Good maintenance stops bad fuel
As most of us know, good clean fuel is important to any diesel engine.
Of course, a compass
For centuries, mariners have depended on a compass to provide direction.
Oil analysis is an invaluable tool, but often misinterpreted
I once read an article in a major boating magazine entitled “Oil Analysis Made Simple.” It caught my attention because, as a trained oil analyst, I know from experience as well as formal training that oil or fluid analysis is complex and fraught with both opportunity for sampling errors and misinterpretation of reports.
Enabling your boat to talk
A concerned seller who could not attend the survey and sea trial of his trawler called me, his voice laden with concern: “Jeff, I keep getting text messages that the bilge pump is going off. Are you guys sinking?”
Prop shaft alignment
Nearly all marine engines are designed to be adjustable, to a point, relative to the propeller shaft by using adjustment or jacking nuts on their motor mounts.
Ship’s papers
Most of the more experienced power voyagers I work with have a system and a plan to look after just about every aspect involved in the management of their boats.
Crane control repair
We’ve had three pendants fail on our Steelhead Marine crane aboard our Nordhavn 52 Dirona over the last nine years.
Suck it up
When you have a mess to clean up, sometimes the best solution is to take matters into your own hands and suck it up.
Trawler watch-standing
Watch-standing is a shared responsibility with all who take the helm.
The Noah’s Ark approach
“One if by land, two if by sea.” We have all heard that phrase before. It’s a rallying call more than 150 years old, and I believe it also applies to distance cruisers heading offshore.
Understanding overcurrent protection
The engine faltered, and with that a cloud of dense, white smoke erupted from under the small runabout’s dashboard, enveloping the cockpit and its occupants … I vividly recall my first encounter with overcurrent protection, or more accurately the lack thereof.
