On Board with Mark Corke

More on LED lights - New Imtra light

    Imtra is a name that is familiar to a lot of boat owners. They make and sell a lot of good quality products including side power bow thrusters and Glomex antennas but they also produce some excellent LED lights.
LED lights are a bit like digital cameras just when you think that you have the latest and greatest and they can’t possibly get any better along comes a new one to disprove that myth. Brand new this year is the Ventura Power LED, which is an exceptionally low profile spring mount light fixture. At first glance this is very similar in a appearance to the Hatteras lights that I fitted last year except that the overall size is slightly larger both in terms of the overall diameter, 81 mm as apposed to 73 for the Hatteras and depth which is increased by a couple of millimeters.  The slightly increased size is to account for the larger sized driver required for the LEDs. The Hatteras has a power output similar to a 10-watt halogen but the Ventura ups this to an equivalency of 25 watts.

    I mounted the light to a board in the workshop which was as near as I could replicate to the interior headliner on a boat so that I was able to conduct some tests of my own, radio interference, heat, power consumption and light output.

    I connected up the light following the manufacturers installation instructions, which are easy to follow as you might well expect for a light. As with many of the Imtra lights the Ventura is fully dimmable so I connected in the PWM dimmer and a momentary switch. The dimmer is optional in which case the two of the wires coming from the light fixture are not required but frankly the dimmer is so worth having that I can’t see many people not opting for this, one dimmer will power up to 15 lights.

    Using a momentary switch with the PWM dimmer does away with the need for a rheostat style dimmer, push the switch once to turn the light on and push again to turn off. Holding the switch down either dims the light or turns it up, the dimmer also remembers the last setting so if the light is turned off at 50% power it will come back on at the same setting the next time – really cool.
Light output was impressive and provided a good spread of illumination, my workshop is wood lined and not very reflective but some of these lights inside a white or light colored cabin would appear even brighter. I tested the warm white, which has a color temperature in the 3,500 kelvin range although the reading that I got was actually slightly more at 3,600k when measured with my temperature meter. Cool white is also available and this has a Kelvin reading of 5,500 which is pretty much the same as midday sun although this can look pretty harsh on the interior of some boats so my guess is that most folks will opt for the warm white.

    Power consumption is just a shade under five and half watts so at 12 volts you will be sucking less than half an amp from the batteries, a halogen light with a similar output will draw over 2 amps most of which will be converted into heat. I ran the Ventura all night and it never got any hotter than mildly warm halogens are too hot to touch after being on for more than few seconds. For the final test I placed the light close to various radios, a ham set, marine VHF and TV set which is not a very scientific way of testing for radio interference but scanning through the channels with the light on and off I could not detect nothing of any significance.

Incidentally the Ventura has a list price $129.

How to tie a Bowline

   I am not suggesting that you have a boat of this size but whatever size craft you have it needs to be tied up securely. What follows is an occasional series of the most common and useful knots. To kick things off is the bowline. Easy to tie, it probably is one of the most useful of knots that the boat owner can learn. The bowline is used for making a temporary loop in the end of the rope, it's easy to untie even after it has been under load.

Start by making an over hand loop and hold this between fingers and thumb.

Pass the working end up through the overhand loop as shown.

Pass the working end around the back of the standing part.

Carry the working end back through through the loop and grasping the end in the right hand snug up the knot, thus completing the bowline. You can vary the size of the loop by starting the knot farther down the standing part. As with all rope work practice makes perfect.

Ranger 29 Tug yacht

    I've always liked the look of tug yachts, they look very 'shippy' to me. American, Nordic, and Ranger are just a few of the manufacturers making this very distinctive style of boat.  They have a semi-displacement type hull, so they are never going to win any races, but they will cruise all day in the 8 to 10 knot range and sip fuel. New at the New England Boat Show in Boston this year was the new Ranger 29 which I like the look of a lot. The 29 as you might have guessed is the length of the boat, but this increases to 33 feet when the molded swim platform is factored in. Just as Maine is famous for its 'Downeast' style boats,  the Northwest has become something of a spiritual home of the tug yacht. Headquartered in Kent, Washington, Ranger Tug manufactures  the 29 as well as the very popular Ranger 21 and 25.

    In these time of financial uncertainty the whole range has a lot going for it.  Not only do they have an economical single diesel engine for power, but they can be trailered making distant cruising grounds available to Rangers that would be denied to similar sized boats that cannot be towed. Mind you the 29 is not a boat that you are going to be towing every weekend.  It requires a permit to transport as a wide load - but I do like the idea that it can be towed home for the winter and parked in the driveway saving on storage costs at a boat yard.

    Standard power for the 29 comes from a Yanmar 6BY 260HP which has plenty of power for this boat which has a displacement of just over 9000 lbs. Ranger are not offering any other engine options at this stage,but I would personally like to see the Cummins QSD 2 litre block offered as an extra cost option which I suspect may come if interest is brisk from potential buyers. Engine access is excellent. There is a large hinged panel in the cockpit to access the rear of the engine, gearbox, muffler and shaft seal with a further panel in the salon to gain quarter to the front of the engine. Large hinge up lockers both port and starboard in the cockpit are cavernous.  Even after allowing for the 4 KW generator in one and the battery bank in the other it still offers tons of stowage space for all sorts of gear.  This might be a good place to keep a chest freezer if planning any extended cruises.

Immediately on entering the salon from the cockpit the breaker panels for both AC and DC circuits is facing you.  This might be convenient for the battery bank and engine, but it would not be my first choice for placement, I would like to see the panel closer to the helm forward, but on the plus side it does mean that coming aboard in the dark one can turn on the lights without groping around.

To port on entering is the area that I affectionately call the cave which is a bunk slightly below sole level and under the four seater dinette. Kids will love this I am sure and will want to call this there own in very short order.  For a cruising couple this would be a great place to store all sorts of things and could even become a customized space with drawers, shelves and perhaps even a washer/ dryer. Details are rather sparse on the Ranger site right now but you can see a plan of the layout.

Along the starboard side of the salon is the galley which has an electric cook top, convection oven and double sink with pressurized hot and cold water. The food prep area is to the left of the sink. This is formed by the top of the fiberglass interior molding. but I would rather see some other material such as Corian to avoid damaging the fiberglass.  This is something I would retrofit is the boat were mine.

On a boat of this size interior room is at a premium, so the helm seat attaches to the forward end of the galley molding.  When in port, or otherwise not being used it hinges forward further increasing the work top area for the cook. Unlike the smaller 25, the 29 has a sliding door adjacent to the helm so going forward to drop the hook or tie up saves a trip down the rather narrow side decks. There is as ton of light and ventilation in the 29, the windows and doors are from Diamond Seaglaze - a well respected company known for making quality products.

The helm is compact and functional and comes complete from the factory with a large Garmin touch screen display for chart, radar and engine management. The one thing that is not standard is the auto pilot, but I can't see many owners not opting for this as the Ranger 29 is capable of long passages and hand steering for any length of time would be tedious. I rather suspect that Ranger are expecting owners of the new 29 to be pretty hardcore as they have equipped the boat with two fuel tanks offering a total of 150 gallons, enough for many miles between fill ups.

Stepping down into the forward cabin, I hate the term state room there is an island queen which is unusual for a boat of this size, the head with shower is to port and a small hanging locker to starboard. The island queen will appeal to many owners, you can lay in bed and watch the flat screen TV on the bulkhead in comfort and if you have to get up in the night it is possible to do so without having to climb over your partner.

This is not the greatest picture I know but I shot it with my compact and did not have a wide angle lens-- anyhow the point is that although you can't tell from this, the bunk cushions lift up and incorporate the berth flat allowing easy access to the cavernous storage underneath and also  there are rope lights just under the lip of the cushion for night time illumination.  These are a couple of nice touches that other makers should take note of.

The interior of the boat is warm and inviting with a plethora of windows and ports offering great visibility and light into the boat so it doesn't feel claustrophobic. The one major gripe I have is the choice of using a stuck on carpet to the cabin sides which is sure to stain, look dirty, and be almost impossible to clean. I know I am not the only writer to point this out so perhaps Ranger may come up with something better in future.

 I really liked the electric BBQ which on the show model was integrated into the wet bar molding at the transom.  It is compact, has a small sink attatched and cupboards underneath.  Right now it is an extra and is one of the few things that I would add to the standard boat.  The cockpit is large, so it's a  perfect  hang out for when friends come aboard.

All in all this is a great boat and comes just at the right time for many.  With fuel prices set to rise even higher this boat fills the need of those looking to trade down from something larger and also for those looking for their first proper boat capable of many long safe and happy voyages. There are few options, the standard specification include just about everything and the boat is pretty much ready to go right out of the box. With a list price of around $225,000 this boat is sure to be popular with those of us who will find a way to be on the water in spite of precarious economic times.

I'll be taking the boat out on the water in a few weeks time and I will bring you an update of how it handles on the water with some additional photos then.

New England Boat show

    Rita and I have spent the best part of the day the New England Boat show which is held over 9 days at the Boston exhibition and conference center. Numbers were down and some of the exhibitors had noticeably smaller booths than last year which is bad for business but the thin crowds  did allow us to walk around and talk to people.

    I will bring you much more information in the next few days on some of the stuff that caught my eye but as a primer I wanted to share this photo of a completely refinished 1972 Boston Whaler than was truly better than new. Whalers must be truly one of the success stories in the boating world, they have gone through several owners and changes of management in the past 35 years but for all that there can be few boaters that are not familiar with Whalers. Anyone who has spent anytime at all around boats has almost certainly been in one at some time and even if they have not they will at least recognize the familiar shape.

    Here is another close up of the bow of the boat and as you can see from the two guys in the back the finish was so smooth and lustrous that like them no one it seemed could pass by without running their hands over the immaculately restored boat. Undertaken by Metan marine restorations who I understand are something of Whaler specialists there work was faultless. Not a firm that I have ever heard of before I confess, their website is worth checking out if only to look at the before and after photographs.

More from the boat show in tomorrows posting.

Brushes for paint and varnish

        For us up here in the frozen north east US, winter is a time for working on the boat, thinking about warmer days to come and generally preparing for the coming season. For people like me who have a lot of varnish or bright-work as it is often called and paintwork this is the time when we pick up sandpaper, varnish pot and paint brush.

    As I have often said before the final surface will only be as good as the preparation. Slapping on a coat of varnish is rarely if ever successful without getting the underlying surface smooth and dust free. Assuming that the prep work is up to snuff laying on the varnish should go on without a hitch and is by comparison with the preceding steps actually enjoyable, well at least I enjoy it and have never grown tired of watching the natural beauty of the wood shine through those first few coats of varnish.

    All of the preparation counts for nothing if the brushes that you use are below par. I like to use the best quality badger hair brushes which although not cheap produce the best final finish by far. I especially favor the slim Redtree Industries brushes which offer the finest quality and produce outstanding results. 

As these brushes cost more then a few dollars it pays to take care of them and this means cleaning them before and after using them each time. When storing them I like to wrap them in a piece of clean aluminum foil which keeps the dirt off the bristles and prevents them for spreading.

     There are some varnishers and that get stunning results with foam brushes but I have never been one of them. I suppose it all depends what you get used to and if they work for you stick with it but I have found that some of the cheaper foam brushes are weak at the root and prone to breakage so even here it seems that spending a little more is a good idea. Foam brushes are popular I don't wonder because one only has to toss them into the trash at the end of the varnish session rather than have to go through the tedious cleaning session.

Alternative Teak Decking system

    I have had a lot of questions and comments on my earlier posting about installing a teak deck, it seems that many readers are either thinking about or have already had a go at installing a teak deck to their boats.

    The photo above is from Tek-Dek a synthetic teak decking system that I have seen in the past. Although I have never actually laid any large panels of this stuff myself I have seen a demonstration and it looks impressive. From more than five or six feet away this stuff looks very much like real teak. I remember seeing this stuff laid on an Edey and Duff Sakonnet 23 and I remember actually asking the guy on the booth how they managed to bend teak to such a degree at the stern where it came together in the king plank. It was only when he grinned and asked me to look closer that I saw it was not teak at all but this flexible alternative.

    When I did the decking on Mallard I did look very carefully at Tek-Dek but by my calculations I it came out to almost double the price of doing it with wood. Part of my thinking at the time was that i had the machinery to convert the lumber myself, I had the epoxy resin and all the other requirements so I would not have spend money on either converting the raw timber to deck planking nor would I have to buy adhesive. Also some of the other areas on the boat such as the cockpit area and so on was already done with teak and I wanted to make sure that with time all would match.

    Having said all that this does look like a good product and worth investigating, the website is well laid out, has an estimator and very clear step by step instructions for doing the work yourself, so providing you are reasonably competent, take your time and follow the instructions it should look great and I might well install it on my next build myself.

    A slightly different product can also be used on interiors too, here's the freshly completed interior of a power boat which looks good, the only thing jarring to my mind however is that I personally like to see margin boards around all the opening hatches and engine access panels. This involves more work but looks better, to my eye at any rate.

Webasto air conditioner

Talking to many of the boat manufacturers at the Miami show it would appear that unsurprisingly new boat sales are down. On the flip side many accessory and after market vendors appear to be having a good show.

Interest has been brisk at the Webasto booth where they are showing the FCF-DV which stands for Feel Cool Fast dual voltage. The 5000 BTU air conditioner has been around for a few years now and I can say from experience having installed a few of these in the past that it is a compact, quiet and robust unit. So although the AC unit is three years old or so what makes it appealing to show visitors is that Webasto have done a deal with Xantrex and are now offering the unit complete with an inverter. Of course although you could buy both the AC and inverter as separate units Webasto are offering the two together as package for just under $3000. Webasto are offering a 2 year warranty and technical support on both components and additionally the unit also comes with a purpose built wiring loom and control panel making it a plug and play exercise and therefore for a competent DIYer.

The inverter senses when the mains power is connected and automatically switches off the battery connection so there is one less thing to worry about. My only concern with this whole package is that the battery drain will not be insignificant especially if the unit is working hard. I have asked Webasto for some figures on the battery current drain and will bring you those as soon as they become available to me.

All in all this seems like a good deal to me and perfect for boats in the 26 to 40 foot range. A larger 9500 BTU unit is available for larger craft which as you would expect has a larger inverter to cope with the heavier start up current.

Anytime Valentine Gifts

Seems like just yesterday that we were giving each other Christmas gifts and guess what, Valentine's Day is here. My wife Rita thinks that all Valentine's Day gifts should be lovey-dovey. but then she might not be such a hard-core boater as me.  So to satisfy all tastes here is a round-up of suggestions that are sure to appeal to everyone.  You wouldn't believe how many gift suggestions were sent to me.  Some of them, like the guy flogging a square foot of land overseas to all those who want to be international property owners!  Unbelievable!  So I've sorted through them all and put together a selection costing from just a few dollars to several hundred any of which would be welcomed by any boating inclined member of the family at any time of the year -  not just on Valentine's Day.

TAG Heuer 27° AIR Sunglasses  $230-365.00

They're well-known for the range of watches they have been making since 1860, but until these arrived in the mail some time ago I had no idea that TAG Heuer made sun glasses as well. These are from the AIR range collection.  They look stylish, are comfortable to wear and the soft neoprene ends grip well so they will stay in place when you are on the boat. The wrap around style of the lenses stops glare from entering around the sides..an absolute must when you're out on the water on a sunny day.  Prices vary depending on the exact model and run from around the $230 mark. Not the cheapest sunglasses that you will ever buy perhaps, but certainly some of the most good looking and effective.  If you decide to wrap these up for your Valentine, just be sure to invest another 5 bucks in an eyewear retainer like the ones made by Croakie.  As they say, "better to be safe than sorry!"

    Tullamore Dew    $35
    Glenrothes          $45
    Yamazaki            $44.99

I’ve never been a great one for drinking beer, but I do enjoy a drop of whisky from time to time. Always something of an acquired taste and not all whiskies are created equal. Single malts are at the top of the tree and although more expensive than blended whisky, they are far smoother with each distillery producing their own distinct unique tipple.

The trio shown here includes the Glenrothes, which is a Scottish Speyside whisky, Tullmore Dew from Ireland and Yamazaki from Kyoto in Japan.  I'm a fan of first two, but the Japanese whisky was completely new to me.  Now that I've indulged, I must confess that I have developed quite a taste for it. The booklet describes it thus ‘ a 12 year old that is slightly syrupy, honeyed in flavor, perfumey, with a cookie like dryness in the finish’. 

Whichever you choose none of these will disappoint a true whisky drinker. A great gift when visiting a friend’s boat for the weekend and a sure fire guarantee that you will be invited back.

Incidentally, we've got a few great whisky cocktail recipes that I just might feature on St. Patrick's Day.  I know you won't be disappointed in the ones that include Tallmore Dew. 

Distributed in the USA by Skyy and available in all good liquor stores

Cheap oil sump pump

     OK this may not be the most exciting picture that you will ever see but I forgot to enclose it the other day when I was talking about oil changers. This is probably about the cheapest and simplest that it is possible to get, it's a spare epoxy dispensing pump connected to a length of plastic tube.

    To use you stick the free end of the plastic pipe down the dip stick hole and holding the body of the pump in one hand pump the plunger up and down to suck out all the oil squirting it into a handy bucket or other container for later disposal. You would not want to use this method on a large engine as it would take too long and be very tedious but it works a treat on smaller engines that contain less oil in the sump, say like a small sailboat engine or generator.

    Make sure that the plastic pip[e is a snug fit on the end of the pump tube however as any air leaks will seriously affect the ability of the pump t suck up the oil.

Fast skiff

    I am indebted to On Board reader Mike Chalmers who sent in this picture of his sailing skiff. Mike tells me that the boat which he built is capable of impressive speeds under her balanced lug sail. The bow wave under her forefoot would certainly seem to bear this out. The boat seems graceful in its simplicity, flat bottomed with hard chines and only one panel on each side it is none the less to my eyes at least a work of art. Plywood boats can be boxy but this 12 foot long dinghy is a delight to behold.

I've asked Mike for additional details about the boat which I shall pass along just as soon as I have them as I am interested to know who the designer is amongst other things. From what I can make out of the trim work in the boat and the high gloss topsides it looks as though the builder has done a first rate job.

This photo just goes to prove that boats do not have to be expensive, exotic or large to be beautiful.

If any other readers have pictures of boats that they have built please e mail them to me and I will share them with other readers.