Blog
PICKING UP A MOORING
on November 28, 2018
Picking up a mooring is far simpler than docking or anchoring. But many boaters never learn this simple technique and are intimidated to try in close-packed mooring fields. Adding this skill to your arsenal will make weekend jaunts more enjoyable and increase your flexibility when choosing an anchorage. Some simple preparations, good communication, and a bit of coordination will make mooring pickups easy. Of course, some practice never hurts! HERE’S AN ARTICLE i FOUND BY […]
BOATING SAFELY THIS FALL
on October 31, 2018
Just because its Fall and there are less vessels on the water, doesn’t mean you can throw caution to the wind as far as safety is concerned. Here are several tips for avoiding some of the most serious boating mistakes. Mistake 1: Underestimating What It Takes to Operate a Boat All too often, both experienced and novice boaters can underestimate the level of knowledge, skill and experience required to operate a boat effectively and safely. From […]
HOW TO MAKE YOUR FIBERGLASS GLEAM
on October 24, 2018
How To Make Your Fiberglass Gleam Now’s the perfect time to get that lustre back. Roll up your sleeves and get ready to work, but the reward is well worth it. Here’s an article by Lenny Rudow with step by step instructions. Seal out the oncoming winter with rubbing, buffing, waxing, and polishing, but don’t forget the elbow grease. Keeping gelcoat properly maintained isn’t just a matter of vanity, it’s also a matter of protecting […]
UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE OF THE SEA
on October 3, 2018
BOATER’S ACRONYMS Boating is seemingly filled with undecipherable abbreviations. While most of these can be welcoming, landlubber friends can get lost in the often confusing and opaque jargon. The boaters coded talk can be exclusionary, or it might just jeopardize a passenger’s safety. For example, if the captain instructs everyone to “put on a PFD” so the boat can leave the dock, he’s concerned about safety. PFD stands for personal flotation device and it’s simpler […]
DISPELLING STAINLESS STEEL MYTH
on September 5, 2018
Stainless steel doesn’t rust….. Whoever named stainless steel must have been an optimist. Stainless steel certainly can and does rust, though if you know why, you can avoid using it in places where it’s less suitable. Most marine-grade stainless used on production boats is from the 300 series. Type 304 is a good multipurpose steel. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is clad with 304. Types 316 and 316L have a slightly higher nickel content […]
KNOW HOW TO USE A COMPASS
on August 29, 2018
Round & Round We Go Studies have shown that when cut off from sensory input, such as in a small boat in heavy fog, most people tend to circle clockwise. A working compass is invaluable in keeping you on a straight heading. If yours is out of order, try trailing a line astern as a reference point. You’ll still tend to bear off to starboard, but knowing that you aren’t really traveling in a straight […]
WHAT’S A RIP?
on August 22, 2018
Get Ripped Wait a sec — what exactly is a rip? In its most basic form, a rip is simply an area where the water is disturbed. Usually, though not always, the cause lies beneath the surface: some form of structure interrupts the flow of the water and causes turbulence, which creates small standing waves or ripples. You know those little waves that form on either side of bridge pilings, when the current is moving […]
SURVEY TIPS
on August 15, 2018
Make Sure The Boat Is Prepared If you are asking a surveyor to come to your boat to perform an insurance survey, make sure that the surveyor has access. Don’t expect him or her to empty out lockers of heavy anchors, bags of sails, and boxes of spare parts. The surveyor needs to look at the mechanical parts of the boat, and it causes delays to have to move tons of stuff out of the […]
AVOIDING THE FRIES
on August 8, 2018
Based on article from Boat US Marine Insurance To the untrained eye, there’s not much wrong with this alternator connection. You might notice that there’s too much conductor showing between the connection lug and the insulation, but that’s about it. Looking closer, though, things start to get complicated. Instead of using properly crimped connections between the lug and the conductor (blue arrow), whoever made up the cable used a soldered connection. It looks like the […]
BATTERY BASICS
on August 1, 2018
Marine Battery Maintenance Based on an a article by Mark Corke According to TowBoatUS, one in 10 calls for help is due to a dead battery or other electrical issues. Look after your battery, and it will serve you when you need it. If a boat’s wiring is the lifeblood of your boat’s DC electrical system, then the battery is its heart, and your boat needs a healthy heart. But unlike the battery in your […]