Well its been a while since I did an entry, so here goes. I wanted to do something about batteries. More specifically about the batteries that most of us use on our boats. But in doing a little looking around I came upon a great post on another website. It is rather long but packed with good information so I will just give you a link to it. I have posted this link on my Facebook page. I hope that folks will go to my Facebook page, like me on the site and look for this post. :)
Great wire connections As they say, fast cheap and good, choose any two. Installers and manufacturers know that customers don't like to pay for painstaking, some say "anal-retentive" work. We don't often opt for the item that will last generations if it costs five times as much as the one that will last until we sell it in a few years, and that includes boats. In the case of electrical connections aboard, this issue of fast and cheap often manifests itself in the use of crimp-on butt connectors (quit your giggling) instead of a good quality electrical splice. The butt connector takes five seconds, while the proper splice takes five minutes, so, as you can imagine, with most people's eyes on the bottom line, the butt connector is going to win out, even when they are almost predictably prone to failure in the marine environment. So, who does a sailor turn to? Why cowboys and astronauts, of course. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the basis of this problem is that copper wire corrodes. As most know, we use multi-stranded, tinned copper wire on boats that has heavy duty insulation, or at least that's what we should be using (pop open many "marine" electrics and electronics, and that's not the case). The 'multi-strand' means that the wires can take more flexing and vibration, and the 'tinned' bit means that each of the multiple strands is individually coated with something much like solder, which helps protect the copper wire inside. This so called "boat wire" is great stuff, but it's certainly not perfect by any means, and it can and will corrode quickly and permanently if not installed properly. The problem with even "marine grade" barrel type butt connectors is that they just crimp down on the wire, usually along a line, and then don't seal it. If the wire moves due to boat vibrations, it can work along that one line where it was crimped, and eventually break. If any salt or moisture is present (imagine that on a boat!), then given time it can and will wick up the unsealed wire ends and corrode the entire length of wire. There are steps to be taken which will help with these issues, like putting dialectric grease on the wire ends and shrink-tubing over the whole connection. However, if you're going to go to that trouble anyway, why not just do a proper job of it, and get rid of the butt connector entirely? Fair warning: There are plenty of people who will tell you the method described below is over the top, and it probably is. After all, this is a double-redundant electrical splice that is suitable for space travel (more on that in a minute). However, if you've ever spent hours chasing a bad circuit through a boat's bilge, or an engine room, or had to pull off a headliner to get to a rotten connection, you probably have said to yourself (and everyone within earshot) that you never, ever want to do that again. Well, in that case, something "over the top" may be just what you're looking for. As usual, we like to turn to the wisdom of experts when it comes to these things, and in doing so we find more often than not that the old craftsmen got it right long ago, and the new techies need to learn it all over again. In this case, however, the old craftsmen and the highest of high tech engineers agree, and it's only us "regular people" (I do use that term loosely) who are in the dark. Since a boat is an inhospitable environment, let's look to other inhospitable environments, and see what others have done to conquer them. For this example, let's look at the American West of the late 1800's, and, oh I don't know, outer space? In the case of the American West, a company called Western Union needed to stretch telegraph cable all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The wire came in spools, and the end of each spool had to be connected to the beginning of the next via a splice. So, over thousands of miles, the guys making the splices got pretty good. Then, over time, the wire would break (or be cut by outlaws!) and repairs were made by, you guessed it, splicing. So, when a telegraph message was transmitted (with very low power), it was transmitted over many, many splices, so they had to be both very strong, and very conductive. The resulting splice became known as the "Western Union splice" for obvious reasons. NASA has some of the strictest policies around when it comes to its contractors. A close eye on materials, manufacturing methods, precise specifications and minuscule tolerances is what it takes to put someone into space, and if even the slightest thing is overlooked (such as the materials in an O-ring), it can end in disaster. NASA scientists examine and deliberate over every little bit of every little bit, and when it comes to splicing wires, the specifications are very exacting. Thus, many are surprised to learn that one of the few acceptable splices for those planning on space travel is, drumroll please: The Western Union splice! Take two wires, cross them at a right angle, wrap one wire around the shaft of the other, and then repeat with the second wire. This is the famous Western Union splice. You'll notice that the splice tightens as you pull on it, and this means that the physical connection between the wires gets better with tension. This is a great splice, and if you were working on a car, you could probably just wrap a little tape around it and never think about it again, but you're not working on a car, so this is just step one, or actually, step three. Connecting Wires on a Boat 1. Strip the insulation from a couple of inches of each wire, and twist the wire to make it easier to deal with. 2. Slide an adequate length* of self-adhesive shrink tubing down one of the wires. If you forget this step, you'll regret it. 3. Join the two wires using the Western Union method. 4. Solder the connection by heating the wire with a soldering iron until the wire melts the solder and wicks it into the connection. 5. OPTIONAL: Coat the connection and the last 1/4 inch of insulation with liquid vinyl "electrical tape" and let dry. This will seal the connection even if the shrink tubing fails. 6. Slide the length of shrink tubing over the connection and shrink it with a heat gun. *The shrink tubing should completely cover the liquid vinyl and extend at least 1/2" up the insulation of each wire. For an über-ultimate splice, use two lengths of adhesive shrink tubing, one longer than the other. Apply the shorter over the connection, and then the longer. You may wish to reserve this connection for the worst environments on your boat: The bilge, the engine room, inside rails and pulpits, etc. Or, you may wish to use this only after a crimped-on connector has failed (which is less likely if you use adhesive shrink tubing over such connections). After all, many crimped connections are just fine for years, and you may sell your boat long before the next one goes bad. On the other hand, if you plan on going into situations where you have to rely on your boat (and who doesn't?), you may just want to be proactive. An ounce of prevention, or a stitch in time, or however you put it - it's usually better to do a little extra work up front than pay for it later. Hose Clamps How to determine the good ones from the junk. Let’s take a closer look. Some of the cheap brands will do the job in a pinch, better than nothing at all. But in the long run it is money well spent to do it right with the right components. I have had the misfortune in the past to discover hose connections that have let loose because the cheap hose clamp that was supposed to hold everything together failed. I did inspect my clamps on a regular basis but failed to loosen and rotate them so I could see the entire clamp all the way around or to use a mirror to do the same inspection. Point being although from my vantage point the clamp looked fine it was rusted almost clean through from the underside. You simply have to take the time to inspect the whole thing. This brings us around to what should I use or what to look for in quality clamps, then sticking to these brands. One of my personal favorites, the ABA clamps, are truly all stainless, have rolled edges, the band does not have holes in it, and it does not have problems coming loose. I will explain. For their size they are wide clamps. By this I mean they have good width in the band. This makes for good clamping force. The edges have a roll to them. This is good for the hose, they tend not to cut into or damage the hose. The part of the band that the screw works in is a pressed in or an embossed affair rather than holes cut at a diagonal through the band. Finally the pitch of the screw is such that it does not have a tendency to loosen up. When in doubt test the entire clamp out with a magnet. Old trick, but remember that stainless is non magnetic. It is no secret that Murphy will raise his ugly head at the worst of times. Not to mention that many places that clamps live on a boat are often hard to get to and harder to work in. If you have to struggle through a job I would only want to do it once. Just one parting word on clamps, anything and I repeat anything that goes through you hull under the water line, needs to be double clamped with good quality hose clamps. I may as well share another thought. Use the best quality hose for the job on these through the hull connections. You can sleep better at nights, and stay dry. Spring Boat Launch Checklist - How to Recommission Your Boat I knew that I would never even make it to the New Year before I would start to think along these lines but here goes. Re-Commissioning and Mechanical Service after Winter Lay-Up: 1. Replace raw water pump impellers and gasket 2. Replace engine and transmission cooler zincs 3. Replace engine belts if needed 4. Inspect & clean raw water strainers 5. Inspect hoses and clamps for leaks and corrosion 6. Inspect exhaust elbows 7. Examine all electrical connections on the boat's motor 8. Inspect engine mounts 9. Adjust windshield wipers & replace blades 10. Replace engine heater plugs 11. Service hull sea cocks 12. Inspect holding tank 13. Replace or clean engine air filter 14. Inspect the boat's steering controls & linkage. Lubricate and adjust as necessary. 15. Inspect wear ring & impeller 16. Check the oil cooler for leaks 17. Examine the condition of shaft and boots 18. Clean propeller of growth or barnacles and check for damage to blades 19. Install new zinc if needed 20. Check level of the oil reservoir 21. Inspect & certify fire extinguishers 22. Before launch, clean all connections, hook up all terminals 23. Apply anti-corrosive product to all connections 24. Test & charge batteries as needed 25. Prep and paint bottom if needed 26. Commission engine at dock; check fluids, cooling and oil pressure 27. Commission fresh water system and fill water tank 28. Test all water systems and remove all non-toxic antifreeze: to include head, shower sump, deck faucet and all spigots in head and galley. 29. Test all mechanical systems for proper operation 30. Check that all electronics function 31. Clean swim platform, boarding ladder and boarding step 32. Soap and scrub bilges and engine pan and replace oil absorbent pads. 33. Re-install exterior cushions and canvas Well here we find ourselves post Christmas already. Looking forward to the new year and warmer weather so we can get back on the water once again. I decided to take some time to talk about a product I really believe in. It is a bypass oil filter made by Gulf Coast oil filters. I installed this on my trawler over two years ago and can't say enough good things about it. I still use a normal Perkins oil filter on the engine but with the addition of the bypass filter I am now keeping my oil clean and fresh. I change filters in the Gulf Coast oil filter every 200 hours and add 1.5 gal. of make up oil. This is in place of doing an oil change on the engine. I also replace the conventional oil filter at this time. I send in oil samples on a regular basis to the lab to keep track of things. I can't tell you how happy I am with the results. This is a product that I believe in and recommend. There would be too much information to pass along so I am just posting a link to their website. www.gulfcoastfilters.com We at Nautical Necessities wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I am passing along a link to another site that has a very good article about the proper installation of securing nuts on your prop. I had my prop reconditioned and balanced late this fall when the boat came out of the water for the winter. When inspecting my shiny new looking prop I noticed that the retaining bolts were put on in the wrong order. After informing the marina of this mistake I did a little survey of the rest of the boats out of the water around me and found only one boat out of about 20 plus that I checked had it correct. While this is not a condemnation of all the folks who work on boats, there is a right way and a wrong way of doing almost everything. Please go to this link and check it out. http://www.sharpesurveying.com/Propeller_Nut_Installation.html Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Tony, I have been living on my boat for about 18 months now. It is a 34 ft. Mainship trawler. From time to time I will post some fun facts that relate to boating. I will try to keep things light and have fun. With this type of exchange, we both will have the chance to learn a few things. I could not take my boat south this year for the winter because of some things that I want to do for her. Sadly these things made it necessary for her to come out of the water and spend the winter months under shrink wrap. So I will just muddle through winter and think warm thoughts. |
AuthorTony Tompkins Archives
January 2014
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