Boat Maintenance Special:
By Capt. Bill Pike
Genset Care And Feeding
The humble generator is an invaluable shipmate, particularly for those of us who cruise in southern climes where air-conditioning is truly desirable. And the primary thing you can do to stretch your genset’s longevity is to run it, under load (after a proper warm-up), on a weekly basis.
Boat Maintenance Special:
By Capt. Bill Pike
How To Keep Your Watermaker Healthy
Water Water Everywhere
Boat Maintenance Special:
By Capt. Bill Pike
Prime Mover
The heart of any powerboat is her powerplant. Without it, even slo-mo’s a no-no. And there are any number of comparatively complex books, Web sites, and magazines on the market these days that’ll tell you how to extend the life of your diesel engine or engines. But oddly enough, the most important and effective of the whole shebang seldom gets emphasized.
Five Tools Every Boater Should Carry: Rubber mallet
Yes, it’s true. Even on your beautiful Hinckley, something eventually gets stuck, and to unstick it you have to get physical. But physical shouldn’t mean abusive.
Five Tools Every Boater Should Carry: Multimeter
Boaters often steer clear of electrical issues, finding them mystifying and daunting. And truth be told, many electrical jobs are best left to an expert. But you can usually trace—and often fix—an electrical glitch if you have a multimeter.
Five Tools Every Boater Should Carry: Needle-nose locking pliers:
If you’re even a middling fix-it-yourselfer, you know the value of needle-nose pliers: They grip small things that normal pliers cannot.
Five Tools Every Boater Should Carry: Magnetic pick-up
If you’ve attacked even the smallest task in your engine room, you know that it is absolutely inevitable that you’ll drop a crucial component at the most inopportune time, and that it will end up where you can’t reach it.
Five Tools Every Boater Should Carry: Headlight
Let’s begin with two basic premises: You cannot fix what you cannot see, and even the best-illuminated engine room has numerous dark nooks and crannies where things can and will hide. A good flashlight is the go-to solution, but it leaves you short one hand—unless you hold it in your mouth. A headlight is a more palatable and practical option.
A little planning goes a long way.
Looking at a new windlass? Considering a stabilizer system? The boat show is the best place to do your first round of shopping and research. But the show is so big, you need to have a strategy.
Lighting: At the same time as soft goods, consider upgrades that can be done concurrently, such as lighting. Modern LED lighting is vastly more energy efficient than halogen lights, and can lend dramatic effects to your interior as well (watch our video on retrofitting with LED lights ➤).
Boat Maintenance Special:
By Capt. Bill Pike
Boat Maintenance Special:
By Capt. Bill Pike
Boat Maintenance Special:
By Capt. Bill Pike
Genset Care And Feeding
The humble generator is an invaluable shipmate, particularly for those of us who cruise in southern climes where air-conditioning is truly desirable. And the primary thing you can do to stretch your genset’s longevity is to run it, under load (after a proper warm-up), on a weekly basis.
Boat Maintenance Special:
By Capt. Bill Pike
How To Keep Your Watermaker Healthy
Water Water Everywhere
Boat Maintenance Special:
By Capt. Bill Pike
Prime Mover
The heart of any powerboat is her powerplant. Without it, even slo-mo’s a no-no. And there are any number of comparatively complex books, Web sites, and magazines on the market these days that’ll tell you how to extend the life of your diesel engine or engines. But oddly enough, the most important and effective of the whole shebang seldom gets emphasized.
Five Tools Every Boater Should Carry: Rubber mallet
Yes, it’s true. Even on your beautiful Hinckley, something eventually gets stuck, and to unstick it you have to get physical. But physical shouldn’t mean abusive.
Five Tools Every Boater Should Carry: Multimeter
Boaters often steer clear of electrical issues, finding them mystifying and daunting. And truth be told, many electrical jobs are best left to an expert. But you can usually trace—and often fix—an electrical glitch if you have a multimeter.
Five Tools Every Boater Should Carry: Needle-nose locking pliers:
If you’re even a middling fix-it-yourselfer, you know the value of needle-nose pliers: They grip small things that normal pliers cannot.
Five Tools Every Boater Should Carry: Magnetic pick-up
If you’ve attacked even the smallest task in your engine room, you know that it is absolutely inevitable that you’ll drop a crucial component at the most inopportune time, and that it will end up where you can’t reach it.
Five Tools Every Boater Should Carry: Headlight
Let’s begin with two basic premises: You cannot fix what you cannot see, and even the best-illuminated engine room has numerous dark nooks and crannies where things can and will hide. A good flashlight is the go-to solution, but it leaves you short one hand—unless you hold it in your mouth. A headlight is a more palatable and practical option.
A little planning goes a long way.
Looking at a new windlass? Considering a stabilizer system? The boat show is the best place to do your first round of shopping and research. But the show is so big, you need to have a strategy.
Lighting: At the same time as soft goods, consider upgrades that can be done concurrently, such as lighting. Modern LED lighting is vastly more energy efficient than halogen lights, and can lend dramatic effects to your interior as well (watch our video on retrofitting with LED lights ➤).
FusionLink,
$29.95; www.fusionelectronics.com
