Green Boating

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                          GREEN BOATING    /  Do we ever think green when boating?

 

 

This may be the shortest article I write. Have you seen the Green Boating tips from Discover Boating? You could have knocked me over with a feather!

Seriously with all the environmental concerns about carbon foot prints and the condition of the lakes, rivers and oceans. You would think that the power boat industry would be high on the hit list. I have heard and seen many discussions on radio and TV about saving our water ways and fossil fuel burners, and some how we the boaters never come up, maybe that's because we are the most environmentally conscience people on the earth. I don't think so.

I wonder how much we pollute our environment? There is a scary thought.

The bottom line is one day in the not so distant future boaters will face cleaning up what we pump over board, and when we do it will be similar to how they cleaned up our roads with the clunker laws. It will only take big brother figuring out a way to standardize and profit from a method of inspecting pleasure boats They will be all over implementation of a program boaters have no control over, or input on. Either that or some type of carbon tax. If this happens those of us with twin big blocks and a generator will have a broom stick snapped off in our transoms. We should try to be proactive on this front. A shout out to all those groups who represent us, tell the boaters why Transport Canada is three years or more in reintroducing the pleasure boat inspection program what are they up too. Or is this just another surprise for us one day coming up.

Apparently if we use bio degradable toilet paper and cleaners, handle our trash responsibly, watch what we discharge overboard, and try to run at less than full throttle. This qualifies you as a green boater. So no one has a plan I am sure the industry will say that they are working on the problem, and that marine suppliers are making the environment a top priority by creating programs like battery recycling programs . OOP's I have not even seen that yet! The industry has however created some great logos, money well spent. What most boaters don't realize is that we have been left out in the cold. Marinas and boat repair companies have got together through groups like the OMOA ( Ontario Marina Operators Association) and created CLEAN MARINE, this way when the proverbial shit hits the fan they can shout from the roof tops that they were aware of the issues and got out front to do their part. When was the last time your marina management came and talked to you about what CLEAN MARINE is, and how you can do your part. That's what I thought. At the end of the day it is up to the boat owner to be responsible, and that's what they don't want to say!

Maybe the environment will be another issue that an independent will take on, we will create a contract were boaters sign up and commit to being green boaters. It will outline between ten and twelve ideas that boaters will commit to. Boaters will sign it, and we will be off the hook for a while. So what are our worst offenders on a daily boating basis?

• Ant foul ( Bottom Paint)
• Fuel burn and raw fuel discharge through the motor
• Fuel spills
• Oil discharge through the bilge pumps
• Cleaners and detergents used to wash the boat dishes and ourselves
• Junk that gets kicked off the dock
• Fishing line
• Batteries of all shapes and sizes
• Electronics disposal

We need a plan if we wish to get ahead of the curve, the question is will we spend the small amount of money per boat it would take to clean up, I wonder? I am not a environmental protection freak and I don't know the exact amount of pollutants that power boats dump on average per year, but I guarantee its a lot more than you are aware of. In some cases the owners do not even know the volume or contaminants that are getting pumped or dumped in the water. I don't know if anyone really wants to know.

Something to think about

 Just think about the amount of anti freeze that gets dumped during the winterizing process. The Shrink Wrap disposed of in the spring.  Have you looked at the ground when a bottom is pressure washed, we are years behind the US and other countries when it comes to this and other processes we get away with. I do know it will be up to us to weed out offenders, we all know boats that pollute, hell some never go to the pump out. That is what I am tiered of its our environment on the water we need to do more.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

                                                                                               Author   EC



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Copyright 2015 © Boat Nut Media, Toronto, Ontario. All rights reserved. No part of this information/publications may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, magnetic, or other record, without prior agreement and written permission of the publisher, Boat Nuts Media ©™ No liability is assumed with respect to the information provided.  



Boat Nut On Lline Magazine 2016

Flooring, Accessory Addition Part 3

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   MY HARDWOOD SOLE/  No more cabin carpet for my boat/ Accessory Addition Part 3

One of the trendy areas to make a change has been removing the carpet from the salon or cabin floor and replacing the carpet with hardwood flooring. I have seen this done in various makes and models over the last few years from small cabin cruisers to large salon yachts. Installations that have taken weeks by highly qualified installers to do it yourself and every thing in between. Some floors are beautiful and some have destroyed the interior appeal of the boat, but they all have the same things in common. Trying to make a product fit an application that the boat was never intended to have.

I am sure that like other accessories and modifications we make to our boats that boaters feal are either upgrading or adding a finish that the manufacturer was to cheap to install. After working at the product development level I can assure you both these answers are probably wrong. There are technical reasons why boat builders did not have hardwood floors in your boat. As a matter of fact there were many boats that were built with sections of wood floors in the galley area, and the wood floor section was nothing like the wood floors that installers are putting in the boats on an aftermarket level. Those small sections of floor were manufactured as a component and tied to the cabin floor with more than a pin nailer, and even with a stable backing and engineered installation methods quite a few were replaced at considerable cost and labor. So why not hardwood and what is the difference between a boat builders wood floor and aftermarket upgrade floors boaters have installed.

First lets think about wood floors in a salon style boat were hardwood floors make the most amount  of sense to install. The floor in this type of boat is generally well up from the bilges as the engine compartment is below the deck are you are covering up. But even at that there are factors that must be considered before you start to pull that carpet out.

Things to consider:

• Are there any sources of water higher than the floor area you are considering replacing (fridge, a/c unit, sinks)
• What do the access hatches in the floor look like (are there one two three or more and how much do they weigh)
• What is your plan for hatch pulls as there is the concern of emergency access to the motors
• What type of furnishings do you have and will they slide around on your new floor uncontrollably
• Does the product you are putting down require an air gap below it
• How do you plan to trim the hatch edges to look professional
• Do you have a traffic line through the cabin that will be continually worn back and forth
• Is there more wood trim in this area that should be considered (the last thing you want to do is introduce 6 different wood colors and types in a single area)
• Where are you going to make the transitions to other flooring that is in the boat
• At the boat factories that I worked at we were never allowed to use nails in the construction of a boat so how are you going to tie down the floor?

In a cruiser style boat of any size you are replacing carpet in a lower cabin floor area that is can flood particularly the back sunken mid cabin step down area in larger cruisers. There are all kinds of water sources, pumps and waterlines that run well above this area. In some cases there is a water holding tank mounted under the rear seat in the mid cabin, right on the same floor your are planning to have covered with wood. Some models don't even have a bilge area to speak of under the sunken rear floor. Water leaks that start at the rub rail and deck hardware can and quite often do find there way to the cabin floor. The shower in a stand up head only has a line of caulking stopping shower water from spilling over onto the main cabin floor. These are reasons why the manufacturers put carpet in this area. The carpet is mold resistant and can be dried out in the case of soaking the floor. If you install convention wood flooring in the cabin it will swell, the edge boards will lift and the floor will be a constant maintenance issue. This is not to over look the fact that most cabin doors open in a fashion that will let rain in. There is a product that I have seen installed in a few Sundancer's which is a plastic snap together flooring, it looks like hardwood, this stuff can get wet. It is easier to install and wont swell up. The issues with this product are still the same, hatches edges and transitions (in most cases the carpet runs up walls and under cabinets that are not easy to figure out how to blend).

So what is the difference between the factory floor and the after market floor?

• The factory hard wood floors are components that are bonded to floor panels, these panels area designed in such a way that panels or pieces can be changed. 
•  There are no nails holding the floor in place it is all bonded down with materials that will not allow it to move around
• The materials are designed to prevent swelling
• The hatches are made or eliminated from day one and not cut with gaps to provide room for carpet tucks
• The structural floor of the boat is finished to accept the wood floor panels, a carpeted floor is not finished the same way. It can have a very rough finish and will not be even it will have humps and bumps, as carpet hides a world of sins
• Components that finish against the floor are designed with the correct transitions in mind
• Woods are selected and finished to keep the aesthetic appeal of the cabin
• Teak and holy floors are oiled and protected in such a way that water does as little damage as possible

Under certain circumstances upgrades are a nice option and add a level of  finish that is appropriate to the boat. In in other cases it is just not a great idea and can detract from the boat . This is true when the materials don't match and the fit and finish are sloppy. For a job like floors and particularly wood  to look right all the transitions from one material to the other must make sense.

On occasion even the factory gets this wrong a good example of this was the coin dot floor that would continually lift and would not accept corners very well.

Artificial WOOD Flooring

When considering wood floors be sure you take the design and systems of your boat into account or you could end up with hatches that are to heavy to lift, hard wood pieces falling off or swelling that will create all kinds of issues. If you must have a wood floor look at the alternatives that are available that will not be effected by mold, mildew and moisture  the three M's that all boats are susceptible to.

                                                                                                               Author BW

To guarantee access to all of  Boat Nut Magazine articles, pictures and featured services visit the official Boat Nut Magazine ©™ website. Be sure to reply to the Boat Nut Association registration on our site for the latest Boat Nut weekly and monthly news letters and opportunities.

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Copyright 2015 © Boat Nut Media, Toronto, Ontario. All rights reserved. No part of this information/publications may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, magnetic, or other record, without prior agreement and written permission of the publisher, Boat Nuts Media ©™ No liability is assumed with respect to the information provided. 

Trust Your Boat?

 

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                   TRUST YOUR BOAT?  Don't let your boat own you, own your boat

It is that time of year when the vultures show up trying to steel boats at great deals as the season is over and boats are now considered money pits. THE OFF SEASON. Deals are made based on spring sea trials or the risker deal were boats are purchased based on value and how they appear. Appearance the slippery slop of boat buying, the boat is so clean, its like new. The previous owner hardly put any hours on the boat and has been anal about maintenance. You can't take the boat for a test ride. I would never buy a new boat unless I could take it out and put it through its paces.
As a boater the most important thing you must be able to do is trust your boat. If this trust does not exist then you mentally chain yourself to the dock. That kind of mental block will take all the fun out of boating, the first question is usually what is my boat worth? Boaters start to question there choices.

If you suffer a realationship break down with your boat not only will it take its toll mentally, but you will start to listen to all kinds of advise and problem solvers who will un nerve you even more. Marinas are full of dockside experts who generally don't have a dam clue what they are talking about. The money will flow out and every time that you believe you have solved the issue your boat will let you down again. The leading causes of  unrealiability are water in the fuel, shift issues, tune ups, overheat, and corrupted components (parts that have been swapped or only part of the work is done) or a combination of these issues. In most cases the technician and boat owner come to an agreement and the repairs are done a step at a time instead of all at once, or the repair person fixes a genuine problem and doesn't realize there are other issues compounding the problem. New boats provide computors to compensate for many issues and will advise you were the problems lie ( plug and play). Older boats rely on a process of elimination which can be frustrating for all parties involved. These are areas of repair that boaters least like to pay for. They would rather add a accessory or have the boat washed. Money spent attacking these issues is not something shiny to look at. There is a belief like to that because they don't run the boat very much these items can't be necessary.

Here are some of the issues that I have faced in the last two seasons:

• Water  and silt build up in the gas tank (Won't start or stalls at low RPM)
• Coil wires breaking                               (Starts randomly and just cuts out when ever it chooses)
• Distributor caps corroding                    (Stalls randomly starts but runs rough and has no power over 200 rpm)
• Bad ground wires                                  (Cranks slowly and gauges fluctuate. trim pump slow) 
• Melted water pump housings plugging water flow (New impellor motor gets hot on one side and wont run well at all)
• stuck thermostats                                    (Over Heat with stall)
• Contaminated fluids                                (Builds over the top oil pressure or no oil pressure)
• Trim pump relay failure                         (Drive trim works randomly)
• Stretched shift cables                             (Cant find neutral when shifting)
• Corroded lower units                              (Stiff shifting , oil slick reservoir bottle alarm)
• Bad batteries                                            (Motor will not perform no top end hard time to start, other engine dies when I try to start)
• Wrong bolts on water pump housings    (Overheat keep changing impellor)
• Vacuum leaks at carborator base plates  (Engine idles up and down and is lacking power, stalls at idle speed)
• Fuel filters                                               (No start engine cuts out)
• Timing advance modules                        (No power at the top of the RPM range)
• Spark Plugs                                             (Stalls no power running rich)
• Corrosion                                                (No start, gauges dead, eating starters and alternators)
• Over heat causing head gasket failure    (Got hot now consumes coolant)
• Wrong starter                                           (Sounds horrible when starting or wont start at all)
• Broken Bolts                                            (No shift at all)
• Shift interrupter                                      (No start, thumps load through shift cant find neutral)
• and the list goes on and on

A stalling issue which is the one that really makes a boater uneasy and can be contributed to any number of these issues, stalling can the worst problem to diagnose (you can chase this issue around and around).  For boaters who really enjoy their time on the water this is the most fear full issue, made worse if you have a single engine. At least 11 of the failures on the above list can cause the motor to stall. Over a dozen of the failures listed above are considered maintenance and are most often over looked because the boat doesn't see many hours. WRONG.

LOW HOURS only contributs to these isssues as the motor doesn't get a chance to get hot and dry out engine components or the engine compartment. Run your boat regularly and you will have a better more reliable boat. Bad fuel is  a sign that the boat doesn't see or did not see any hours at all you have to burn off and turn the fuel over this issue can really be a pain in the ass. If you have a third fuel tank on board have it pumped out and disconnected if you never use it. Don't spend all your money on dock jewelry spend some on fuel and run the boat regularly. If you intend on using the boat as a cottage then either set the boat up for this usage or expect the boat to bite you in the wallet when you suddenly want to go out. If you are looking at buying boats in the off season have a plan to spend cash in the spring don't expect to drop the boat and all will be ship shape (some numbers have been released that say to be prepared for as much as 50% of the boats purchase price on a larger boat). If you purchase a boat that has low hours and you start to use it expect issues to pop up! The same applies if you buy a boat which has been up graded with a lot of new bells and whistles.

Your boat will talk to you if you let it, it will tell you how it is feeling and what it needs. Just listen you can develop a relationship with a boat they are quircky and some times give you attitude. Some days they just do not want to go (remind you of anyone). Keep your problem solving  simple stupid, boats live in the worst environment constant movement, shock, weather, and long periods of no use. It is said that 90% of breakdowns are operator error and there is some truth to that statement however failures will happen due to the environment. If you prepare a service plan that is not full of holes, educate yourself or find a technician you can trust, and do more than make sure the shore power is plugged when you are away for extended periods. You can keep your boat reliable and know that the boat you love can be trusted.

Don't let your boat own you, take steps to own your boat!

                                                                                                           Author  BW

To guarantee access to all of  Boat Nut Magazine articles, pictures and featured services visit the official Boat Nut Magazine ©™ website. Be sure to reply to the Boat Nut Association registration on our site for the latest Boat Nut weekly and monthly news letters and opportunities.

http://boatnutmagazine.com/

Copyright 2015 © Boat Nut Media, Toronto, Ontario. All rights reserved. No part of this information/publications may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, magnetic, or other record, without prior agreement and written permission of the publisher, Boat Nuts Media ©™ No liability is assumed with respect to the information provided. 

What you need to know about bottom paint

 

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ANTI FOUL IS WEARING ME THIN   What do you need to know about bottom paint



 Anti Foul/ Bottom Paint: One of the products we apply to our power boats that we know will just wear off and we will have to recoat it again and again. So what does bottom paint do, what makes it work and how long should it last? These are all questions I have heard over the years. Bottom paint is used for the reason it was developed (preventing growth by wearing a thin layer off every time you run the boat, it contains a high concentration of copper to inhibit growth) it is also used to hide a world of sins (easy application to hide patch work and repairs). Boats which are to big to trailer are expected to be bottom painted due to the fact that they are in the water at all times, except for a winter season, and out for repair work. 

When do you need to bottom paint a boat?. Well the first thing that must be considered is the amount of time you will be in the water. Next is the water that you intend to keep your boat in. A boat should only be painted if it is going to live in the water full time.

 If you bottom paint a boat or buy a boat that is bottom painted and you are going to keep the boat on a trailer, the paint is a waste of time and money. As a matter of fact you will end up recoating just to keep the boat looking good, not for reduced growth. Which is what bottom paint is designed to do. If you allow the bottom paint to dry out which only takes a couple of months it is no longer effective and will start to come off in pieces. If you are shopping for a boat and it lives on a trailer and already has bottom paint there could be another reason for the bottom paint to be on the hull. Bottom damage is expensive to repair and repair technicians will offer a bottom paint finish to save money and time rather than trying to repair the hull to a factory finish with gel coat. So be care full with bottom painted hulls on trailer boats do your best to get the history don't rely on a survey. You will notice that trailer boats with bottom paint usually have paint all over the bunks, rollers and trailer. This is a sign that the owner has been repainting the boat on the trailer, so there is likely next to no paint under the bunks. Unless you are in heavy growth water such as salt or unusual fresh water conditions you really need to calculate the cost of a bottom paint program over the time you own the boat versus cleaning the bottom of the boat regularly. The amount of growth without paint is directly related to the hours of operation a boat that sees a lot of hours will see a small amount of bottom growth if any at all.

I have bottom painted boats as small as 15 foot due to the fact that the boat was being kept in the salt water all year round. For boats that are in the water all the season and do not see many running hours bottom paint will save you the growth problem that will occur from lack of movement, even in fresh water. Bottom paint will not stop growth, it simply allows the growth to come off under normal boat operation. This only works if you use the boat regularly if it sits all season and you take the boat for a late season run you will find when you haul the boat that you will still have a lot of growth on the bottom of the hull.

BOTTOM PAINT TIPS

• Do not try to sand and remove old bottom paint it may contain arsenic this would be pre 1990
• Do not roll coats of anti foul just because of discoloration you will build up massive thickness that is horrible to try to make right
• Bottom paint does not have to be applied in super thick coats to work
• Bottom paint will rob the boat of speed
• Select the right product for the job, there are anti fouls for hulls, running gear and transducers do not paint every thing with one paint.
• Do not paint running gear unless you purchase the correct primer and paint
• They make bottom paint with tin instead of copper content for aluminum boats and drives.
• Do not paint the copper based anti foul up to the drives or tabs leave a gap the copper bottom paint and the metals in the drive and other components will cause electrolysis (corrosion) on the transom plates and drives.
• Do not paint over anodes this makes them useless.
• If you are repainting a hull or are starting new it is a good idea to have the first coat a different color than the top coat, first coat blue the rest black this way as the bottom paint wears you can see when and where you need to recoat.
• Do not feel that you need to repaint the whole hull you can touch up for many seasons before recoating the whole hull.
• It is a rare occasion in fresh water to need to paint the running gear.
• Be sure your bottom paint line allows for two inches (higher) at the water line this will prevent those nasty water line stains
• If you have to raise the bottom paint line and you have not added any accessories to the boat , there is a reason. Boats will pick up weight over the years this is natural, however a sudden change is a sign that you are probably holding trapped water some were. If you use a travel lift to haul out get the weight of the boat every year at haul out and launch, keep track of these numbers and you will know if the boat is gaining weight.
•  If you add accessories such as swim platforms, generators, radar arches you will have to adjust the bottom paint line.
• Do not paint to a list to the port or starboard correct the load in the boat first, get ride of the list.
• Try not to paint to far above the water line it looks okay for a week or so then you will see the paint above the line start to get green as the copper in the paint ages.

Several attempts have been made to create a anti foul that will last the life of the boat without recoating, as well as a coating that can be applied in the mold at the time of construction. The life time anti foul was very close to working but it is super expensive and messy to apply. I did a proto type of this product once and wasn't a fan of the overall cost versus end product. You would have to own the boat over 15 years and need to re anti foul every year to make the system worth while. (The life time system does eliminate the need for a barrier coat).

If you use a lift or keep your boat in a high and dry facility you can remove bottom paint. It is a back breaking job, dealers have done this to 320 and 340 boats that have been sold new and will not live in the water full time. I have seen many products sold over the years that promise to make the hull so slippery that growth will not stick, I have never seen one that works that well. Generally due to the fact that the boats that receive these coating still do not see the amount of running time to make these coatings really effective.

Bottom Paint is the only real sensible option to prevent growth that is available to boaters. Bottom paint comes in many different brands and speeds. The speed terminology refers to the hull speed. Soft paints that sloff off at low speed will not work well on power boats and visa versa. Be sure you explain to your supplier the boat that the bottom coat will be applied to and the hull speed you run most of your time at. This way you get the best paint and value for your money. Bottom paint is available in blue, green, red and black (and other crazy colors). I recommend you pick any color you want as long as its black. It works the best, most colors are soft and only look good twice a year when you put it on new and after the boat is pressure washed at the end of the year. If you own a power boat and when the hull is pressure washed you see the bottom paint running all over the ground the paint is probably to soft and wearing of the hull to fast.

 Hull Preparation:

•  Never had bottom paint- The standard hull preparation for bottom paint is to sand the gel coat surface remove all the shine, remove the dust and apply at least two coats of your favorite brand of paint
• Never had bottom paint- The option I choose is the sand less primer system, you must buy the same brand paint as the sand less primer, I like this option better because you are not cutting through the resin rich gel surface.
• Recoating- If you are sticking with the same paint, Start by giving the hull from the water line down a really complete pressure wash try to remove what ever will come off (time spent here will save time later), then you sand down the edges of chips and flaked areas, mask off your line and items not to be painted. Start your re coating by covering the bare areas first and then coat the whole hull. This will keep the material build up fairly even over the hull.
• Annual clean up- This usually entails a few touch ups and at the very most a belly band, this is strip re coated around the water line a foot or so wide that's it. all you need here is a clean dry surface that's it.
• To find your water line you may need to float the boat if you are not full of water and fuel don't worry just add an inch. I did this on all new bottom paint jobs until I had a book with the various models to refer to, and even then one or two would throw a curve ball and be different.

A SPRING START UP TIP FOR YOU:
 
DO NOT RE COAT WITH NEW BOTTOM PAINT BEFORE YOU POLISH  THE HULL

Like any other service or maintenance job we do to our boats buying the right materials and working in the right conditions will pay off . The finished job will last longer and provide better value for the money spent. Be sure to inform your supplier of your needs and ask them the expected life of the bottom paint you are purchasing, some bottom paints come with a limited warranty.

To guarantee access to all of  Boat Nut Magazine articles, pictures and featured services visit the official Boat Nut Magazine ©™ website. Be sure to reply to the Boat Nut Association registration on our site for the latest Boat Nut weekly and monthly news letters and opportunities.

http://boatnutmagazine.com/

Copyright 2015 © Boat Nut Media, Toronto, Ontario. All rights reserved. No part of this information/publications may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, magnetic, or other record, without prior agreement and written permission of the publisher, Boat Nuts Media ©™ No liability is assumed with respect to the information provided. 

12 Volt Battery Addition

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12 VOLT BATTERY ADDITION,  BUYING BATTERIES AGAIN/ Add on accessories pt 2

 12 volt battery capabilities are always a concern on any power boat no matter what the size. I have broken the requirements and  battery set up into five different groupings. Each one of these battery set ups and tips will describe different types of power boats and there battery set ups.

1-    The first battery set up is a small power boat which is designed and sold to be a trailer boat. This boat will be living its life when not out on the water on a trailer. This type of boat will come rigged with a single start battery system, no charger (the simplest set up). This battery set up works fine, provided the boat comes out of the water at the end of each time you use the boat. A boat that does not have to live in the water all the time escapes several issues that effect battery life. When the boat spends its stored life on the trailer the drain plug is out and the boat drains free of any rain water or boat wash water. The boat does not rely on the battery to power the bilge pump to get rid of excess water when you are not around. As long as the battery in this set up is keep charged it will likely out last a battery in a cruiser as it is not being constantly charged up.
If you put this same boat in the water full time at the dock, the boat now can become filled with rain and any water that finds its way to the bilge area is pumped out by the bilge pump. The water will get in even with the canvas on. The reason for this is the requirements to seal all the hardware on a smaller boat are different than a larger boat (a bow rider for example requires no sealant on deck hardware). If it were to rain all week  for example the bilge pump would have to come on several times to keep the boat from filling up. Trailer note (if you leave the drain plug in the boat while you store it on the trailer you can run into the same issue). After a week of rain you show up to go boating and the battery is low on charge. So after a month at the dock the battery will probably be dead. Out comes the jump box to start the boat, you do this several times and you have done damage to the battery, and you find you are buying batteries every year.

The immediate fix to this is install a second battery. Does this fix the problem?  No its does not by installing a second battery all you are doing is extending the battery life which means that the bilge pump will run longer and your boat will start more often. If you install a new battery with an old damaged battery the new one will continually drain to the old battery. You must remember that newer motors require a full battery charge to start, if you are starting your motor on low voltage you are harming the starter, electric fuel pumps  and or any other systems on the motor that require 12 volts and full battery amperage to start. If you continue this low voltage starting you will be doing long term damage shortening the life of the equipment on the engine. To prevent this from happening install a battery switch with your two batteries at the very least, this will allow you to isolate a start battery. If you tie two batteries together with out a switch you are going to wear down the batteries equally . You will have to be sure that when you install the battery switch that it is the correct one a two position battery switch 1/2/ALL/OFF, and you must also make sure that the battery you isolate is the start battery be sure that it does not have any other boat system wiring attached to it. This is a is engine start only battery ( the only other wires attached here are for the trim pump). Keep in mind that the only system on the boat that must be hooked directly to the house battery (this is the accessory battery) is the bilge pump(s). Be sure that every circuit that leaves the battery is fuse or breaker protected, if you have any wires hooked to the battery that do not have circuit protection remove them , pick up and install a circuit protection devise protection device.

SINGLE MOTOR ONE BATTERY

                                  

                    

SINGLE MOTOR WITH TWO BATTERIES



2-    The next battery set up is the one you will find in the small cruiser classes of boats. These are boats which are designed and sold to be kept in the water all season. Some of these boats are considered over night types, these do not have a 120 volt shore power system installed from the factory, but are wired for dual batteries complete with a battery switch. This design will have a location for a start battery and a deep cycle house battery. It is important that the correct batteries are in the correct location. You can start a boat with a deep cycle battery, however the cranking amps needed at start are not instantly there for the motor. a start battery does not have the recovery of a deep cycle (deep cycle batteries take longer to completely charge and if they are low you can quite often turn everything off and the battery will have a natural recovery of some power this is why they are accessory battery). Be sure you match the start battery with your engine(s) needs not enough cranking amps will harm the motor. Your battery switch allows you to keep the start battery isolated from the systems such as radios, accessory plugs lights etc. This will give you the peace of mind knowing that even if the house battery goes down from using the systems for extended times your boat will start and with the reselection of the battery switch after start up the alternator will charge the low house battery.

How do you use the battery switch as a tool to keep the start battery fresh and ready to go?

 The first thing you must do is have a clear understanding of which one of the batteries is the start battery and which one is the house or accessory battery. Once you determine the start battery mark the switch with an S beside the number that it corresponds to (the battery switch is marked 1  2  ALL and OFF)
If your start battery is attached to the number 1 terminal than number 1 is the start battery and number 2 is the house battery.
So here is how we use the switch: When you get to the boat and you are prepared to start the motor select number 1 or the start battery once the motor is running switch the switch to all. This allows the alternator to distribute the charge it is producing to both the batteries at the same time. When the engine is running leave the switch on all. Now when you stop and are using the boat to entertain or for leisure time switch the battery switch to number 2, now your boat is only using the house battery for all the 12volt power on board. You can continue in this position until you run out of power or are ready to go with the motor again. When you are ready to start the motor flip the switch back to number 1 position and start the motor and again set the switch to all and the engine will charge both batteries again. When you are finished boating and heading home turn the battery switch to the off position this will mean that only the bilge pump will be powered up. This is the safest way to leave your boat as the bilge pump needs to be able to get power for as long as possible, this is also good security as the boat will not start with the switch in the off position. If you do leave anything on by accident the battery switch will take care of that.

 However there are exceptions to this rule and this is were most boaters get caught!!

  The exception is if you have a 120/12 fridge, or other accessories have been added like amps and electronics. A lot of boaters or installers will wire direct to battery which can be a no, no! I have seen amps wired to the start battery. Nothing but the battery switch, trim pump and charger should be hooked to the start battery period. If you look at your start battery there should only be three red wires maximum and four black wires maximum. I will explain on a small runabout they can and do use the battery as a terminal block in other words they bring the boat trim pump, bilge pump, boat main, and the motor lead to the positive terminal. The motor trim pump and boat grounds to the negative terminal this is due to the lack of accessories that this type of boat has. If you start to load up your small boat with chargers and accessories you will have to install terminal blocks as you wont be able to get a nut on the posts any more. Never use the battery as a terminal block for a pile of wires, this is particularly true after you install a charger. your battery will not last long at all. On a small cruiser boat you should have three red wires to the positive terminal of the start battery , and they are charger wire, the wire to battery switch and the trim pump wire that's it no more. The negative terminal should have the charger wire, engine ground wire, trim pump ground and a jumper or bond wire to join all the negative battery terminals together. If your boat has any more wires than this on the start battery you will need to trace them and move them to another location to either pick up power or locate a ground. As boats get older and have been passed through many owners and technicians hands the batteries start to look like one of those plug adaptors at home with a dozen extension cords run to it, a wiring night mare which is a fire hazard. In many cases what happens is one or more of these wires have a draw on them. Which means that even if you turn off the battery switch there is a power drain on the battery, someone by passed the switch or terminal bar and ran a circuit directly to the battery. The worse culprit for this is a fridge, it will kill a battery in mere hours. So if you loose 120 volt power (shore power) to the boat the fridge automatically cycles over to 12 volt. If the fridge by passes the battery switch that you have turned off, the battery or batteries will only last a day or so and be stone dead. Now you have no bilge pumps or any protection on the boat.

The problem with this is once the batteries are stone dead the charger can be turned back on but it will not recognize that there is a battery to charge and the system stays dead. Most new chargers require a return of power from a battery to go ahead and charge. So a dead battery will not start to receive a charge at all. If a battery goes completely dead you will need to use another charger to start the recharge program on the battery and then reattach the battery to your on board charger.

TWIN MOTORS GENERATOR  WITH FOUR BATTERIES





3- The third set up is the cruiser system set up , this is where the boat has a full 120 volt shore power system and multiple batteries with possible generator system. This battery set up can appear to be more complex and will usually have multiple battery switches and a minimum of three batteries and if rigged with generator four batteries. The reason for the multiple battery switches is to prevent the two alternators charging a single circuit. This set up is not really complex you just have to break it down into its components, to understand. The port motor side which usually has the house battery (s) attached to it, and the starboard motor side represented by a single battery start system. The generator is a simple single battery start system. In 99% of the cases these battery switches never get touched the boater relies on the charger to maintain the 12 volt systems and simply replaces batteries as they give up over the time of boat ownership.

So why do batteries in my car last for years and in my boat I am replacing batteries every couple of years? Well there is a simple answer to this question when we leave our boats unattended with all the systems still running the batteries are taking a constant charge, when this happens the batteries never get a chance to cool down. What is happening?, the batteries are slowly being boiled dry. This is why technicians are checking the level in the maintainable batteries on your boat and having to add distilled water to them, once you start having to do this the batteries are already dieing a slow death. You can boil your batteries dry, the batteries will get so hot they will explode. If you board your boat and smell a sulphur smell immediately shut the charger down. Not only are the batteries affected by this constant charge problem, but over charged batteries will eat up battery chargers. Do you ever wonder why alternators and starters are a constantly being swapped out on boats. These part failures are quite often due to bad batteries. The effects of overcharging and bad batteries are felt all over the boat. If boat owners would shut the chargers down once in a while and give the system a break instead of leaving on the charger until they start the motor thus immediately the alternator begins to charge, providing no charging break for the batteries. If the batteries were given a charging break they would have a longer life. A lot of the time the charger is on, it is not charging the batteries. The batteries are probably fully charged, but instead the charger is trying to maitain a load. (something is on drawing a small amount of power from the battery).

All the same rules that we have previously discussed apply to a multiple battery system. Problems associated with battery life include, jumping accessories directly to the batteries, bad terminal connection and not using the switches to shut the boat down when you are gone for days at a time. On a multiple motor multiple battery system you have shore power to keep the necessities running you don't need to leave the 12 volt system on all the time. If you use the 12 volt systems in the correct way you can extend battery life and have a safer boat.

Most boaters don't understand or know the correct way to use the battery switches in the boat to maintain and extend the life of thier batteries.

4- Chargers and Batteries. I cannot stress enough the importance of having the correct batteries in the right places. Start batteries in the start location, deep cycle batteries in the house location and clean correct terminal attachments. Do not have a pile of cables on your batteries. When it comes to the order with which the wires go on the batteries, there is a rule here to do not just put them on in any order. The first wire on the terminal is always the charger wire. The reason for this is many chargers have a heat sensor function that shuts the charger down in the case of a hot battery. This function only works if the battery charger wire is the first wire on the battery. If the charger wire is second or third the heat will travel up the other wires first (use the larger wires as a heat sink) and the battery will burn up before the charger can recognize a problem. I am sure if you have owned boats for long, you have seen burnt cable ends or damaged terminals on batteries, this is why.(incorrect order of wires on the battery post)

SOME TIPS

1-If you are going to swap the batteries to gel cell batteries you must be sure the charger is compatible

2-Run the charger wires directly to the battery not to the battery switch.

3-Be sure all the negative terminals on all batteries are tied together.

4-Do not use cheap automotive battery cables, they will rust away every time.

5-It is necessary to use actual stainless steel nuts and not wing nuts to attach cables to the batteries

6-Be sure each positive charger wire has s fuse in line

7-Always use correct size wires at the battery

8-Batteries will freeze if not at a full charge

9-Battery boxes will collect water make sure that they are dry and clean

10-Be sure your batteries are all tied down with battery tie downs

11-Inspect your batteries regularly (once a month) don't just look, check the terminals. Loose terminals will melt away under load.

12-Keep a container of distilled water on board if you have serviceable batteries and check the levels every month or so.

13-Do not always believe a battery load tester if you think the battery is a problem change it, it is always a good idea to keep a spare fully charged battery on board if you have the room to do so.

14-If you have a generator on board and the batteries go down remember the generator battery is isolated from the rest of the boat you can start the generator and switch the battery charger on and after twenty minutes the engines will start

15-Keep all battery wires the correct length and do not run them close to heat sources



16-Clean terminal connections remove any corrosion from wire ends and terminals

     If you have a fishing boat or a boat were there is a bow thruster trolling motor or loads of electronics and there are extra batteries installed, have a technician or some one other than your resident boater expert explain how these batteries are wired were they get a charge and how the system works. This is true in the case of an emergency were you need to disable a system due to heat or fire. Be informed and you will have a safer boating experience.

If you have any questions about your boat contact Boat Nut at boatnutmedia@gmail.com

To guarantee access to all of  Boat Nut Magazine articles, pictures and featured services visit the official Boat Nut Magazine ©™ website. Be sure to reply to the Boat Nut Association registration on our site for the latest Boat Nut weekly and monthly news letters and opportunities.

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Copyright 2015 © Boat Nut Media, Toronto, Ontario. All rights reserved. No part of this information/publications may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, magnetic, or other record, without prior agreement and written permission of the publisher, Boat Nuts Media ©™ No liability is assumed with respect to the information provided. 





Alph Drive Service Information

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ALPHA DRIVE SERVICE INFORMATION, What do I need to know about my Alpha Drive

What is an Alpha Drive and how do I know this is what I have on my boat. Well first of all Alpha Drives are a Mercruiser product which are normally coupled with a four cylinder, V6  or a small block V8 motor. However in the eighties there were combinations with big bock V8 motors on performance boats. The Alpha Drive is the smaller drive which is easy to understand when next to a Bravo Drive. Alpha Drives are not available with dual prop. The prop diameter on the Alpha Drive is 14 to 15.5 inches. Alpha Drives are available in two models there is generation 1 drive and generation 2 drive (your drive serial number will be the sure fire way to confirm what you have). I could write a small book on the engineering differences, however we will stick to the required basics, which gen 1 and gen 2 are the same.

Transom Housing

The first things that you need to know are:
 

ALPHA DRIVE

1- Alpha Drives have the raw water pump to cool the motor mounted in the drive between the upper and lower gear cases.( Right in the middle of the drive cases).

 2- You must shift the boat into forward to be able to remove and install an Alpha Drive. This is because the shift linkage faces forward and aft only in forward gear.( shift dog). The shift dog is brass and if you are not in forward and pry on the drive it can end up bent.

3- Remove the prop first, this will prevent the possibility of turning the prop shaft which turns the drive shaft. If you do not turn the upper or main drive shafts the drive will slide right back into place (as the splines on the drive shaft have to line up with the splines in the engine coupler).

4- You need to use Mercruiser high performance gear lube in your Alpha Drive, not using Mercruiser fluids can shorten the life of and damage the drive. At the same time pick up some 24C lube for the prop shaft, shaft end lubrication and water pump lubrication.

5- All drives are protected by anodes to help prevent corrosion be sure you have replaced any that are in bad shape, be sure you order the correct anode package for your drive. The serial number and the water that you boat in ( fresh or salt) will determine the correct part numbers. Fresh water and Salt water require different corrosion protection.

6- Every year it is a good idea to change the water pump impellor, unless you have picked up sand or some contamination then you may have to replace the entire water pump housing. Always have a spare impellor on board and always match the impellor or water pump kit to the serial number of the drive.

7- To clean the drive before you start any work pick up some hull cleaner or a small jug of muriatic acid. You can spray the acid on with a small pump sprayer and rinse off within a couple of minutes (do not leave the acid or hull cleaner to dry). You must wear eye and breathing protection when using acid of any kind

8- Never sand the whole drive down and repaint just blow in the areas that need touching up and always use zinc chromate primer where needed first. As so as you sand the factory finish you promote corrosion.

9- Get your self a clean container for all the nuts and hardware do not loose any pieces

I recommend that you pull the drive at least annually

Before you remove the drive drain the gear oil out of the drive. You do this by placing and oil catch tray under the drive trimming the drive down until the drive is horizontal. Shift the drive into forward with the motor off. You will find two screws on the drive one down on the bullet and one near the top of the upper case, remove the bottom drain screw and then the top vent screw (if you have an internal reservoir on the motor this will drain down also. The longer you let the drive sit draining the better don't rush it. You will be looking at the gear lube as it drains out, if it is milky at all or is anything other than the color of the new high performance gear lube you have to refill it you will want to get a repair shop to check a sample of the drained gear lube and most probably the drive. ( be sure you hang onto the drain screws each one has a ring seal on it that must be replaced every time you remove the drain screw). There is the possibility that this is where the contamination is coming from and if it is this is a cheap fix.

Once the gear oil is drained you can begin to remove the drive, before you remove the drive be sure you have a drive install gasket kit from your local supplier. Make sure that you give them you drive serial number so they can get you the right kit. it is a good idea to order an extra kit they are not expensive and you will probably rip a gasket on your first attempt at putting the drive back on.

To inspect the bellows (the rubber boots which protect and join the outside transom shield to the drive housing). These boots wear over time, can be damaged by animals (chewed), and if water gets in the shift cable or U joint bellows  it will freeze and split in the cold. If you do see water it is time to change the bellows.

If you do launch your boat and have a leaking bellows trim the drive all the way down to reduce the amount of water you are taking on.

 At the same time you can check the condition of:

The Gimbal bearing. This is the large bearing in the middle of the drive shaft bellows that the drive shaft slides through to connect with the coupler at the back of the motor. You can reach in and roll the bearing with your fingers it should roll smooth and easy , and should not show signs of corrosion. if it doesn't roll right or is rusty you will want to change the bearing. There are tell tail signs that this bearing is failing. !

1- You will here a growl sound at low speed coming from the transom area.

 2- A bad bearing can cause a thumping sound from the same area, these sounds will start as soon as you start the boat as this bearing is always turning.

 U JOINTS. The U joints are the same as you see on the drive shaft of your car. The u joints allow the drive to trim up and down. U joints also allow the drive to run while trimmed in different positions. You are looking for really loose u joints (clunky, sloppy), damaged u joints or corroded u joints. If the bellows has had water in side than the u joints have been constantly wet and they will rust. If you run the boat in gear with the drive trimmed above the upper trim limit you will break off pieces of the u joint and these pieces will create holes in the u joint bellows. It is possible to explode the u joint connection if you ignore this area of the drive train.  You can tell the u joints are gone when you are driving the boat and when you steer hard over you here a clacking sound. If you unsure of the condition of these parts get a professionals opinion.

If you are going to split the drive in two to replace and service the water pump impellor here are a couple of tips:

1-There is an large anode on the cavitation plate some times it is flat and other times it has a small skeg on it. If you have the skeg style note the location it is mounted in as the skeg anode can be set up to take some of the steering drift out of the boat.

2- When the upper and lower gear case are apart you will see a small o ring at the gear oil passage that passes between the upper and lower gear case components, be sure the new o ring (orange in color) is in the correct location before you bolt the two pieces back together. This is critical.

3- If the skeg on the bottom of the case is bent or damaged now is the time to get it fixed. This damage will cause cavitation at the prop and affect performance of the drive.

4- Be sure when you change the water pump impellor you apply lots of 24C on the impellor and the housing as the grease will be the only lubrication the impellor has until it picks up water.

5- Be very care full not to over tighten any nuts or bolts pay attention to manufacturers specs.

6- When lubricating the lower drive shaft or the upper drive shaft use just a thin coat of grease on the splins only and stop short of the end of shaft . Too much grease can create a situation were you hydrolic the shaft and the pieces will not go all the way back together

What is the worst thing that can happen if you do not service the bellows and drive?

This boat sunk over a broken bellows!

To guarantee access to all of  Boat Nut Magazine articles, pictures and featured services visit the official Boat Nut Magazine ©™ website. Be sure to reply to the Boat Nut Association registration on our site for the latest Boat Nut weekly and monthly news letters and opportunities.

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Copyright 2015 © Boat Nut Media, Toronto, Ontario. All rights reserved. No part of this information/publications may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, magnetic, or other record, without prior agreement and written permission of the publisher, Boat Nuts Media ©™ No liability is assumed with respect to the information provided. 

Colored Hull has Died

 

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MY COLORED HULL HAS DIED, What can I Do About It?

All colored hulls are not created equally, this due to the fact that all mold release and gel coats are not created equally. The materials the boat is built with affect the longevity of the finish on the hull, deck and parts pulled from a mold.  When you review colored hulls today you would assume that they are durable and capable of standing up to the environment better than ever before, but they are not. These colors look great when the boats are new, two years after purchase and put thru the riggers of the boating environment,  however they start to look faded and beat up. So boaters hire detailers or try to buff the hulls themselves and 90% of the time make the problem worse but building up layers of products over a ruined gel coat finish. The gel coat may look better for a very short time as the heat from the buffer has drivin moisture back into the gel coat surface. Only to reappear in a short time. Here are three good examples of making the fade and discoloration problem worse.

1- Detailers or boater owners will use compounds to bring the color and shine back not realizing that they must reseal the buffed surface so they are leaving exposed gel coat open to the elements. This creates a situation were the gel surface can not only return to the condition it was before you started, but will usually get worse than before and harder to buff at a later date.
 2- Boaters owners or detailers just start to place wax over the already contaminated gel, the discoloration and cruddy finish is back within a few weeks. The worst of the colored gel hulls that I have seen is Rinker. With or without a great deal of care the color fades and clouds up horribly. So what are the ways we can keep the colors looking as nice as possible and why do these colors fail?
3- The boat owner will purchase a petrol based wipe on product to bring the shine back, but once the petrol based product has dried out you can be left with marks from the brush or rag that need to be sanded out to be removed. these products destroy the gel coat surface and prolonged use will cause the gel coat to blister.

BLUE HULLS.  Blue color requires the most of energy to reflect the color we see ( blue), blue is the color that seems to chalk off first, blue also shows moisture build up (cloudiness) in the gel coat the most. Sea Ray blue is actually a purple base color which seems to make a difference in the life of the finish. True blue colors are more likely to die a death of dullness. Any of the colors can get what appears to be white streaks down the hull from the rub rail this is the white from the deck breaking down and running down the hull when it rains or during a wash, to reduce this keep the deck up with the hull, or pressure wash the deck regularly to remove this material. Blue like black picks up the scratches caused by fenders getting warm in the summer and collecting dust and dirt from the air and  the dock. This creates those fender rash areas you see on the hull sides (purchasing fender covers will not make a difference). these areas will usually come back with the right polishing material and correct amount of heat.
 Every boat also has a hot side and a cool side, because we generally always moor our boats the same way all the time. This  will create a side that will be more faded than the other. The hot side is the one exposed to the most sunlight and will take longer to buff out and look right. The hot side of the hull will be the side prone to seeing print thru or the pattern of the fiberglass material that is layed under the gel coat. This print thru will become more visible once the gel finish has been returned to a glossy shine.
Never use a compound that intentionally removes material to work properly, this will lead to other issues and eventually you will have burn thru marks where the gel coat layer has been thinned out to the point were you can see through it. With blues, reds and greens the gel coat is quite often semi translucent which means that the color can be affected by another color under the top gel coat. This is the case were the hull is a split color design. These split color designs are the most effected by a course compound that removes material. It also makes for a more difficult repair in the case of damage as the amount of tint in the gel coat repair material is generally a heavier mixture and will create a patch which will not match. You must know how to complete a translucent repair for the patch not to stand out.

RED and GREEN COLORED HULLS.   Follow the exact set of rules as blue the only difference is the time it takes to fade away. A lot of the same match problems will occur while repairing  damage. Red however seems to be easier to buff back in most cases.

BLACK  HULLS.  If you have to pick a color, black would be the choice it is the most durable over time and is the easiest to repair. However black does come with its own series of issues. Black is the most susceptible to showing fender rash and scaring from the docks, this color will also show these marks even worse when your wax hangs up in these areas. All that being said walk the docks and take a look at a three or four year old black  boat and a three or four year old blue boat, this will tell the tail. Do not but any boat with a colored deck, there is a hundred and one reasons for this, just do not buy one. There is a reason why the manufacturers now are pumping out the black hulls like crazy, they stand up the best in the environment. I remember a time when the manufacturers could afford to do real world UV tests by placing boats in the desert and watching them break down, They could have made whole hulls blue or red at anytime but real world testing had them abandon the idea, but in recent years additives to gel to inhibit UV were thought to have been at a point where it was feasible. They were wrong, I am really not sure if this is still in the budget to do real world testing in advance, but if it were I don't think as many blue, red or green boats would not have made it to market. They would have been black or white.

PEWTER HULLS The pewter color seems to be very close to black in performance however the pewter color is much more difficult to match at repair time. And it is not as popular as the other colors.

So what are our options to keep these colors looking good and still cost effective to repair?

The first thing almost every one says is paint the colored part of the boat, and this does work if you can afford the price tag that this brigs with it. Once you have painted the boat that's it if it gets damaged you need to bring it back and paint it again (remembering that you can only paint above the water line and not below it). I used to be an opponent of paint for the longest time however this has changed. As soon as the manufacturers started to color the whole hull and deck areas this train of thought had to change.
 Some colored hulls such as Rinkers are horrible real crap. Any money spent polishing or trying to restore a dull and clouded Rinker hull is money thrown away, it will not last at all, as a matter of fact in some cases there is next to nothing you can do. If you own a Rinker paint it or sell it right after you have it polished period!
 Painting will out last any gel coat finish as long as it is done right with the right products.

If painting is not in your budget which I understand than here are the ways to fix that nasty looking color gel coat.  This section is for the boaters who want the very best program to keep the finish as close to factory as possible. If you have a Brunswick boat you are in luck the colors will come back fairly well with the right three step program. This takes a lot of patience if you are not prepared to spend a couple of days hire someone who has the skill. If you do it yourself and half ass it you have thrown your money away. Bringing back a gel finish is not all about some fancy waxes and materials is about understanding how to heat the surface enough to remove old wax and mold release, drawing any moisture out of the gel coat and closing the gel surface to a deep shine, and last being able to heat the wax into the gel coat to recreate the nice mold release finish from the factory. After this it is determining the amount of time before you need to maintain the surface on an on going bases. The environment you are in determines this schedule, amount of sun , heat and water (is it fresh, salt or does it have high mineral content). Once you have a program you must stick to it if you want to keep the colors looking like new.

You cannot wash your boat with any kind of detergent that will strip the wax away (dish soap is a NO, NO!!) and you cannot or should we say should NOT wash the boat right after a buff and wax.

For the guys who just likes a clean decent looking boat generally buff the color and wax it every year and you will be ok it will not stay perfect but the boat will keep that clean maintained look not perfection but very nice.

Like any other maintenance job you take on, the technique and materials make all the difference to the end result. Remember that I told you that understanding the material and how to heat it makes the difference. This is that trick that people wonder about when they see the pros do this job, whether they know it or not this is the secret they have stumbled upon. I cannot write the instructions for this secret but I can show you on video. If you wish to see the materials and techniques required to do this work the right way simply put your email address in the comment box and I will send you a video that is easy to follow and understand you will save time and money and have the colored hull back that you remember. I have been involved in product development and procedures to make gel coat look like new for many years, anyone can do this you just need to see the steps being done to understand how the materials and heat work together. The materials for a 30 foot boat cost under $ 200.00 Canadian to purchase and you will have some left over. I do not sell materials, however I can tell you were to get them.

To guarantee access to all of  Boat Nut Magazine articles, pictures and featured services visit the official Boat Nut Magazine ©™ website. Be sure to reply to the Boat Nut Association registration on our site for the latest Boat Nut weekly and monthly news letters and opportunities.

http://boatnutmagazine.com/

Copyright 2015 © Boat Nut Media, Toronto, Ontario. All rights reserved. No part of this information/publications may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, magnetic, or other record, without prior agreement and written permission of the publisher, Boat Nuts Media ©™ No liability is assumed with respect to the information provided.