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Ed's Boat Tips

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Ed's Boat Tips

May 7, 2012

Ed's Boat, The Transition

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    Fly Zone is off to a new home! They say that the happiest day in a boater's life is the day they get their new boat. They also say the second happiest day is the day they sell it. Well I don't necessarily agree. You see last week I sold my beloved Fly Zone. Yes, I'm replacing my Amesbury skiff with a larger boat a week from today. Not too much larger mind you, but large enough so that my family and I can zip around Narragansett bay a bit more quickly and shoot out to the islands off the ...
May 2, 2012

Quick Check For High Voltage

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  Although not new technology, I just got my hands on a new Sperry Volt Sensor model VD 6504. Ruggedly made and it works like a charm. A quick search found them available at Amazon.com for $15. If you work on electricity around the house or on the dock or your boat equipped with shore power, you want this inexpensive tool. It works just as shown in the photo here by plugging the plastic tip into an AC socket and looking for the red glowing light and hearing a rather obnoxious chirping sound ...
April 23, 2012

Adding a Battery

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I received a good question from one of our readers yeaterday that needs to be shared because I'll bet a few of you out there are trying to do the same thing. Garry writes: My new fishing boat has a merc 60 hp 4 stroke efi outboard with 18 amps of alternator output.Can I safely connect the starter battery and deep cycle trolling motor battery in series, to charge the deep cycle with the outboard engine? Of course I would install a switch to isolate the deep cycle when in use to avoid draining ...
April 18, 2012

Hydraulic Steering System Maintenance

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Annual Maintenance and Regular Inspections Will Insure Top Performance And Long Life But few of us think to look a just a little bit forward and check out the hydraulic steering system. In fact, when asked, most boat owners said they had no idea there was anything they should do, or could do, to maintain their hydraulic systems. As a result, this vital control system receives little or no attention, and small problems resulting from normal wear and tear are left to become major headaches – ...
April 9, 2012

Conductance Battery Testers for 32 Volts?

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I received a query from one of our readers today that is worth sharing. Although not too popular at the moment, this fellow is working on a boat with a 32 volt DC system. Some years ago these systems were quite popular. Not so much today. I spend more time answering questions about how to convert the older boats from 32 volts to either 12 or 24 volts. The question regards the use of conductance battery testers such as the one I use shown here: Midtronics EXP Conductance Battery ...
April 4, 2012

Boat or Barge? It could make a difference

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Last week we answered a question submitted by Joe the electrician. So, he had been asked by a potential customer to wire up a floating residence that was simply described to me as a barge that someone was going to build a house on and move into. Unclear to me was whether this was going to become a mobile craft or just sit parked on one place forever. Turns out it may make a difference in how he may approach the wiring questions Joe presented to me. After publishing the post where I basically ...
March 29, 2012

Live Aboard Boat Wiring

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We received a great query from a reader just the other day that needs sharing. Joe is a land based electrician that has been asked by a client to do some rewiring on a houseboat that the customer is actually building ontp an existing steel barge platform. It could end up looking as elegant as the one shown in the photo below that I took of a typical Amsterdam houseboat found along the canals routed throughout the city. Amsterdam house boat at its most elegant. Not bad little harbor cruisers ...
March 20, 2012

Winter Cover, Best Yet for Livaboards

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Over this past weekend my wife Nancy and I took a little road trip p to Portland Maine to visit the Maine Boatbuilder's Show. This annual event has become a sort of Spring welcoming session for New England boaters over the years. In attendance were the usual cast of characters with their displays of classic New England style boats. Nothing really new to report on that count. But as I walked the docks during the weekend I got a good look at the live-aboard boat below and thought I would share ...
March 14, 2012

Spare Your Water Pump!

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      Our friends over at JMP pumps sent this little nugget over today. Some good advice here if you want to prolong your pump's impeller life, but also to ensure that your pump can perform at its best. People tend to forget basic physics when they install pumps. Pipe diameter, pressure head or lift, (the relative difference in height between the pump and the overboard discharge controls this factor). Anyhow, all of these things can be maximized if you follow the simple tips below:     TIPS ...
February 28, 2012

LED Navigation Lights

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A press release from our friends at Hella Lighting came in over the wires today that highlights a topic I've discussed here at EBT before. Probably a good idea to bring this up again as I think a lot of boaters are thinking about intelligent upgrades to their boats during the winter doldrums. I know I am. Actually, I really fell off a cliff during the Miami Boat Show this year and bought a new boat! More on that in another post.           RETROFITTING INCANDESCENT NAV LAMPS WITH LED BULBS ...
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