Boat Maintenance

Many of Practical Sailors tests move from the lab (workshop/garage/driveway) to our fleet of test boats, where we can evaluate the top products in real-world conditions over the long haul. These long-term tests can last from two to 10 years, and we try to offer occasional updates on their status, when its warranted.

To protect the fixed and soft-vinyl windows aboard our PDQ 32 test boat, we have a combination of snap-on canvas covers and awnings, along with the two Outland Hatch Covers were testing. After the success we had using the Outland Hatch Covers PVC covers, we wanted to install more of them, but the cruising kitty could not bear the cost, so we sought a do-it-yourself solution.

I read the September 2015 article about algae control and thought the Clorox Pool and Spa Algae Eliminator would be just the thing to clean an old North Norlam sail (Mylar/polyester laminate) that came with my boat and is very discolored with mold. I used a two-gallon pump sprayer and soaked both sides of the sail with the articles suggested 2-percent solution. I noted that the bottle did not make as much solution as I expected; I determined that the posted dilution was incorrect. It should actually have been 0.2 percent, which PS later confirmed.

In regard to your article on freeing seized hardware (see PS January 2016 online), Ive found Kano Kroil (www.kanolabs.com) to be very effective, and I keep it on the boat. In a Practical Machinist website post (www.practicalmachinist.com) on penetrating oils, Kroil was reportedly the second best solution, after a homebrew mix of automatic transmission fluid (ATF) and acetone. Theres also a good discussion on penetrating oils in the Cruisers Forum (www.cruisersforum.com) titled Penetrating oil for old bolts/studs on exhaust manifold. I recommend readers interested in penetrating oils also check these out.

I want to give praise to Doug Miller at Milltech Marine (www.milltechmarine.com), a supplier of everything related to AIS. For several years, I have used one of their AIS receivers hardwired to a small chartplotter. Recently, I wanted to upgrade to be able to send the AIS signals via Wi-Fi to my laptop. A few people suggested that Milltech had a dongle that would transmit the AIS data to my laptop, so I purchased the rather inexpensive unit. Being not very computer savvy, I couldnt get the thing to work, so I called Doug for help.

A year from now, Practical Sailor will be reporting on sacrificial anodes, both zinc and aluminum, and how they performed in the salt waters of south Florida and the brackish waters of Chesapeake Bay. Sacrificial anodes are used to protect a sailboats exterior components from galvanic corrosion, a process during which more noble, cathodic metals like stainless steel cause less noble, anodic metals like aluminum to be eaten away by corrosion as they lose electrons.

I want to build a stainless-steel water-lift muffler for my boat. The muffler will have a 2-inch inlet/outlet for a 15-horsepower OMC saildrive. What should the distance be from the bottom inside floor to the bottom of the outlet exhaust pipe?

Our recent report on synthetic-teak decking options (see PS December 2015) raised a bit of a ruckus among the contenders in what is an extremely competitive market. The main bone of contention was our reported temperatures of the various materials after they were left in the sun. Several manufacturers reported that the temperatures we listed in the table accompanying the article were not consistent with their own findings.

Anyone thats ever hopped on a Jacobs ladder at a fall festival can relate to the feeling of the rope-attached steps swaying wildly from side to side under your weight. Suspended boat-boarding steps can inspire that same unsteady feeling. Ascending the steps, which curve in along the chines of a boat, can throw a climbers center of gravity backward, away from the hull-possibly sending the climber into the drink.

Replacing the roller-furling control line is an easy do-it-yourself job for the boat owner. Inexpensive, double-braid Dacron is a fine choice for furling lines on most boats shorter than 40 feet. On longer boats, you can opt for a furling-line material of more esoteric double-braids with less stretch. However, any line smaller than 3/8-inch diameter is too difficult to grip.