

The source of keel bolt leaks may behidden under an interior liner or struc-tural grid.

Typical top-end installation with backingplate and washer.

Adding sealant on the inside of a keel boltmay not always work.

is to extrude a bead of slow cure polyurethane sealant intoa pail of hot water. This “shocks” the sealant into a semi-cured state and allows the bead to be picked up and han-dled like a sticky O-ring and wrapped around the offendingbolt. The washer and nut are quickly reinstalled and thetorque applied. If possible, the keel bolt is kept immersedin hot water to accelerate the cure. The newer method (some-times used in combination with the hot seal technique above)is to cut a circular neoprene gasket about the same cir-cumference as the keel bolt washer but with a center cutoutlarge enough to allow a bead of fast cure polyurethanesealant, i.e. 3M 5200 or 4200 Fast Cure, between the neo-prene and the bolt. When the steel washer goes on top andthe nut is tightened, the compressed neoprene conforms toand seals against the hull like an O-ring and provides therequired back-stop or cofferdam to retain the polyurethaneadjacent to the keel bolt until it cures.

Realistically these two techniques can only be consideredtemporary solutions. In fact, they don’t work 50% of thetime but are worth trying only because the next (and final)step to fixing a persistent keel bolt leak moves you into thecategory of major repairs.

When all else fails, it's necessary to remove the keel andrebed the matting surfaces. Rebedding the keel can be a bigjob but it always works. These steps to the cure include ahaul out, unfastening all the keel bolts, dropping the keeland completely rebedding the keel. (Ed: For step-by-stepdetails on rebedding a keel see "Replacing or SupplementingKeel Bolts" in DIY 2000-#1 issue and “After the Grounding”in DIY 2003-#4 issue).

About the author: Nick Bailey is DIY Magazine's repair specialistand has spent 26 years in the boat repair business and is theservice manager of Bristol Marine in Mississauga, Ontario.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 47

Use this table to tighten stainless-steel studs in lead keels.Torque specs for other types may be different.

Bolt Diameter Foot Pounds Socket/Nut Size0.50" 80 0.75"0.75" 250 1.125"1.0" 350 1.50" 1.25" 450 1.875"

Keel Bolt Torque Specifications

Fin keel dropped ready for new selant and chocking epoxy.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262848

By Peter Pisciotta

As a professional delivery captain, I logabout 12,000 nautical miles each year,frequently on newly commissioned boatswith plenty of documentation aboard butprecious little historical operating experi-ence and information. When I stepaboard, I can only guesstimate importantinformation like average speed in calmand rough seas, fuel consumption at var-ious speeds, oil consumption, electricalsystem capacity and equipment condi-

tion. Even when historical data is avail-able from an owner, it may not be accu-rate. Fuel consumption assumptions, forexample, are often low because theyinclude lots of slow and idle time.

Commercial operators log all activitiesbecause it pays. A dutifully developed logspots emerging issues early, while theyare easier to resolve. Like a patient’s chartin a hospital, the information encapsu-lates detail that may not seem significantuntil sometime much later, when it fitsas key part of a puzzle of symptoms. Notonly does due diligence in log keepingreduce operating costs but a log alsoimproves owner/operator confidence.

Preparing an underway trip log hasconsistently paid-off during recent deliv-eries I completed. Read on for some ofthe log entries.

”Twin engine motor yacht noted unusu-ally low voltage, 12 volts instead ofaround 14 volts, with batteries chargedand both engines running, which ownerstated was normal. Generator was notoperating correctly and, rather than leavewith all electrical systems suspect, Irepaired the generator. As it happened,the 12-volt wiring was a problem and weneeded the generator.”

“New 42' (12.8m) sailboat and a no-wind delivery that dictated lots of motor-ing. Owner’s manual stated 60 gallons(227L) of fuel capacity. Measured tankand calculated 75 gallons (284L) thusenabling me to bypass a fuel stop andshave a day off the delivery.”

“A delivery of a 57' (17.4m) trawleryacht from California through the PanamaCanal. Because fuel consumption hadbeen carefully monitored, I was able toput on only minimum load of fuel in

Acapulco where fuel was expensive. Thetanks were topped off in Panama withcheap diesel saving over US$700.”

What is an UnderwayTrip Log?An underway trip log is simply a journalof salient data points, including mechan-ical information (engine hours, operatingtemperature, etc.), repairs, observations,weather and navigational data. It's peri-odically updated (perhaps hourly) becausesingle data points are less useful thantrends, so an ongoing log becomes morepowerful as time goes by. In short, anunderway trip log documents importantshipboard activities in a manner that facil-itates analysis.

There are three main categories of infor-mation in an underway trip log: naviga-tion, mechanical and operational.

You may not need extensive informa-tion for all three categories or the boatmay not have comprehensive datasources available (very few boats havefuel flow meters, for example). Decidewhat you need and see if you can find away to measure it.

Navigation LogKeepingThere are three main reasons to gathernavigation data: dead reckoning in case ofelectronics failure; planning landfall toavoid night-time arrival or avoid adversetides or currents and accumulatedmileage to calculate fuel consumption orspeed over the bottom, a critical factorin all navigational data recording.

Most GPS and chart plotters have triplogs (I like to reset this to zero for longtrips.). On an hourly basis, record the triplog, current time, latitude, longitude,course and speed. Now that electronicnavigation equipment has mostly replacedthe compass, you can chose to usedegrees magnetic or degrees true. (I pre-fer degrees true, especially on north/southtrips, but it means the compass headingwill be up to 18 degrees different fromelectronic readouts.) If you are cruisinginternationally, make sure your GPS is setto the correct datum. Also, for trips thatcross multiple time zones or timechanges, consider using Universal TimeCoordinate (UTC), also known as

B O A T H A N D L I N G

Keeping the Log, Trip by Trip"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This trustedadage clearly describes the need to document all navigationaland operational data onboard your boat. Recording your boat’saches and pains in a trip log can identify troublemaking before itadvances to a major problem, thereby reducing operating costsand improving confidence in your boat, engine and equipment.

SAMPLE LOGS

FORMATTING A SIMPLECHRONOLOGICALUNDERWAY LOG

This journey was a relatively short seven-day, 900-nautical mile delivery fromMonterey, California to Port Ludlow,Washington, near Seattle. An hourly navi-gation log (not shown) was hand written inaddition to this combined log. All activitieswere combined. Note the minor repairsmade and logged: replace stuffing box forwing engine while underway, replace leak-ing water hose for dishwasher and pulland clean the speed meter paddle wheel.For relatively uncomplicated vessels orshort duration trips, a simple chronologi-cal log works fine.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 49

Greenwich Mean Time or Zulu. Singleside band and HAM radio schedules,Coast Guard radio broadcasts and weath-er fax schedules are often in UTC, so it’shelpful to have one clock set to UTC.

Consider reading “course” from theautopilot rather than a GPS (It should bethe same but may vary slightly). Theautopilot likely reads out the bearing forthe entire course leg rather than amomentary bearing and the most likelyfault condition is accidentally switching-off the autopilot. It can be quickly resetto the original course, if necessary.

If all electronics fail, the navigation logwill be pressed into service. It needs tobe written rather than on a computerwhere it could be lost to the vagaries ofreliable electrical power. Even thoughhourly readings may be taken on the hour,let crew know that, if they are late mak-ing the log entry, they need to note theactual time the position was taken, notthe time it was scheduled.

Systems DataThere are three primary goals forinspecting and logging mechanicaland operating systems. First, trend“consumables.” Make sure there isadequate fuel, water and oil to lastthe duration of the trip. Adjust thatinventory as necessary. Second, iden-tify abnormal operating conditions andrecord early detection of trouble spots,such as chafe, wear, leaks, vibration,

B O A T H A N D L I N G

Always log changes when switching fueltanks.

Check for leaks on rudderpost and steering hydraulics atconnections.

Calibrated fuel tankgauge simplifies dailyfuel checks.

Look for chafe on hoses. Every hour, check sight bowl for water infuel filter/water separator.

Feel for heat build up on the stuffing box.

Well marked fuel tank.

Sight Gauge Fuel Tank

Check coolant level in overflowreservoir.

Rough oil check while engine runs.

Check for crud in water intakestrainer.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262850

overheating, etc. Third, keep a main-tenance log.

By far the most important tools forchecking mechanical and operational sys-tems are the five senses: sight, smell,touch, hearing and taste. [Ed: For addi-tional details see "5 Senses of BoatMaintenance" in DIY 2003-#4 issue.]

Look for leaks, chafe, etc. This is whereit’s important to have resolved all leaksbefore leaving. The fastest way to identi-fy a leak is when a bilge that is known tobe dry and clean becomes wet and/orfouled with fuel, oil or the mix of fluids.Often, the first indication of somethinggoing wrong is an odor (burning oil, friedelectrical panel, etc.). Excess heat is anindication of abnormal wear. For example,a stuffing box should never be too hot totouch. Be alert for different sounds. Achange in rpms could mean a fuel filter isplugged with contaminants. See a smallpuddle of clear water on the cabin floorand wonder if it's fresh or salt? Taste it butbe careful, there are a lot of toxic chemi-cals in an engine room. You get the idea.

Establish a routine on what gets checkedand how often. Log any adjustment or hintof change. Long passages under powerpresent interesting opportunities. Forinstance, shutting down a perfectly oper-

ational engine in mid-passage and hopingthe starter will not choose now to die pres-ents an interesting potential for a dilem-ma. If you have kept impeccable records,you will know what the oil consumptionis and you can proactively add oil.Sometimes the dipstick can be pulled whilethe engine is running and the levelchecked, albeit not very accurately. Again,prior baseline efforts are key.

The PayoffKeeping accurate records is important.More than just a standard log, an under-way trip log provides detail that willimprove maintenance and cut coststhrough proactive troubleshooting.Subsequent owners are impressed withcomprehensive record keeping. It does-n’t take much time and you will gain con-fidence in your boat.

About the author: Peter P. Pisciotta is a USCG100-ton licensed vessel operator and theowner of SeaSkills Personal School ofSeamanship (www.SeaSkills.com), whichoffers yacht delivery endorsed by Nordhavn,West Marine and Willard Marine, new boa-towner training, boat handling and boat dock-ing instruction and spouse/crew instruction.

B O A T H A N D L I N G

A dry bilge that persists beneath the engineverifies no leaks.

Check pressure in hydraulic stabilizer.

Lift floorboards and check for debris.

Check control cable linkages.

Complex Logs by Functional Group

Tables show multiple logs for a 25-day, 4,500-nautical mile passage through the PanamaCanal. Detailed logs for fuel management, generator, main and wing engine, and water-maker were kept for each major piece of equipment, plus a hand written hourly posi-tion log filled out by each watch. A separate log was kept for observations, repairs andrecommendations. Had the simple format been used, the clutter would have over-whelmed the data, so conclusions and actionable items would be difficult to prune.Extremely precise data was available due to the new-generation, electronically controlleddiesel. The owner of this vessel wanted detailed information so all possible informationwas collected. [Ed: Peter's six logs were too large to reproduce in print but are availableon DIY ONLINE at www.diy-boat.com.]

�

Ed: Have an interesting approach to under-way logs? Maybe a unique experience?Drop Peter a note at peter@seaskills.com.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 51

Sample Comprehensive MechanicalChecklist for Larger InboardPowered Yachts

HOURLY

Secondary fuel filters Check for increasing vacuum indicating clogging filter

Hydraulic stabilizers Check hoses, pressure, temperature

Engine leaks Oil, water, coolant, transmissionOil pressure Check for changeVoltmeter Should read about 14 volts when

batteries fully chargedAmmeter Depends on load (especially with

inverter)

EVERY 2 - 6 HOURS (MORE OFTEN, IF PRUDENT)

Stuffing box Check for heat, leaks

Steering linkage Tight but not bindingThrottle linkage Tight but not bindingShift linkage Tight but not bindingSteering lines/hydraulic fluid Check for leaks Autopilot pump chafe Check for leaksHydraulic steering Check for leaksCable steering Check for frayed endsEngine room temperature Check ventilation fansRunning rigging (Sail) Check for chafeStanding rigging (Sail) Check for frayed endsWindow/port leaks Check for spray intrusionBelts Visual when underwayChafe Check all hoses and wiresCoolant Check level

DAILY OR AS NEEDED

Thrusters Check before needing themControls Check for free movementAlarms Check at start-upFuel level Sight gauge, dip tanks, fuel gaugeFuel transfer Log every change of tank or fuel

transferFuel consumption Check daily where possibleFuel tank size Confirm, measure if possibleRudderpost packing Check for leaksThru-hulls Check for leaksOil level Possible to check underwayRunning lights Check daily

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262852

Rod Box

ProjectFollow these steps to build aninnovative, theft-resistant boxfor stowing your fishing rods. Itwon't stop a determined thiefbut it will slow the progress ofa brazen bandit or discouragethe light-fingered amateur orcasual passerby from borrow-ing your gear.

Bob Hammee, Elizabeth Town, Kentucky

I always worry about the security of myfishing rods when the boat's dockedovernight at the marina and I'm tuckedaway in a motel room. Similarly, on theway to the water, rods stored in an opentowed boat or in the bed of a pickuptruck can disappear if unattended dur-ing pit stops. You can't be 100% sureany measure you take will work all thetime, as improvements in securitydevices are always met with corre-spondingly clever methods to overcomethem. We can deter some would-bethieves by making our property more dif-ficult for the hit and run robber to lift eas-ily and escape unnoticed.

The rod box I've built is basically awooden box with a secure door that I’vebuilt to help me safeguard as well asorganize and transport my fishing rodsand reels. The box holds about 12 rods,ranging from heavy saltwater gear to lightfreshwater rigs. It accommodates rodsto 8' (2.4m) long with casting, trollingand spinning reels. The rods extendthrough a slot in the top of the box,reducing the box's size and making itpossible to carry the box more easily withrods inside. Reels are secure inside thelocked door. A slot in the box top pre-vents rod and reel removal because thereels attached to the rods can't be pulledthrough this slot. Filled with rods, thebox can be chained or cabled to the

inside of a pickup bed, onboard to a cleator rail or at the dock to a piling or dockcleat for security. One lock secures thebox door and hasp and can secure thebox to a chain or cable.

The box is built of 1x10, 1x4 and 1x2pine, 1/8" (3mm) plywood and commonhardware. Building mine took about 5hours, mainly because I had to decideon dimensions that would accommodatethick rods with long handles and heavyreels. The average DIYer could probablybuild the box in about 2 hours.

Step 1 Build the Box Frame Construct top, backand bottom pieces of1x10 pine. Top andbottom are equallength and 23" (58cm)long. Back measures28" (71cm) long andfront braces are 26-1/2" (67cm) long. Sideand front braces aremade of 1x4 pine.Back and the frontbraces butt join to thebottom and top. Sidebraces butt join to thefront braces and back. Use a 1-3/4" x 5"(44mm x 12.7cm) joiner plate to rein-force the side brace to front brace jointand corner braces to reinforce the sidebrace to back joint. Cut all pieces tolength and assemble using glue [Ed:Although you can use white carpenter'sglue, epoxy resin glue works best. Youcould also substitute StarBoard for ply-wood.] and finishing nails or brads (cop-per, if available). A nail gun makesassembly quick. To make the sides, lay

the assembled frame on its side on apiece of 1/8" (3mm) plywood and tracearound it. Use the side you cut out asthe pattern to make a matching side.The sides attach to the box bottom, back,top, side braces and front braces withglue and copper finishing nails or brads.

Step 2 Top Slot and Bottom Rod GuideTo cut the slot, begin by marking thestart position for the slot near the jointof the top and the back. The slot beginswith a 7/8" (22mm) hole, centered onthe width of the top and 3" (7.6cm)

from the back edge of the box. Drill thehole. With a straight edge, draw linesto the front edge of the top from eachside of the hole. Keep the lines paral-lel. Now, cut out the slot using a jigsawand then sand all edges of the slotsmooth.

Assemble the rod guide from twopieces of 1x4 pine and a piece of 1x2pine for the bottom of the rod guide.Assemble with glue and finishing nailsor brads. The rod guide assemblyshould run from the box’s back to thefront edge of the bottom. Center the rodguide on the width of the bottom andinstall with glue and nails or brads.

Step 3 Build and Install the DoorCut a piece from 1x10 pine, 26-1/2"(67cm) long and 8-3/4" (22cm) wide.Cut a brace from 1x2 pine. Mount it onthe outside of the door using glue and

P R O J E C T S

Box Frame

Slot begins with a 7/8" (22mm) hole, cen-tered on the width of the top and 3" (7.6cm)from the back edge of the box. (inset) Endview of rod guide.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 53

finishing nails or brads. Position it 6-1/2" (16cm) from the top of the door.This brace is the same length as thedoor and keeps the door from warping.Cut a second bracefrom 1x2 pine, 7-1/2"(19cm) long. Thismounts using glueand nails or brads onthe inside of the doorto help prevent it fromwarping, which it willdo if you don’t braceit. Facing the inside ofthe door the bracemounts 1" (25mm)from the door top,1/8" (3mm) from theleft inside of the door edge and 1"(25mm) from the right inside edge ofthe door.

The door fits to the box with two doorhinges. Install the hinges on the insideso the mounting screws can’t beremoved when the box is locked. Markcorresponding positions for the hingeson the right side front brace and the leftinside edge of the door. Recess thehinge, so the door mounts flush to thefront braces and top. When installed,the door aligns with the outside edgeof the left front of the box.

Step 4 Installing HardwareMount two Igloo cooler handles on theoutside of the box. Align them on thefront edge of the box and center on thebox’s height. This mounting positionallows the box to be carried with theback towards the ground and whenfilled with fishing rods.

Mount a bifold style hinged hasp tothe door and the side of the box.

Install a sliding door J-hook, availableat most hardware stores. It mountsinside the box, on the top and astridethe slot. The J-hook is important and

keeps the open end of the slotted topfrom being pried apart when the box’sdoor is locked shut. With the doorlocked shut, the J-hook can’t be dis-engaged from the outside. The doorprotests the J-hook from being openedand the J-hook keeps the slotted topfrom being pried open. Install foamstrips to the top of the box on eitherside of the slot to keep rods from mov-ing around or rattling. The strips runthe length of the slot, each is about2" (5cm) wide. Position the strips sothey meet in the middle of the slot andthen secure them to the top with astaple gun.

Step 5 Finishing Touches Choose a stain for the exterior andapply. Seal the exterior and interiorwith three to four coats of marinegrade spar urethane. Finally, to pro-

tect your decks or carpet and thewood on the box, install either self-adhesive felt pads or nail chair legprotectors/slides to the four cornersof box’s bottom and back. By doingso, the rod box can be positionedupright or on its back. Onboard, Istand the box with rods inside uprightto conserve deck space. When trans-porting in my pickup bed, I lay thebox on its back with the fishing rodsparallel to the ground.

PROJECTSFront view of the box

Mount bifold style hasp, install two foamstrips, install J-hook across slot top (inset)and mount handles (right).

Completed rod box.

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262854

Shrinkwrapping AfloatFifteen years of shrinkwrappingfriends' boats and his ownEndeavor 42 have taught thisformer liveaboard a few thingsabout the process. Here are afew ideas on building a customshrinkwrapped cover forsailboaters wintering afloat.

Richard Asztalos, Mt. Clemens, Michigan

Shrinkwrapping is one task where expe-rience is sometimes the best college ofknowledge. Mistakes with shrinkwrapmade during seven years of livingaboard a sailboat have resulted in somewell-learned lessons on how to makeshrinkwrapping easier.

“Shrinking” a boat when it’s in thewater is a little different from covering aboat on land and takes more fore-thought. Since I'm aboard "Charisma"a lot in the winter, I like to use the clearshrinkwrap film, which lets in more lightthan either blue or white. Clear filmburns through easily and is not as for-giving as the opaque films when shrink-ing. So, if added light is not needed,you're better off with the blue or whitefilm. I also keep my mast up, whichmakes it more difficult to build the coveraround the shrouds and stays.

Tools that I use include (Figure 1): atorch on a 15' (4.5m) hose connectedto a propane tank, which sits in a milkcrate; a small self-igniting propane torchwith a flaring end attached; weldinggloves; six large plastic clamps; razor(utility) knife; sharp letter opener forslitting the shrink wrap; one roll ofshrinkwrap tape, one roll of webbingline, one roll of shrinkwrapping plastic,20' x 45' (6m x 13.7m); permanentmarker felt tip pen; and a measuringtape.

To begin, tie all lower shrouds to theuppers to keep from making moresplices in the framework. Run webbingline (or low stretch clothesline) under-neath the hull from stanchion to stan-

chion andsecure.Using a din-ghy, run ahor izonta lline aroundthe topsides.Securely tiethe verticallines fromthe stanchions (Figure 2)to this line. Connect lengthsof PVC pipe from stanchionto stanchion and run aridge line of pipe or thinwall conduit from bow tostern on top of the PVC. Next, tie web-bing from bow to stern on top of PVCto keep it from moving and to give theframe strength (Figure 3).

Measure the length of shrink film,allowing some extra for overhang. Itshould stretch from the bow to sternover the PVC frame. Mark a line downthe center of the film with a felt pen.Be careful not to walk on or scratch thefilm before it goes on or those tinyscratches will cause holes when youheat it with the torch. You'll need atleast one extra crewmember to give youa hand to carry the shrink aboard anddrape it over one side from the gunwaleto the mast

Slit the film at the bow to accom-modate the forestay and then, usingclamps to hold the film, shrink the filmaround the bow pulpit (Figure 4). Line

up the center mark with the boom,make a cut from the mast to the edge ofthe film and then clamp it to the shroudsto hold it in place. On the opposite side,cut the film for the shrouds, cutting tothe edge. Cut the slit for the backstayand secure the film with a clamp. I pre-fer to make this cut towards the corner.This allows a nice overlap and plenty of

PROJECTS

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

FIGURE 4

FIGURE 1

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-2628 55

film to shrink around the stern in oneneat piece.

Now is the time to weld all the seamsthat were cut. Don your welding glovesand have your helper hold the two piecesof film together and heat the seam withthe small torch holding it at a 40° angleto the film. Work from top to bottom, pass-ing the torch quickly so as not to burnthrough the film. As the film starts tobecome transparent, it melts and bondsthe two seam pieces together.

Next, you and your helper get into thedinghy with the torch and propane tank.While one person folds the excess filmunder the horizontal webbing line, theother heats the film to weld it to itself andshrink it to secure it from blowing off.

While you’re still in the dingy, heat upthe perimeter and shrink as much as youcan reach, passing the torch from loweredge towards the ridge line. Always wear

Ed: Although the author uses a roofing torch (left), I prefer Dr. Shrink's special heattool (US$295.55) shown in the right photo. Weighing only 2.2 lb (997 grams), itslightweight makes easier shrinkwrapping and comes with a 25' (7.6m) hose, trainingvideo and 18" 46cm) extension for long reaches. This gun puts out 300,000 BTUs.Output is fully controllable with the adjustable trigger-controlled regulator, a greatbonus to reduce burn through.

FIGURE 6

FIGURE 7

FIGURE 5

gloves when using the torch and workaway from yourself, heating away as youmove forward, keeping the torch movingat all times and at an angle (Figure 5).Be sure to leave cutouts for all docklines(Figure 6).

Adding a door gives easy access forroutinely checking the boat. First, tapeon a plastic door and then cut out theshrinkwrap. It's not necessary to weldthe two parts if you use the specializedshrinkwrap tape. I made a customcedar door that opens inward because,in the winter, the water level drops andit would be difficult to go in or outthrough the cover when the toerail isbelow the top of the dock (Figure 7).

No matter how careful you are, holeshappen. To repair, cut a circle or ovalpatch from scrap film, tape it over thehole and then lightly shrink using thetorch (Figure 8).

Always consider wind direction whenshrinkwrapping. Best condition is a lowwind day, a rarity. Always work with the

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262856

PROJECTS

wind direction. On windy days, firstshrink from inside the boat to get thematerial to a reasonable size and thenfinish from the dinghy or dock. Be care-ful! Heat rises and high temperatureswill melt the shrinkwrap quickly, burn-ing holes. Finish shrinking on a calmday. Never shrink on a rainy day. Waterdrops boil from the torch heat and you'llhave a mess. Have a fire extinguishernearby when shrinkwrapping. Sinceyour swim ladder will be covered withshrinkwrap, put a ladder in the waterin case someone falls in (Figure 9). It'sclever practice to write your phone num-ber on your cover for neighbors or mari-na staff to contact you if there's a prob-lem like power outages or any otheremergency (Figure 10).

In wintry climates, you'll need to bub-ble the boat to prevent ice build uparound the hull. If the marina doesn'tdo it, drop an Ice Eater in the water atthe bow (Figure 11). It works well andsupplements the bubbling systems insome marinas.

[Ed: Refer to DIY 2003#3 issue forcomplete step-by-step instructions onshrinkwrapping powerboats and sail-boats.]

Just Add Air and PeatThis boat-tested compostinghead may be just what you'relooking for.

By Robert Hayes, Kent, Washington

After living aboard for seven years andcruising for the last three, the time hadcome to find a solution to the traditionalmarine head and holding tank issue.My wife and I spend most of our timeat anchor and having enough holdingtank capacity and locating pump outstations, seemed a major challenge.After much research, we decided toconvert to a composting toilet system.The one that seemed to best fit ourneeds was the Air Head Dry Toilet fromEOS Design (Tel: 740/392-3642, Web:www.airheadtoilet.com).

Head Fundamentals We wanted a toilet system that wouldallow the two of us at least a months’use, without needing service ordumping. Our 35' (10.6m) catama-ran was built in South Africa and hadminimal holding tank capacity atbest. I was in the middle of buildingan additional 35-gallon (132L) hold-ing tank when I started seriouslylooking at other options to resolve theproblem. After searching the Internetand other sources, I narrowed mychoices to the Air Head. Like othercomposting toilets, it's a waterlessoperation but this unit functions dif-ferently than other systems. It sepa-rates the liquid from the solids andthus doesn't need electricity toremove excess liquid. In addition, theunit is constructed of plastics, stain-less steel and rubber, making it goodfit for the marine environment.

Measurement checks showed that theAir Head would be a challenge to fit in

FIGURE 8

FIGURE 10

FIGURE 11FIGURE 9

our boat's head compartment but itcould be done. Consideration neededbe given to not only the footprint of thetoilet, but also the necessary vent lineand the location of the crank handleconnection point. To order the Air Head,you'll need to know where the best ventconnection is located (right or left rear)and the connection point for the crankhandle. This handle is only connected

Marine Equipment InstallationsHere’s how to choose, install and operate equip-ment for your boat includ-ing: air conditioning and heating systems, audio systems, bow thrusters, davits, lightning protec-tion, propane systems,

refrigeration, windlasses and more.

Fiberglass Boat RepairHow to survey, repair and prevent cosmetic and structural damage in fiberglass hulls, decks and transoms. Includes the step-by-step repair

of minor cracks and gouges, large holes, water-soaked decks, delaminated hulls and proper installation of hardware.

Nautical NecessitiesFrom cleaning to fuel filter-ing to waterproofing charts, you’ll find ideas and inspi-ration in this compilation of tips to do-it-yourself boat maintenance, repair and

troubleshooting. Divided into 20 categories to make look up easy.

Better Boats More than 200 do-it-yourself projects. Practical solutions to deck and cockpit refitting, inte-rior renovations, rigging upgrades, space-saving

equipment storage, safety add-ons and other nifty items to customize your boat.

Sailboat RiggingA practical guide to deck layouts, equipment repairs, performance upgrades, rig tuning, sail controls and steering systems.

Building With Starboard22 Projects and Fabrication Techniques: The ideal choice for replacing wood compo-nents onboard – won’t delaminate, rot or splinter and requires no paint.

Plumbing 101A boat owner’s guide to the inspection, mainte-nance, repair, trouble-shooting and upgrading of onboard plumbing systems.

DIY MechanicGasoline and diesel engine service. How to maintain, troubleshoot and repair outboard engines, stern-drives and diesel inboards.

AC/DC Electrical SystemsA guide to expanding, upgrading, surveying and troublshooting your boat’s AC and DC electrical system. All articles follow ABYC Standards.

Painting & RefinishingThe complete guide to painting and refinishing hulls, topsides and decks with marine coatings.

Launch & Haulout How to prepare your boat for spring launch and win-ter storage. Includes lay-up checklists, maintenance and lubrication guides, engine servicing, haulout guidelines, easy-to-build storage covers and more.

Technical CD-ROM Library for Boat Owners

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to agitate the tank contents. It's not con-nected to the tank at all times. Talking toGeoff Trott, the designer and companyowner, and seeing the unit at the 2002Miami Boat Show offered further reas-surance. Geoff, a former packaging engi-neer/project manager for a pharmaceu-tical house, developed the concept forwhat would become the Air Head whileliving aboard his own anchored out boat,which, due to space limitations, had aportable toilet. After a few dinghy trips toempty it, he decided there had to be abetter way. Geoff now has an Air Headset up in his home and utilizes it ratherthan the conventional toilet. He says itgives him a great opportunity for R&D.

Installation Upon receiving the unit, I verified allmeasurements and confirmed how toroute the venting. After assuring that theinstallation plan was good, the workbegan. Instructions included with the AirHead are easy to follow. Here are thesteps I followed.

First, remove existing head and plumb-ing. Before starting, make sure your hold-ing tank is pumped, all lines are drainedand the thru-hulls closed. Each removalwill be different. In our case, I discon-nected the supply and discharge linesand removed the head. Some time wasthen spent removing all other lines andcleaning up the area.

Installing the new head started withbuilding a platform to give the unitenough base area. Our existing head wasin a small inset adjacent to our showertub/floor. I cut a plywood platform to fitand coated it with three coats of epoxyresin to protect the wood from moistureand seal it and give it a smooth surfacefor cleaning.

Now, position the Air Head and locatethe vent line holes, which are then drilledafter assuring there is nothing behind thebulkhead. Route the vent line and wirethe 12-volt vent fan. Part of your plan-ning includes laying out the location androuting of the vent so you can order thetoilet with a vent line cutout. Be sure toposition the crank handle base, so youcan access it after the toilet is installed.With the vent line completed, install thehold down brackets. Mount the Air Head

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262858

in the hold-down brackets, connect thevent line and the installation is complete.

To use the Air Head follow the direc-tions for moistening the peat moss priorto putting it in the tank, fasten the liquidtank in position, assure that the vent line

is connected and the vent fan is runningand it's ready (for you) to go.

Beyond OdorThere has been virtually no odor in thehead area, as the low draw fan in the venthose seems to draw enough air to notallow fumes to accumulate in the headarea. We also have good ventilation inthis area, which helps. Odor from the AirHead itself has been nonexistent. Our ventline is 9' (2.7m) long and ends near thestern. Usually, the air moving around theboat carries away any odor before we areaware of it. On the few occasions that wehave been becalmed or with a very light

PROJECTS

This shows the area where the existingmarine head was located. It is set downinto a depression by the bath tub/floorcombination.

This is the same area with the headremoved. The removed hatch is for accessto the thru-hull for seawater supply to thehead.

New head platform made of epoxy-coatedplywood, with vent hose and Air Headhold-downs in position.

This photo shows the space required tocomfortably use the head. Length fromrear bulkhead to the bulkhead in front ofthe author's feet is 36" (91cm). Width ofthe platform is 14" (36cm). Air Headitself measures 19" deep x 16" wide x19.5" high (48cm x 41cm x 50cm).

Crank attached (top) and crank discon-nected (bottom).

Air Head, which includes 5' (1.5m) of vent hose, hose connectors, vent fan, liquid tank, holddown brackets, peat moss, 50 paper liners and mounting hardware ................................$8504' (1.2m) additional vent hose at $2.45 per foot ..................................................................$9.80Extra liquid tank ........................................................................................................................$28Outside mushroom vent cap.....................................................................................................$69Miscellaneous wood, epoxy and fittings needed for our installation.....................................$18

Total $974.80

DIY BILL (U.S. Funds)

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breeze blowingtoward the cockpitfrom the vent open-ing, the odor canbest be describedas tropical forest orwet dirt. The onlytime we have hadany odor that hint-ed of sewage wasduring the first cou-ple of days of useon a new (empty)tank. This isbecause the com-posting action hadnot started yet.Adding enough peat

moss to cover fresh deposits can control this odor.

Waste DisposalWhen offshore, outside the no-discharge zone, we dumpthe solids tank overboard. This is easy to do. Simply removethe thumb bolts that hold the top section to the bottomsection (solids tank), set the top aside, unclip the tank outof the hold-downs, carry it to the stern and dump. A cou-ple of thumps on the tank and all the contents drop out.If you are ashore, dump the contents into a heavy garbagebag and drop it in the dumpster. It's generally cleaner thana disposable diaper. The tank contents will not have fullybroken down to dirt if you dump shortly after use. To fullycompost the contents, Geoff recommends ordering a sec-ond tank. That way you can remove the full tank, cap itwith the included lid and let it “work” for three summermonths (longer if cool weather). It could also be stored ina garbage bag, or other sealable container.

Power SupplyThe only draw is for the fan in the vent line and this in negligible— the load doesn't even show up on my Link 2000 monitor.The instructions indicate that the fan draws approximately50mA at 12 volts. Testing with a multimeter confirmed this.Geoff recommends running the fan continuously. We've hadno problem doing this, even though we operate from solar pan-els most of the time and really watch our electrical usage.

Seal of ApprovalWe are very satisfied with the Air Head and find little differ-ence between using this head and any other, except there isno pumping. When defecating, drop the paper liner into thebowl, open the trap door using the lever on the side of thetank and the liner and waste drop into the solids tank. Theliner also keeps the bowl clean. Close the trap door to thetank, close the lid and crank a half turn or so and you’re done.For urine collection, there are two holes in the front area ofthe basin that route the urine to the holding tank. For a manwho prefers to stand, you don’t really need to even aim atthe holes, as the design directs the flow toward the liquidtank. The liquid tank needs empting every two days or less

Air Head installed in hold-downs and ven-tilation hose attached. The liquid contain-er is not in place.

PROJECTS

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shook when underway. I had already built a fiberglass swim

platform (article appeared in DIY 2000-#4 issue) and figured I would use thesame methods and materials for the hardtop. I began making the mold. However,a friend who had made a composite air-plane suggested that the top would bevery heavy and a better method is tobuild it like an airplane using epoxy resinwith proper resin-to-glass ratios for avery high strength-to-weight ratio. Thiswas convincing, especially since heagreed to help, so I decided to changethe plan with the mold about 90% com-plete. I decided to build it from the foamcore out to each finished side, that is,from the center out. The plan was to layKlegecell foam in the mold and then layup the exposed or underside of the topusing epoxy resin and fiberglass cloth,flip it, then lay up the top.

Mold ConstructionThe original mold was made of 1/4"(6mm) tempered hardboard with 2 x 6stringers that run fore and aft and arepositioned so that the top would have acrown. The top leading edge is radiusedto follow the shape of the flybridge withan angled panel on each side and astraight panel on the centerline. The toptrailing edge is curved downwards; sidesare straight. This is a female mold, orig-inally designed to start with gelcoat andthen lay up the layers of laminate, foamcore and polyester resin. When wechanged the design, the only thing thatwasn’t done was to fillet the edges.

The next task was to lay the foam intothe mold. Since the mold was roughly10' x 10' (3m x 3m), it was necessaryto piece the foam, gluing the joints withepoxy thickened with micro-balloons.Visqueen (20mil plastic sheeting) wasplaced underneath the joints to preventsticking in the mold. As the foam wastoo stiff to follow the curve of the mold,

After nine years living aboard "Manx," a35' (10.6m) Aero Rig catamaran built inSouth Africa by Fortuna Boats in 1995,and cruising for five years, Bob Hayes andhis wife relocated to Seattle, Washingtonand are now land cruising in an RV.

with two people using the head. Toextend liquid capacity, one option is tostore it in the boat's original holding tank.Since the tank is for liquid only it wouldlast much longer than it did previouslybefore needing a pumpout. Otheroptions are to carry the liquid tankashore and dispose of in a restroom,or dump it off the boat if you are in anallowable discharge zone. We ordereda second liquid tank and it has comein handy on a number of occasions.

Because you must dump the liquiddaily, or have it plumbed into a holdingtank, owners need to be more involved intheir sewage systems than most marinetoilets (except portable toilets). All in all,the entire process is much simpler thandealing with holding tanks and pumpouts.

Building a CustomHardtopRather than use traditionalfiberglassing materials, thisstrong, lightweight hardtop foran Egg Harbor was built offoam, epoxy resin, fiberglasscloth and peel ply. Here’s how.

By Mike Myers, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Before buying the 1974, 38' (11.5m)Egg Harbor that was to be our secondand last cruiser, I told my wife (wholoved the boat) that I would build a hard-top. The boat was truly beautiful but hada huge bimini over the flybridge withonly two hard attachment points, bothof which had some decay at the mountpoints, and four corner attachments withstraps. The whole assembly flapped and

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we filled 1 gallon (3.78L)plastic bottles with water andused them to weight it downwhile the glued joints set.Tomake the top’s drip edges,1/4" (6mm) thick foamboard, about 2-3/4" (7cm)wide, was placed on edge,running around the top, fol-lowing the shape of the moldand spot glued in place.

With the basic shape laidinto the mold in foam, the next step was to lay up the upwardfacing working surface, in this case, the bottom (the side thatshows when you look up from the flybridge helm position).The foam still didn’t follow the curve of the mold so, frombeneath the mold, wood screws were inserted to hold thefoam to the shape, and then the milk bottles removed. Beforestarting the layup, I made some mahogany blocks for what Icalled “hard points" to reinforce areas on the top for hardwaremountings. There was one on each corner, another on eachside about 2' (61cm) from the back corner, one for an anchorlight mount and one for a future radar mount. These blockswere glued on, cutting the foam to fit. They were either thesame thickness as the foam or, in the case of the supportmount points, were thicker, with edges smoothed to blenddown to the foam thickness.

Lay Up One SideFirst, spread a mixture of resin and micro-balloons, with theconsistency of honey, over the exposed foam as a base forthe less thick, but denser epoxy that followed. Before that set,we laid in cloth that had been precut to rough size. I optedfor an 18oz double bias +45°/-45° knitted bias weave. Next,we laid in a layer of 6oz cloth, which was then covered withpeel ply and the excess resin was squeegeed out. The peelply is then throughly wetted out and left in place until thelayup is dry. Since our mold was bowl shaped, we cut a holeat the low point and, with a bucket underneath, squeegeedto the hole. After the layup completely sets, about 24 hours ormore, remove the peel ply, which leaves a surface ready foranother layup with new peel ply (you cannot reuse it) or paint.Peel ply is the real key to the whole assembly, because, asyou scrape excess resin off and work out the bubbles, thepeel ply stays in place and protects the glass from pulling withthe squeegee. Also, the longer working time of epoxy com-pared to polyester resin makes it easier though, on such alarge piece, we were still in a rush. My wife mixed batchesof epoxy while my friend and I worked as a layup team.

It’s important to note that we had no real technical analy-sis of what the lay up should be. Rather, we had an idea ofwhat we thought would be strong enough. If it didn’t turn

Mold construction 1/4" (6mm) tempered hardboard

Blocking

2x6 stringers

1/4" (6mm)temperedhardboard

2x6stringers

Drywallscrews

Blocking

PROJECTS with black plastic and leave it in thesun for a few days. We did.

Fairing and PaintingThe suggestion that the finished prod-uct would require little fairing since theexcess resin and air bubbles had beensqueegeed out was what persuadedme to go with this layup method. Myfriend, however, had never done sucha large piece. Compared to a polyesterlayup, it was quite fair but it wasn’tready to paint. The real work was tobegin. Sand, fair with thickened epoxyand sand again, over and over. Myfriend mysteriously disappeared for thisphase of the work. The trick to fairing,which I hadn’t known until a fewweeks before fairing began, was tohook the orbital sander to a Shop Vac.

My friend was correct about thestrength-to-weight ratio. The unpaint-ed top weighed about 60lb (27kg) andwould support a person standing in thecenter of it with the top being sup-ported only on the four outside cornersand allowing only about 3/4" (19mm)deflection. I was amazed.

Once fair, I primed the top andapplied a rough finish coat of paint.However, I wasn’t comfortable with myspray painting skills for the final coats.I paid US$200 to an acquaintancewith auto body experience to spray thefinal coats of Interlux Brightsidepolyurethane. He made two trips, onefor each coat. I sanded between coatsand applied fairing putty to eliminatesmall imperfections. [Ed: Polyurethanepaints are high in VOCs (volatile organ-ic compounds) and demand using aself-contained breathing apparatus.]

AssemblyNow, I had to get the hardtop to theboat and the mounting aluminumstructure fabricated. I borrowed a trail-er, carefully strapped down the paint-ed top and slowly drove to the boat.Once there, with the help of threefriends from the marina, we hoistedthe top onto two sawhorses that werecovered with protective carpet and builtto the near-finished height. After lev-eling it with shims, the top wasstrapped down to await fabrication ofthe aluminum tube structure.

Meanwhile, I had found a firm fromHouma, Louisiana, that would do

onsite fabrication at the marina. It spe-cialized in T-tops and tuna towers andI had visited the shop to see its work.Satisfied, I gave a $400 advance onmaterial and struck a deal for $80 perhour for the work. This included allequipment, the foreman and a helper,plus hotel costs (and a steak dinner onthe credit card I loaned them). Theyarrived on a Saturday afternoon. Theboss studied the boat (with the toptemporarily mounted) and then showedme his design, which he had drawnon his palm. They worked about 4hours on Saturday and 10 hours onSunday to fabricate and temporarily

DIY boat owner 2004-3(www.diy-boat.com) 1-888-658-262862

out to be strong enough, we wouldsimply add more to the layup, some-thing the peel ply would allow us todo without sanding. One side com-pleted; one to go.

Prep: Side TwoWe then made supports to reinforcethe top when we flipped it over since itwas quite flimsy with only one sideglassed. The inverse support structurewas put on sawhorses and we flippedthe piece. Before the lay up couldbegin, troughs were cut in the foam forelectrical wires, for an anchor light,cockpit light, two VHF radio antennacables, GPS antenna and TV antenna.The radar block was in place but nocable cut to it, as I didn’t know thesize. The openings were cut with a3/4"- (19mm-) round rasp chuckedinto an electric hand drill. I made somewood blocks and strapped them to thedrill to hold it upright and at the rightcutting depth (I don’t own a router).

These cable troughs were all cutfrom wherever I envisioned the devicewould mount to the top. At the pointof convergence, which was one of mymahogany mounting blocks, a 2-1/2"(63mm) hole was cut, so that allcables could be routed through a sin-gle opening that would ultimately becovered with an aluminum doublejunction box plate for access as a pullpoint. Once the troughs were cut, plas-tic flex cable conduit was laid in thetrough. Also, just in case some of theepoxy made its way into the conduit,I put a stainless-steel pull wire throughthe conduit. These would also be usedfor snaking electrical wire once the topwas finished. Finally, the plastic con-duits were glued in the trough withthickened epoxy and the remainingtrough filled until level with the foamcore.

With the electrical conduits in placeand their troughs faired to the top ofthe foam, we laid up the top side withthe 18oz knitted fabric, 6oz cloth,epoxy and peel ply as we’d done forthe first side. My friend advised thatepoxy doesn’t reach full strength unlessit's heated to about 130F (54C) andhe suggested that we cover the piece

Hardtop details: (from the top) close-up ofradiused ready-made mounting pads;back view; finished underside; side view.

PROJECTS

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assemble all the pieces and put themin place. As the fabricators left, the fore-man complemented me on the hardtopand said: “You saved yourself somemoney. If I had done this job it wouldhave cost you $20,000."

I instructed the fabricators to buyready-made pads, whereas they hadwanted to make them on site. I rea-soned that off-the-shelf pads wouldbe less expensive but, when they ranout and needed one more pad, theymade it very quickly. In any event, the

ready-made pads were nicer withradiused edges. I was amazed by howthe fabricators worked. All cuts weremade with a band saw. Very fewmeasurements were taken. Instead,they would rough out a piece andmark the ends on the boat for cutting.Only a few cuts had to be redone. Toget the bends consistent, they meas-ured from the base of the bender toit’s shoe (how much the bending shoehad pushed down). Their air-operat-ed bender was the size of a table saw

and had special shoes so as not toscratch the polished aluminum tub-ing. Each completed weld (32 weldswere made) was coated with alu-minum paint from a small can withapplicator top.

I did the final finishing work, includ-ing bedding the mounts, pulling thewires and mounting the antennas, lightsetc., in a day and a half. Being at theboat made the work fun and, after thatseemingly endless sanding and fairing,“fun” is a very relative thing. The finalcost was about $5,000, spread out overabout 6 months. I was pleased with theresults, considering that I had absolute-ly no idea what I was doing (or gettinginto) when I started. The moral of thestory is that if I can do it you can, too.

[Ed: DIY 2000#4 issue features a com-prehensive article on the building of thefiberglass swim platform Mike Myersconstructed for a 1970 31' (9.4m)Chris-Craft he previously owned.

DIY BILL

Fiberglass supplies were purchased from Fiberglass Coatings (tel: 800/xxx-xxxx; web:www.fiberglasscoatings.com). Not included is the cost of aluminum tubing and mountingpads, miscellaneous supplies, such as brushes, rollers, plastic flex cable conduit, maskingtape, gloves, etc. Final bill was about US$5,000. All prices are in U.S. funds.

1 4x8 sheet, 3/4" (19mm) thick, 5lb (2.3kg) density Klegecell foam ..................................$131 1 4x8 sheet, 1/4" (6mm) thick, 5lb (2.3kg) density Klegecell foam ......................................$52Phenolic microbaloons, 5lb (2.3kg) ........................................................................................$16Epoxy, 1 gallon kit (3.78L) ........................................................................................................$80Double bias +45*/-45* bias weave, 50" (127cm) wide, $9 per yard (91cm) ..................$150Fiberglass cloth, 6 oz, 60" (152cm) wide, $6 per yard (91cm) .............................................$80Peel ply, 2.7oz Dacron, 66" (167cm) wide, $4 per yard (91cm)............................................ $53Interlux Brightside, 2 quarts (946ml) white ...........................................................................$60Aluminum fabrication of mounting structure, including travel and hotel........................$1,400

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Having finished the restoration of an 18'(5.4m) SeaCraft that I bought forUS$800, I am looking around for anoth-er project. Just last week I looked at asad old Bristol 40 sitting in a parking lot.I asked myself, “Do I buy it and investin bringing it back to its original glory?”Do I really want to spend all that timesanding fiberglass and wood? Rippingout wiring installed when Nixon waspresident? Exploring the oil stained, fungiladen netherworld under the engine?Finding deck leaks that bloomed beforeWoodstock. My answer to this one was”Not I!” But the lure of rejuvenating afading beauty still beckons. Maybe I’llfind a gem in the rough, a boat that Ican enjoy once I’ve finished working onit. Then again, maybe I won’t.

These days the urge to get into arestoration project is limited by the timeI can put into it. There’s about a morn-ing’s worth of work left on the SeaCraftbefore it can be launched. And about aday’s worth of work to be done on my22' (6.7m) custom sailboat before it toocan be painted and launched. With bothboats in the water, the driveway will befree for the next project. A project thatmight never see the light of day (or night,which is often the only time I get to workon it).

With both boats in the water, time dis-appears even faster. We have to enterthe sailboat in a race, says the elder son.We’ve got to go fishing in the SeaCraft,says the younger son. No time to takeon any other projects, cut the lawn, paintthe house or attend to the Honey-Do list.Maybe they’ve shrunk how many min-utes there are in an hour and didn’t tellme but these days it seems as if boatrestoration takes a back seat to every-thing else and that’s a shame becausethere’s nothing quite like stripping awaythe refuse of years and finding a pearl

under all the grunge. Having said that, I am going to con-

sider the next project very carefully. Itwill be a 44' to 50' (13.4m to 15m)sailboat or maybe it’ll be a powerboat.I haven’t quite decided yet. The wifesays power because she’s tired of try-ing to stand up on a deck that heels20° at the slightest puff of wind. Thekids say sail, because they want to goand see the deep ocean in the solitudeof a wind driven ship. I’ve always sailedand like the idea of a sailboat but powerhas its virtues too.

One thing is certain. The boat will bebeautiful when it is finished. Thatmeans identifying the diamond in therough as it sits forlornly in the cornerof an abandoned boatyard or field. Itwill be the boat that I can pour myheart and soul into and know that I willhave the boat I want. It will be a sail-boat, in spite of the family desires, forthat’s what I prefer and it will be mylabor that makes it whole again.

But will I ever find a boat that mer-its the effort I shall put into it? Maybe,maybe not. Quite possibly, I’ll have todesign it myself. Will I build it if I

design it? I doubt it. A boat of the sizeI want will need about 7,000 to 8,000man-hours of work. With 168 hoursin a week, at least 40 of which mustbe devoted to work, another 30 to 35to sleeping, plus 20 to 25 to eatingand hygiene, that leaves around 65hours a week for boat building orrestoration -– that is, as long as I total-ly neglect the family, the house, thelawn, the garden, the dog and every-thing else. In truth, I’ll probably getabout 20 hours a week to work on theboat project. Assuming the projecttakes 7,500 hours, it will take 375weeks to build the boat. That’s morethan seven years of building and labor.Is it any wonder then that many build-ing projects are started and never fin-ished? Maybe I should spend my timewriting a best selling book and use theproceeds to buy a boat. How about theZen of Boatbuilding and Restorationfor a title?

About the author: Roger Marshall is a boatdesigner and author of 12 books on sailingand yacht design. He has a boat designcompany in Rhode Island and is the vice-president of Boating Writers International.

View from thethe SternnSThe Zen of Boat Restoration Is it possible to find the perfect boat to restore? It's a question even this seasoned boater can't answer.

By Roger Marshall

Is there a pearl under all that grunge?