Boat Maintenance

Testers evaluated sandability, resistance to sag, cure time, and adhesion using sample fiberglass panels with 3-by-3-inch test swatches. The fairing compounds were applied and cured in temperatures ranging from the low 60s to the mid-80s. Each test was repeated three times, and the results were averaged. The shaping test involved closely timed periods of even sanding using a block sander and new sheets of 80-grit sandpaper. Testers observed each materials tendency to clog the sandpaper, and measured the volume of accumulated dust after four minutes of sanding.

Epoxy fillers can be used to fix surface imperfections or for reshaping appendages like keels and rudders to make them more efficient. The smaller the surface imperfection, the less viscous the fairing compound should be. When filling deeper holes or voids, check the manufacturers recommended thickness per application. It may take two or more coats to achieve the necessary thickness. Applying filler too thickly can cause it to sag or will result in an incomplete cure.

One of the more popular uses for fairing compounds is for shaping underwater appendages like keels and rudders so they are more efficient. Adjusting the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) profile, or airfoil shape, of a fin keel or rudder can create more lift to enhance windward performance. Altering the trailing edge can yield similar improvements.

Ive had a bunch of friends troubleshooting battery issues lately. It would be really nice to have a chart that shows the battery voltage at rest and charging voltages for bulk/acceptance/float for lead/acid (flooded cells), gel cells, and AGMs.

Our 20-year-old Ideal windlass seemed a bit wimpy last fall, so we pulled it and took it back to the Ideal (www.idealwindlass.com) factory in Rhode Island for a rebuild. What a place! It looks like a set for a Charles Dickens movie. However, the work is great, and the windlass now seems to work as good as when it was new. The work was on time, and the cost was about a 10th of the price of a new one.

If you have a handheld NAMMO LIAB AB orange smoke distress signal onboard or in any of your ditch kits, remove it immediately. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) recently announced that it has withdrawn its approval for the smoke signal, and it is now considered a Do Not Use product by the Coast Guard. According to a USCG safety alert, the manufacturer changed the signals chemical makeup in October 2013, without Coast Guard approval, and the current signal might spontaneously combust when dropped.

The news editor was old-school, skeptical of almost everything, so I was surprised when she dropped an envelope on my desk postmarked Fort Collins, Colo. Hurricane season forecast, she said. Make some sense out of it. Hes either lucky as hell, or knows something that the rest of us don't.

How much load does a keel bolt or a winch through-bolt put on a hull or a deck? How thick should the laminate be at these bolt holes? How big of a backing plate is needed?

The true test of marine gear is not whether it works when installed, but rather how it functions after years in the field. To that end, we have left samples of sewing materials and sewn test samples in the sun, wind, rain, and snow for two years, and have also sailed with sewn samples in service on our test boat.

Weve sewn our fair share of eyes in nylon webbing, but heres an easy no-sew alternative for creating a webbing strap with a buckle (shackle) that can be used for easily lashing down the dinghy, a battery, or even holding up your pants in a pinch. It is based on stuff a sailor has on hand-webbing, a chain link, and a shackle-and is as strong as professionally sewn ends, plus it can be untied after loading. It has tested at greater than 85-percent breaking strength and 100 percent of minimum rate strength, and it works on both nylon and ultra-high strength materials like Vectran webbing.