Boat Maintenance

Careful readers of Practical Sailor may note an obvious shortage of grumpy old men scratching their heads over sailing gear in this months issue. We have contributing editor David Gill brewing a variety of cleaning acids on page 27 ("Boat Bath"), but most of the articles are illustrated primarily with photos of boats, sailing gear, and perhaps most notably, women. In John Spiers power tools report on page 31, we have his wife, Kerri Spier, aloft and handling one of his recommended cordless tools, a Makita angle drill. And in our analysis of the new Torqeedo electric outboard on page 18, we have Associate Editor Ann Key enduring a South Florida bake-athon and waiting for the battery to peter out. And in our test of remote microphones on page 13, instead of the familiar mug of our electronics guru Al Herum, we have his more photogenic girlfriend, Patti Schrader demonstrating the function of the Standard Horizon unit.

I want to be able to tell how discharged my batteries are in order to maintain them properly (not let them discharge below 50 percent of their capacity). Im dealing with deep-discharge batteries ("house" and for trolling motors). Relying on sources such as Nigel Calders books, Im told that the approximate voltages corresponding to 100 percent, 75 percent, 50 percent, 25 percent, and 0 percent of a batterys capacity are 12.65 volts, 12.45 volts, 12.25 volts, 12.1 volts, and 11.9 volts, respectively. However, contradicting those figures, the standard for measuring ampere-hours (Ah) is based on how long it takes a battery, providing a standard flow of current, to drop to 10.5 volts. This would mean that the battery is 1.4 volts lower than when its considered discharged to 0 percent (according to Calder). Whats the difference in meaning between the 11.9 and 10.5 volts?

This round of testing included familiar wood protection products like Interluxs Cetol Marine and Marine Light , West Marines WoodPro Plus, WoodPlus Marine, Amazons Teak Lustre, Aces Wood Royal stains, and Deks Olje stains. Products new to our tests were Teak Guard, TeaQua, and Interluxs Cetol Marine Natural Teak. Picking the best marine wood coating for your boat largely depends on your needs, your taste, and your patience. Synthetic coatings and stains are the perfect prescription for the average sailor who wants a product that looks good and protects well, without the fuss of more traditional coatings and without the knee-bruising cleaning teak oils require. They wont have the classic look of a meticulously applied hard varnish-and in our opinion, the jurys still out on whether theyre as durable as two-part varnishes-but for ease of application, no other type of wood coating can compare.

This update to our continuous bottom paint test takes a look at four sets of paint panels from two locations (Long Island Sound and a south Florida saltwater canal). One set was dunked in 2006, and the other in 2005. The paints run the gamut as far as type-from hard antifouling coatings to ablative to white and bright to those with anti-slime additives. Products from the top brands were included-Interlux (http://www.yachtpaint.com/), E Paint (http://www.epaint.net/), Pettit (http://www.pettitpaint.com/), Sea Hawk (http://www.seahawkpaints.com/), Flexdel (http://www.aquagard-boatpaint.com/) , and Blue Water Paints ( http://www.bluewatermarinepaint.com/) -as were the top performers from our past tests, including Micron Optima. For the average northern sailor, who hauls out each winter, we would recommend buying the cheapest of our recommended paints that fits your preferences (water based, eco-friendly, whatever), and rates well among local sailors and paint pros. Any one of these paints will get you through the season without barnacles.

The marine environment can be incredibly harsh on a sailboats exterior wood, and protecting it is a never-ending project. So weve embarked on a mission to find the best wood protection: The ideal exterior wood coating is fast, easy to apply and maintain, durable, and wont break the bank. This first article in the wood coatings series focuses on marine varnishes, specifically 18 one-part varnishes, their ease of application, and their original gloss. Well introduce three two-part varnishes and 19 various teak treatments being tested in subsequent articles. We tested the best known brands of marine products as well as a few off the shelves of the local hardware store, including those from Epifanes, Interlux, Pettit, Detco, Deks Olje, Minwax, HMG, and West Marine. Determining which type of exterior wood coating is best for your boat boils down to identifying your priorities, needs, and taste. Do you want high-gloss or matte finish? Are you a low maintenance-type of owner or are you willing to spend as much time sanding as sailing?

Weve gotten a lot of interesting responses to our sunblock test, including a correction from a chemist pointing out that our description of potions that rely on physical blockers as sunscreens "don't have any chemicals" was inaccurate.

Linear polyurethane paint is a thin, hard coating in comparison to gelcoat, and does not have the same ability to be compounded and waxed. It can be cleaned with a mild, non-abrasive detergent, and some can be waxed. But once the gloss is gone, it takes very careful use of a fine rubbing compound and wax to extend the coatings life for an extra season or two. The one-step waxes compared in our April 2007 issue were not tested on LPU paints because most contain an abrasive that, with repeated use, would shorten the life of an LPU paint.

In 1997, we routed a recess around the windows and had new acrylic windows bedded without mechanical fasteners. We eventually had to add mechanical fasteners. But the bolt holes werent large enough to allow for expansion, and in 2004, we replaced the windows again. Now, they are cracking at the bolts. Weve realized they are affected by hull flexing. Were seriously considering fiberglassing the openings and installing portlights. If we decide to install Lexan windows, which compound and caulking should be used?

Using an elastic nylon riding stopper (aka snubber) is always recommended when deploying an all-chain rode. Snubbers act as shock absorbers between rode and vessel, while at the same time transferring surge loading caused by wind and waves from the windlass to a deck cleat. No windlass is built to bear the load of a deployed anchor, particularly the bone-jarring snatches of an all-chain rode fetching up short.

Keel voids of this size are quite common, and its one reason why you don't see bare lead at boat shows or in the dealers lot. Casting imperfections and partial, localized collapse of the sand mold cause these voids and much worse. When voids form around the support for the keel bolts, bad things happen. Narrow, high-aspect keels tolerate this far less, and its one of the reasons carbon or high-modulus steel fins and ballast bulbs now rule in that realm.We forwarded this readers question on to the folks at Alerion, who then passed it on to Mars Metal, a Canadian-based metal manufacturer and one of the most prominent manufacturers of lead keels. Heres what they suggested.