Boat Maintenance

For this comparison of synthetic teak options, our first concern was ease of installation. The manufacturer typically carries out the hardest part-welding the panels together to achieve the correct dimensions. The ease of gluing our test panels to a simulated fiberglass deck was similar for all five test products. The difficulty of your own project will depend on how much work the manufacturer does in terms of measuring, assembling, and fitting the panels.

The holidays are upon us, and for those who are still working on a holiday gift list, here are a few ideas for fun, practical, and nautical stocking stuffers.

I cannot eliminate the smell of diesel fuel from my boat. The previous owner had a fuel leak that soaked the wood under the fuel tank. The tank has since been fixed, but the odor remains. Any advice?

Vanderbilt University is offering a free online course in celestial navigation fundamentals. The course-developed in collaboration with PS Technical Editor Ralph Naranjo, made possible by the Blended & Online Learning Design (BOLD) Fellows Program, and hosted by Vanderbilt-covers the basics for completing a sight reduction form to obtain a line of position (LOP). Using videos and an online worksheet, the course includes an overview of celestial navigation (astronav) concepts, the mechanics of plotting an LOP, and examples of using a sight reduction forms to obtain values to plot the LOP of a celestial body. According to Vanderbilt, this course serves to address the lack of widely available instruction in celestial navigation.

We recently purchased a Webasto Airtop 3900 do-it-yourself (DIY) kit from Defender Industries. The instructions were very comprehensive, and the installation and product work exactly as they should, which typically would lead me to recommend this as a great DIY product. The issue, however, came when we tried to register the product for warranty.

Just wanted to give a big two thumbs-up to Taylor Made Products (www.taylormadeproducts.com). I had purchased a large-diameter buoy online, and the vendor twice sent me one with a small hole. After the second attempt, I was told I could only get a refund. After a quick call to Taylor Made and a pleasant conversation with Amanda in their customer service department, a replacement was at my house quicker than the original order had been delivered. What had become a frustrating ordeal (large buoys not that easy to repack and return) became one of those increasingly rare moments of satisfaction from a company that really wants to build and sell a great product. Quality is worth the price.

Fueling a boat has never been as easy as fueling a car. Spills-exacerbated by poorly designed fill pipes and vents-are common. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated the fill and vent requirements on boats to prevent these spills, but they only apply to new gasoline-powered boats. New jerry cans designed to prevent spills and comply with new emission standards arent making things easier. Most are hard to control and slow during filling, spill prone, and break after limited use.

Looking for gift ideas for the sailors on your holiday gift list (or to add to your wishlist)? Here are some that will please a variety of budgets and sailors.

[IMGCAP(1)] If you have a sailing-photography enthusiast on your holiday gift list-or are like us, and simply enjoy the pleasure of poring over beautiful photographs of the sailing life-then check out these stunning coffee-table books that recently came across our desks. Yachting: A Visual Celebration of Sailing Past and Present (Adlard Coles, 2015, $23), written by Olivier Le Carrer, and Nic Comptons The Anatomy of Sail: The Yacht Dissected and Explained (Adlard Coles, 2015, $39, $20 Kindle)…

Weve noticed an odor and a buildup of caked-on solids in the holding tank. My thought is to fill the holding tank with fresh water and the right additive, then let that slosh around underway, and then pump it out. What do you suggest for an additive?