boat owner DIY 1997 - #3 (FALL) Talkback Adhesive transfer; What is a line drive?; Refrigeration woes; Cleaning sails; Relocating an engine control panel; Caulking planks; Looking for Wizzard. Tech Tips Original tips and tricks MARINE MAINTENANCE MAGAZINE the Departments Lighten Up Here’s how to upgrade your cabin interior lighting so that it’s functional, flexible and decorative. Wired for Light Add-on lights are easily incorporated into most light- ing schemes and will transform most cabins into a more efficient and safer living space. By Daniel J. Gingras Stoking the Home Fires Below For fall, winter or early spring cruising, or just messing about below decks in the off-season, a cabin heater can make even a small boat a great place to be. Shop Talk Wood Strip Building: Some tips from slightly less- than-successful forays into woodstrip/epoxy building. By Wayne Redditt Electronics Storing Electrical Power, Part 1:The first of a two-part series looks at battery selection, ratings, reliability, performance and efficiency. By Kevin Jeffrey Sailboat Rigging Tiller-to-Wheel Conversions: A wheel-steered boat really is much easier to drive without sacrificing the “feel” at the helm. Here’s how to select, install and maintain a steering system. By Kim Weeks Engine Troubleshooting Raw-water cooling: A four-way coolant recirculation system that winterizes and flushes, provides a hot- water source and doubles as an emergency bilge pump. By Robert Hess DIY Projects Old-fashioned pot heater; Locking device for oars; A stowable workshop. Powerboat Rigging Take control: Install the Morse KE-4 electronic engine control for precise throttle control and smooth shifting. Good Boatkeeping Cockpit glow lights; Mobile light sources; Add-ons for cabin heaters; Low-cost portable heaters. By David & Zora Aiken Features Columns CABIN UPGRADES Off-Season Cradle Systems: An easy-to-built storage cradle for powerboats plus portable “legs” for any boat stored on the hard. Tips for preparing your boat and engine for winter storage. WINTERIZING Refer to DIY 2000-#1 for everything you need to know about raw-water and closed cooling systems. For more winterizing tips, refer to DIY 1995-#3, 1996-#3, 1997-#3, 1998-#3, 1999-#3.
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DIY1997 - #3 (FALL)
Talkback Adhesive transfer; What is a line drive?; Refrigeration woes; Cleaning sails; Relocating an engine control panel; Caulking planks; Looking for Wizzard.
Tech Tips Original tips and tricks
MARINEMAINTENANCEM A G A Z I N E
the
Departments
Lighten Up Here’s how to upgrade your cabin interior lighting sothat it’s functional, flexible and decorative.
Wired for LightAdd-on lights are easily incorporated into most light-ing schemes and will transform most cabins into amore efficient and safer living space. By Daniel J. Gingras
Stoking the Home Fires BelowFor fall, winter or early spring cruising, or just messingabout below decks in the off-season, a cabin heatercan make even a small boat a great place to be.
Shop TalkWood Strip Building: Some tips from slightly less- than-successful forays into woodstrip/epoxy building.
By Wayne Redditt
ElectronicsStoring Electrical Power, Part 1:The first of a two-part series looks at battery selection, ratings, reliability, performance and efficiency. By Kevin Jeffrey
Sailboat RiggingTiller-to-Wheel Conversions: A wheel-steered boatreally is much easier to drive without sacrificing the“feel” at the helm. Here’s how to select, install andmaintain a steering system.By Kim Weeks
Engine TroubleshootingRaw-water cooling: A four-way coolant recirculationsystem that winterizes and flushes, provides a hot-water source and doubles as an emergency bilgepump.By Robert Hess
DIY ProjectsOld-fashioned pot heater; Locking device for oars; Astowable workshop.
Powerboat RiggingTake control: Install the Morse KE-4 electronic enginecontrol for precise throttle control and smooth shifting.
Good BoatkeepingCockpit glow lights; Mobile light sources; Add-ons forcabin heaters; Low-cost portable heaters.
By David & Zora Aiken
Features Columns
CABIN UPGRADES
Off-Season Cradle Systems: An easy-to-built storagecradle for powerboats plus portable “legs” for anyboat stored on the hard.
Tips for preparing your boat and engine for winterstorage.
WINTERIZING
Refer to DIY 2000-#1 for everythingyou need to know about raw-waterand closed cooling systems.
For more winterizing tips, refer to DIY1995-#3, 1996-#3, 1997-#3, 1998-#3, 1999-#3.
Adhesive Transfer
Q: While repairing my woodwork, Iused high-quality 3M masking tapeto protect my fiberglass hull. After afew days in the sun, the tape bakedonto my fiberglass. What solvent orother methods do you recommendfor the removal of the tape?Mike Doran, myott, Meaford, Ont.
A: Conventional masking tapes (theyellow stuff), regardless of the quali-ty, are not meant for outdoor use. Abetter choice is 3M 471 (good forseven days exposure), or 225,which can be left on for up to onemonth. However, there are variousways to remove your adhesiveresidue. One solution is to wipe thesurface with lacquer thinner. Nailpolish remover is also reported toremove the adhesive residue frommasking tape: Just coat the tape, letit soften and carefully peel off.Another solution is to soak papertowels in turpentine and lay them onthe residue for a few minutes to soft-en the adhesive. Use acetone orsoap and water to remove the oilyfilm left by the turpentine. We person-ally prefer 3M Adhesive TapeRemover (see our review on page43), an item which would make agood addition to any boater’s toolbox.— JM
Cleaning Sails
Q: I need to wash my sails andwould appreciate any tips.Darvin Dolyniuk, Synergy, Burlington, Ont.
A: Synthetic sailcloth (Dacron andother fabrics) is covered in a coatingthat provides a water- and dirt-resis-tant finish. Washing may remove this
protective coating and sails shouldbe cleaned only when absolutelynecessary or when you see signs ofmildew. Never dry clean or put sailsin a washing machine or dryer. Sailsmay be soaked in lukewarm waterwith a mild soap or detergent (suchas Sunlight), or use a sail cleanersuch as Davis Foaming Sail Cleaner,which also works well as a spotremover. Use a sponge or soft brushto loosen the dirt. Never use anabrasive cleanser (i.e. Ajax) as it willbreak down the finish and stitching.Rinse thoroughly with fresh water.Spread the sail on the lawn to dry orgo for a sail. Keep in mind thatmildew adheres to dirt, so keep yoursails clean and dry. — JM
What is a Line Drive?
Q: I’m considering purchasing aForespar Line Drive whisker pole,however, I don’t fully understand howthey operate, even after readingdescriptions in various marine dis-count catalogs. Please clarify for me.James Boyer, Mi Amour, Tolchester Marina, Maryland
A: Forespar’s line-drive system iseasier to set than traditional twist-lockor lock-button systems. A line runsalong the outside of the pole, held inplace with eyestraps and dead-ended with a stop knot at the out-board end. At the inboard end, ajam cleat is mounted on the top ofthe pole just before the end, then theline runs through the pole end fittingand inside the extrusion. To adjustthe length of the pole, you uncleatthe line and extend or retract thepole and recleat, then tie a half-hitcharound the pole for safety. It’sdesigned as a set-it-and-forget-it sys-tem; it’s unlikely there’s enough pur-chase to make adjustments when the
TALKBACKpole is under load. — JM
Refrigeration Woes
Q: I have just purchased a ‘88Bayliner 6m (20’) Capri equippedwith a 12-volt Koolatron that’s defec-tive, as it generates heat instead ofcold. Is this unit repairable? Also, ifthe unit is to be scrapped, what typeshould I replace it with?Claude Ladouceur, Coquin, Lake Brome, Que.
A: The Koolatron is a sealed unitthat’s not repairable. These units arepower-hungry and rather inefficientfor boat use. The simplest remedy isto replace it with a 12-volt compres-sor-driven ice box refrigeration sys-tem available from Nova Kool,Adler/Barber, EZ Kold and others.These units consume little power andare usually very reliable. Conversionunits are available for a refrigerator-style stand-up ice box, a stand-uprefrigerator or a built-in ice box.Norcold also offers an efficientAC/DC refrigerator unit. Most instal-lations can be handled by the DIYer.— JM
Relocating a Panel
Q: Our boat has a Perkins 108engine and we recently moved theengine control panel. Is there anextension available for the wiringharness?Tom Smith, Becky S, Manasquan, N.J.
A: Yes, a wiring harness is avail-able but the end plugs only fit aPerkins instrument panel; apparently99% of engine panels supplied byboat manufacturers are off-brands.The length of the Perkins harness is3m (10’) and costs about US$100.
Your nearest distributor is W.A. Kraftin Teterboro, N.J. (201/288-4485).The distributor will need to know thename of the boatbuilder and/or thepanel manufacturer to research theavailability of a harness extension.— JM
Caulking Planks
Q: I have just removed all the paintfrom the hull of my 1960 Trojan andmost of the caulking is gone. Howshould this be replaced? Should cot-ton be put in first? There is noneabove the waterline and some of thegaps are 12mm (1/2”) wide. Brian Ferguson, Intrepid, Kemble
A: Gaps of this size in the plankingare really huge. It’s unlikely they willswell enough to close. If large gapsare caulked, it may create other prob-lems — the swelling planks compressthe edges even further creating evenlarger gaps next year or buckling. It’scommon to fill large gaps with aglued-in-place strip of wood. This usu-ally requires using a circular saw toclean out the groove (gap) and pro-vide a new and clean wood surfacefor gluing. This process is fairly time-and labor-intensive and may not bethe best solution, depending upon thevalue of your boat. Probably it’s bestjust to pack in the cotton, cover it witha soft (polysulfide) caulk and put theboat in the water. When it swells, thepolysulfide will bulge out. Haul theboat, scrape off the caulk flush withthe hull and paint the boat. Stepsshould be taken to minimize shrink-age by storing the boat in a woodenboat friendly manner.— WR
Wizzard Info Wanted
Pat Thomason recently purchased a4.2m (14’) fiberglass Wizzard ski-boat at an auction and is looking forinformation on the design and thebuilder. A plate on the boat lists twolocations: Cosa Mesa, Calif., and St.Joseph, Mich. Send e-mail replies [email protected].
Need help with a problem? Unableto find information on products ordo-it-yourself projects?
DIY TALKBACK is a special reader servicethat makes available to you the resourcesof marine industry experts on topics suchas boat repair, engines, trailers, electricity,plumbing, electronics, sails, maintenanceand more.
Cost is FREE to DIY subscribers.
Send your questions to:TALKBACK via mail, or E-mail. Includeyour name, subscriber ID number (if known),boat name and home port in all correspon-dence. MAIL:P.O. Box 22473Alexandria, VA 22304 E-MAIL: [email protected]
TECHN
ICAL H
ELPLIN
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KEY REMINDER: Stow your igni-tion keys on the freshwater intakethru-hull. That way you’ll alwaysremember to turn on the valve beforestarting the engine and turn it offbefore leaving.
PROP SAVER: To remove algaefrom a stainless-steel propeller, put itin a bucket of vinegar with a bit ofbaking soda, soak for about 30 min-utes, then wipe with a clean cloth orsponge. It will sparkle.Jim and Marion Carter, The Boat, Bayfield,Ont.
TAPE CLOSURE: On long cruises,tape the pelican hooks on lifelinegates using rigging or electrical tapeto prevent accidental opening. Ducttape will work but leaves an adhe-sive residue and deteriorates quickly.
DECK PIPE PLUG: To prevent sea-water from flowing down the anchorrode deck pipe, plug the hole with agenerous wad of Plasticine (model-ing clay). Mold it into a tube, wrap itfirmly around the chain, then shapeit to fit the deck pipe and replace thecover.
SMOOTHER EDGES: To smoothbedding compounds or sealant adhe-sives, here’s a good trick: Dip yourgloved finger in water then run italong the bead of sealant. The waterprevents the adhesive from sticking toyour glove and allows you to createa smooth concave edge.
RUST EXTRACTOR: To remove rustfrom Formica countertops, gelcoat orplastic, try a liquid teak cleaner.Apply, then let it soak in for no morethan 30 seconds — longer and thecleaner may attack the plastics —and wipe off. Repeat until all rust is
TECH TIPSremoved, then rinse well with water.(Do a test patch to ensure compatibil-ity.)
CLEARLY A HOT IDEA: To clear ablockage in an intake thru-hull,attach a short hose on the expansionrelief valve for the hot-water system.Pull off the intake hose for theblocked thru-hull and attach the hot-water pressure hose.
OIL REMOVER: To remove engineoil from gelcoat and painted sur-faces, try automotive bug and tarremover. Do a test patch first toensure it won’t harm the finish.
MILDEW EATER: To reduce con-densation buildup in a boat that isstored for long periods, such as dur-ing winter haulout, place a fewboxes of cat litter in the cabin. It willabsorb moisture and soak up odors.
GEAR STORAGE: A plastic or wirebike basket makes a handy carryallfor a camera, sunscreen, flashlight orother gear, and the curved hangersfit nicely over a small boat’s gun-wale.
PROTECT-ALLS: Protect yourhands, feet, head and other bodyparts by covering boat protrusionswith tennis balls. Carve tight-fittingholes in the balls and slip over theends of flukes and stokes of deck-stowed anchors, the hydraulic ramend of an outboard engine or anyother obstacle onboard.
ADHESIVE REMOVER: Use amoisture-displacing lubricant (i.e. WD-40) to remove tar and adhesiveresidue from hard surfaces. Spray onliberally, let it sit for a minute or so(scrubbing, if necessary), then wipe.
VEGETABLE WASH: Try vegetableoil to remove paint and varnish fromhands when you’re without a properhand cleaner. It’s safer on the skinthan a solvent.
BRASS CLEANER: To clean brass,rub it with a lemon dipped in salt.Wipe on, wipe off.
JUMP STARTER: When the sole-noid switch on your engine’s starteris stuck and the starter won’t turnover, try this: Momentarily shortacross the switch terminals with aheavy screwdriver — be careful totouch only the non-conductive handleof the screwdriver and withdraw thescrewdriver as soon as the enginestarts. Phil Friedman, Port Royal Marine, PompanoBeach, Fla.
BATTERY CARE: Clean battery ter-minals with a solution of bakingsoda and warm water, and wipeclean. Reconnect the battery termi-nals, then lightly brush polyurethanevarnish on the terminal connectorsafter tightening. Don’t grease yourbattery terminals. Grease heats up,liquefies, then forms a pool of meltedgrease, salt, dirt and grime that cancause a mild short.
Tech Tips welcomes contributionsfrom readers. If you have a boat-tested tip you’d like to share, sendcomplete information along withyour name, boat name and homeport to: DIY Tech Tips,
Box 118, Lindsay, ON K9V 4R8 Or fax us at (705) 359-2097, or
Tech Tips welcomes contributionsfrom readers. If you have a boat-tested tip you’d like to share, sendcomplete information along withyour name, boat name and homeport to: DIY Tech Tips,
Readers of this magazine surely fallinto the category of tinkerers anddo-it-yourselfers. The ultimate projectwould just as surely have to bebuilding your own boat. A fairlyrecent innovation in constructionallows most people the chance topursue the dream of building a craftwithout having to own large station-ary equipment or spending yearslearning traditional skills. Themethod is termed woodstrip/epoxybuilding. While this method is mostoften used on canoes, kayaks andtenders, the basic principles can beapplied to larger boats.
The engineering that applies tothis construction method is similar tothat of other composite hulls, that isthe inner and outer fiberglassskin of the hull (anddeck) are separatedby a core material. Inthe case of the smallstrippers the strips areusually cedar or red-wood, 6mm (1/4”)thick, less than2.54cm (1”) wide andthe length of the boat.Larger compositeboats use structuralfoam or end-grainbalsa for the corematerial. The coredcomposite creates anincredibly strong,tough yet light struc-ture capable of
incredible abuse. The wooden coreused in strip building gives thebuilder the illusion that he or she is
building in wood, and if finishedwith a clear coating, furthers the
impression of varnished wood. Thefiberglass skins are the key to thewhole structure though, and thingscan go dramatically wrong in theapplication and finishing.
There are plenty of books thatdescribe the necessary preparationsfor wood-strip construction in step-by-step detail. My personal favoriteis Canoecraft by Ted Moores (co-owner of Bear Mountain Boat Shopin Peterborough, Ont.) and MarilynMohr (146 pages, CDN$16.95).Videos (available from BearMountain, tel: 705/742-8258) arehighly recommended for the first-time builder.
I would like to pass along somehints from slightly less-than-successfulforays into the stripbuilding world inthe hopes that you can learn fromothers’ mistakes.
Hint #1: The books warnyou about the effect of tempera-
ture on the cure time of epoxyresin, but they don’t mention
the fact that if you are work-ing in high temperaturesand drip perspiration intothe liquid epoxy you willhave unsightly whitesplotches in your brightlyfinished prize forever.
Hint #2: The booksalso warn that sunlighthas an adverse effect oncured epoxy, turning it anugly splotchy white whenexposed if not protected(with a varnish or paint)from UV. I, unfortunately,stored an unprotectedcanoe hull under a tarp fora short time outside. Theentire exterior skin devel-
When UV rays turned this canoe hull an unsightly splotchywhite, my only option was to paint it.
WA
YNE
RED
DIT
T
...sunlight has an adverse
effect on cured epoxy,
turning it an ugly splotchy
white when exposed if not
protected from UV.
WOOD STRIP BUILDING
Strip building is one of the most effective andforgiving methods for constructing a strong,attractive, nimble wooden boat. But things cango wrong.By Wayne Redditt
oped white splotches. There is no cure for UV damage.The now-traditional green-painted hull turned out to bea nice contrast to the varnished interior, though.
Hint #3: The sun is not the only source of dam-aging UV. I built a kayak for myself a few years agoand left it inside my shop, epoxied but unvarnished.The overhead fluorescent lights destroyed the clarity ofthe epoxy over the year that the kayak sat unfinished. Ihaven’t decided whether to paint this one or grind theoffending material back to wood and start again. I dis-like grinding fiberglass.
Hint #4: Finish what you’ve started. My latestattempt at a strip canoe became delayed between theapplication of the inner and outer skin. I knew theuneven rate of water absorption from the air would cre-ate differential expansion and contraction problemswith the hull. This is really no different than veneeringone side of a laminate, or painting one side of a solidwood project. The moisture enters and leaves the woodat a different rate on each side, causing warpage. Toprevent this, I shrink-wrapped the hull. The theory wassound, but the execution was flawed. The boat waswrapped in August and unwrapped the following June.Since it was more humid last August than it was thisJune, the boat reacted by curling up like a sheet ofuntreated fax paper as the sheers bowed in towardeach other. Luckily, the last few months have beenhumid and the boat has returned to normal. However,the finishing process has been delayed by severalmonths.
Despite the setbacks that I have encountered, itappears that boats constructed in this fashion are goingto be long-lived and useful to their owners. They requirelittle more maintenance than any finely finished craft,and the annual sand and varnish is pure therapy for tin-kering types like us anyway.
When not messing about in his workshop, Wayne Reddittshares his expertise in boatbuilding, repair and restorationwith the senior students of Georgian College’s MarineTechnology-Recreation course. Subsequent columns will dis-cuss construction methods, restoration techniques, modernrepair materials and other topics for builders and tinkerersof boats. Inquiries directed towards this column are wel-come. Send your comments or questions via mail, fax or e-mail, attention ShopTalk.
A) Two 6-volt, 200 ampere-hour (Ahr) batteries connect-ed in series to make a 12-volt, 200-Ahr bank. Whenbatteries are connected inseries (positive post of onebattery connected to thenegative post of another bat-tery) the voltage doubleswhile the ampere-hourcapacity remains the same.
B) Two 12-volt, 100-Ahr bat-teries connected in parallelto make one 12-volt, 200-Ahrbank. When batteries areconnect in parallel (positiveto positive, negative to nega-tive), the ampere-hourcapacity doubles while thevoltage remains the same.
C) Four 6-volt, 200-Ahr bat-teries connected in series-parallel to make one 12-volt,400-Ahr bank. Electrical com-ponents are first connectedin series to double the volt-age, then connected in paral-lel to double the capacity.
Storing Electrical Power - Part 1Storing electrical power forlater use means gettingthe greatest possible output while engine-driven charging sourcesare in use, then tappingyour stored electricity untilit’s time to generate again.This first of a two-partseries looks at batteryselection, ratings, reliabili-ty, performance and effi-ciency.
By Kevin Jeffrey
Batteries have traditionally been highon the list of nautical gear thatboaters love to hate — they arebulky and heavy, can be a safetyhazard, and seem to let you downwhen you need them most.
The cause of dead or malfunc-tioning batteries is either in the batter-ies themselves or in the way the bat-teries are charged and discharged.Cheap batteries don’t give the ser-vice or dependability of high-qualitymodels and poor charging tech-niques and negligent monitoring canquickly turn a great set of batteriesinto nothing more than expensiveballast. Understanding their opera-tion and the differences betweenmodels, as well as proper chargingtechniques, may give you a wholenew appreciation of your batteries.
There are three types of lead-acid batteries appropriate foronboard use, each designed andconstructed for a specific task andcategorized by their ability to delivercurrent and hold up to repeated dis-charge. The difference between themis the thickness and number of thepositive and negative plates, thestrength of the lead alloy in the plates
ELECTRONICS
A) 12 VOLT, 200 Ahr
B) 12 VOLT, 200 Ahr
C) 12 VOLT, 400 Ahr
6 volt200 Ahr
-
-
-
+
+
6 volt200 Ahr
12 volt100 Ahr
12 volt100 Ahr
6 volt200 Ahr
6 volt200 Ahr
6 volt200 Ahr
6 volt200 Ahr
and the type of electrolyte used,either liquid or gel.
Starting-Lighting-Ignition (SLI)starting batteries have a great num-ber of thin positive and negativeplates that create a large total sur-face area capable of producinghigh-cranking power for the few sec-onds it takes to start an engine.These batteries can’t maintain highdischarge for very long and have arelatively high self-discharge rate. SLIbatteries should always be isolatedfrom the house bank through a bat-tery isolator, a battery link or com-biner, or a manual battery switch.Deep discharging will greatly short-en SLI battery life, since the platesaren’t thick enough to handle it.
Deep-cycle batteries have theability to withstand repeated deep
discharge without harm, have lowerself-discharge rates and are used tosupply typical house loads. Theplates in a true deep-cycle batteryare thick and heavy, trading surfacearea for strength and starting powerfor reserve capacity. They oftencome in 6-volt configurations for easytransport and longer life, and can beconnected in series or series-parallelto achieve the desired system volt-age. Deep-cycle batteries can alsobe used for engine starting, if youhave enough total capacity (severalhundred ampere-hours or more).
It may be tempting to buy inex-pensive 6-volt deep-cycle batteries,which have only a three-year lifeexpectancy (less in the tropics), butyou’ll be better off in the long runwith high-quality models such as the
FIGURE 1
+
new Surrette Red line of batteries(marketed as Rolls in the U.S.). Thesebatteries cost more initially but easilylast eight to 15 years in normal ser-vice. Surrette batteries have heavy-duty plates that are individuallywrapped with a protective envelopeto eliminate short-circuiting and celldamage due to sediment buildup orfaulty or misaligned plate separators.Other unique features of Surrette’snew batteries are the large elec-trolyte reservoir over the plates andthe virtually indestructible structuralfoam-and-polyethylene outer case.
Between the SLI and true deep-cycle batteries is the hybrid deep-cycle with plates of medium thicknessand either gel or absorbed elec-trolyte (see below). Commonly usedas house batteries, they also havecranking power for engine starting,can be moderately dischargedrepeatedly without harm, have a rel-atively low self-discharge rate andcome in 6- and 12-volt configura-tions. Because of the moderate platethickness these batteries typicallydon’t have the service life of good-quality deep-cycle models.Immobilized-electrolyte batteries arealso more sensitive to voltage, whichmeans that your charge controls mustbe properly set and provide tempera-ture compensation to make sure thevoltage stays within acceptable lim-its.
The electrolyte in a lead-acid bat-tery is the material surrounding theinternal lead plates that allow themto chemically store or release electri-cal energy. The electrolyte in mostlead-acid batteries is a sulfuric-acidsolution in liquid form. Distilled watermust be added to liquid-electrolytebatteries periodically to replace loss-es that normally occur during perfor-mance charging. They must also beperiodically equalized — charged ata higher voltage under controlledconditions — to prevent sulfationdeposits from decreasing batterycapacity.
Batteries that are permanently
sealed with the electrolyte immobi-lized are increasingly popular withboat owners. There are two basictypes of sealed batteries: absorbedelectrolyte and gelled electrolyte.(Note: these high-quality hybriddeep-cycle batteries should not beconfused with inexpensive “no-main-tenance” SLI batteries.)
In an absorbed-electrolyte bat-tery, the electrolyte is contained inthick, felt-like glass-fiber mats that are
compressed between the plates.During construction, some of the elec-trolyte is also absorbed by the bat-tery plates. The mats serve as recep-tacles for the electrolyte as well asplate separators. Compressing theplates and mats together lowers theinternal resistance of the battery andallows for higher charge and dis-charge rates. These batteries are bestsuited for power systems with lightelectrical loads.
FIGURE 2
The following chart shows typical battery sizes and ampere-hour (Ahr)capacities.
Battery Type Typical Size TypicalAmpere-hour (Ahr) Capacity
Group 24, 12V 11” x 7” x 9” 85-90Group 27, 12V 12” x 7” x 10” 100-1054D, 12V 21” x 8.5” x 10” 160-1808D, 12V 21” x 11” x 10” 220-250
In gel batteries, the electrolyte iscontained in gel form. Gel batteriesare hybrid deep-cycle batteries withhigh performance characteristics,allowing them to be used in powersystems with heavier electrical loads.They typically don’t have the servicelife of true deep-cycle batteries.
Battery Ratings
Batteries are rated according to theirconstruction and how they perform,allowing boaters to make an intelli-gent selection according to theirneeds. The various ratings are: volt-age, marine cranking amps, reservecapacity, and size and amperehours.
Voltage Batteries are com-posed of a series of 2-volt cells.Individual batteries for marine useare typically available in 6- or 12-volt models. They can be connectedtogether in series, in parallel or inseries-parallel (Figure 1) to createthe desired system voltage andcapacity.
Marine Cranking Amps(MCA) This rating tells the currentthat a battery at 0°C (32°F) candeliver for 30 seconds while main-taining a minimum cell voltage of1.2 volts. Gasoline engines requireabout 1 MCA per cubic inch of dis-
placement, diesel engines about 2MCA per cubic inch.
Reserve Capacity This refersto the number of minutes that a fullycharged battery at 26.6°C (80°F)can be discharged at 25 ampereswhile maintaining a minimum cellvoltage of 1.75 volts. Reservecapacity can also be expressed forother rates of discharge such as 5,10 or 15 amperes. The higher therate of discharge, the lower the totalreserve capacity rating.
Size and Ampere-hourRating Marine batteries are mostoften marketed according to theircase size and correspondingampere-hour capacity (Figure 2).Ampere-hour (Ahr) capacity is anenergy rating similar to reservecapacity. It refers to the amperes abattery can supply at 26.6°C (80°F)in a specific period of time, whilemaintaining a minimum cell voltageof 1.75 volts. Many battery manu-facturers use a 20-hour rate. In thiscase, a 100 Ahr battery could sup-ply 5 amperes for 20 hours. Whencomparing batteries, it’s essential tomake sure they use the same hourrate.
Capacity, Discharge & More
Here are a few rules about batteryperformance.
Ampere-hours and EnergyThe rating of ampere-hours is reallyan indicator of the amount of usable
electrical energy the battery can pro-vide. Remember that volts x amperes= power and power x time = ener-gy. This means that ampere-hours xbattery voltage = watt-hours, a truemeasurement of electrical energy. A6-volt battery rated at 100 ampere-hours has half the total availableenergy than a 12-volt battery withthe same rating.
Usable Battery CapacityThe rated ampere-hour or reservecapacity of a battery is quite differ-ent from the amount of energy youcan actually store and retrieve on adaily basis. Deep-cycle battery lifecan be greatly extended if you dis-charge to only about half of its ratedcapacity, or 50% charged. Frequentdeeper discharges will shorten bat-tery life dramatically. And becauseof the low rate of current a batterywill accept during the final chargingstages, it’s likely that with an engine-driven charging source you’ll mostoften charge the battery to onlyabout 90% of its rated capacity. Ineffect you have about 40% of thetotal battery-rated capacity at yourdisposal as usable electrical energy.(The relatively constant output fromsolar panels and wind- and water-powered generators easily com-pletes the final stages of charging,making that extra 10% of batterycapacity available.) For long batterylife, it’s important to periodicallybring the battery to a full state ofcharge.
ELECTRONICS
CABIN UPGRADES
hether your boat has a one- ormulti-cabin layout, a lightingdesign must be functional toenable you to work efficientlyand read without eyestrain. Itshould define access and
potential danger areas and providegeneral background illumination.Equally important is the decorativeelement, which can add to the charmand warmth of the cabin.
The ideal lighting plan for cabininteriors includes a mixture of generallighting, overhead lights (calleddownlighting), local light sources(called spot lighting or task lighting),floor or table lighting and coloredlights. A plan like this is flexible, sinceyou can turn on the overhead lightsfor casual use, then add spotlights toread or work.
Cabin lighting can be easilyupdated simply by buying newshades, replacing lights with conven-tional fixtures or adding new ones.Installing new lights is easily incorpo-rated into most lighting schemes. Allyou need is a basic wiring kit andsome working knowledge of yourboat’s DC system. (If in doubt, consultthe “Wiring Handbook” in the WIN-TER ‘95 issue for reference.)
Planning your Lighting
The main cabin or saloon is often theplace where you are looking for amore warm and inviting atmosphere.The accent should be on versatility,
creating areas of light where they areneeded most.
A basic lighting plan in thesaloon includes recessed overheadlights on the ceiling, concealed light-ing under wall storage or book-shelves, spotlights over a table ormounted on a bulkhead, cupboardand cabinet lights, and downlights.(TIP: To make better use of lighting inthe cabin, use bright colors in yourdecor and upholstery.)
Depending on the area, aboutfour fluorescent lights, evenly distrib-uted and mounted athwartships, pro-vides adequate general lighting.Where headroom is tight, use flush-mounted lights or shallow strip lights.Recessed pot lights or spotlights canbe used as either general or tasklighting. These are mounted overheador against bulkheads. Incandescentbulbs are commonly used, but you’llget a whiter, more brilliant light byusing low-voltage halogen bulbs.Wall lamps with shades are mostoften used more for decoration thangeneral illumination. They can servethe same purpose as downlighting,but with a warmer look and feeling.
Concealed lighting works well inthe saloon. Strip lights placed highwill bounce light off the ceiling intothe cabin, and fluorescent fixtures hid-den behind valances can illuminateshelves. Rope lights mounted againstthe cabin sides can provide additional accent. For safety at night, use foot
lights or rope lights to illuminate com-panionway stairs and the cabin floor.
A dimmer switch controlling thelight intensity of one or more lightssaves electricity and the added costof extra fixtures. You can use thecabin as a bright workspace or dimthe lights for night use or watchingTV, all using the same set of switched
Upgrade your boat’s interior lighting so that it’sfunctional, flexible and decorative. Here’s how.
WLighting can provide general back-ground illumination or create an invit-ing atmosphere.
Head lighting: Decorative strip lightsand light fixtures concealed behind avalance so they won’t get wet.
A door-activated switch operates asmall light to illuminate a dark cabinetor cupboard (available from RekordMarine, CDN$22).
lights. Dimmers are either integral with a light or mountedon a panel. There also are “intelligent” dimmers that allowa number of lights to be set at separate brightness levels,all from one central control.
Lights should be on separate circuits, so that you cancreate a cozy dining area, for example, without having toilluminate the rest of the cabin. Switches should be easilyaccessible, with one placed near the companionwaysteps. Installing three-way switching lets you control saloonlights from the forepeak, the companionway or the aftcabin.
Sleeping areas require reading lights positioned overeach berth. Two individually controlled lights in the aftcabin or vee-berth forward can let your partner sleepundisturbed while you read. For general lighting, use walllights or downlights in the ceiling, but install two-wayswitching so that you can control them from the bed.
Spot lighting is the wisest choice for the nav station.Small, bright, multi-directional spotlights supply a concen-trated beam of light to illuminate the working areas. Lightsmust be located in front of the navigator to avoid throwinga shadow across the chart table. Night vision is a concernwhen planning lighting in the nav station; install a lightwith a red or green lens for night use.
Lighting in the galley should include at least one gen-eral light and downlights over the sink, stove and counter-tops. Multi-directional spotlights recessed in the ceiling letyou move the beam around as required. As in the nav sta-tion, the light source must be placed in front of the cook.In addition to spotlights, illuminate countertops with striplights placed under an overhead cabinet and hidden fromview by baffles along the front edges. Lights mountedinside large cupboards save searching with a flashlight.
Fixtures in the head must be located where they won’tget wet. Rigid strip lights with halogen bulbs hiddenbehind valances, concealed lights directed onto the sink,recessed pot lights in the ceiling or flexible rope lights bentaround vanities are ideal fixtures. Wall-mounted lampsshould have plastic shades, which won’t rust.
In the engine room, adjustable spotlights can illumi-nate a particular area, placing light exactly where it’srequired. Overhead bulbs should have wire cages to pre-vent breakage.
WIRED FOR LIGHTAdding courtesy lights and recessed potlights gives this production boat a morepractical and flexible lighting scheme.
By Capt. Daniel J. Gingras
There’s nothing more frustrating than returning to yourboat after a wonderful dinner ashore, climbing aboard inthe dark and stumbling down the companionway steps. I
finally tired of trying to find the nav station light switchand decided to install a set of courtesy lights that wouldgently illuminate the cabin sole and operate whether themain battery switch was turned on or not.
My first task was to find a suitable location for theswitch. I chose a spot just below the companionwayopening, a place I could easily find in the dark once Iremoved the companionway boards. The area in ques-tion was to the right of a small opening used to storethe winch handles and where the fuel gauge is located.
I began by selecting a couple of molded, modern-looking sealed marine switches. Although the switcheswere located inside the boat, I felt that rain might splashon them, so I chose waterproof switches.
Drilling the hole was easy, and I used a small key-hole saw to enlarge the hole to the square dimensionsof the switch. To be honest, l actually cut the hole toolarge, and ended up having to use the modular bracketthat is sold to fit two switches in one hole. Next time, I’llmeasure twice and cut once.
Installing the Switch
Once the holes for the switch were cut, I used 14/2Ancor marine-grade cable (14-gauge, two-conductorinsulated cable) to connect to a small fuse block locatedjust below the companionway stairs in the engine com-
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concerned about power usage, youcould substitute a couple of high-intensity, light-emitting diodes (LEDs),dropping the current drain to under1 amp for about six of them. TheLEDs are not as bright as utility lights,but they are a little easier on youreyes when you’re at sea.
partment. Fusing the circuit is criticalto protect it from overloads andshort-circuits — potential fire haz-ards. Marine-grade wire is worththe expense, as normal stranded-
copper wire will tend to corrodeafter a few seasons making it impos-sible to crimp and get a good con-nection.
The switches have spade con-nectors so I chose the matchingcrimp connectors, using Ancor heat-sealed, adhesive-filled crimp connec-tors and my US$100 ratchet crimperto ensure a good crimp. A single-pole, single-throw switch works well,and if you’re ambitious, you caninstall an illuminated switch.
Installing the Courtesy Lights
I chose small, 5.7cm (2-1/4”) flush-mounted utility lights (Perko part#1044DP-2W ) with the lens open-ing facing downwards. These makeexcellent courtesy lights and come inblack or white. I choose white lightsfor the cabin, and black ones forunder each companionway step.These have incandescent bulbs thatdraw only 3 watts each, so there’sminimal power drain. If you’re really
Figure 2
Utility lights mounted from above illu-minate the steps for safe entry.
Figure 1
Installing courtesy lights under theberths and recessed halogen lights inthe cabin ceiling connected to a dim-mer switch, provides a lighting schemethat’s functional and decorative.
CABIN UPGRADES
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The lights are mounted just below the berths in a4.4cm (1-3/4”) hole, cut with a holesaw. Make sure youhave sufficient clearance behind the lights for wiring andfasteners before cutting. Mount the lights with #6 x 3/8”round or flat-head screws. There are four mounting holesper light and a faceplate snaps over to hide them, mak-ing a very neat installation (Figure 1).
I then mounted the three step lights (Figure 2) andconnected them to the second switch, which I installed tocover my mistake in cutting the switch hole. Wiring thestep lights was exactly like wiring the courtesy lights.
Variations on the Installation
My original intention was to use the companionway lightsonly when I came aboard Lionheart, but with usage, I’vefound that a better setup is to have a switch in the for-ward cabin, so that when I get up in the middle of thenight I’ll have some low-level lighting that won’t disturbanyone else onboard. My next project will be to changethe current switching system to a three-way installation(Figure 3). I’ll have to change the switches from SPST(single-pole, single-throw switch with one input wire) toSPDT (single-pole, double-throw) to allow the lights to beoperated from either end of the boat, and add a 12-volt
feed to the forward cabin, but that shouldn’t bedifficult. The only difference is that I’ll need to
upgrade to a 14/3 boat cable (14gauge, three-conductor cable)
between theswitches.
Overhead Lights
Last winter, I decided to replace the deckhead in themain cabin, which was warped and water-stained. Thisalso allowed me to install overhead lights. I purchasedfive recessed lights with halogen bulbs that weredesigned to mount under cabinets, so I felt they wouldwork with the 2.54cm (1”) clearance behind the over-head panels. Concerned about the amount of heat givenoff by halogens, I conducted a test by putting a sheet of
paper over a light, leaving it on for 12 hours. There wasabsolutely no discoloration of the paper, which remainedcool to the touch.
These lights, however, were extremely bright so Iadded a 10-amp dimmer switch to control the
five lights rated at 2 amps each. In actuality,the lights consume only 8 amps at full
brightness, according to my HeartLink 2000R. The lights are all wired
in parallel (positive to positive,negative to negative), and
connected to the dimmerswitch (Figure
4).A Formermagazinewriter,
Capt. Daniel Gingras specializes in computers and isCIO of Watts Industries. He teaches boating and celes-tial navigation Power Squadron courses and sailsLionheart, an O’Day 39, from Portsmouth, NewHampshire.
Figure 3
Two switches used to control the same light from either oftwo locations.
nless you cruise in tropicalwaters, the warm-weather boat-ing season is much too short. Acabin heater can extend yourboating season when the tem-perature turns cold, take the
chill off a cool summer’s morning, dryout wet clothes after a cruise in therain and altogether improve onboardcomfort.
There are many heating systemsto select from — the one you chooselargely depends on your personalpreference, the onboard fuel supply,
cabin layout and your budget.How much heat you’ll need is
also important. Most heaters arerated in BTUs, which usually repre-sents a unit’s maximum output inideal conditions. Plan on five BTUs forevery cubic foot of usable cabinspace for casual use; 20 BTUs percubic foot if you are an ardent frost-biter or living aboard in the winter.To estimate the cabin area, multiplythe beam times the headroom timesthe cabin length, then subtract theamount of space taken for lockers
and cabinets. More BTUs are better— you can always turn the heatdown. Having a system continuallyrunning at full blast increases mainte-nance intervals and may require pre-mature repairs.
Portable electric heaters fromCaframo and others offer instant heat— just plug them into a powersource. Look for models with a ther-mostat control, multispeed fan andoverheat protection. Marine modelsconstructed of stainless steel or alu-minum will last longer than heatersapproved only for household use.Operating on AC power limits theiruse to dockside hookup or runningoff a generator. Liquid-fueled spaceheaters put out lots of heat but mustbe used only with plenty of ventila-tion and only occasionally becauseof the risk of carbon-monoxide poi-soning.
For convenience and around-the-clock warmth, an Espar or Webastobuilt-in, forced-air furnace can’t bebeat. These diesel-fired heating sys-tems have a 12-volt starter and blow-ers, and thermostat control for evenducted heating to the cabin, headand staterooms.
Espar furnaces feature a comput-er-controlled main panel and auto-
matic shutdown whenvoltage drops (won’tdrain batteries) orwhen fuel is low.These units operate onminimal power. TheD3LC model for boatsaround 10.8m (36’)in length, consumes 9amps for two seconds
CABIN UPGRADES
For fall, winter or early spring cruising, or just messingabout below deck in the off-season, a cabin heater is agood investment in your personal comfort and yourboat.
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Stoking the Home Fires
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the smokehead. To overcome thisproblem, Sigmar heaters have anoptional balanced draft system thatblows air into the air intake at thebottom of the heater. There’s also akit that allows ducting into anothercabin or the head.
Force 10’s Slimline propaneheater makes good sense if youalready have a propane stove. Fuelconsumption is high, so you mayneed to increase tank capacity ifplanning more than occasional use.
Solid-fuel heaters from Paul E.Luke and Dickinson resemble minia-turized fireplaces and provide a verydry heat. These make excellentheaters for boats without a fuelsource, but you’ll need a spare com-partment to be converted to a fire-box.
Installing a radiant heater isstraightforward. As a guideline, fol-low the instructions given for“Installing a Wood Stove” on page21, omitting step 11, and refer to theowner’s manual for the correct fueltank assembly and hookup. Heatersmust be level, so place shims underthe base if necessary. For safety,install a fuel shut-off valve in the fuelline close to the heater. A propaneinstallation is not difficult — but it’swise to have the system inspected bya certified gas installer before operat-ing.
A water-to-air heating system isprobably the best choice for power-boats and an option for motorsailers.Dickinson, Heater Craft and Thermexoffer systems that operate similar to acar heater, using hot water generat-ed by an engine’s cooling system ora hot-water heater to generate forced-air heat.
Heater Craft’s Acu-Heat serieshas 12- and 24-volt models for small
runabouts, skiboats or large cruisersto heat the cabin or cockpit, or to beused as a defroster. Compact andlightweight (less than 5kg/11lb),these units draw up to 8 amps onhigh or as little as 3.9 amps on low.Kit prices range from US$291 toUS$456 and include all necessaryhardware, hoses and electrical com-ponents. Installation is not difficult.The heater unit is typically mountedunder the helm, in a stairwell or astorage area. Water hoses attach tothe engine — one to the cooling sys-tem on the intake manifold and theother to the water pump housing —then are routed to the heating unit.After installing the air vents, attachingthe vent hose, mounting the switchand wiring it to a power source, theheater is ready for a test run.
Before operating any heater, becertain it’s installed correctly andmake sure you fully comprehend alloperating procedures.
Insulation plays a factor in theheating capabilities of a heater andmost boats are poorly insulated, par-ticularly fiberglass or metal boats thattend to sweat, increasing condensa-tion as temperatures fluctuate.Adding several inches of compositecork or foam-backed insulation willdramatically increase the efficiencyof any heater.
Installing a WoodStove By Ryc Rienks
A solid-fuel stove allows a variety offuels, including coal (anthracite isbest), charcoal, wood scraps, wastepaper or compressed sawdust logs.(Don’t burn driftwood from oceanwaters; the salt in the wood willcause your stove to rot out quickly.)
These heaters need at least 9.1m(36”) of stovepipe above the heaterand a portion of that distance can beabove the deck. My stove used7.6cm (3”) pipe, available in bluedsteel or, for more money, stainless
CABIN UPGRADES
Stoking the Home Fires
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steel. Other components include: adamper; a deck iron, a metal
device that protects the deckheadfrom the hot stove pipe while
allowing the exhaust gasses to passthrough; a Charley Noble or smoke-head to let the smoke out and keep the
rain from getting in; and heat-shields for the stove andstovepipe to protect adjacent
surfaces from direct radiant heatand people from direct contactwith the hot pipe. To see how allthis fits together, refer to Figure1.
1 Set the stove, less the pipe, inposition, about 15cm (6”) awayfrom flammable surfaces. Radiantheaters need 9.1m (36”) ofstovepipe above the heater andbends of up to 45° are allowed.Mark the mounting bolt hole loca-
tions on the floor or bulkhead.2 Using a plumb bob, place a mark on the overhead thatallows the weight to hang in the center of the stovepipeopening. Check the ceiling for obstructions, such as lightfixtures, wiring or nearby windows. Topside, look for grabrails, sail handling gear or anything else that would inter-fere with the stovepipe. (Ed: Plan on about eight hours todecide where to drill the hole, then four to six hours to com-plete the installation!)3 Drill a small pilot hole through the deck at your mark,being careful to drill at the same angle as the string met theoverhead.4 Check the vertical angle relative to the top of the deck. Ifthe deck isn’t square to the pilot hole, you’ll need to mounta wedge-shaped teak pad to allow the deck iron to sit flat.5 Measure the outside diameter of the portion of the deckiron that passes through the deck. Scribe this diameter onthe top of the house using the pilot hole as your center andadd 3mm (1/8”). 6 Cut out the hole using a jigsaw with a narrow blade.Coat the cut edge with epoxy to prevent moisture from pen-etrating the laminate (optional). 7 Drop the deck iron into the hole and check the distancefrom the top of the stove to the shoulder on the deck iron.8 Transfer this dimension to the pipe and cut it to length.File the cut end to remove the sharp edges, then assemblethe pipe.9 Place the stove in position, lining up the mounting holes,and dry-fit the stovepipe, setting the deck iron on top.Adjust the placement of the stove and chimney assembly as
Figure 1
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Damper
Heatshield
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Bulkheadheatshield
necessary so everything is verticaland fits together correctly.10 When you are satisfied with thefit, mark the permanent location forthe stove mounting bolts.11 Drill a guide hole for thedamper, about 60cm (24”) abovethe top of the stove. Push the handlethrough to lightly mark the oppositeside of the pipe, then drill from the
outside and push the handle point inso the ragged edge is turned inside.Once the damper assembly is inplace, cut off the pointed end.12 Move everything aside and insu-late contact surfaces with a heat-resistant insulation, leaving an inchor more of air space, covered withheat reflector plates made of stain-less steel or ceramic tile.
13 Drill the stove mounting holesand bolt the stove in place. Set thestovepipe in place, then go topsideand bolt down the deck iron sealedwith a polyurethane adhesive. 14 The other consideration is theheight above the deck of the CharleyNoble. I placed mine on a section ofpipe about 30cm (12”) above thedeck. Put at least two screws througheach joint above the deck. TheCharley Noble is pricey and will sinklike a rock if it goes overboard. 15 Returning below decks, bolt onthe heatshields and you are ready tolight up the stove.16 To circulate warm air around thecabin, mount a small 12-volt fan onthe deckhead near the stack, aimedat a 45° angle towards the cabin.
A former musician, custom knifemaker and teacher, Ryc Rienks andhis wife Penny are currently en
Brand Contact # Type Heat Source BTUs Price Vented Installation
Caframo T (519) 534-1080 Convection Electricity 1,695-5,083 1CDN$70/US$74 No Portable
1 Stovepipe, stove fittings, smokehead and deck fittings are extra. 3 Kit price includes all materials needed for installation.2 Air vents, vent hose, water and coolant hoses are extra. 4 Price for heating unit only.
TILLER-TO-WHEELCONVERSION
A wheel-steered boat real-ly is much easier to drivewithout sacrificing the“feel” at the helm. Here’show to select, install andmaintain a steering sys-tem.
By Kim Weeks
Tools &Materials
DrillAssorted drill bits including 1/16” and 9/16”
JigsawHacksawSocket or box wrenchesScrewdriversCable cuttersPolysulfide sealant19mm (3/4”) plywood 38mm (1-1/2”)
mahogany wood blocks
Fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin
#30 Motor oilTeflon grease
A pedestal steering system is wellsuited to boats with mid-ship and aftcockpits with inboard or transom-hung rudders. The benefits of wheelsteering are many: more cockpitroom, a perfect location for mount-ing a compass or instruments, and aplace or two to hold your drinks.Add a foldaway cockpit table to
cal, easily adjusted and maintainedat sea, and ideal for boats wherethere may be some obstructions,such as tanks between the steeringsystem and the rudder post, or evenan obstruction as large as a bunk or
extend your galley area and nowyou’ve really streamlined theappearance and function ofthe cockpit.
The first step in atiller-to-wheel conversionis to consult with thesteering manufacturerand/or your boatyard foradvice, such as the type ofsteering system to use andthe location of the wheel.The manufacturer has likelyalready encountered some-one who’s undertaken thisproject and can make spe-cific recommendations toyou. Edson, for example,has more than 2,200installation drawings for stock boatsavailable free of charge. If you’rebuilding a custom boat, Edson willsend you a complete proposal andsteering data for a nominal fee ifprovided with construction draw-ings. Plan on spending eight to 10hours on homework before begin-ning the installation.
Types of SteeringSystems
Because there are several dif-ferent types of steering sys-tems, we’ve highlighted acouple of the more popularwire and geared systemshere. To be sure you’re con-sidering the right system foryour boat, again, contact themanufacturer or the boat’sbuilder.
Wire steering systems,including radial drive, quad-rant and pull-pull conduit,are ideal for most productionboats with raked or verticalrudderposts (Figure 1).Wire systems are economi-
RIGGINGS A I L B O A T
Figure 1
A mid-position steerer installation using a radialdrive wheel and pull-pull conduit. The cables leaddirectly from the pedestal idler to the drive wheelmounted on the rudderpost.
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Figure 2
Edson’s CD-i (Compact Drive Integrated) systemuses a simple, direct linkage from the wheel toan inboard- (shown) or transom-mounted rud-der.
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lazarette. These systems can with-stand severe steering strains andshock, and replacement parts arereadily available.
Typical direct-drive geared sys-tems are easily installed and providea closer direct linkage to the rudder— there’s really no compromisewhen converting from tiller steering toa geared pedestal steering system interms of the feel at the helm. Steeringsensitivity is enhanced because of thegear ratio and direct link from wheelto rudder (i.e., there is no cableinvolved, as in wire steering). Thereare several types of geared systems,such as rack-and-pinion, worm gearand Edson’s new CD-i (Figure 2).(Worm gear systems have no feed-back.) Geared systems are easilymaintained and are extremely strongand durable since they’re made ofbronze and stainless steel.
Wheel Location
There are three basic cockpit loca-tions for the wheel: aft, mid-cockpitand forward.
Offering a classic look, thewheel aft places the steering geardirectly over the rudder post, such aswith rack-and-pinion or worm gearsteering mechanisms (Figure 3).
This location is typi-cally seen on cat-boats, schooners,ketches or Friendshipsloops. An alterna-tive is to mount thewheel aft on apedestal. This offersan efficient layout forracing sailboatssince the helmsman(or helmswoman)can clearly see theentire length of theboat. Make sure tocheck the height ofthe primary helms-man and the spacebetween the back ofthe cockpit and theback of the pedestal.You don’t wantheads banging intobackstays and too-lit-tle leg room. Also,make sure that the
instruments will be clearly visible toall who need them.
In a mid-cockpit installation(Figure 1), the helmsman sits wherehe or she can see more of the sailssince (s)he’ll be at a beamier spot onthe boat and thus sitting farther out.The backstay and lack of spacebehind the pedestal cease to be con-cerns; however, winch and cleatlocation is important since the crewand helmsman may need access tothe same area in the cockpit. A cock-pit table can usually be added also.
Ideal for shorthanded situations,the forward steerer installation(Figure 4) gives the helmsmansome weather protection from thedodger and easy access to the
sheets, winches, instruments and thecabin below. This location keeps allcockpit activity aft of the helm.However, a pedestal guard is anecessity. If the boat rolls when acrewmember is exiting the cabin, apedestal guard offers them a securehandhold, other than the wheel,instrument pod or compass; it alsoeliminates entanglement of sheets inthe wheel.
The best place to mount thewheel is right where you’d be seated(or standing) when using the tiller,since your boat was likely designedfor you to be there anyway. A mini-mum distance of 45cm (18”) is rec-
ommended from the wheel rim to theaft edge of the cockpit sole.
After you’ve decided where youthink the wheel will go, take the time
RIGGINGS A I L B O A T
WHEELRESTRAINT
When the boat is unattended,always secure the wheel with aline or the pedestal brake. Afree-wheeling system maycause damage to the rudderstops.
TIPS
Figure 3
An aft-mounted rack-and-pinion steerer for inboardrudders mounts the wheel close to the rudderpost andtakes up less than one-third of the cockpit space of atiller. The teak-decked housing covers the steeringgear and provides a seat for the helmsman.
Figure 4
Ideal for shorthanded situations, theforward steerer installation gives thehelmsman easy access to the sheets,winches, instruments and the cabinbelow
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RIGGINGS A I L B O A T
to build a model wheel andpedestal: a 2” x 4” shaft made froma broomstick handle, and a card-board or plywood cutout of thewheel will do the job. Move yourmodel around the cockpit, placing itin the locations mentioned above.Can you access the instrument data?Does it interfere with the mainsheetor genoa winches? Are the enginecontrols within close reach? Will gaslines or tanks be obstructed? Is thereenough room under the cockpit floorto mount sheaves, sheave bracketsand radial drive or quadrant? Checkout each location and take as manynotes as you can — you’ll be sur-prised at what works and what does-n’t in terms of wheel location andyour specific needs.
The Bottom Line
A typical radial drive system costsfrom CDN$1,700 to CDN$2,200(US$1,200 to US$1,500) for thebasic system, which includes awheel brake. Geared systems rangefrom CDN$1,200 to CDN$3,750(US$800 to US$2,500) depending on the system. Add-ons and acces-sories increase the cost, but canmake your new pedestal steerermore useful.
Installation varies from simple tocomplicated, depending on the typeof boat and steerer. Installing a steer-er on a boat with an outboard rud-der is straightforward and takesabout one day. Boats with inboardrudders are more complex — theinstallation involves routing thepedestal control cables, mountingthe quadrant onto the rudderpost,installing a stuffing box, custommachining or fiberglass work.
While this type of installationmay certainly be accomplished by askilled do-it-yourselfer, practical
experience plays a key role in theexpediency and efficiency of aninstallation. The cost for a profession-al installation will vary by boatyardand/or installer, as well as by theboat. Once the yard or installer hastaken a look at your boat and spo-ken with the manufacturer, a firmestimate can easily be provided.
General InstallationConsiderations
The installation information belowprovides some general guidelinesconcerning the installation process.Because each boat is different,we’ve highlighted installation proce-dures for the most common type ofpedestal steerers. Refer to the instruc-tions included with your steering sys-tem for complete installation details.
Wire Steering Installation
A typical chain-and-wire pedestalsteering system includes the follow-ing items: pedestal, steering wheel,chain-and-wire rope assembly,pedestal idler or conduit bracket,radial drive wheel or quadrant,sheaves, two wire take-up eyes,pedestal mounting bolts, wire ropeclamps and, if necessary, a stuffingbox.
Once you’ve received your newpedestal steerer, lay out all theequipment and familiarize yourselfwith the system by arranging the
parts as closely as possible to theorder of assembly. Read through allthe installation instructions included
in your kit. You’ll save yourself a lotof time and aggravation if you readthem and get your questionsanswered now.
Carefully place the pedestal inits intended place and ensure itmeets all your objectives. Once thepedestal location has been finalized,drill a pilot hole at the center of thefour pedestal bolt holes using the
BACKUPSTEERING
A wheel steering systemshould have a provision foremergency steering. A good,easy way is to leave the exist-ing rudderhead in place andattach the original tiller whenyou need backup steering. Theoriginal tiller may need to beshortened to allow the arm toswing past the new pedestal.Another option is to modify thetop of the rudderpost: the tillerattaches to either round tubingor square stock that slides overthe rudderpost and is thru-bolt-ed. You and your crew shouldbe as familiar with rigging theemergency tiller as with man-overboard drills — it’s a safetyexercise that should be prac-ticed frequently.
TIPS
Figure 5
On many boats, the cockpit floor willrequire reinforcing with a 61cm (2')square of 19mm (3/4") plywood at thepedestal.
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supplied template. This hole will mark the pedestal loca-tion under the cockpit floor. The pedestal should be sup-ported or reinforced. To do this, simply install a piece of19mm (3/4”) plywood under the cockpit floor (Figure5) with epoxy glue.
If your boat’s rudder is equipped with a stuffing box,the pedestal steerer may be installed with the boat in thewater. If the rudderpost enters through a fiberglass tubefrom the hull to the cockpit sole, a portion of the tubemust be removed to expose the rudderpost for the instal-lation of the quadrant or radial drive wheel. Where to cutis determined by the location of the quadrant or drivewheel, and the size of the idler sheaves. To make sure no
water enters theboat through thistube, a stuffingbox should beinstalled on therudderpost. To dothis, the boat willhave to be hauledout and the rud-der dropped.Now you installthe idler (Figure6). With thepedestal bolts,secure the idler inposition beneaththe pedestal andtemporarily adjustthe angle of the
EDSON MARKS 138 YEARSJacob Edson founded Edson International in 1859 inBoston, Massachusetts, to manufacture and sell hisdiaphragm pumps and marine products. The companyquickly became synonymous with the words “YankeeIngenuity” when, in 1875, Edson’s Boom Buffer reducedthe shock of gybing — and became standard equipmenton all Gloucester fishing boats. In 1890, Edson pumpswere put to use in the increasingly industrialized NewEngland to pump sewage.
The turn of the century brought about an increasedpopularity of pleasure boating and thus steering systems.Systems were designed for both the recreational and rac-ing markets, such as the America’s Cup. During WorldWar I, all Liberty ships used Edson emergency steeringand pump systems. With the 1960s came the introduc-tion of lightweight materials, such as aluminum and com-posites, to the manufacturing process. These materialswere incorporated into the product line to match theneeds of the new era of fiberglass boats for reducedweight and increased strength. Today, Edson continuesto be recognized for its quality, value and innovation inits extensive range of marine steering systems and acces-sories, boat davits, radar towers, and marine and indus-trial pumps for both sail and powerboats.
Figure 6
To mount the idler, drill four 14mm (9/16") holes throughthe cockpit floor using the pilot hole for alignment, cut a12.7cm (5") diameter opening in the center and bolt theidler to the floor.
Figure 7
The ideal rudder stop mounting uses atiller arm to keep the stops indepen-dent of the steering system.
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MAINTENANCE
On a new boat, inspect thesteering system at least oncea year. It’s a good idea toprepare a maintenance log,noting the component, typeof lubricant, frequency of ser-vice, description of work (i.e.“Inspect,” “Adjust,”“Lubricate” or “Replace”)and date. Here’s a brief lookat the key maintenanceareas.
Wire systems
1 Check the condition and ten-sion of the wire and oil it light-ly. Place five tissues (i.e.Kleenex) in the palm of yourhand, squirt #30-weight motoroil (or similar) on the tissuesthen slide them along the wire.Any broken or hooked strandswill snag on the tissue, and thewire must be replaced.Replace the wire after 5 yearsand, if in good condition,keep it onboard as a spare.
2 Oil the chain with #30-weightmotor oil.
3 Maintain the steering wire ten-sion. When you feel a bit ofplay in the steering, it’s timefor an inspection. Adjust bytightening the take-up eyes onthe quadrant or drive wheel.With the wheel locked in
place (tie off or use thepedestal brake), you shouldnot be able to move the quad-rant or drive wheel by hand.
4 After adjusting the cables,rotate the wheel slowly fromstop to stop. If it doesn’t turnsmoothly, the chain andsprocket require servicing.
5 Grease pull-pull cables month-ly with Teflon grease.
Geared systems
6 Check frequently for any wearon the parts and lubricate allbearings, gears and linkageswell with lithium or otherheavy-duty machine-gradegrease. Once or twice a sea-son, check that all connectionsand linkages are secure.
7 Inspect the universal joints forplay and, if necessary, repackwith grease to prevent wearand corrosion.
8 Check for play in the wormgear or between the pinionand gear. Do this with the rud-der centered and held rigid.
All Systems
9 No matter what kind of steer-ing system you have, annuallyinspect and lubricate withTeflon grease the pedestal
shaft bearing and other mov-ing parts.
10 Regularly check all screws,nuts, bolts, clevis or cotter pinsthat are part of the steeringsystem or pedestal accessoriesfor tightness and wear.
11 Check that all sheaves aresecurely bolted and well oiled.
12 Check that there is no move-ment between the quadrantand the rudderpost.
13 Set aside a day and inspectthe system while under fullload. If you see anythingbend, hear anything creak ornote any other indication thatthere’s a problem, you’ve gotthe rest of the day to try to sortit out.
14 Inspect the condition of theemergency tiller and makesure it fits the rudderhead andoperates properly.
15 Check the rudderpost tube forany signs of separation fromthe hull.
16 At each haulout, carefullyinspect the rudderpost bear-ings for wear or cracking.
17 Check the stuffing box forleaks.
load the rudder may place on thesystem when the rudder is hardover.They must be installed to prevent therudder from hitting the hull or theroller chain adapters and damagingthe sprocket. It must be located sothat the stop on the radial drivesquarely hits the other stops. Edsonsupplies a reinforced rubber piecethat will greatly reduce shock load.Always take care to tighten thebrake when not in use to prevent
idler sheaves. The idler and sheavesmust be securely bolted to woodensupports bonded to the hull or cock-pit floor with fiberglass cloth andepoxy resin.
Next, the quadrant or drivewheel is installed in two halves onthe rudderpost at the appropriateheight. The chain-and-wire assemblyis led across the sprocket in thepedestal, down through the cockpitfloor and around the idler and/or
sheaves, then around the quadrantor drive wheel. To align the idlerand the quadrant or radial drivewheel, you’ll need to raise or lowerthe quadrant or drive wheel on therudderpost as well as adjust theangle of the idler sheaves. Cabletension is then adjusted using twowire take-up eyes.
A steerer using a quadrant orradial drive must incorporate rudderstops. These stops will pick up any
freewheeling (likewise, don’t reverse at speed and letgo of the wheel). The rudder could slam against thestops, which might cause damage to the rudder or steer-er. Blocks of wood should be glassed in place and musthit squarely and as low as possible on the stop. Figure7 shows an example of an ideal arrangement.
Geared System Installations
Geared steering systems are installed much the sameway, except instead of connecting the steering mecha-nism to the rudderpost with chain, wire and sheaves, theconnection is either a direct link of the steering gear tothe rudderpost or through a tiller arm/drag link arrange-ment (Figure 2). Pedestal placement planning shouldalso be carefully carried out and the same stuffing boxguidelines for wire steering also apply.
When designing a steerer that uses an aft-mountedrack-and-pinion or worm gear system, ensure that thehelmsman’s seat will cover and protect the steering gearas well as allow easy access for inspection and mainte-nance (Figure 3).
Accessories
With your new pedestal steering in place, maximize itsuse. How about a leather wheel cover? You’ll be able togrip the wheel tightly, no matterhow wet and salty it becomes. Abinnacle compass, instrumentpods and a radar displayhousing can position yourelectronics where youneed them most —close to the helms-man. A teak table anddrink holders can make your newpedestal even more enjoyable.Pedestal-mountedengine controlsallow you to standduring dockingmaneuvers. Accessories are not only designed toenhance your boating, but to offer greater flexibility inlayout for a clean and efficient cockpit.
Kim Weeks handles public relations for Edson International.
Whitlock Marine Steering Co. In Canada: TransatMarine, 240 Bayview Dr., Unit 6, Barrie, ON L4N 4Y8;Tel/Fax: (705) 721-0143; In the U.S.: PYI, Box 536,Edmonds, WA 98020; Tel: (425) 670-8915, Fax: (425)670-8918.
The optional compass pedestal offersa secure handhold and makes it easyto add instruments, a teak cockpittable, drinkholders or a storage box.
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(water pumps, for example) and aredestroyed if water left in themfreezes.
Normal FlushingProcedures
The traditional way to winterize thistype of cooling system and preventdamage from freezing is to drainthe water from the system by remov-ing coolant hoses, loosen drainplugs and open petcocks (if fitted)at the lowest point of each coolingsystem component.
As raw-water-cooled enginesage, the threads of drain plugs,
which have repeatedly heated andcooled, begin to seize becomingincreasingly difficult to remove.While being removed, they maybreak off or come loose only aftercracking the adjacent assembly. Aswell, many engine components aredifficult to drain completely, eitherbecause of the angle at which theyare mounted, insufficient drainplugs, or poor access to all drainplugs because of non-standardparts installed during the marine
conversion (i.e. marine manifolds).Petcocks do not drain completely,even when they are fully openedand sometimes become cloggedwith debris brought in with the rawwater or scale from engine blockwater jacket corrosion. Freezingdamage may be evident when theboat is put back into service or notnoticed until years later.
The alternative to completelydraining the cooling system ischarging it with a liquid antifreezesolution. This is not only much easi-er and faster, but allows the boat tobe put back into service at a
moment’s notice. Asimple way to chargethe system is to sim-ply remove the cool-ing system waterintake hose fromthe intake seacock,put it in a contain-er of anti-freeze
and runthe engineuntil theanti-freeze
container isempty.Unfortunate-ly with raw-water-cooledengines, this
process dumps the excessantifreeze out the engine exhaustpipe and pollutes the body of waterin which the boat is moored(antifreeze depletes the oxygen inthe water, which kills fish), leavingthe owner liable to pollutioncharges. It also doesn’t allow theantifreeze to circulate until theengine reaches operating tempera-ture and the thermostat opens,which may prevent antifreeze fromflowing to the upper sections of the
MODIFYING RAW-WATER COOLING SYSTEMS A four-way engine coolantrecirculation system that incor-porates engine winterizing andflushing, a hot-water source forbathing or washing, optionalfresh-water cooling, an emer-gency bilge pump and more —in one easy-to-install system.
Story and photos by Robert Hess
Raw-water-cooled marine enginesare cooled by water drawn inthrough a seacock in the bottom ofthe hull, circulatedthrough a V-drivewater jacket (if fitted),water pump, engineblock and cylinderhead water jackets,exhaust manifoldwater jacket, exhaustpipe manifold (if fit-ted), and then into amarine muffler orwater mixer or thedownstream side ofan exhaust pipegooseneck. It’sthen ejected alongwith the exhaustgas at the rear of the boat through ahull fitting located at the waterline.
Although most engine waterjacket castings are fitted with frostplugs, which are supposed to popout under the pressure of waterexpanding as it turns to ice, theplugs are notoriously unreliable.Even when they do work, it maytake a major disassembly of enginecomponents to replace them. Mostother cooling system componentsare not usually fitted with frost plugs
ENGINE••• — — — •••
TROUBLESHOOTING
Adding one extra valve to both the intake and exhaust converts a typical raw-watercooling system into a multi-use one. Installation requires three ball valves, two T-fittings, one male and female garden hose connection, hose clamps and shortlengths of garden hose.
Coolant intake
Seacock(valve)
Valve
Valve
Femalehose fitting
Malehose fitting
(cockpit)
Exhaust manifold
Valve
ExhaustpipeEngine
Coolant exhaust
Engineexhaust
4
3
2
1
Figure 1
as an emergency auxiliary bilgepump.
� Back-flush the engine to removescale and dirt, simply by connect-ing the flushing line to the coolingsystem exit and running the flush-ing fluid backwards through theengine — the engine should beshut off and the water pumpimpeller and thermostat removedwhile this is done.
� Run the engine when the boat isout of the water, allowing for test-ing of the cooling system with allhoses in place before the boat islaunched. The system can bequickly pressurized and testedusing an automotive radiatortester (fitted with a pipe fittingadapter).
� Check that cooling water is avail-able at the thru-hull water intakebefore starting the engine.
� Quickly clear any blockage in theseacock without removing hoses.
Coolant IntakeModification
The intake configuration incorpo-rates a T-fitting in the cooling systemattached to the valved intake sea-cock (Figure 2). The straightbranch leads to a second ball valveand a female garden hose fitting.
block and cylinder head water jack-et around the thermostat, so thatfreezing damage still occurs.
A Better System
I designed this modified coolingrecirculation system for my 7.5m(25’) Hughes sailboat equipped witha 20-kW (30-hp) Atomic-4 modelUJVD gasoline engine. It’s a multi-use system that’s easily adapted tomost inboard engines.With this system, you can: � Winterize the engine by charging
it with antifreeze without remov-ing hoses or parts, circulate theantifreeze until the thermostatopens to ensure the whole systemis protected and prevent therelease of antifreeze into the sur-rounding water.
� Quickly bring the engine to oper-ating temperature to check thethermostat temperature setting.The ability to raise the enginetemperature quickly is also handywhen the specifications for engineidle adjustment, valve adjustmentor head torque call for it to bedone at operating temperature.
� Have a convenient source ofwarm water while underwaywhen it’s not convenient to lightthe stove (i.e. heavy weather).
� Run warm water into a sailboatcockpit, creating a great bathtub(by plugging the cockpit drains).
� Run the engine while using aninternal source of cooling water,such as the freshwater tank, sothat the engine cooling systemcan be isolated from extremelysilted or polluted water whenpowering off a mud bank or pass-ing through an oil spill.
� Attach an external marine waterhose to the cooling system intaketo allow flushing of the coolingsystem with fresh water after oper-ating in salt water.
� Deploy a pressurized fire or washhose while underway.
� Draw water from the bilge to act
The 90° branch leads to the enginewater pump and cooling system.
This configuration allows theselection of the source of enginecoolant intake, either from theintake seacock or from whatever islinked to the garden hose, such asantifreeze, bilge water, marinawater or water tank. Both valvesmay be closed when the system issealed for storage.
The T-fitting, ball valve andfemale garden hose fitting must bethe same diameter as the intake linehose.
Coolant ExhaustModification
The exhaust configuration incorpo-
rates a T-fitting in the cooling systemjust before the water is mixed withthe engine exhaust (Figure 3). Thestraight branch leads to a ball valve(shown in photo) and then back intothe cooling system at the muffler orwater mixer or exhaust pipe. The90° branch (not visible in photo)leads to a ball valve with a malegarden hose fitting or a gardenhose tap, which combines a gatevalve and male garden hose fitting,mounted in the cockpit (Figure 4top). The T-fitting, two ball valvesand male garden hose fitting matchthe diameter of the coolant exhaustline.
This configuration allows the
Figure 2
Coolant intake valve configurationshows the connections for the T-fitting,ball valve and garden hose.
Figure 3
This photo shows the T-fitting connect-ed to the cockpit tap (left) and a blackhose leading to the engine exhaust.
selection of the destination of enginecoolant — either to the engineexhaust muffler or water mixer orexhaust pipe — to the cockpit-mount-ed tap or to both simultaneously. Thetap can be opened at any time whilethe exhaust pipe valve is open, butshould only be used for short periodswhen the exhaust pipe valve isclosed in order to ensure the exhaustpipe and/or muffler does not over-heat because no water is flowingthrough it. Both valves may beclosed when the system is sealed forstorage.
Robert Hess has a background in auto-motive and marine mechanics and in1994 he restored Water Music, a 7.5m(25’) Hughes that he cruises on thecoastal waters of Canada’s WestCoast. In an upcoming issue, he’ll pro-vide step-by-step instructions torebuild an inboard engine.
VALVE CONFIGURATION OPTIONS
This chart shows the many different ways to use thismodified raw-water cooling system. The numbers ofthe four valves are keyed to their location in Figure 1.
Engine coolant is diverted to a cockpit-mounted tap and attached to a gardenhose when hot water is needed forbathing or washing (top), or to chargethe cooling system with antifreeze (bot-tom).
431 2
Closed Open Closed Open Recirculate internal water
Present at intakeClear Seacock obstruction
FLOWER(POT)POWER FOR HEATBy Ryc Rienks
This idea came up while discussingwith friends the use of a propanecooking stove as a source of heaton boats that lack a cabin heater.Simply firing up the stove pro-duced little change in heat andonly increased the condensa-tion buildup (water vapor is anatural by-product of propanecombustion). So how do youconvert an open stove flameinto a more efficient heatsource?
What is needed is a wayto create radiant heat with min-imal equipment that can beeasily stowed away when notin use. My suggestion was toinvert an unfired red clay flow-erpot over a stove burner. Thiswill capture the heat and radi-ate it into the surroundingspaces. I have successfullyused this trick in a small travel trail-er, managing to take the morningchill off while making coffee on theother burner. The addition of spring
clamps or rails could hold theflower pot in place against theboat’s motion — don’t try this untilyou have a way to secure the pot inplace as it will get quite hot.
For materials, all you’ll need isa clay pot of larger diameter thanthe burner and a length of wire. Acoat hanger will do the job, but it
quickly rusts. A better choice isbrass brazing rod, 2mm (3/32”) indiameter, available from a welder’ssupply house or some hardwarestores. Refer to Figure 1 for direc-tions on bending the wire. Note
that the section marked, “Bendup,” will exert a down forceon the rim of the pot, keep-ing it in place, while allow-ing it to be easily removedwhen cool.The most important thing toremember is that you must
provide adequate ventilation— the open flame will quicklydeplete the oxygen supply. Toreally make this safer, installa smoke head, such as aCharley Noble, and rig alength of flex conduit as a tem-porary smoke stack. This willcarry the moisture and com-bustion by-products outside.Conduit fittings will connectthe pot and flex pipe together.Most, if not all, ventedpropane stoves and heaters
use 2.54cm- (1”-) diameter stain-less-steel pipe, so the deck fittingshould be compatible with yourflowerpot heater. Adding a coupleof small battery-operated fans willhelp circulate the heated air aroundthe cabin.
A former musician, custom knifemaker and teacher, Ryc Rienks liveswith his wife aboard Mai Tardis II, aCascade 36 in Seattle, Wash.
LOCKING OARSThis simple harness helps protectyour oars from “walking” awayand secures the oars when towingthe dinghy.
To make it, drill a 9mm (3/8”)
Figure 1
Flowerpot heater needs a clamp of some sort forsafekeeping.A tank constructed of plywood and“waterproofed” with multiple coats of epoxy resin.Baffles prevent the contents from surging in thetank and scallop-shaped cutouts in the corners venteach compartment.
PROJECTSDIY
Anne
-Mar
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endr
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ShopTested
“Bend up”
Unglazed flower pot
Share a boat-tested projectwith other DIY readers. If wepublish it, we'll send you $25to $150 depending on the pub-lished length.
is to mount the vice on the bottom ofthe hinged engine hatch cover.When opened, it turns the engineroom into a great workshop for on-
hole in each blade near the stock;the holes don’t significantly affectthe blade strength. Fabricate a1.8m (6’) or longer length of 3mm(1/8”) stainless-steel cable or usePVC lifeline wire. Make a 7.6cm(3”) loop in the ends and secureeach with a Nicopress sleeve fitting.Thread the cable around the seat,through the holes in the blades(Figure 2) and lock using amarine-grade padlock with a shack-le made of hardened boron alloy.Kevin Dean, Via Sophia, NorthVancouver, B.C.
STOWABLE WORKSHOPOften when working on my boat, Ineed a third hand. This comes in theform of a vice, but where to perma-nently mount or stow the vice hasalways been a problem.
One solution is to mount thevice on the inside of a locker cover.I mounted my vice on the front slid-ing board that conceals the com-partment housing the water heaterand pressure system (Figure 3).Rubber sound insulation on the out-side of the board doubles as a pro-tective pad when it’s placed on acountertop. There are two boltoptions to fasten the vice: one is forworking and the other for storage.Four rubber feet (not shown) fit intothe sink or stove top opening tokeep the board from moving.
Another solution for powerboats
board maintenance. Bill Macklin, Stratford, Ont.
Figure 2
This harness keeps your oars with thedinghy.
Figure 3
(Top) Vice mounted to board in locker;(bottom) vice in working position onstove top.
RIGGINGP O W E R B O A T
TAKE CONTROL,ELECTRONICALLY
After you’ve installed an automaticsynchronizer (see “PowerboatRigging,” 1997-#2), the next step isto replace linkage, push-pullcables, hydraulic or pneumaticcontrols with an electronicengine control. With sucha system, electronics andcomputers control theengine to deliver precisethrottle control and smoothshifting.
Electronic control systemsare available from GlendinningMarine Products and from Morse
Controls, which just launched the KE-4. Easily adapted to fit all diesel orgas engines, the KE-4 can operateup to three stations.
It comes with a control head, a12- or 24-volt control module, actua-tor (big black box in the photo), allwiring harnesses and mounting fas-teners. Add two Morse 33C cablesof the appropriate length, an option-al circuit breaker and alarm buzzer,and this completes the list of compo-nents for a single-engine boat withone helm station. Boats with twinengines and dual stations need twocontrol heads, modules and actua-tors, and four of everything else. Anoptional mechanical control head
and cables allow manual operationof the actuator in case of a powerfailure.
Installation of the components issimple: For a single-engine boat,mount the control head on a flat sur-face in a convenient location at thehelm; install the control unit in a drylocation within 2m (7’) of the actua-tor, which is located farther aft, inline with the engine. Wiring is alsosimple with preassembled wire har-nesses — just insert the plug-in con-nectors into their correspondingsockets. Routing the harnesses underthe deck or through the gunwalescould be challenging and will have
to be planned wellin advance.Connect thetwo Morsecables to theengine’s shiftand throttleconnectionsand to theactuator,
and theinstal-lation
is half-complete.
The next phase ismore complicated and
time-consuming, and involves adjust-ing the control unit and actuator tomatch the engine setup. Both unitshave preset factory default settingsthat may, depending on the engine,save some time.
The cost of the complete KE-4package for a single engine, includ-ing the extra engine cables, aver-ages US$2,218. Add US$2,033 fortwin-engine boats plus US$753 fordual stations, which totalsUS$5,004. The mechanical controland cables are extra.
The Morse KE-4 electronic control iseasily retrofitted onto any gas or dieselengine.
saves money when you’re paying tohave your boat hauled out.
The storage frame we designedis quick to build, easy to move andstrong. It survived last winter’s abnor-mal weather, which included severerain and windstorms that knockeddown a number of trees in our neigh-borhood, a couple of snowstormsthat brought .9m (3’) of heavy snowfollowed by sudden driving rain thatcollapsed boathouses and sunkboats, and two earthquakes (onlyabout 4.5 on the Richter scale).
The cost for haulout and settingup the boat on our storage systemwas CDN$107. It would have cost
another CDN$30 or more for theextra set-up time with a less efficient
Nails*1/2 lb 3” galvanized common1/2 lb 2-1/4” galvanized common*Bolts are optional and rec-ommended for heavierboats.
Exterior paint
Supplies given will make a storagecradle for a 7.8m (26’) powerboatwith an 2.4m (8’) beam andweight of 2,016kg (4,480lb). Theboat’s beam and finished height ofthe bow support will determine theamount of lumber and nails (orbolts) required. Use either fir, pineor pressure-treated lumber.
ith the approach ofcolder winds and rain(or snow in more wintryclimes), many boatersmove on to warmer
interests. If your boat isn’tstored on a trailer, you’ll needto arrange for safe storageafter haulout.
Two winters ago we leftour 7.8m (26’) Campion Tobain the water (Porpoise Bay,near Sechelt, B.C.) and man-aged a couple of winter trips with-out experiencing any severe windor snow storms, even whendocked. The winters aren’t nor-mally very severe on the WestCoast, but last winter wedecided to haulout our boatand were in need of a safe,strong structure for winter stor-age.
We didn’t feel comfortableusing discarded 45-gallon fueldrums. Although we’ve seenthem in backyards with boatsbalanced on top, we didn’tfeel the barrels meet safety orstructural support standards. Wealso wanted to keep the storageframe light enough to be quicklymoved and set up in position, which
WINTERIZINGbo
at ow
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DIY
This strong and effective cradle system allowseasy access to your boat or engine for servicingin the off-season. And it’s a cinch to build.
W
OFF-SEASON STORAGE FRAME
By Judy and Ken Rogers
Bow view: Box frame is simple to build andfully portable.
Stern view: Support gives sufficient clearanceto service the outdrive and trim tabs.
system. In short, you could save thecost of your investment in the lumberrequired in the first use.
With easy access to the boat forwinterizing last fall, we checked forand fixed any leaks that sprung inwindow frames over the winter andrecoated the bottom. By spring, ourboat was ready for that much antici-pated relaunch.
Construction DetailsIf you want the storage system to lastfor more than a couple of years, you
could build it out of pressure-treatedwood. We didn’t, using instead firNo. 2 or better grade. We just gaveit a good coat of exterior paint.Where fir is not available, pine couldbe used. Knots should be small and ifyou experience splitting when nailing,pre-drill the nail holes, especially onthe ends of structural members.
Our Campion weighs about2,016kg (4,480lb). For fasteners, weused galvanized nails for the extraholding power and resistance to rust.For heavier boats, owners should con-
sider using 6mm to 9mm (1/4” to3/8”) bolts backed up with washersfor extra holding power. Everyonetells us we overbuild things, butthat’s okay — they seem to lastlonger.
To support the bow, we built abox frame of 2x4s (Figure 1). Thisis done by simply cutting lengths of2x4 to 61cm (24”) long, then nail-ing them alternately on the flat to aheight of 61cm (2’). Make sureeach layer of two adjacent pieces issquared before nailing. It took twopeople only about 20 minutes tosolidly nail these together after the2x4s were cut to size. The finishedheight varies according to the hulldesign, adding a few extra inchesto elevate the bow.
The measurements of the sternsupport also vary according to thetype of power your boat has. You’llwant sufficient clearance to servicethe outdrive or prop shaft and rudder,as well as the trim tabs, transducers,etc.
Assembly andConstruction
To construct the stern support, nailthe two vertical supports first, shownas A and B in Figure 2. Set themon a level surface, the distance apartequal to your boat’s beam. The otherlengths and angle cuts are easy tomeasure directly from the supports.Refer to Figures 2 and 3 for addi-tional assembly details.
KEN
RO
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Figure 3 - Stern Support End VIew
KEN
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S2-1/4” nails
3” nails
LEFT END VIEW“A”
Figure 2 - Stern Support
2 short pieces of 2 x 8” as requiredto support theangle of the hull
Boat hull
2 x 4“A” side supports
Drain plug
BA
Width varies to suit boat beam
2” x 8’s
Set Up
The boat should sit in the stern sup-port so the deck is level. A 15cm to25cm (6” to 10”) bow-high positionreally is useful for draining out watertanks and the bilge through the tran-som drain plug hole, and allowswater to run off the boat cover anddeck area.
Ken and Judy Rogers purchased SweetDreams, a Campion Toba, in ‘95, thenproceeded to debug, rewire, upgradeand do the myriad fix-up tasks inher-ent in owning a 20-year-old boat,while still finding the time to cruise theSunshine Coast with son Daniel. Bothhold management positions in BritishColumbia’s school system.
A LEG UPA portable and stowablehull support system forpowerboats and sailboats“standing” on the mud orstored “on the hard.”
Story and photos by Janis Priedkalns
here may come a time when youhave to move your boat to anew storage location or have ithauled for bottom work inplaces far away from your
boat’s cradle. Usually, the yard willrent you several tripods chainedtogether or, in the worst case, shoreup your boat with lumber supportswedged under the hull. As a lastresort, you may wish to have yourcradle shipped to the haul-out loca-tion at a cost probably exceedingthe tripod rental cost.
Tripods and wooden supportsare not ideal methods of supportingpowerboats or sailboats upright ifyou want unobstructed access to the
hull. Should a support be removedaccidentally, you risk injury to any-one working under or near the boat,or the possibility that the boat will tipover — which could also be cata-strophic. (Of course, twin keels elimi-nate this problem and there’s obvi-ously no problem if you have a cata-maran or trimaran.)
When we moved our Corbin 39to a new location, our old cradle didnot meet the requirements of theyacht club or the new environmentalbylaws which require that cradlesmust be collapsible to a height ofless than 1m (3’3”). This happenedduring spring launch, so we put thepurchase of a replacement cradle onhold.
During the sailing season, wediscussed various cradle options withfellow boaters. In all cases, we cameup against the problem of the sup-port pads: Where do you keep themafter the boat is launched? Thenthere’s the periodic maintenanceneeded to prevent the pads and cra-dle from rusting. Positioning a stan-
dard metal cradle can also be time-consuming — getting it set up withall pads in place and then aligning itto meet the boat; checking that theboat’s sitting correctly and that allpads are adjusted without causingany pressure points on the hull; andso on. And should you decide torelocate, you’ll need to hire a cradle-moving company, which takes achunk out of the budget.
Eventually we decided on a“leg” support system popular inEurope. Many European yachts areberthed in tidal waters and, in orderto keep them upright at low tide,support struts or legs are attached tothe hull, both port and starboard.These are long enough to supportthe boat as the keel settles in thesand, mud or hard bottom. Some ofthese systems are permanentlyattached, while others are remov-able.
Made by The Yacht LegCompany in Middlesex, UK, our sys-tem has now been in use on ourCorbin for several seasons and hasshown versatility in both haulout andlaunching. At haulout, the boat islowered to a few inches off theground at the desired location. Short2”x6” planks are placed under thekeel to keep it off the ground andthen the boat is lowered completely.While the slings continue to supportthe boat, two preassembled legs arelocked into fittings permanentlymounted on the hull. The length ofthe legs, which have an adjustmentspan of 61cm (24”), is then fine-tuned to support the boat upright.An adjustable handle acts as a loadindicator and helps determinewhen adequate pressure has beenapplied to each leg. You now havefull access to the hull for scrubbingor painting. The only drawback isduring long-term storage since theyard cannot easily move the boatby forklift should the need arise.
When launching, the procedure
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Continued on page 34
T
Portable “legs” keep the boat uprightin mud, sand or on land, allowing clearaccess to the hull for cleaning or paint-ing.
FALL LAY-UP Steps to better off-season storage
Regardless of whether winterputs you in a deep freeze orbrings more moderate tem-peratures, if your boat is notgoing to be used for a fewmonths, you need to protect itfrom the elements. We’vecompiled this checklist to helpyou organize your end-of-season maintenance chores.(For more detailed informa-tion, refer to our FALL ‘95and FALL ‘96 issues.)
Before Haulout❐ Fill fuel tanks and add sta-bilizer or fungicide. Or leaveas empty as possible andadd a water absorber.❐ Before the last pumpout,add Shock Treat or similarproduct to descale head andhoses. ❐ Winterize head and hold-ing tank according toowner’s manuals.❐ Winterize fresh-water sys-tem: a) add non-toxicantifreeze. Turn on one tapat a time until antifreeze-col-ored water flows out, thenturn off. Repeat with eachtap; 2) or drain fresh-watersystem: Open all taps and lettank run dry, then disconnectwater lines at fresh-waterpump. ❐ Disconnect all water linesat the lowest points or blowwater out of the system usingcompressed air.❐ Winterize air conditioner,refrigerator, ice machine,deck washdown and anyother water-using equipment.❐ Drain shower sump andhot-water heater.❐ Strip the interior —remove all perishables, per-sonal items, all paper prod-
ucts. Remove any bottles orjars that can freeze.❐ Remove cushions and mat-tress or tip on side if leftonboard.❐ Remove electronics andstore in a warm, dry place.❐ Remove antennas and couplers, then spray exposedcable ends with a protectivelubricant and wrap with electrical tape.❐ Scrub the interior and drythoroughly. Spray a mildew-cide in drawers, cabinets,galley, sinks, head and show-er areas. ❐ Remove cockpit and fly-bridge covers, clean with amild detergent and store in adry place. ❐ Check condition of cradle.❐ Designate a storage placeashore for all your boat gear.
After Haulout❐ Power wash bottom. Washhull and deck. Be sure cock-pit scuppers drain freely.❐ Remove growth off shafts,struts, outdrives and trim tabs. ❐ Thoroughly check hull fordamage or blisters andinspect all external fittings.❐ Winterize engine andcooling system.❐ Winterize generator cool-ing system.❐ Remove all fresh- and sea-water pump impellers so theydon’t take a set.❐ Clean refrigerator or icebox using warm water andbaking soda.❐ Clean bilges, then pumpdry.❐ Wash lines — place in pil-lowcases in a washingmachine with cold water anda little detergent or soaklarge lines in a tub. ❐ Top up batteries, fullycharge and disconnect ifleaving on the boat. ❐ Check electrical connec-tions for corrosion and spray
with a moisture-displacinglubricant.❐ Empty cockpit lockers.Clean and spray with amildewcide.❐ Supply fresh air — leavehatches and ports open acrack, disconnect all hosesand open seacocks, slightlyopen oven and refrigeratordoors (or ice box lid), leaveopen all cabin and lockerdoors and lift up floorboardsto air the bilge.❐ Place packets of silica gelinside lockers and cabinets.❐ Apply a coat or two of var-nish or oil to brightwork.❐ Remove anything you wantto work on at home. ❐ Make a checklist of thingsto do before spring.
Optional❐ Cover boat, leaving endsopen for ventilation.❐ Wax hull and deck (except
non-skid). Buff now as somewaxes harden if left on andare difficult to remove.❐ Apply a coat of metal pol-ish to stanchions and all deck hardware.❐ Jack up trailer and securelyblock the frame.❐ Check fire extinguishers.❐ Inspect and lubricate sea-cocks, steering systems and allother moving parts.❐ Hand-wash sails in warmwater using a mild detergent,let dry thoroughly and store ina cool, dry place. ❐ Cover mast end and enginevents to prevent unwantednesting pests. ❐ Leave bottom hull cleaning for spring — algae and scumare often easier to remove ifleft over the winter to die anddry out.
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is reversed. The crane slings take theweight of the boat and the legs areunlocked, removed and then later dis-mantled for stowage on board, in thedock box or elsewhere. The legs dis-assemble into 1m-long (3’3”) sec-tions. We stow our legs in a cockpitseat locker and still have room tospare.
For boaters in tidal waters, thereare some added benefits to keeping
the legs on board. Should you hap-pen to ground on a falling tide andbe unable to kedge off, there’s noneed to panic — simply assembleyour legs, clip and lock them in posi-tion, adjust the length to suit your situ-ation and wait in a comfortableupright position for the return tide. Toensure the legs remain in a verticalposition, I attach fore and aft guylines to the foot pads and tie them offto a cleat on deck. When you needto scrub the boat or paint the bottom,beach the boat at high tide (don’t dothis during spring tides!) and attachthe legs. Wait until the keel rests firm-ly on the bottom, adjust the legs to
keep the boat upright and then tie offthe fore and aft lines to keep the legsvertical. Since the boat is upright,both sides of the bottom can be doneon the same tide, an improvementover the traditional method of havingto careen the boat first on one sideand then the other over two tides!
An upright boat also makes for adrier, more-comfortable stay onboard while you’re waiting for thereturn tide. When the boat refloatsjust untie the guy lines and detachand stow the legs and you’re fin-ished.
How strong is the system? OurYacht Legs are made of heavy-walled
case that was 7°. After several mea-surements, the padded T-bar spacerrod was cut to size and tested for therequired angle. We installed our legswhile the boat was in the water, butthe final leg-length adjustment wasdone during haulout.
Will this system work on yourboat? That depends on the type ofkeel you have, the way it attaches tothe boat and whether or not it cantake the full weight of the boat withthe mast in place. Units are availablefor boats with a maximum weight of3 tons up to 25 tons. This system hasbeen successfully installed on a C&C44 fin keel and Jeanneau 32 at myclub, in addition to my Corbin.
Janis Priedkalns spends his summerscruising the Great Lakes in Simmerdim,a Corbin 39 he built from a kit. Hemanages an electronics service busi-ness based in Markham, Ont.
(Left) The “leg” sits snugly against thehull at a 7° angle on the Corbin 39.(Top) Closeup of the upper leg assemblyshows the key and split ring lockingmechanism and adjustable wheel for finetuning.
Buying InfoTo find out if your boat can befitted wih Yacht Legs, contactthe manufacturer directly. (TheYacht Leg Company, DuttonsFarm, Bangors Rd. S., IverHeath, Bucks SL0 0AY; Tel:UK+44(0) 1753-655145,Fax: UK+44(0) 1753-630517.) Legs are built on asemi-custom basis; in order toreceive a price quotation andinstallation advice, you’ll needto supply a photograph orscale drawing of your hullwith full details about theboat’s construction and dis-placement. Yacht Legs aresold in pairs with all the neces-sary parts and fittings to com-plete the installation. Prices inpounds range from £295 forlegs that expand to 1.37m(4’6”) to £625 for 2.9m-long(9’6”) legs.
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aircraft-grade aluminum tubing andstainless-steel fittings. The hull fitting isa strong casting with two 15cm(5/8”) stainless-steel threaded rodslocked into the casting that boltsthrough the hull with wooden backingplates on the inside. Sealant is notrequired as the manufacturer suppliesgasket material that’s used betweenthe casting and the hull.
The legs do not need to beplaced amidships; if your boat has atendency to tip forward when restingon its keel, they can be installed for-ward of the midships position. A tem-plate gauge is provided to determinethe correct angle of the legs. In my
hose is short — too shortfor tanks onboats.Attachingthe footpump ver-ticallyagainst abulkheadat whatever height is convenient tothe tank, lets you pump it by hand.Keep a pressure-release tip handy.Better yet, put a couple of spares ina plastic bag and tape the bag tothe back of the tank.
MovableHeatIf your boatdoesn’thave roomfor a fixed
heater, afew optionscan helpchase the chill.
A basic wick-burning kerosene
lamp (trawler style or hurricanelantern) gives heat as well as light.Or try a pressurized kerosene lamp— it throws a lot of heat. Placethem as low as possible so you’llbe able to feel the rising heat. For
smaller boats, an alcohol-fueledsmall portable heater (i.e. the OrigoHeat Pal) can serve double duty as asingle-burner cookstove.
David and Zora Aiken are theauthors of Good Boatkeeping andGood Cruising published byInternational Marine. The books arecompilations of hundreds of practi-cal boating tips acquired from near-ly 22 years living afloat. The Aikenscurrently live aboard a 1963 10.5m(35’) Chris-Craft sloop, Atelier,berthed in Mathews, Virginia.
By David & Zora Aiken
Cockpit GlowLightsA gimbaled oil lamp(the bulkhead-mount-ed type with a canis-ter base and glasschimney) can be liftedfrom its bracket andtaken outside to pro-vide soft lighting in thecockpit. The weightedbase will keep the lightupright in normal cir-cumstances, but if you’rein a rolly anchorage, secure thebase to prevent spilled oil or a splin-tered chimney.
A camper’s candle lantern alsooffers good light for cockpit parties.The smallest one (just a few incheshigh) will hardly interfere with star-watching or skyline-gazing.
Traveling LightsBoat interiors are noted for theirabundance of oddly shapedspaces, many of which areeither hidden or heavily shad-owed. For the occasionalneed to lighten up suchspaces, permanent wiring isunnecessary. Keep a small, bat-tery-operated portable fluorescentlight handy. Use one of the flexi-ble-handled lights to reach aroundcurves and into corners. Forengine work and other chores thatrequire two hands, try using ahead lamp, such as the PelicanVersaBrite (see review in“Dockside,” 1997-#2 issue).
Heat HelpersRegardless of how your bulkhead-
mounted cabin heater is fueled, theinstallation can be improved with afew add-ons.
Put ceramic tile on the bulkheadbehind the heater. It adds a safety
factor, retains some heat andcan even look good. Break upsome tiles and rearrange theminto whatever design appeals toyou. Fill in all the spacesbetween the tile pieces withgrout.You can prevent singed fingersand elbows by adding a nar-row safety shield in front of the
heater. Attach a bendable metalband about 5cm (2”) in front of
the heater. Curve the band tomatch the shape of the heater. Ifyou’ve added tile and must drillinto it to attach the band, usea masonry bit to avoid unnec-essary cursing.
If your heater is fueled bykerosene, you can pressurizethe tank by using either a hand
pump or foot pump (the kind usedfor bicycle tires). The foot pump issmall and easy to use, but its air
