Question
| Don Casey:, |  |
Hi Don,
I work with Caroline Ajootian in the Consumer Protection Bureau. I am working with a gentleman who has a problem with corrosion on his Volvo outdrive. He has zinc anodes on his boat which are conpletely untouched despite corrosion on his outdrives. He boats in the Pacific/San Francisco Bay and to quote him (who quotes you) "Debbie, According to Volvo Penta and Don Casey writing for Boatus,
>>> salt water boats should use zinc anodes. Fresh water boats use
>>> magnesuim and boats that are used in both fresh and salt water should
>>> use aluminum. This is what my Volvo-Penta Operator's Manual says. "If
>>> you are boating in saltwater exclucively, we recommend stitching the
>>> anodes to Zinc." I have fished in brackish water (San Francisco/
>>> Sacramento Delta) on 6 or 7 occasions, but the boat has never been
>>> stored in brackish or fresh water. My boat came with Zinc anodes,
>>> probably because the builder builds boats exclusively for off-shore
>>> fishing.
>>>
>>> There is clearly a problem with the finish on my outdrive and Volvo
>>> should be big enough own up to the problem."
He owns a 2006 Farallon 26' Walkaround with 2006 Volvo Penta 5.7 GI-F DP-SM 1.95 (s/n 4012176014) .Do you have any advice or suggestions for me to pass on to him?
Debbie Schaefer
Administrator, Consumer Affairs
>>> | |
| Carl | |
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Answer
| Debbie, | |
The chemistry of sacrificial anodes is based on the relative activity of metals, with zinc being more active in seawater than most aluminum alloys. Accordingly, when two metals are submerged and in electrical contact, the most active one will corrode first, hence a zinc electrode sacrifices itself, protecting an aluminum outdrive case. However, there are two caveats. One is electrical contact. If the zinc anode is insulated from the aluminum, for example installed on a painted surface or a corroded one, it will not conduct and it will not protect. Secondly, the surface area and location of the zinc must be appropriate for the exposed area of the other metal. A typical bolt-on anode will not, for example, fully protect a bare outdrive. The first layer of corrosion protection is the paint; the anode protects exposed edges or metal exposed by chips or scratches. Part of the maintenance of every outdrive is to keep the paint film intact with annual touch-up.
If, however, the anodes are not corroding but the aluminum is, something is either wrong with the anode composition or with its electrical contact to the outdrive. If these are the original anodes installed by Volvo, this would seem to be Volvo¿s problem, but if they are owner installed, then both the composition of the replacement anode and the way in which it was installed come into play. It is possible that the original finish was indeed defective, but that fails to explain why the zinc anodes are not at least corroding in concert with the aluminum. Unless the boat is or has been stored in brackish or fresh water, the fact that the anodes are zinc should not have any impact on the problem described. The owner should check the contact between anode and case. If there is paint or corrosion there and he installed the electrodes, he is going to have difficulty making his case. If these are the original anodes installed by Volvo, Volvo should indeed step up. Anything in the middle is going to require good-faith negotiation.
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Question
| Don Casey:, | |
| I would like to teach myself how to splice a line into itself to form a loop on the end. Sorry I don't know the proper terms. Is there something on line or a book I can buy? Thank you for your time. Mahalo, Diana | |
| Diana | |
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Answer
| Diana, | |
What you are after is called an eye splice. If you are putting it in three-strand rope, the process is both simple and satisfying. In other forms of rope¿braided or plaited or cored, for example¿it is not as simple but equally satisfying. Most rope manufacturers provide splicing instructions. I like the online instructions published by New England Ropes. The address is http://www.neropes.com/SplicingGuideChoice.aspx. You can also download these instructions in .pdf format and print them out. If the rope you are splicing is a type that requires a special splicing fid, these are available locally from rope suppliers or via the internet.
Splicing is a nice skill to learn, as splices are, in general, much stronger than knots. There are lots of knot and splice books in print and at least one dedicated just to splicing, but for most requirements, the online instructions will be more than adequate.
He mea iki.
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| Don Casey: | |
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Question
| Don Casey:, | |
Hi Mr. Casey,
I have a Universal M-18 on my Catalina 27. I just put in two new batteries yesterday. Both Group 24, one starter battery and one deep cycle to use as my house battery. Both same chemistry!
The batteries are independent of one another, meaning have their own separate positive cables. The only way they are connected is by one negative cable.
I have a switch....2, ALL, 1 and off.
I would have liked to have two identical deep cycle, but thought the Group 24¿s were not big enough. I want to make sure that only one battery, be it a starter or deep cycle will turn over the engine in the event one dies. I believe my alternator is a 51 amp.
My friends run their Catalina on to deep cycle Group 27's and have had no problems. My battery compartment will only accomodate Group 24's.
I do a lot of cruising in and around Catalina Island and would hate to get stuck out there.
What would you do in my case? Swap out the Starter for another deep cycle?
Thank you for your expert advice.
Mike Amen
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| Tom | |
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Answer
| Mike, | |
Unless your little Universal is suffering some malady that makes it difficult to start, a deep-cycle Group 24 should have plenty of cranking amps for start duty. If you look at the specs on the two batteries, you are likely to find that the difference in CCA (cold cranking amps) or MCA (marine cranking amps) is not all that large, particularly when you consider that your starter likely draws just 65 or 70 amps. A good rule of thumb is that the minimum CCA should be about 4 times the starter load. That would be a CCA of just 280 amps while even the least deep cycle Group 24 is likely to have a CCA of at least 500.
The advantage of a second deep cycle is that you can rotate the use, thus using both batteries more or less equally rather than having all house loads on one battery with the other just supplying start current for a couple of seconds maybe twice a day. That will also make for more efficient recharging. If you can make the exchange, that is what I would recommend.
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Question
| Don Casey:, | |
I have a single screw 35'Nauset and am looking for a shaft mounted rope/line cutter. Read current info on 3 types available. Disc style seems safest but only limited success. Please give your thoughts on style/success vs damage risk to scissor and shaver style.
thanks
bob | |
| Robert | |
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Answer
| Bob, | |
I am not exactly sure what you mean by safest. In terms of risk of injury, I doubt that any type of cutter adds to the danger of a rotating prop. When the prop is not turning, both types of line cutters present some risk of slicing skin or worse for a diver working around the shaft, but any difference between types hardly seems to be significant enough to rule a cutter in or out.
The disk type has the dual advantages of simplicity and being essentially maintenance free, but it does not cut until the line comes under strain. That means you may still have a wrap forward of the cutter. The shear type is more complicated but when set up properly, chops through anything within its bypassing blades, hopefully before the line wraps the shaft. However, this type of cutter requires attaching the fixed half to the strut or hull, it requires a bit more shaft length between the prop and the hull, and it requires regular maintenance and bearing replacement if run in silt-laden water.
As wrapped lines are not an everyday occurrence for an alert skipper, the choice might also come down to cost, with the disk type having a significant advantage in this comparison.
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Question
| Don Casey:, | |
We have a Bayliner 3258 Avanti (1995). We have a water leak in the mid-berth bed area. We have checked the kitchen sink, which is above that bed, the shower drain, the bilge area, the hatch where the anchor is and we see no leak. It seems to only leak when it rains, but we have checked everything outside. We think it could possibly be coming in through the screw holes where the railing is attached to the boat.
Any suggestions? It has now gotten the carpet completely soaked in the entire lower galley area from the bottom of the stairs into both staterooms.
You can e-mail me at vicko316@msn.com with any help.
Thanks,
Vicki | |
| Vicki | |
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Answer
| Vicki, | |
¿Expert¿ advice about leaks is not very helpful. Any hole, joint, or seam in the deck of a boat is a potential leak, even if it is filled with a screw, bolt, or sealant. And because the underside of the deck is almost always hidden with a liner of some kind, water leaking at one spot on the deck often enters the cabin at another spot, sometimes far removed. There is no free lunch here. The location of a leak can be a bear to find. Sometimes you can recreate it with a hose directed at a single fitting or fastener at a time. Sometimes you can build a modeling clay dam around a suspect spot and fill it with water; a declining level indicates a leak. The best way, by far, to find a leak is to pressurize the sealed interior with a leaf blower or the exhaust side of a shop vac, then use soapy water to check the deck for escaping air¿just like finding the leak in a bicycle tire tube. This process is detailed in Sailboat Hull & Deck Repair and also in Don
Casey¿s Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual
If you have a likely suspect or two, the most efficient course may be to remove, prep, and reseal that item. If the leak stops, that was it. If not, move on to suspect #2.
Good hunting.
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| Don Casey: | |
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Question
| Don Casey:, | |
I want to replace the Rule 1100 gph bilge pump under the steps in my 270 amberjack with a Rule 27S automatic bilge pump (no float switch, computer controlled). The new Rule bilge pump did not come with wiring instructions. It has 3 wires instead of two (two brown wires one with a white stripe and one black.).
Current setup is a rule bilge pump with a black and brown wire and a float switch with gray wires.
I would like to tie in with the regular wiring instead of running new wires all the way to the buss bar. Any help would be appreciated. | |
| Mark | |
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Answer
| Mark, | |
The black wire is ground. One of the wires, probably the solid brown one, delivers power to the automatic function. The other one with the stripe delivers current directly to the pump for manual operation. If you have a three-way bilge pump switch, power from the battery goes to the center terminal (via a fuse!) and the two brown wires connect to the two outside terminals. The black wire from the pump goes directly to ground. Flipping the switch one way powers the pump through the computer circuitry; flipping it the other way powers the pump motor directly.
If you do not have a three-way switch and you do not want to install one, then you can abandon the brown/white wire by sealing its end and securing it well above any possible water level. Now you have only two wires, the brown is hot, the black is ground. Determine whether your old float switch was in the hot side or the ground side of the circuit, then connect your new pump accordingly, brown to positive and black to negative. Be sure you have an appropriate fuse or breaker in the positive leg as near the battery as practical.
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| Don Casey: | |
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Question
| Don Casey:, | |
I have just purchased a 2008 265 Bayliner Cruiser with zero hours. My plan is to rent a slip at a salt water location where the engine is subject to corrosion. The cooling system is "raw water" opposed to a "closed coolant system" using anti freeze and fresh water. Are there kits available to change the system to a "closed system" to protect the engine from corrosion? What is the cost to have this installed? Would you recommend doing this or just flushing out the system every few months?(the boat will probably sit in the salt water for 6 months at a time).
Thanks for the help. | |
| Jim | |
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Answer
| Jim, | |
It is true that tens of thousands of boats with raw water cooled engines are used in salt water, but it is also true that those engines have a much shorter life span and are often plagued with cooling problems on the way to the grave. You would not wash down any other mechanical gear with salt water. Closed cooling is also better for a fresh water boat because circulates a corrosion inhibiting coolant rather than just water through the engine. However, the additional cost for closed cooling is immediate while the benefits are down the road, so lots of new boat buyers opt for the cheaper alternative. If a raw water engine used in the ocean is thoroughly flushed with fresh water after every use, the corrosive effects of salt can be minimized, but the reality is that raw water cooling is more appropriate for a boat used in lakes and rivers.
There are after-market kits available to convert most common marine engines to closed cooling. A good kit will cost you in the neighborhood of $800, more if you want to also include the manifolds in the closed circulation. What you get for this is fewer problems and a longer life from your $10,000 motor. Whether it is worth it to you depends on how long you plan to own this boat, but investing in closed cooling will ultimately save someone money, and the time to do it is before the engine sees salt water use. Flushing is a second-best option, and there are kits available to facilitate this, but you will need to flush after every use for this to be effective, not ¿every few months.¿ The damage done by corrosion is permanent. You cannot restore corroded cooling passages by flushing any more than hosing down will restore a rusted trailer frame.
If you want to read up on this subject and get some specific cost numbers for your particular engine, take a look at the Performance Product Technologies web site: http://www.perfprotech.com/store/articles/marine-cooling-systems.aspx. This address takes you to a good technical article on this subject.
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| Don Casey: | |
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Question
| Don Casey:, | |
| I have two 375 HP Crusader engines. When I run it a bit at full throttle then pull back to idle one engine quits and won't restart for several hours. The gauges indicate the engine is not overheating. It does this consistently every time I take it out and is very specific. Surely someone has encountered this before. My mechanics have struggled and Crusader has not been able to help either. There has been talk of the idle sensor, low and high fuel pump, the water to that pump, vapor lock... | |
| Thomas | |
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Answer
| Thomas, | |
| I do not have any insight from other Crusader owners. Sounds like something is reacting to either high fuel flow rate or heat. I, too, would suspect the idle sensor, but that is little more than gut reaction. Could be linkage related. Try searching Crusader blogs. Otherwise, shop around for a more experienced or more determined mechanic. | |
| Don Casey: | |
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Question
| Don Casey:, | |
Hi,
The teak veneer lining the interior walls of the upper section of the cabin of our 1984 Morgan 38, has deteriorated in several places near some of the ports due to water leaks. After fixing the ports, I'd like to paint the veneer white because some of the deterioration is so bad it will need sanding and puttying. The question is, how to best prepare the teak veneer for painting and is there one brand or type of paint better to use than another? I'm thinking of using DuraWhite by Petit. | |
| Ken | |
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Answer
| Ken, | |
You are likely to come to consider your damaged veneer as a fortunate misfortune. White bulkheads brighten and seemingly enlarge compact interior space. Trimmed in wood, white bulkheads will give your interior a classic yacht look.
Start your prep with a thorough washing of the bulkhead. You can use laundry detergent and chlorine bleach mixture for this, but a low-cost product that is excellent for this step is powdered Bar Keepers Friend. The active ingredient is oxalic acid, which will clean the wood and lift oils. Whatever you wash with, be sure you rinse the wood thoroughly with lots of fresh water and a well rinsed sponge. Because of the age of your boat, there is the possibility that the wood may have been ¿polished¿ with some product containing silicone. Detergent will not remove silicone, so you would do well to wipe the clean wood with rag saturated with acetone. Zylene is a better wax remover but unfriendly in a closed environment, so stick with acetone and a little extra rubbing. Finally, using an orbital sander, sand the entire bulkhead with 100-grit paper.
As for paint choice, Petit Dura-White is fine, but the truth is any good alkyd enamel will do the same job. A premium alkyd enamel exterior house paint should give you an equally good finish for about $20 a gallon. Paint intended for exterior exposure is going to be completely washable and last indefinitely on an interior bulkhead. House paint has the advantage of being available an infinite number of colors, or more to the point, a variety of shades of white. Most people prefer low luster over gloss for bulkhead surfaces.
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| Don Casey: | |
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Question
| Don Casey:, | |
| I have a yanmar 1gm diesel. The alarm buzzer on the panel for hot engine,oil,etc is broken. Is there an alternative buzzer than Yanmar's or an alternative for it. Theirs is very expensive. | |
| John | |
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Answer
| John, | |
I am not sure why Yanmar prices this part so high. Take a look at the following link: http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=ECH&PartNumber=BZL13&Description=Warning+Light+w%2f+Buzzer+-+Universal
I think you will find that this includes the exact buzzer in your Yanmar panel, but for around $40 rather than $180. You can buy it at your local Napa Auto store.
If this is not the right buzzer, then you can adapt almost any 12-volt buzzer to do the job. Try this link: http://www.mallory-sonalert.com/. Depending on how the various alarms are wired, you may need a multi-tone unit and/or you could also need a small relay in the circuit, but you still should get out for under $50.
You should check the alarm by by-passing a sender to make sure that the problem is indeed the buzzer.
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| Don Casey: | |
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Question
| Don Casey:, | |
| Hello Don and thanks for your answer on my question about the solar panel connection. My new question is on how to correct the exact match of the Trim Gauge Indicator with the position of the Sterndrive. My boat has twin Volvo 4.3GL Engines with Volvo SX-M Sterndrive and the problem is that the indicator shows the incorrect trim position of the Sterndrive. My boat is a 2000 Crownline 268CR and uses Faria gauges, thanks. | |
| Carlos | |
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Answer
| Carlos, | |
| The trim sensor for a Volvo SX is located on the starboard side of the gimbal ring. With the drive fully down and the key on, loosen the two trim sensor mounting screws and rotate the sensor until the gauge also shows fully down. Tighten the screws. Now tilt the drive fully up. If the gauge is correct, you are finished. If not, then you will need to extract the sensor and readjust its resistance. You will find instructions for doing this in any Volvo outdrive manual, although these instructions are to match the sender to a factory gauge. The Faria gauge might require different settings. If you run into trouble, you might get assistance from Faria. | |
| Don Casey: | |
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Question
| Don Casey:, | |
I parted out a '64 Pacemaker 36'. Sorry to have to. There were what appears to be the original engines in her - PACER 220's. I presume that these were 327 blocks. Is there a company that deals with rebuilding these engines that may have a market for them. I ask for a couple of reasons. 1- the Admiral wants them out of the yard. 2- I would like to know more about their history
Any help would be appreciated very much.
Doug
DACollinsservices@yahoo.com
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| Douglas | |
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Answer
| Douglas, | |
Here is what I think I know about old Pacer 220¿s. I cannot document any of this, but it might at least point you in the right direction. Pacer 220s built in 1964 would have been a GM 327 block. Later I think they were 305s, maybe even with some 307s in the middle, but yours, if original, are 327s. If you take the serial numbers to a big auto parts store, they should be able to confirm that for you.
The company marinizing GM into Pacer engines in the 60s was Thermo-Electron, who was also turning out Crusader engines. There were few differences in contemporaneous Crusader and Pacer engines, other than the paint color. A decade or so ago Thermo-Electron was purchased by Pleasure Craft Marine (PCM), who is the current builder of Crusader engines.
To answer your question directly, your old engines have little value except perhaps to a restoration-minded Pacemaker owner. As for history, except for some manifold parts, these are standard small block GM engines¿red Crusaders.
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| Don Casey: | |
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