Propeller Maintenance and Replacement

Propellers require relatively little servicing. Many people remove their propellers at the end of the season and store them inside. This protects the expensive propeller from theft and ensures that it won’t become frozen in place due to corrosion. Trying to remove a prop from a corroded spline can end up damaging either the prop, the spline, or both. Removal is straightforward. Straighten out and remove the cotter pin, then unscrew the keeper nut. Beneath that is the prop nut, the unscrewing of which wil l require a special wrench or a big socket on a ratchet. To prevent the prop from turning when you unscrew the prop nut, use a block of wood to hold it steady, bracing the wood against the lower unit.

Making A Galley Box

Many small boats lack adequate storage for the dozens of items a galley requires. Another common problem is the lack of a proper place to use a portable stove, whether it is a single-burner backpacking stove or a big, two-burner propane unit. After years of carrying my galley gear in a couple of plastic milk crates, I decided to design a galley box to organize it. My objectives were to create a simple way to store and carry spices and all nonfood galley items and to provide a stable platform for a two-burner Coleman propane stove. I wanted the box to be easy to move around so that I could carry the whole galley into the cockpit when I wanted and just as easily pack it up and return it below when I finished a meal.

Keeping The Boat Shiny : Do Washing and Waxing

Most of us, however, take a certain pride in a clean boat kept new-looking, and a clean hull actually runs better and saves fuel. And the hours of elbow grease spent keeping a boat clean are often repaid when it’s time to sell the boat—appearance is everything when it comes to moving a used boat. Although boats live in water, they get dirty. Those used for fishing get very dirty. To keep a boat looking new and functioning well, it has to be washed regularly—and those used in salt water must be washed after every day on the water. The standard wash-down is with soap and fresh water. Wash-and-wax–type car-wash soaps do a nice job and leave a protective coating on the gel coat, but plain old dish soap is okay, too.

Collect and Organize Information of Your Boat

The world of boats isn’t like the world of automobiles. Boat engines are generic in the sense that many different models can be—and often are—installed in any given model of boat. A 2002 Corvette engine probably won’t fit anything but another Corvette of about the same age, but a 17-foot Whaler could have an engine ranging from 25 to 200 horsepower or so, of any year, from any engine manufacturer. Likewise with accessories and fittings—hardly any of these are made by the boatbuilder, and hardly any can be considered “standard.” To further complicate matters, boatbuilders and parts suppliers go out of business much more frequently than auto makers.

Marine Communication Device

The most important electronic device to carry aboard is some sort of communications device. It’s a handy way to find where the fish are biting or which beach the sundown rendezvous is planned for. It’s also useful when you want to talk with the harbormaster in a new port to learn which slip he wants you in, and even to call the waterfront restaurant and reserve a corner table. And if things ever go really bad—sinking boat, life-threatening injury, heart attack—you need dependable contact with the world ashore, in the crack.

Marine Sanitation System

A decent marine sanitation system will make life aboard much more comfortable for all concerned. Many guys complain that their significant others don’t enjoy the boating life. Although a woman may not say it, the proper amenities may go a long way toward encouraging her aboard. In addition, a marine sanitation system is helpful to the environment and also a condition for qualifying your boat as a second home and obtaining the resulting income tax deductions for loan interest.

Single Engine or Twin Engine ?

People like twin engines on boats because they can’t pull over to a service station if one quits. That’s a big reason for having two motors, particularly on offshore boats. However, the excess factor has to be weighed against a lot of other factors when you decide whether to have one engine or two. The most obvious factor is cost. Outboard motors are outrageously expensive, averaging from $10,000 to $20,000 for a V6 of 150 to 225 horsepower. Buying two motors instead of one can add 30 percent to the price of a boat.

Maintenance of powerboat fuel system

One of the important reason why we have to do maintenance on our boat is impact of the fuel used. The advent of E10 gasoline (gas with 10 percent ethanol) has caused major problems for boaters. The fuel dissolves some fiberglass fuel tanks and can attack hoses and seals on older boats. The stuff that it dissolves may end up clogging your carburetor or injectors. The fuel itself deteriorates much faster, too, because it can attract fifty times more water vapor from the atmosphere than conventional gasoline. When too much water is absorbed, a phenomenon called phase separation occurs, in which the water and ethanol drop to the bottom of the tank and the gas floats to the top, losing about three points of octane in the process.

Acquainted to Outboard Motors

The first engines most boaters use are outboard motors. Outboards are engines featuring an integral drive system including a drive shaft and propeller, all in a single unit that can be moved from boat to boat. All of them still look more or less like the motor designed by Wisconsin inventor Ole Evinrude and patented in the United States on September 16, 1910. Evinrude went on to found Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC), one of the world’s largest manufacturers of outboards.

Washdown Pump Installation

Washdown pumps are becoming more and more popular, especially on fishing boats, where they make cleanup almost a pleasure. And they aren’t difficult to install. The heart of any washdown system is, of course, the pump. Wander down the aisles of any boat store and you will see a wide variety of washdown pumps. Many are simply relabeled freshwater pumps. Washdown pumps are often three- or four-chambered diaphragm pumps driven by a 12-volt DC motor, and are typically rated to deliver 2.8 to 5 gallons per minute (gpm). They come equipped with a pressure switch that turns the pump on when the pressure in the delivery hose falls below about 45 pounds per square inch (psi). Less commonly used are belt-driven diaphragm pumps and flexible impeller pumps. Be sure to check the duty rating of the pump motor. Freshwater system pumps are designed to turn on, pump water for a short period of time, and then shut off. Your washdown pump, on the other hand, may have to run for a long period of time while you sluice your decks. If not rated for continuous duty, the pump motor could overheat.

New Boat or Used Boat ?

Perhaps this is the key thinking for those who want to have their first ‘dream boat’. Should I buy a brand new boat, or a used one..? Boats, like cars, have negotiable prices. Nobody pays the sticker price. You can get 10 percent off the sticker price for sure, and maybe more if the boat dealer needs to make a sale to pay the rent. If you buy used, you can save lots more. Here’s a look at the advantages and disadvantages of buying new versus buying used.
If you buy a brand new boat …

Adding an Anchor Electric Windlass

There is no doubt that an electric windlass on the bow of your boat makes life aboard more enjoyable. This is especially true if you are an avid fisherman, frequently lowering and raising your anchor while moving from one fishing spot to another. When thinking about a windlass installation, first consider your boat. A boat with a substantial foredeck or cuddy cabin is a good bet for an easy installation. The open bow of a walkaround or bowrider configuration presents a more difficult proposition, however. The first step is to look to the boat’s manufacturer, even if you intend to install the windlass yourself. See if a windlass is a prescribed option for your boat. If so, find out how the manufacturer mounts it and which units they use. Failing that, ask owners of boats similar to yours what they have done and how it has worked out. If you get blanks, head back to the drawing board for some more research.

Types of Powerboat (3)

Cruisers, Trawlers, and Houseboats. For those who can afford them, these floating houses turn boating into a much more leisurely, even luxurious, affair that those not into salt in the hair and sardines in the swimsuit can appreciate. Cruisers and trawlers differ from houseboats in that they have deeper-draft hulls and are more suited to taking on offshore waters and big inlets. They also usually have more power and more seaworthy fittings. Consequently, they’re expensive, with prices starting at about $1,500 per foot and going into the stratosphere. Cruisers have planing hulls, which means they offer speeds not possible with displacement hulls. They’re often equipped with twin engines and can cruise at better than 20 mph, reaching maximum speeds, with adequate power, of near 40 mph.

Types of Powerboat (2)

Freshwater Fishing Boats. Bass boats, so called because they’re popular in fishing for bass, are often high-performance hulls designed to travel across big reservoirs at speeds better than a mile a minute. (Fast fish, those bass!) Bass boats tend to be javelin-shaped and powered by big V6 outboards producing 150 to 225 horses. Most run on a narrow “pad” near the transom, which causes them to plane up on top of the water much like a slalom ski, increasing speed and reducing fuel use (but not reducing it much!). They’re usually equipped with a silent electric trolling

Types of Powerboat (1)

For most people, their first boat is a powerboat that is 14 to 16 feet long and powered by a two-cycle outboard motor of 50 to 90 horsepower. Powerboating takes less study and needs less physical work than sailing, so it’s an easy way to get started. Powerboat prices range from under $5000 to millions of dollars, and sizes range from slim 8-footers powered by 1 horse electric motors to majestic 150 footers powered by multiple diesels engine with thousand of horsepower. Powerboats can be broken into lots of subclasses. Below and the next posts is a glimpse of information about several types of powerboat that might be taken into consideration for those of you who will start to have a powerboat.

The Runabout. This range includes the ubiquitous runabout, which is what most of us think of when we think of a one-model-fits-all family boat. It has a closed bow, a windshield, back-to-backseats that fold down into a sun lounge, and space to store water skis and life jackets under the sole or main deck. A variation on the runabout is the bow-rider, which has the same hull and aft layout, but with seats replacing the closed bow and a walk-through door in the windshield to allow passage forward. An advantage of the bow-rider is that there’s more seating space—you can carry six or eight passengers, depending on the depth and beam of the boat and your tolerance for close company. The front section of a bow-rider creates a great “kiddie-pen” where you can keep little sailors under your watchful eye with just a bit of separation provided by the windshield. It’s no place for kids once the boat is underway, however—the ride is rough, and they’ll be safer back in the cockpit. Dedicated ski boats are a specialized form of runabout. They’re usually inboard-

Replacing Powerboat Fuel Tank (part 2)

If the tank is aluminum, you will have far fewer choices. If the manufacturer of your boat is still in business, you might be able to purchase a direct replacement tank from them. Don’t look for it to be cheap, however. If your boatbuilder is out of business, there is a slim chance that a marine consignment store may have purchased their old inventory. It’s worth checking, perhaps online.

Replacing Powerboat Fuel Tank (part 1)

Most permanently installed powerboat fuel tanks do not get proper treatment. In most cases they are placed below a leaky deck and encased in water-retaining foam. On top of that, they’re fed bad gas with water in it and then left to sit all winter. It’s no wonder they give up, corrode, and develop pinhole leaks. At least you hope it’s a pinhole leak.  In all seriousness, that describes some of the conditions in which many of our fuel tanks live. A small powerboat’s fuel tank will often be found near amidships beneath the plywood deck. It is likely to be foamed in place between plywood or foam-cored stringers, and will be further secured by floors running from side to side at its forward and after ends.

Regulatory Standards For Your Safety

In the United States, boats are required to conform to one or more sets of standards. The United States Coast Guard has issued minimal standards influencing the design of fuel and ignition systems and requiring that boats up to 20 feet long be able to float level even when totally swamped.

In addition, all boats made in the United States must have a hull identification number permanently affixed to the boat. Boatbuilders self-certify that their boats meet these requirements and must install capacity and data plates reflecting the certification.

Little Knowledge of Materials That Build Fiberglass Boat

Fiberglass boats are built from a composite material known broadly as fiber-reinforced plastic, or FRP. This consists of strands of fibers embedded in a matrix of a hardened plastic resin to form a rigid material that is stronger and has better mechanical properties than either material by itself. Both the fiber strands and the resin can be of several different types.

FIBERS

“Glass-reinforced plastic,” or GRP, is a slightly more specific term than FRP, and it can be accurately applied to the majority of boats, because fiberglass is by far the most common reinforcing fiber in FRP. Fiberglass is real glass that has been melted and forced under pressure through fine holes in a die. After exiting the die, the glass fibers can be stretched or blasted with steam or air to make them even finer, and the resultant strands are then coated with a sizing and wound onto bobbins. Fiberglass for boatbuilding comes in a variety of constructions. Tight bundles of fine strands can be woven into fiberglass cloth, which formerly (but not so much any longer) found frequent use as the finished interior surface of a molded hull or component. It is still used in small boats, where its high tensile and flexural strength works well in conjunction with lightweight mat.

Basic Parts of The Boat

You can't love it, if you don't know it.. and so also on your dream boat. Before you can take care of it, at least you have to know the basic parts of your boat. Here are the basic terms to describe the various parts of most boats—use them as often as you can, and soon they’ll be second nature.

Hatch. A horizontal door, usually on a storage compartment.
Sole. The part of the boat you stand on, the floor.

Outboard motor. A self-contained engine and propulsion system that mounts on the stern. Many are two-cycle and burn oil along with gasoline to make power, but four-cycle outboards are now increasingly popular.