Mailport & PS Advisor

Were been following the Torqeedo portable electric outboard since our first test of the Travel 801 in 2008. Since then, weve put two of these motors into long-term service on test boats. Both are still operating with no major problems, but we have received a few reports from disappointed owners. PS reader John Poindexter, a retired naval officer who sails on the Chesapeake Bay, sent us an account of his experience with the Torqeedo.

I honestly hope you can help. Several weeks ago local seagulls had a sushi feast on my boat. The leftovers were large and small and mostly on non-skid. When I got to the boat I cleaned up whatever I could pick up, but the sun-baked stains remained. Ive tried whatever I possibly could including Barkeepers Friend and Total Boat White Knight. They both have oxalic acid as main ingredient. It stayed there for 30-40 minutes, I didnt touch it. Next I got oxalic acid as powder and made my own very strong mix. Again, no major effect. Next, In desperation, I broke out 3000 PSI power washer, which again didnt remove the stains. My marine biologist friend said to try Draino.

A few years ago, Custom Marine Canvas made a cover for my nav-pod. It protects the electronic chart and some electrical controls. At the same time, it enables crew members to be able to use the grab rails around the binnacle. This was the first time this shop had made such a cover. Favorably impressed by the good work on the nav-pod cover, last fall I asked if they made winter covers. The answer was yes.

We race a Tartan Ten out of Montrose Harbor, Chicago. Since were sailing on fresh water and the Chicago Area Sail Racing Association doesn't require us to have a built-in tank for offshore racing, the water tank was removed long ago to eliminate excess weight. For port-to-port racing, we usually buy jugs of bottled water and refill individual water bottles. For round-the-buoy racing, we bring water bottles. Some of the T10s just use a camping-type water filter. W

Thanks for this discussion of using drogues for controlling a boat with a rudder lost or jammed over (see Sailing Without a Rudder, Practical Sailor, April 2017). I carry a Jordan Series Drogue (JSD), and I think that by bridling it somewhere in the middle, such that some of the cones open to resist water flow, and some are collapsed one could adjust the amount of drag that was appropriate for the conditions. Have you considered testing this?

My previous boat had two 30 Amp 110V circuits. When I bought my new boat it came with 50A 125/250V service. I didnt give it much thought at the time, but now I realize that the 2 x 30A approach is much preferred. I have never seen any discussion of this in the boating press.

I am a novice sailor, but after taking a few more courses, I plan to buy a 30- to 50-sailboat with a few other aficionados. Two questions:

I was happy to see in the last issue on grease and electronics your willingness to test natural products. For years, I have used pine tar as anti-seize. I first read about it in a series of side bars in the Mariners Catalog published by International Marine Publishing in the 1970s. They were by Pete Culler and called Old Ways Work. He suggested that pine tar was great for keeping bolts, etcetera from rusting together. At the time, I was living in Northern Vermont notorious for bad winter roads with lots of salt. I got some pine tar at the local feed store (used on horses hooves) and tried it on the lug nuts on my truck. Sure enough, they always came right apart.

In regard to your ongoing investigations of snubber hooks (Snubber Chain Hooks Revisited, February 2017), I want to add another idea to the mix. Our boat uses a fixed eye snap shackle spliced onto the end of a three-strand nylon snubber. Our shackle is similar to this Wichards 2 -inch fixed eye snap shackle (part #2472).

Its been almost five years since your original article on synthetic lifelines (Long-term test Evaluates Synthetic Lifelines, Practical Sailor, September 2012). Since my coated lifelines are due for replacement, Im curious about long-term observations. That said, I plan on going up a size or two from the recommended numbers for an extra safety margin: 6 millimeters rather than 5 millimeters. Im still looking into manufacturers and products because I just learned how easy splicing 12-strand can be, but Im pretty sure almost any of them will be better than the plastic-covered stainless-steel wire, of unknown vintage, thats on the boat now.