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Changing Engine Oil - Don Casey Battery Chargers Double-Check Boating Equipment Midsummer Boat Maintenance Tips	Buying a Starter Boat Fuel Filters - Gas & Water Never Mix Who Needs to Winterize?

Changing Engine Oil
by Don Casey

Engine manufacturers typically recommend an oil change every 100 hours, and at least once a year. Even if your engine manual allows for a longer interval between oil changes, changing the oil more often will extend the life of the engine.

One hundred engine hours between oil changes is fine for gasoline engines, but diesel engines are much harder on their lubrication. You should change the oil in a diesel engine about every 50 hours. The shorter interval is especially important for sailors who use their engines for only an hour or two per outing. Dirty oil sitting idle becomes destructive to the internal surfaces of the engine. If your boat will be idle for a while-over the winter, for example-it is imperative to remove the contaminated oil and fill the engine with clean oil.

Unfortunately regular oil changes are more often the exception rather than the rule, mainly because changing the oil in a boat engine can be a difficult and messy job. While it takes only a minute to drain the oil from an automobile engine, the oil drain plug in a boat is most often either out of reach or non-existent. Click HEre to Read More on Changing Engine Oil

Battery Chargers
from BoatUS BoatTECH Guides

If you own a small boat and you only need battery power at dockside intermittently for things like lights and bilge pumps, an SCR (silicone-controlled rectifier) charger may work best for you. It varies its charge to keep your battery at a constant 13.4 volts. The ones we carry are fully automatic and have multiple charging capabilities.

Live-aboards and larger boats with many 12-volt accessories usually have ferro-resonant chargers that put out 12 volts continuously to keep up with constant power demands. Ours are fully automatic, self-regulating, and ruggedly built to give many years of dependable service.

Experts agree that the best way to replace the energy you consume from your boat's batteries is through a controlled, multi-stage process. Both conventional lead-acid (flooded) batteries and gel cells will charge faster and last longer if they are charged in distinct phases that take into account their chemical and physical complexities. The recommended three-stage charging process works as follows:

1. Bulk Stage: This first stage provides a constant amperage bulk charge of 25-40% of the battery's capacity (in amp hours, Ah) up to about 14.4 volts (14.2 for gel cells). This bulk charge will restore about 75% of the battery's total capacity. It takes less time than tapering chargers, like ferro-resonant and SCR chargers, because the smart charger delivers greater current to the batteries which can accept greater current loads when they are discharged.

2. Absorption Stage: The remaining 25% of capacity is restored at a decreasing rate. Maintaining the battery at 14.4 volts (14.2 for gel), the amperage is steadily reduced. The battery is considered fully charged when it will accept only 2-4% of its amp-hour capacity at 14.4 volts.

3. Float Phase: The charge amperage has declined to 2-4% of the battery's capacity, and voltage drops to 13.5 (13.8 for gel cells). This maintains the battery without losing electrolyte from gassing.

4. Equalization: Applies to lead-acid batteries only. This fourth, manually triggered stage prevents lead-acid batteries from aging prematurely by applying a small, constant current until the battery reaches 16 volts, which dissolves the hardened lead sulfate crystals on the battery plates and prolongs battery life.

Click Here to Read More About Battery Chargers

Anglers Start YOUR Engines: Buying a Starter Boat
By John Neporadny Jr., Courtesy of BassClubDigest

Anyone looking to buy their first bass boat should consider joining a bass club.

After all, what better opportunity does a novice angler have to take test rides and actually get to fish in a variety of brands and sizes of bass boats? During my earliest non-boater days in the Eldon Bass Club, I got the chance to fish in every major brand of bass boat ranging in sizes from 15 1/2- to 19 feet and through these experiences I formed an idea of what would be a good starter boat for me.

“If they are fairly new to bass fishing, they are usually fishing with some of their friends in the club, so they are getting to know what their needs are as far as length of the boat and horsepower of the motor,” said Wesley Dawson, owner of Dawson Marine in Beaumont, Texas. The boat dealer works closely with bass clubs in his area by sponsoring club events and allowing club members to hold their meetings at the dealership.
Click Here to Read More about Buying a Starter Boat

Fuel Filters - Gas and Water Never Mix
from the pages of BoatUS Trailering Magazine

When Dr. Nikolaus Otto built the first gasoline engine in 1876, it quickly became apparent the fuel he used was going to have to be filtered before it got into the engine. A few years later, Rudolph Diesel realized the same thing when he invented a variation of Otto's idea. Fuel filtering has been around for a long time

.

Here's why having a water separator on your fuel filter is so important now: Because gasoline (at the top of the glass) is lighter than water (at the bottom of the glass) and because the chemical makeup of ethanol attracts water (through condensation as well as poor fuel storage facilities), water has a good chance of getting into the fuel system. (opposite page) This Racor filter has a clear bowl at the bottom allowing you to easily see if water is in the fuel supply. This filter has a drain plug allowing the water to be easily removed.

Enter ethanol, the mix of 90% gasoline and 10% alcohol created from distilled cornstarch that is now common at your gas station and at marinas throughout the United States. It's the first step, and a somewhat awkward one at that, toward less dependence on oil. It has changed the way we look at fuel systems.

"Now more than ever before, a boat owner needs a good fuel filter and water separator on board," says Robin MacDonald of Racor, a leading manufacturer of marine filters. "We used to say, change the filter at least once a year. Now we say change it twice a year, more if you are on the water a lot. And always carry a spare."

"Now more than ever before, a boat owner needs a good fuel filter and water separator on board," says Robin MacDonald of Racor, a leading manufacturer of marine filters. "We used to say, change the filter at least once a year. Now we say change it twice a year, more if you are on the water a lot. And always carry a spare."

If your boat is out of the water right now, most agree the fuel filter/water separator should have been changed. Check your engine manufacturer recommendations but most suggest filling the tank about 95% full (including a fuel stabilizer) with ethanol and don't close the vents in an effort to keep water out because fuel needs to expand with temperature changes and a closed vent has the potential of being dangerous.

Double-Check Boating Equipment to Avoid a "First Trip of the Year" Nightmare
by Lee McClellan

Frankfort, Kentucky – Now that we are in the first truly warm weeks of the year, it is easy for people to overlook some things in their haste to get their boat on the water.  Over the years, I've learned from personal experience about checking your boat and trailer before launching it for the first time of the year.

A few years ago, for example, my wife, a friend and I went to Herrington Lake to bass fish. I idled our boat just across the lake from Bryant's Camp boat ramp when I felt an unsettling coldness on my feet and ankles.

Six inches of Herrington Lake flooded the floor of the boat. We were sinking. I quickly fired up the motor and beached my boat on the ramp. We put the boat back on the trailer and let the water run out of the hole where the plug used to be.

Water poured out of the hole like a garden hose. Other anglers at the ramp could hardly launch their boats from laughing. Some walked by our boat with tears in their eyes, shaking their heads and chuckling.            

After all the water was gone, I put in a spare plug I had on board, screwed it down, and pulled as hard as I could. It didn't budge. We launched again and went on to catch several respectable largemouth bass that day.

The problem stemmed from a swollen gasket around the old plug. After a late winter trout fishing trip to the Dix River, I had removed the plug and tossed it into the recessed compartment in the stern of the boat. There it had swollen from contact with some spilled gas and oil.

The plug had not fully seated because of the swollen gasket. I thought the plug didn't feel quite right when I put it in, but I was too excited to get the boat in the water on the warmest day of that year. Water pressure and movement quickly dislodged it after we launched.

This taught me the importance of always carrying a spare plug on my boat. Before you take out your boat this year, first inspect the plug each spring to see if the rubber gasket is dry rotted, cracked or swollen. Periodically check the plug's snugness before launching.

A few years ago, I was on a friend's boat while fishing for smallmouth bass on Lake Cumberland. We hadn't fished long when I heard gurgling. I looked over and saw water gushing through the vent in the middle of the floor. It looked like Uncle Jed's black gold discovery on the opening credits of the “Beverly Hillbillies” television show. My buddy quickly fired the motor and we made our way back to the ramp.

The culprit was a broken housing on the livewell's intake pump, which allowed water to seep into the hull. If a boat has a livewell, inspect the outside housing of the intake pump for cracks or other damage. Inspect the seal around this housing for dry rot.

A similar incident happened one summer night on Laurel River Lake. The boat felt funny and I heard squishing when I walked. We were taking on water from a crushed pump intake housing. After a trip to the ramp, we jury-rigged a patch with plastic sandwich bags and went back to fishing. I never really relaxed that night, however, until we pulled the boat out of the water.

On another occasion, a friend and I were driving home from a smallmouth bass fishing trip at Lake Cumberland. An explosion erupted behind us and we swayed all over the highway. After some scary moments, we managed to stop on the shoulder of the road. The tire on the boat trailer had blown out.

Many trailers have a carpeted piece of marine-grade plywood on the inside of the wheel well, to protect the boat from rocks and other highway debris. This piece of wood had shaken loose and lodged in the wheel well, causing the blowout. It was no fun putting a boat and trailer on a small hydraulic jack at 10:30 p.m. along the side of a busy parkway, trying to dislodge this hunk of rotted wood to put on the spare.

Inspect this piece of wood to make sure the screws or bolts are still secure and the wood isn't rotten. This wood gets soaked every time you launch and retrieve and it is easy to overlook its maintenance.

Don't make the mistakes I've made through the years. Take the extra time to check the boat plug, the livewell intakes and the condition of the trailer components. This will make the first boating trip of the year an enjoyable one, not a nightmare.

Lee McClellan is an award-winning writer for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing.

Who Needs to Winterize?
Courtesy of Seaworthy Magazine - The BoatUS Marine Insurance and Damage Avoidance Report

Of all 50 states, which would you guess had the most freeze-related claims? New York? Maine? Michigan? Guess again. An examination of the BoatUS Marine Insurance claim files found that balmy California had more winterizing claims than any other state, including any of the “deep freeze” states. While winters may be much colder in the deep-freeze states, the bitter temperatures are a fact of life and preparations for winter are taken very seriously. But in the more temperate states, like California, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia, winter tends to be relatively comfortable in most areas with only an occasional cold spell. And if the forecasts aren't taken seriously, they can do a lot of damage.

Storage Ashore - In some parts of the country, where winter means several months of bitterly cold weather, storing boats ashore is the norm. In warmer climates, however, ice and snow may occur infrequently, and the choice between storage ashore and storage in the water is open to discussion.

Storage in the water means you might get a jump on the boating season next spring. On the other hand, boats stored ashore (on high ground) won't sink. If you have a choice, storage ashore is a safer bet. Storage ashore may also be less expensive over the life of a boat, since a hull surrounded by air for several months each winter is less likely to develop blisters than a hull that remains in the water. These blisters, the fiberglass equivalent of rot, occur on many boats when water soaks into the laminate below the waterline.

Storage in the Water - If the boat must be left in the water, the thru-hulls have to be protected by closing all seacocks and gate valves. Leaving a thru-hull unprotected over the winter is like going on an extended vacation and leaving your home's front door open. Failure to close thru-hulls is a major cause of loss in the BoatUS insurance program. In a recent study of 40 winter-related claims, seacocks or gate valves left open caused or contributed to the sinking of seven of the boats in the sample group. It should be noted that raising and refurbishing a boat that sinks, even at a dock, is a daunting job that can keep the boat in the repair yard for many weeks over the spring and summer.

Whenever a boat is stored in the water over the winter, all thru-hulls, with the exception of the ones for cockpit drains, must be closed or it could be on the bottom next spring. And all thru-hulls, especially the ones for the cockpit drains, must be double-clamped with stainless steel hose clamps at each end. This is critical. When water freezes it expands and will lift a poorly secured hose off of a fitting. The hose itself is also important. Lightweight hose and PVC tubing can rupture or crack. Use only a heavily reinforced hose, especially at cockpit drains.

If your boat has thru-hulls below the waterline that can't be closed, either because they are mechanically frozen open or have broken (typical with gate valves, which is why they are not recommended), it should be stored ashore for the winter. 

Click Here to for More Info about Winterizing Inboard and Outboard Engines, Antifreeze, Transmissions, Fuel Tanks, Water Pumps, Trailers and more

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Midsummer Boat Maintenance Tips

Seaworthy, the newsletter from BoatUS that helps boaters and anglers prevent damage to their vessels, recently looked into some of the more common reasons for on-the-water boat troubles that occur mid-season.

"Preventive maintenance will help you avoid the headaches and keep your crew or fishing buddies comfortable and safe," says Seaworthy Editor Bob Adriance. "So going over the boat's systems in the spring is very important. But now after a couple months of use, it's time to look at things again. A midsummer check-up will ensure you make it back to home port without a problem."

Here are some midsummer maintenance tips for both power and sailboats:

- Through-hulls: Make a thorough check around any below-the-waterline hole or opening. Check all through-hulls for leaks and cycle seacocks to ensure they close properly. If it?s hard to move the handle, make a note to service it next time the boat is out of the water. Any hose clamps should be tight and hose ends secure. A bilge pump cycle counter is a simple upgrade and the best early warning system that unwanted water is coming aboard.

- Engine belts: For inboard engines, look in areas near the belts checking for evidence of black dust - a sure sign that engine pulleys need to be realigned and the belt replaced. Push on the longest run of the belt ? it should not deflect more than one half inch.

- Engine hoses: Squeeze coolant and fuel hoses with your hands, looking for softness, cracks or bulges. Replace any that are suspect. Wiggle the ends to ensure they are secure and inspect for any possible chafing issues in the engine compartment.

- Sterndrives: Inspect the folds in the bellows and replace if they show signs of cracking.

- Sacrificial zincs and anodes: A wasted zinc is a sure sign of trouble, possibly stray current at the dock. Ensure all zincs are no less than half gone ? and replace them now if they are.

- Control cables: Look for chafe, splits or swelling of the plastic jacket - a sure sign the cable needs replacement.

- Outboard engine mounts: Smaller engines can sometimes vibrate loose, so re-tighten clamps and ensure the cut-off switch is operable.

- Hydraulic steering system and trim tabs: Ensure reservoirs are full. If you have to add fluid, there is leak that must be fixed immediately.

- Batteries and electrical system: Dead batteries are often nothing more than corroded connections - sandpaper can easily clean them up. With conventional batteries check water levels and add if necessary. Inspect cables and wiring for chafe, especially wherever they may pass through a bulkhead.

- Shorepower cable: Look for burn marks on the plug ends and the connection to the boat. Replace both the plug and receptacle immediately if you find any.

- Head: If your boat has a flushing toilet and its handle is getting hard to operate, you?ve likely got calcium buildup. Pour a cup of vinegar into bowl pumping only once or twice. Let it sit for one night before flushing with one-fourth cup of mineral oil.

- On deck: Old, stiff, or chafed dock lines should be replaced. Also check anchor line and chain shackles and any splices.

- Sailboats only: Look for any broken strands on standing rigging. You can find them by running a loose rag up the rigging, which will snag on any broken ends. Cracked swages are an indicator for immediate replacement. Contact a rigger if you suspect a problem. Running rigging also needs to be looked at ? especially the roller furling line.

- Trailers: Inspect bearings and ensure they are well packed with grease. Hydraulic brake reservoirs should be full. Lastly, check the tires for wear and ensure lugs are tight.

For more information about damage avoidance on your boat check out Seaworthy Magazine.

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