North Channel Notes

W.C. Beardslee, Inc.

Get Ready for Spring

February 2006

Don't Judge a Boat By Its Cover

With today's lifestyle and Michigan's short boating season, the last thing you need is a problem with your boat when you are ready to cruise. A smart way to prevent or correct potential problems is a yearly survey. A survey is essential when buying a boat, but also helps you keep tabs on the condition of the boat you already own.

A qualified surveyor or repair yard will inspect your boat from top to bottom and stem to stern. Fittings, hull condition, and running tackle, among other things, will be checked. Problems are listed with comments, and repairs suggested.

Each engine and generator set is inspected, along with fuel lines, hoses, and connections. Oil and fuel sample can be taken and analyzed to help detect any internal problems. Electrical systems are checked by looking at connections, charging systems, and wire conditions.

Recommendations can be included in a survey, for bottom coatings, electronics, updating, and monthly maintenance.

Surveys should be scheduled before lay-up or in early spring. Keeping your boat in proper condition is important for your safety and enjoyment.

Bottom Prep: When Must You Strip?

Weather your hull is made of fiberglass, wood, or metal, stripping bottom paint can be time-consuming, costly, and potentially hard on gelcoat. However, your new coating may end up flaking off if it is applied over a buildup of several old coats, or if the existing paint is cracked, loose, blistered, peeling, or incompatible with different type of paint to be applied. At some point you're going to have to strip it all off.

If you noticed patches that didn't readily dry after painting, or large patches that fell away during the first season, your hull may be ready for a thorough paint removal and sanding. Also if you change types of coating, make sure your old paint is compatible with the new product. If not, it must be stripped before the new paint is applied. Finally, if you want to add a moisture barrier (which is a good idea if you don't have one), you must strip to prepare the gelcoat.

There are several methods for removing old bottom paint. A scraper works well when the paint is already loose. For tougher jobs, you can choose from several new chemical strippers on the market, but they must be applied strictly according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The cleanest, fastest, and safest way to remove old bottom paint is with a vacuum sander, which keeps dust out of the air, off the ground, and out of the water.

Reprop Your Boat Correctly

Matching your boat, motor and favorite water sports to the correct prop will affect your fuel economy and engine life, acceleration and speed, handling qualities and riding comfort, and even your family's safety.

You may need a separate prop with different pitch for fishing, cruising and water-skiing, which all place special demands and different kinds of loads on your engine.

If your boat is equipped with a tachometer, you can determine the right propeller for your needs. First find the manufacturer's recommended wide - open throttle (WOT) operating range, usually given as a range - 4600-5000 rpm -in the specifications section of your owner's manual. With your boat loaded with passengers and gear, as you intend to use it for a specific sport, make several WOT runs into and with the wind, and note the maximum rpm and boat speed. For those with outboards or stern drives, be sure to trim the engine out until you notice an increase in rpm and a loss of boat speed, then trim the engine back in until you achieve a steady boat speed reading.

If you are still in doubt about operating your boat at full-throttle speeds, turn it over to your dealer for testing. If your rpm readings are below the recommended full-throttle operating range, he may suggest installing the next smaller pitch propeller as a solution to your problems. Readings above the recommended range usually require the next larger pitch propeller.

Changed Your Oil Lately?

For every gallon of fuel a diesel engine burns, it creates a gallon of water. Most of this passes out the exhaust as an invisible vapor, but some, particularly when an engine is cold, condenses out on engine surfaces and finds its way into the oil. Diesel fuels contain sulphur, a trace of which also works its way into the oil. This combines with the water to form sulphuric acid.

Inevitably, during operations a small percentage of fuel is not properly burned, forming carbon. Most is emitted as black smoke, but a portion finds its way into the oil. A little of this soot has a disproportionate effect in thickening engine oil, causing a sludge to form that blocks oil ways.

We've barely begun to look at the combustion process, and already we have water, sulphuric acid and sludge-forming soot in the oil! Diesel-engine oils contain special "additive packages" which neutralize these harmful contaminants, but over time the additives are consumed until the oil is no longer capable of properly protecting the engine. If the oil is not changed, engine damage is likely.

Water, acid and soot formation are accelerated when an engine is used intermittently, for short periods of time. These are precisely the operating conditions of many boat engines. It becomes more important then ever to change the oil at the manufacturer's specified intervals, and to replace it with the best grade of diesel-engine oil that money can buy. Have you changed yours lately?

With spring approaching take advantage of our discounts and services. Such as, in water and start up checks, to insure a great beginning of a fun and safe boating season.

The first item needed is to let someone qualified a (W.C. Beardslee technician) crawl around your bilge, to be sure that everything is in order. Bilge pumps are number one and often over looked.

The second item needed is the water pump impellers, they should be changed, on the mains and generator. There are stories that impellers can last ten years. Yes, I have seen them last that long, but with the improvements in power ratings and the pumps; don't count on them lasting more than two years. Generator impellers need changing once a year. Some, I repeat, some mains may make it two to three years. One thing to remember is that it is cheaper while the technician is there checking out mechanical things that have not moved for six months, to have them changed, then while you and your family are on vacation a couple of miles away.

Belts should be adjusted and all levels need to be checked; oil on mains, transmissions, steering controls, and coolant levels on mains and generators.

Batteries should be checked and their connections. If a battery is not close to 100 percent, replace it. If one battery in a group is not at 100 percent, replace the group. A bad battery will bring the others down and shorten their life. Batteries should last four years; you are on borrowed time if you’re over that. If it has been less then four years, and you need replacements, have it checked out, it could be a charging problem. When replacing batteries, most definitely the cheapest is not the best. Compare the weight of the batteries and ask what type other boaters are using.

These items: water leaks, engine impellers, engine zinc's, belts, batteries and safety items (like bilge pumps and fire suppressants) need service, when the boat is properly prepped for the summer, your season is on the right foot and make it more enjoyable and safer for all.

Thinking of a new boat? What about a fresh look? Maybe you should consider a different approach to this seasons boating.

Boats are unique in their design, and their classic looks remain times, but we all enjoy new things so why not give your boat a fresh, exciting new look.

Here at W.C. Beardslee are seasoned staff of painters, woodcrafters and re-fiters can give your boat that fresh new look with accent strips, new nonskid, or a complete color change of your boats hull. White is no longer the standard color, today's dark blue, soft yellow and even red are making waves for a new rich look.

Interior layouts can be changed to fit a persons style or family's boating. Change the seating, redo the counter top or design a new stateroom. Small changes can have a big impact. These ideas can be done with little interruption in your boating season.

Oil pressure will tell you when you could be having a problem (oil leak, cooling, fuel in crankcase, or the wrong oil).

Engine temperature will tell you when you may be over working (dirty bottom, bad impeller, low coolant, or poor circulation).

Volts tell you if what the batteries are doing (low on water, bad connections, loss of v-belt, or a bad alternator).

1. Controls dirt and build up in crank
2. Lubricates cylinder walls and rings
3. Cools parts in motor pistons
4. Lubricates all moving parts
5. Some control the motor
• The wrong oil sends wrong information to the computer, this will not run correctly. This can also happen when oil breaks down, you will loose performance.
• Control blow by to turbo, this builds up in the intercooler.

In Hours	In Years
New Boat - Mains, Generators and Transmission's
First 50 hours	First Year
1. Change engine oil and filers	Have injectors checked
2. Change all fuel filters	1. Spray pattern opening pressure
3. Change transmission oil and filter or clean screen	2. Replace impellers - every year in Spring, once in water
4. Check belts, hoses, coolant, etc., anything that looks	3. Check zinc's every year
like it may be a problem	4. Inspect all hoses yearly
5. Wipe down motors and under machinery. Lay down
oil soak's (this will alert of any possible leaks and	Every Two Years
insure easy clean up in the future.	Have injectors checked
6. Some engine manufactures require head torque at 50 hrs.	1. Spray pattern opening pressure
7. Valve adjustment, most engine manufactures recommend
valves be done at 50 to 100 hrs. of the new life of the engine	Every Four Years
Every 100 to 150 hours ( at 150 change every 75 hours)	Change Coolant
1. Change oil and filters (once a year,no matter what the hrs)
2. Adjust valves if not done at 50 hours	— Air cleaners: two years (freshwater - when color is gone
3. Pull oil samples to track life starting point	and in salt water, every year)
4. Check and adjust belts	— Water hoses: around four or five years
5. Change fuel filters (once a year, no matter what the hours)	— FC234 fuel hoses: around ten years
400 Hours
1. Head torque on M.A.N.	Low hours do not make maintenance intervals further apart
2. Valve adjustment
3. Coolant check for correct additions
1000 Hours
1. Innercoolers cleaned
2. Injectors cleaned
3. Coolant changed
This is a general overview, at these intervals there will be
something needed. Your owner's manual will inform you of
what is needed

Important Message Regarding Salvage / Towing Services

READ ALL CONTRACTS FOR SALVAGE / TOWING BEFORE SERVICES ARE PERFORMED

As in many types of industries, there are some businesses that take advantage of consumers. Unfortunately, this can also be the case in the recreational boating industry. MBIA has made aware of several cases where Michigan boaters have needed assistance (as an example - being towed off a shoal after going around), signed paperwork in advance of the tow, and came to find out that the bill was exorbitant or in some cases was considered a "salvage" operation and required a significant fee to recover the vessel. Although not wide spread, this type of situation has been reported in the Lake St. Clair area most recently, but can occur elsewhere.