 |
The byline on Chuck Husick’s long-running column, Technotalk, notes that the author is a sailor, pilot, engineer and former president of Chris Craft Boats. But, this simple “bio” just does not do him justice. Chuck has been providing BoatUS with the straight scoop on how things work and why things do what they do for years. Now, rather than squeeze him into a column we’ve decided to let him go full sail in a new feature we’ll simply call, Ask Chuck. Rather than being limited to Technotalk’s single topic format, “Ask Chuck” will encourage a two-way communication and an on-going dialogue between Chuck and BoatUS Magazine readers on a wide array of questions involving gear, the latest equipment and the best technology for use on your boat. If you are looking for a credible expert to guide you through some of the more complex and arcane aspects of boating, Ask Chuck is your answer. We invite your questions by e-mail. Address your inquiry to AskChuck@BoatUS.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Q:I have
a 1999 Catalina 36 MKII with a Universal/Westerbeke 30-hp engine. I
have had problems from the beginning with an odor of diesel exhaust
in the cabin for years. It is not "raw diesel." The
boatyard has checked the tank for leaks, and found none. It is an exhaust
smell. I know the difference between the two. It gets into the cushions,
clothes, everything. A: Using a CO detector to find leaks in a diesel engine's exhaust system will not provide useful information since diesel exhaust contains an extremely small amount of CO. I suggest that you check the exhaust hose between the engine and waterlift muffler and the hose from the muffler to the thru-hull fitting. You may want to try wiping the hose and end fittings/hose clamps with a clean, wet cloth and then sniffing the cloth for evidence of the exhaust odor. If you find evidence of the odor, you may wish to thoroughly clean the hoses with detergent and recheck for the odor after the hose has dried and the engine has been run again. You can also use a spray bottle to wet suspect joint areas with a water /soap solution; however, I suspect that unless the hoses have already been replaced, they will be found to be the cause of the problem. Q: I have a 1985 Ocean Alexander Europa Sedan that was refurbished in
2000. The boat is great, but the shower doesn't drain. A: An interesting
example of unintended consequences. I don't know of any product that
can be used to solve your shower drain problem. I believe you have
two choices - install a new shower drain fitting into the shower pan
at the new low point or rebuild the sole at the angle required to allow
the water to drain through the existing fitting. I would explore the
installation of a new drain fitting in preference to rebuilding the
shower pan. If installing a new drain is impractical, I would plan on
creating a new shower pan. A: I do not know of any approved means for converting your alcohol stove to propane. The obvious, but likely costly, way to use propane from your existing system would be to buy a marine propane stove. A possible alternative is to use a small portable propane stove of the type that uses small (less than 8 ounces) disposable propane cylinders. If you decide to go this route, be sure that the stove is well secured and that only the gas cylinder in use is kept below deck (you might store spare cylinders with the main propane tank in its ventilated locker). Use of such small cooking appliances is approved under ABYC A-30. Q: My
vessel (Monk 36) has a stainless rudder and prop shaft. Keeping them
clean of barnacles is a major problem (especially now that I can't
hold my breath as long as I used to). My familiarity with the problem
of stainless oxygen deprivation in the presence of an electrolyte leads
me to believe that painting stainless under water would not be a good
idea. Any suggestions? A: Although your concern for oxidation of stainless steel in an oxygen-deficient
environment is well taken, it is common practice to protect stainless
steel prop shafts and the like with special anti-fouling paints that
are applied in a two-step process, primer and then the anti-fouling finish
coat. However, while prop shafts are one-piece, it is possible that your
stainless rudder may include a weld, which, due to the effects of the
heat used in the welding process, will already be more susceptible to
corrosion than the remainder of the surface. Q: The
new fuel tank in my sailboat has no gauge. My question is, about how
many gallons per hour does a Westerbeke 4-cylinder, 25-hp engine burn
at 2,000 rpms? Nobody I talked to at Westerbeke had an answer. A: Although I can't give you a precise answer, you can make a reasonable estimate of the fuel consumption for a normally aspirated diesel engine of the type you have on the basis that the engine will consume about 0.4 pounds of fuel per horsepower, per hour. I believe your engine's maximum speed is 3,600 rpm. A fixed pitch propeller will absorb about 6-hp when the engine is running at 2,000 rpm. Therefore you can expect a fuel consumption of about 2.4 pounds of diesel per hour. Assuming a fuel density of about 6.8 pounds per gallon, you will be using 0.35 to perhaps 0.38 gallons per hour. This rough calculation is based on typical small, conventional engines and a standard prop law curve. Q: We
live on our PDQ 34-foot MV six months of the year. I use a laptop and
a Linksys wireless G 2.4 GHz card to get Internet. It would be helpful
to have an antenna that would reach further than what the card can. Any
ideas what might work? A: There are many Wi-Fi antennas available that will provide better communication quality than the card you are using. I recently purchased the Wi-Fire unit from hField Technologies, Inc. It is a combination "H" field antenna and transceiver that connects to the computer's USB port. I have been able to connect to hot spots at distances in excess of 1,500 feet. The price was $79 at hfield.com. Q: I
just re-read the BoatUS Magazine article "Fired Up Over
Old Flares," which cites a few pilot programs going on in Florida
and California to dispose of old flares. It also noted that 38% of flares
are thrown into household trash, Florida alone generates over 400,000
outdated flares per year, and that costly false distress calls dropped
by 50% after one pilot program. I'm all for saving some of my outdated
flares, but as the owner of a 36-year-old sailboat, I need to solve this
problem. Over the last few years, I have called the Coast Guard, spoken
to three local fire departments, asked at West Marine stores, and talked
to numerous fellow boaters. Has there been any progress? What should
we all do? A: Outdated flares that are in good physical condition may be kept onboard for use in an emergency. When the quantity of outdated flares becomes too large, they can be donated to the U.S. Power Squadrons for use in demonstrations or taken to the local hazardous waste disposal facility. I believe that any "Clean Marina" will also accept the outdated flares for safe disposal. Q: Is
there a painless, effective and relatively simple way to change my
raw-water MSDs on my Gulfstar 44 to use fresh water while at dockside
and underway? The stench can be overwhelming! A: The most painless and effective way I know of to use fresh water to flush the head on your Gulfstar 44 would be to install a three-way valve in the water intake line and, at dockside, set the valve so that the seawater flow is blocked and the intake to the toilet is open to the atmosphere. You could then use a bucket to fill the toilet with fresh water while pumping, the contents into the holding tank or flow-through treatment device. Connecting the toilet intake to the boat's fresh water supply or to a separate dockside water source will require the installation of a backflow preventer that will positively isolate the toilet's plumbing from the fresh water supply. However, before you undertake this change, you might want to determine
if the malodor might be the result of the normal decay of marine plant
and animal organisms in the seawater supply lines that occurs when the
toilet is not used for a while (usually a few days). You might try flushing
the toilet a number of times and then an hour later flush again to determine
if the odor still exists. If it does, it is likely that your odor problem
is originating from the hose that connects the toilet to the holding
tank or treatment device or from the tank or its air vent. |
