Boat Maintenance

Practical Sailor found that the full brightness that LEDs offer, coupled with a huge energy savings, a wide tolerance to voltage changes, and a very long expected lifespan, make LED a great alternative to incandescent lights for masthead tri-color. The tradeoff is the considerable heft of the price tag. Practical Sailor tested LED tri-color lanterns from Orca Green Marine (OGM), Signal Mate, and Lopolight. We also evaluated LED tricolor bulbs designed to replace those in the popular Aqua Signal Series 40 tri-color light. Those were bulbs from Lunasea, Dr. LED, and LED Shop.

Over the years, I’ve heard various timeframes for when to replace standing rigging, but I’ve never seen any empirical data to back up those recommendations. It would be very informative to know from a metallurgical/metal failure point of view estimated lifespans of the average wire used for standing rigging.

Practical Sailor applied dozens of liquid boat waxes to fiberglass test panels in 2009 to determine which was easiest to apply and was the best for long-term protection of a fiberglass boat. The panels were set out to suffer in the Florida weather for six months, when testers checked in on them to see which waxes still had a gloss and which could still bead water. Topping the marine wax test field in their respective categories were products from Star brite, Cajun Shine All, Collinite, 3M, Nu Finish, Yacht Brite, and West Marine Pure Oceans,. Testers’ top picks for a shiny hull that lasts and is protected from UV damage were the 3M Scotchgard Marine Liquid Wax and Star brite’s Premium Marine Polish.

From gut-wrenching novels to marine maintenance manuals, lessons in boatie Spanish, a sailor’s cookbook, an anchoring handbook, and a new twist on an old classic—here are a few sailing books we’ve plucked from the Practical Sailor library to help get us through the winter. The reading list includes the Annotated Sailing Alone (Rod Scher / Joshua Slocum), the Motion of the Ocean (Janna Esarey), Ten Degrees of Reckoning (Dr. Hester Rumberg), and the Outboard Motors and Marine Diesel Engines maintenance and repair manuals.

The January 2010 issue of Practical Sailor features letters on such subjects as: orbital polishers, seasickness, MOB technology and heads.

The new line, Scotch Tough Duct Tapes, includes: a new No Residue tape, said to handle temps up to 200 degrees, that can be left on for up to six months without leaving a sticky mess behind; an Extreme Hold tape, which uses a double-layer adhesive for a better grip that wont fail under pressure; a Heavy-duty All-Weather tape designed for long-term (even permanent) exterior repairs that 3M claims will stand up to UV and moisture without cracking or peeling; and Outdoor Painters Clean Removal tape, which is marketed as a paint pros choice for high adhesion, waterproof backing, and clean removal for up to two weeks. The line also touts the first-ever transparent duct tape for "invisible" repairs.

Sight is the mariners most important sense, and tools that enhance visual acuity can be worth their weight in gold. Leicas newest addition to its line of premium-priced, high-quality optics delivers brilliant viewing-and at $2,200 costs nearly its weight in gold-but for the sailor preferring an uncompromising pair of binoculars, the German-made Ultravid 7x42 HD is a navigators dream. Although they lack a compass, they do afford camera-lens quality resolution and their low-light gathering ability is truly astounding. The ergonomic two finger-focus adjuster, water-tight armored coating, and extendable eye cups round out their superior design.

Exterior wood finishes-including one-part varnishes, two-part varnishes, synthetics, sealers and stains, and teak oils-were evaluated one year after application. Testers rated the wood finishes on ease of application, the integrity of the gloss and appearance, and how they fared over the 12-month period during which they were exposed to Florida sun and weather. Testers looked at color retention and gloss retention. After a year, 20 of the original 22 one-part varnishes were still performing well, and all six of the original two-part varnishes remained in the running. Varnish alternatives like teak oils and teak sealers struggled to make the 12-month cut, but the Cetol-coated panels still looked good. Products that were doing well 12 months after application included Interlux Cetol Marine and Cetol Marine Light, both with the clear gloss overcoat; Pettit Clear High Gloss and Pettit Wood Finish; Interlux Perfection; and Nautiking NautiThane.

I have a Pearson Ensign 1962 now at a slip in New Rochelle, N.Y. This season marked the first time we had the luxury of keeping our boat at a slip. In order to maneuver through the marinas byways without worrying, I bought a 24-volt Minn Kota outboard (80 pounds of thrust) and two 12-volt batteries, which I hook up in series. Not only am I able to stop start, turn, etc., in the marina, but-to my surprise-in the calm sound water, I can nip along at about 3-4 mph with myself, two crew, and the 3,000-pound boat. The result is that Ive only used my 5-horsepower Mercury outboard once this year. My electric outboard doesn't stall; it has variable speed like no ones business; reverses with relative ease, and is less expensive-though more cluttered-than the self-contained electric outboards you recently reviewed. Am I part of a growing trend or just weird? If the former then it might be worthwhile testing electric outboards for boats my size (22.5 feet) and commenting on their applicability.

To keep from being pulled under in a collision between a tanker and my sailboat, I "pulled the ripcord" to release the snap shackle on my Standard West Marine Safety Tether . The tether release lanyard was outfitted with a series of balls. (See bottom photo at right.) I had rehearsed reaching for and feeling the release toggle many times so it would come naturally in an emergency. The balls have a distinct feel. There was nothing on my PFD or foul-weather jacket that resembled them. The replacement tether I bought from West Marine (ISAF Specification Safety Tether, No. 9553504) has a new toggle on the snap-shackle release lanyard that consists of an open triangle of plastic. This is dangerous, in my opinion! In my first few hours of using the new tether, in moderate sea conditions, I managed to snag the triangular loop on something and release the snap shackle. I am now replacing all triangular loop pulls with bead pulls that I have crafted myself.