ed’s boat tips

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 …

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 …

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 on to 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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

I’ve been reporting the progress our friend Eddie has been making with his all electric Marshall Catboat as it is being custom built. Well, the day has come and the boat is now complete. Eddie trailered it to Florida and he’s been out sailing this past week. I’m jealous. I was at the Miami Boat Show working as an NMMA Innovation award judge. Got to see some really cool new products though, and I’ll be reporting on those over the next few weeks. Just sorting through some photos, but stay …

I had a query several days ago regarding an article I wrote for Cruising World magazine about batteries and battery banks. The fellow loved the article (Thanks!) but had a good question that I should share with everyone. It has to do with wire sizing, specificall the main cable from his boat battery to in his case a small outboard engine. On his boat the battery is located forward, I think under a berthing area and a rather long cable runs aft to his outboard motor. Keep in mind that in this …

Dexter, the service manager here at the Brewer Yard where my office is located, shot this photo my way yesterday illustrating a key point or two about basic boating safety. Good stuff to check this time of year. I mentioned a few weeks back the need to check the expiry dates on items in the first aid kit, checking fire extinguishers, and expiry dates on things like CO monitors are also key items. But let’s not forget some of the basics here either. Check this one out: Yup, that’s someone’s …

Back in November I reported that we had received a query from Eddie about possibly turning his new Marshall Sanderling into an electric drive. See here: http://www.edsboattips.com/construction-a-technical/245-electric-conversion-for-a-marshall-sanderling Well, I heard from Eddie over the weekend and he’s pulled the trigger on this project. We’re talking brandy new boat with a Mastervolt electric drive system. Awesome! Eddie’s system will be a little bit different from the Alerion Electric I …

One of the things I always like to remind readers about is that the primary by-product of lousy electrical connections is heat. Enough heat, and things catch on fire. That’s pretty easy for just about anybody to understand. What’s not so obvious to most people is that there are some relatively easy and inexpensive ways to see if too much heat is being generated. In the photo below I’m checking the quality of the main positive feed cable to the starter motor on a friend’s outboard …