On Board with Mark Corke

Installing waterproof speakers

Many times the sounds of the sea swishing past the hull is all the music that you need but there are times when being able to listen to your favorite tunes when out sailing can be a positive joy. Of course I would not think for a moment of playing loud music in a quiet anchorage or when in the company of other boats. After all not all boat owners share my penchant for Puccini. But when the time is right and I am alone on the sea I want to be able to listen to some tunes.

I already had a stereo installed in the cabin but the speakers down below were sited in the wrong place to make listening to music in the cockpit easy. Furthermore if I turned up the volume so that I could hear in the cockpit there was a strong chance of deafening anyone below. The solution was to install a set of dedicated waterproof speakers in the cockpit. I had been thinking of this for some time but had dithered on the best place for them. In the end I opted for speakers below the seats on port and starboard of the foot well. Incidentally the speakers are powered by the Fusion Stereo that I installed some time back.

You won't need many tools and you should be able to complete the job in a few hours; it took me about four hours includding setting up and taking the photos.

 

Choose the location of the speakers. There will undoubtedly be some conflict between where you would like to site them and where you can actually put them. Remember that speakers contain high powered magnets so keep them well away from the compass or anything else that might be affected by a magnetic field.

 
 

Once you have decided on the location check and double check your measurements not only for symmetry port and starboard but also to make sure that once the hole is cut nothing will foul any part of the installation.

 
 

Speakers should come with a mounting template or at the very least a set of dimensions for the cut out as mine did. After marking out the center of the hole I drew in the circle with a pair of compasses. Any errors in your siting will be apparent at the stage so this is the last chance that you have to correct matters.

 

Because I was going to use a Roto zip tool to cut out the speaker aperture I drilled a 1/16^th hole for the trammel point in the center but if you are cutting the hole with a jigsaw r by hand this will not be necessary.

 
 

I also drilled a starting hole for the cut at a convenient point on the circumference of the circle. Drill this at a point that is going to work best for you. Of course you can always drill more than one hole if needs be.

 

After setting the correct radius on the trammel point the cutter is inserted into the predrilled starter hole and the tool is moved gently around cutting out the hole. If using a jigsaw then you will have to follow the line by eye. Be as careful and neat as you can be but don’t fuss too much as the speaker mounting flange will cover the hole.

 

Et Voila. A perfect hole with a nice smooth cut out.

 

Now is a good time to get rid of the filing and dirt that have fell into the cockpit and lockers. I am a big fan of keeping things tidy as I go. Dirt and dust finds its way everywhere and will tread onto every part of the boat making cleaning up much harder if left till later on.

 

Now is also a good time to sand or file away any roughness from the cutout. This is the time that you pat yourself on the back for taking care with the initial marking and cutting out.

 
 

Seal the edges of the cutout with epoxy to prevent any moisture absorption. This is especially important if the cut out has a cored center. If this is the case I strongly recommend that the core be cut back about 3/4” from the edge and the void filled with thickened epoxy. This will not only preserve the integrity of the core but also give something for the speaker mounting screws to bite into.

 
 

Allow at least 24 hours for the epoxy to cure then offer the speaker up to the hole and drill for the mounting screws or bolts. My speakers came with self tappers but I discarded those and instead opted for small nuts and bolts, which hold well especially in fiberglass.

 

Run the speaker cables back to the stereo unit clipping them up as necessary with suitable cable clips and ties. I used self adhesive pads as they are easy to apply and do not require drilling and screwing into the boat. You may well find that you have to extend the speaker cables in which case use 16 gauge speaker cable and connect using crimp connectors covered with heat shrink to keep out any moisture.

 

The completed job with the speaker permanently mounted into place and the cover snapped on. Notice that all parts of exterior speakers are plastic and water an UV resistant. Speakers for interior use have paper parts in them, which would be ruined if they got wet.

 

 

Tip

 

Speakers are generally wired with a red and black cable. Pay careful attention to which cable connects to which connection both on the speaker and on the back of the stereo unit, proper speaker cable has a tracer to make identification easier. If you get the cables around the wrong way the speaker will still work but will be what is known as out of phase and the sound will be muffled and not as good as it should be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Engine over heating problems

 

 I took this picture the other week and thought that you might be interested to see it. It shows one of the cylinder heads from a V 6 two stroke outboard. I can't remember which model but it is one of the engines that has a separate tank for two stroke oil and another for the gas. It seems that the owner was using this engine and reported a sudden and complete loss of power before the engine seized up completely. Further investigation and questioning revealed that there was nothing wrong with the motor before the catastrophic failure but further probing revealed that the owner had filled up the gas tank but had not thought to check the level in the separate oil tank. So as you might expect the engine was starved of lubricating oil and the seizure failling very soon after. Operator error was entirely to blame which resulted in the replacement of the entire power head on this motor. What is interesting about this picture however is that the number 1 cylinder is on the left of the photo and has suffered the most damage as it ran out of oil first while the number 3 on the right is relatively unharmed being lower down when the engine is in the normal upright position.

 

Here is a close up of the piston in it's bore of the number one cylinder and as you can see the piston has started to melt, the crown is completely gone and the top piston ring which has fractured in several places is exposed. All this damage and expense because the boat owner forgot to check the oil. If you have a boat with separate oil and fuel tanks then I say top off the oil each and every time that you fill up with gas.

 

 

Here is another instance of operator error. This water pump body is from an engine with only 3 hours on it, basically brand new. The water intake was blocked by seaweed on the outboard leg and the owner just kept right on going without paying any attention to the temperature gauge which I later checked and found to be working. The engine got so hot that I has completely melted the water pump housing. The impeller too was toast, there was substantial damage to the engine which left the boat owner with a bill for $8000 for repairs.

 

 

Ethanol limits set to increase

 

I mentioned about a year ago that many boaters were experiencing problems with gasoline containing ethanol, well things are about to get a little more interesting. Earlier this past week the EPA  waived a restriction limiting gasoline to having a limit of 10% ethanol by volume and increased the limit to 15%. To be clear this does not mean that your local marina will suddenly start selling fuel with a 15% ethanol rating, what it does mean is that gas stations and other retailers are now allowed to sell  E15 for cars and light trucks built after 2007 which are designed to be E15 compliant. The problems with ethanol based fuels and gasoline containing ethanol is that the ethanol itself acts as a detergent and loosens dirt, can soften the inside of fuel lines leading to blocked injectors and carburettors, gumming up of valves and other parts inside the engine. Ethanol can also soften fiberglass tanks which in turn can lead to leaking thus causing a fire and explosion hazard aboard. It should also be noted that experts claim that ethanol has a shelf life of approximately six weeks after which time it starts to separate away from the gasoline, otherwise known as phase separation. It is also hygroscopic meaning that it readily absorbs moisture of which there is plenty around the boat. This mixture then sinks to the bottom of the tank and the low octane gasoline sits on top. As fuel is always drawn from the bottom of the tank the moisture saturated ethanol is sucked up by the fuel pump where it either causes poor engine performance of the engine refuses to start at all!

None of these problems are issues to the avaerage car or light truck, the fuel tank is topped up often and fuel does not sit long enough to cause phase separation. Hoses and other parts are designed to meet the latest regulations and handle E15 fuels without problems. Boats on the other hand often sit for long periods between outings and the fuel may be many months old, just the reverse of what is required to get peak performance from the engine additionally many of us have boats that were designed and  built long before ethanol was even heard of.                             

In surveying boats one of the major issues that I come across is old hoses which do not comply with current  standards. All hoses should be marked B1-15 if they are to be safe from ethanol based fuels. Old hoses will degrade and they will block up your engine so changing the hoses could be  smart thing to do over the winter layup to avoid problems in the spring. One final point is that opinion seems to be divided on whether it is better to store the boat with empty of full tanks. My advice is drain the tanks if you can, use the gas in the car or truck. If the boat is large then it seems best to top up the tank to almost full then add some sort of fuel stabilizer.

 

Charter vacation tips

The following story first appeared in Lakeland Boating but I am sharing it with you here as with the winter fast approaching some readers may be heading off on a charter vacation and the following may prove to be useful tips.

 

 

The first time that I went on charter vacation with my family I was not sure what to expect. I read the brochure, looked at the web site and had a good idea of what I would see when I got there but was unsure about the boat. Would it have everything I needed to be able to operate the boat properly? Would it be a total wreck and spoil our vacation? Luckily the boat and the vacation both turned out to be almost perfect. I’ve since done a charter almost every year since that first trip and I have learned a few things along the way.

Most of the big charter companies will be members of the YCA (Yacht Charter Association) and as such the boats and their service have to meet certain standards. You can expect guidebooks, charts and pilots for the areas in which you will be cruising along with the essentials to safely operate and navigate the boat. Nonetheless I have found through experience that it pays to take along some of my own equipment to make the vacation even less stressful and more enjoyable. 

None of the items listed below will take up much space in your bag and you may not even need them but they could make your charter just a little safer and more enjoyable

 

Walkie Talkies

These short range VHF walkie talkies operate on the civil bands in most countries require no license and are perfect for communicating between the boat and some of the crew that may have gone ashore in the dinghy. They have a couple of mile range and can save a ton of hassles especially in places where cell phones do not work. Cheap to buy and simple to operate I bought mine in Radio Shack and they can either be run from a rechargeable power pack or three AA batteries which are available just about everywhere.

 

Waterproof bag

Getting ashore from the best anchorages will often mean a trip in the dinghy. Even if you are just going to the beach for lunch you will want to make sure that sandwiches, cameras and towels stay dry. A good quality dry bag will keep essentials safe and sound even when tossed into the ever-present puddle in the bottom of the dinghy.

 

Portable GPS

Almost all charter boats come with a GPS or chart plotter these days but a couple of years back I was chartering a yacht in the south pacific where the GPS went on the blink miles from anywhere. This definitely falls into the nice to have but not essential category but if you have a small unit at home then I say take it with you, it takes up little space and could prove to be godsend.

 

Navigational instruments

As someone who likes to navigate I have found some of the navigational instruments on many charter yachts wanting. Rusty and inoperable dividers, cracked parallel rulers and wildly inaccurate hand bearing compasses, I've experienced them all. Of course on many charters you may be navigating by line of sight but keeping a plot on a chart is often the prudent thing to do. I have also found that children especially like to help with chart work and keeping up a logbook which they can look back upon when they get home as a living record of their vacation.

 

VHF

A handheld VHF could be a good thing if you ever need it in an emergency. All  charter boats will come with at least one VHF which is often a fixed set at the chart table but a fully charged up handheld could enable you to summon up help in an emergency if all the boats electrics go AWOL.

 

Sun protection

It may seem like stating the obvious but don’t forget to pack hats and sunscreen. Many charter destinations will be where the sun is strong only made worse by being out on the water. Too much sun can be a bad thing no only for the painful sunburn but heatstroke can be dangerous and will ruin a vacation.

 

Camera

To record all the fun and bore your friends back at the office.

 

Multi tool

My wife thinks I spend my whole life mending things but a multi tool saved the day for me when I had to rewire a bilge pump in a hurry. I am not advocating doing major repairs to someone else’s boat and if there is a problem with a charter boat the company should be called immediately but a multi tool could be the very thing for minor house keeping tasks.

Boat polishing

 

There seems to be an idea out there that glass fiber boats are maintenance free and that they never need polishing, nothing could be further from the truth. A clean and shiny boat not only looks better but a coating of wax will repel dirt and water and protect the gel coat finish.

 

Exactly how you go about bringing back that showroom shine will depend to some extent on the condition of the boat before you start. If the boat is badly oxidized and has not been polished for several years then you will want to perform a three stage process which is outlined below. If the boat is only a year old then you can probably get away with just a coat of wax. One sure fire way to tell is the boat needs the full treatment is to rub the palm of your hand across the topsides. If the boat feels rough to the touch and you have a chalky residue on your fingertips then the full treatment is in order.

 

Getting the boat back to that just out of the mold look is a three step process compounding, finishing and waxing. Unless the boat is very small or you have a lot of time on your hands you really want to get hold of a polisher like the one shown above. This machine typically is capable of running an eight inch polishing pad which can either be lambswool or foam. These machines run at a fairly slow speed, the best have a variable speed that can be adjusted between 0 and 3000 rpm.

 

After washing the boat and allowing it to dry, the boat is compounded to remove the dullness and oxidization from the surface. I have had good results with the 3M Imperial compound. This is applied sparingly directly to the surface of the boat and then with the polisher set to about 1800 rpm is worked into the surface. The polisher can get away from you so you need a firm grip but you should not apply much pressure, allow the tool to do the work. Keep the pad moving in a sweeping motion until the color is restored. A second application and treatment may be required for surfaces that are really neglected.

 

Stage two is application of the finish and here again I like the 3M Finesse-it. To avoid cross contamination either use a clean buffing pad or reverse the one that you used for the first step, compound left on the surface will spoil the finish. Apply the Finesse-it to the surface of the boat with a soft cloth or hand held buffing pad. Aim for a uniform coating. Slow the speed of the buffing machine down a little and buff the boat to a high gloss. This part is truly amazing, the boat will start to gleam before your very eyes. Work lightly and keep the pad moving until all the swirl marks have disappeared.

 

To maintain the shine and protect the surface the final part is waxing. It probably makes sense to stick with products from the same manufacturer so that you know that they will be compatible. 3M make some stuff called Marine Ultra Performance wax which works pretty well but almost any wax that contain carnuba works well I have found. The wax does not really increase the shine over and above that achieved with the Finesse – it product but it does make sure that the boat stays shiny and protected. The wax can be applied using the two rag method one to apply and another to polish off. But if you have used a buffer for the preceding steps then it makes sense to use it for the final phase. Apply the wax by hand with a soft cloth using a circular motion then buff of with the polisher fitted with a foam pad.

 

I like to polish and wax the boat at the end of the season, it will have a protective layer during the winter and a light dust and final polish is all that is required before it is ready for the water once again come spring.