Bugs & Biocides

Diesel bug is not this pretty – but it’s at least as inconvenient…

Diesel Fuel Care – Biocides & Bugs

Tony Warr of fuelcare.com, speaking at the Cruising Association’s recent Blue Water Seminar, described diesel bug and how to keep it out of your engine – something that requires diligence and is not so easily done. 

We heard another talk on diesel bug at the London Boat Show earlier this year. This subject is not the most glamorous – exactly the kind of thing that is worth hearing twice!

Here are the Can Opener’s notes:

Diesel bug clogs up your engine…

• Dead diesel bug causes the slime blocking up your fuel lines.
• Fuel contamination starts after the fuel arrives at the first middleman in the distribution chain.
• fuel + water + micro-organisms + a rise in temperature = microbial growth (diesel bug)
• Diesel bug sinks to the bottom of the tank… where the fuel intake is – and then blocks the primary filter to the engine.
• It also loosens in rough weather – so diesel bug is even more likely to block the engine when you may really need it.
• This doesn’t happen in petrol as petrol is not a nutrient – therefore no bugs.

What to do?

Prevention

1. Keep water out of the fuel tank because
• water makes the fuel hazy and
• provides an environment the diesel bug loves!
2. If the fuel supplier is suspect then
• use a funnel or a ‘Baja’ filter or
• have extra tanks, let them stand for 2 days till the diesel bug sinks, and then decant the diesel into the main tank.
3. Check you tank filler cap and leave tanks full before layup (to keep air out of the tanks).
4. Run your engine for 30 minutes after layup and check separator regularly on your first trip.

Use biocide

1. It’s a fuel preservative that kills bacteria and fungus. It will clean your system – it takes 12 hours to clear. 
2. Do a regular biocide treatment of 1/2 a dose every 3-4 tank fills.
3. Add biocide before your winter layup.
4. If you miss the ‘pre-wineter layup treatment’ then dilute and add it in the Spring, 24-48 hourse before your first use.

• it’s fairly cheap (costs about £3 /100litres in the UK)

Emergency backup

1. carry a small 12 volt electric fuel pump and filter
2. practice connecting spare fuel can to suction of low pressure fuel lift pump

• this can fix diesel bug blockage in 10 minutes – which may be fast enough to restart your engine in time to avoid something really perilous!

Have you ever had diesel bug in your fuel?  

What did you do?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Previously: see also Diesel Bug

Communications At Sea

Not an option…

Last weekend at the Cruising Association, we also attended a lecture on ‘Staying in Touch on Boats’, by Ed Wildgoose of mailasail.com satellite communications. 

Safety and preparedness for the crisis (that we hope will never happen) is always our priority. 

And there’s always the chance that I’ll need to get in touch with Pussy Galore sometime late at night. Let her know I’m safe, not to worry, etc, etc. You know how she – (Err, Furrball? She has never shown even the tiniest sign she knows you’re alive… Yeah. But best be ready – it could happen, you never know. I’m jus’ saying…)

So. At the lecture. Ed outlined the options and the Can Opener wrote ’em down:

Options

• WIFI, broadband
• 3G, GPRS mobile and dongles
• Satellite phones
• custom radio solutions (eg PACTOR, SSB, sailmail…)

Reach

• WIFI: 20-100m (21-109yards) at a cost of about <0.1p/MB (<0.2¢/MB)
• 3G/GSM: 1-20 miles at a cost of about 4p-5£/MB (6¢-$7.90/MB)
• Satellite phones: global reach at a cost of about 50p-10£/MB (79¢-$15.87/MB)

WIFI

• use a ‘booster’ to extend range eg Wifi bat, WL500 or Alfa (Taiwanese brand)
• ensure the antenna is external (above deck) and can ‘see’ the shore
• join an aggregator eg FON (a Portuguese company, useful in/near EU)

Sat phones

• very useful in distress
• use optimisation software for core needs (eg teleport emails)
• avoid costly downloads
• it has low speeds and is not priced for bulk
• gets all its power from solar power
• updates models less often (for eg. compared with iphone models. The customer base is very limited so it takes more time to get their investment back, so they wait longer to bring out a new model.)
• some example models:
• IRIDIUM 9555, 9575, 9522P – <£1000/phone
• INMARSAT iphone Pro
• Iridium Pilot approx. £3000/phone
• INMARSAT Fleet Broadband FB150, 250, 500 for business uses

Safety

• With a sat phone you can call the manufacturer from the boat as the problem develops and
• send a photo of the problem and
• get advice early.
• With a sat phone problems tend to develop more slowly.
• Two way communication as a problem develops is better than just finally pushing the Mayday distress button when you have exhausted all your own ideas by yourself.
• Since you use (and therefore test) the sat phone from time to time, familiarity is good. You know it’s working (vs a distress signal button that is only tested when a crisis is in progress.)

What kind of communications systems do you have on your boat? Would you choose the same system(s) next time? 

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Batteries on Boats

photo by: Joanna Poe

Last weekend, we attended a lecture at the Cruising Association on ‘Power Systems on Boats’, by Matt Boney. 

We’ve attended a lecture on electrics on boats there before, but it’s always good to hear more on this topic again. Confirms that this is definitely something we need to master. Loads of studying ahead for the Can Opener…

Here are the key highlights from the notes I required the Can Opener take down (Hey Furrball, I’m self-motivated! I do not need you camped on my shoulder, waggling my ears like horse reigns to make me write faster…):

Battery Capacity

• Most cruisers do not have enough
• 150amps/day is a small amount
• You probably need a minimum of 300amp hours at 50% of DoD (depth of discharge)
• and batteries only top up to 80% of their capacity
• so you need to actually have more like 420 amp hours to be able to use 300 amp hours/day… and still would have to charge every day
• AND you don’t want to run your battery to 0… only want to run it down to about 25% of battery capacity
• therefore you need even more capacity!

Which battery to use?

• You can mix battery sizes to increase capacity (lifeline tested this) as long as batteries are
• the same age and
• the same make

• With batteries you ‘get what you pay for’… quality costs..

 Types of batteries

• Sealed leisure or marine batteries 
• are ‘maintenance-free’, 
• but can’t be topped up so they won’t last long. 
• They are also affected by temperature.
• Gels 
• are useful, 
• slow discharge
• old technology
• expensive
• hard to find

• AGMs
• are the best (?)
• becoming more popular
• make sure you get the right AGM for the right purpose! (There are many potential uses for these…)

Monitoring your batteries
You should 

• charge your batteries to 100% every month to anti-sulfate them – otherwise they will become permanently sulfated
• should estimate when you hit 50% DoD by measuring battery voltage
• must have a panel mounted digital volt meter
• must have a small digital multi-meter
• all batteries must have multi-stage regulators
• test your batteries 2x/year
• use your alarms!
• monitor regularly!

Ways to generate electricity?

• shore power charger
• solar – recommended 600Watts+ or you won’t be able to replace daily usage
• wind or towing generators – expensive, but easy and convenient
• AC or DC diesel generator – DC is the quieter of the two
• Honda petrol generator – don’t get this one. There are no petrol stations at sea. And you are not really saving a lot on size.

What type of batteries are you using? What kind of generator(s) are you using? Are you getting the voltage you need out of them?

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Corrosion & Metal Fatigue On Boats

Hold the oysters! 

We’ve just been to a blue water seminar this past weekend at the Cruising Association – and it was awesome. 7 lectures on how to cruise that were of riveting and relevant interest. Couldn’t get more near and dear to our heart than that.

Vyv Cox, a mechanical engineer who has written quite a few articles for Yachting World, etc*, led off with a talk on ‘mid-ocean things that could spoil your day’. 

Well, yes. And most of them involved metal fatigue and corrosion. The kind of thing that causes masts to come down and boats to sink. Sure made for some edge of the seat listening. 

But good news – although you cannot eliminate all risk and there are no guarantees, you can take steps to minimise the chances of quite a few scary situations. 

Most of them involve sealants, choosing the right materials and check, check, checking your equipment. Good stuff.

Here’s what we learned…

Corrosion

Galvanic corrosion

• 2 metals in salt water generate electricity… and causes one of the metals to corrode preferentially
• common example: stainless steel and aluminum
• antidote: 
• isolate different metals
• avoid using different metals close together if possible
• exclude water – use sealants to protect eg. Duralac paste, tefgel
  

Crevice corrosion

• if water covers the top of a crevice – then air is excluded and corrosion can occur
• thread roots are crevices – eg lower swaged ends of shrouds are suspectible
• so keep water out – fill it with sealant, lanolin, Waxoyl
• Waxoyl is available in an aerosol – warm up the shrouds with a hot air gun, then spray the Waxoyl on
  

General corrosion

• is materials related
• is unlikely with 300 series stainless steels
• carbon steel is suspectible but generally not used except in engines, engine components, mountings, chain etc
• NOTE: Jeanneau only uses 400 series which is not very anti-corrosive
  

Seacocks & Fittings

How to avoid corrosion… choose your materials well

• EU regulations only require fittings to be good for 5 years (Huh? Yep, the wrong seacocks can sink your boat…)
• brass suffers from dezincification – the loss of zinc from brass
• the fitting will show the pinkish colour of copper on it
• it may only affect the surface but severly reduces strength
• thread roots are particularly susceptible
• if the fittings are chrome-plated – then they are brass

Where to find these short-life brass skin fittings?

• Tonval, Guidi products – all brass
• Manganese bronze… is brass (and some other metals mixed in) – often found in propellers
• Naval brass = brass

Who uses brass skin fittings?

• Beneteau
• Dufour
• Hallberg-Rassy
• Malo
• Maxi
• Najad
• X Yachts
• …

Yeah. Surprised us too.

So what materials should your seacocks and skin fittings be made of?

If you discover you do have brass fittings, then it’s time to replace them with the good stuff… And yes, it costs a lot.

• DZR is the good stuff – it includes arsenic which slows corrosion (cZ132Cu62Zn35.2Sn0.7Pb2As0.1)
• NOTE: no DZR is chrome-plated 
• The symbol ‘CR’ (corrosion resistant) means it is DZR – but only if you see this symbol on valves!!
• Mysteriously Guidi’s brand symbol on skin fittings looks a lot like ‘CR’… but Guidi = brass. Be careful!
• ASAP brand made with DZR
• Blakes seacocks also made with DZR (at least for the last 25 years)
• Bronze – very good… and expensive

What else should you do to protect your boat from corrosion?

For mountings on hull use:

• Sikaflex 291
• 3M 5400
• Pu40
• Boatlife Lifecaulk

For threads use:

• Liquid PTFE
• Sikaflex 291
• PTFE tape

re: Bonding

• If you have bronze or DZR you don’t need to seal because your fittings will not corrode.
• (If you do bond, then you will create a galvanic situation.)
• Bonding is done in North America, not in the EU/UK.

re: Anodes

• Be careful where you place your anodes – they work only on ‘line of sight’. If you place them on the other side of an obstacle (say, a hull…) then they won’t work and can even make matters worse.

Fatigue

• Fractures occur due to cyclic stress.
• eg shrouds and stays, fittings, masts, shafts
• eg if you let off the back stay every time you are at the dock, then you incresae fatigue in mast which could lead to failure (hmmm, the boat we train on does this…)
• Therefore eliminate stress raisers and allow freedom of movement. 
• (So, does this mean never put the backstay on? Or leave it on all the time?…)
• Failure of bolts are always due to not being tightened enough, which allows play, leading to fatigue and failure.
• Make sure that swaged fittings are in line (no ‘banana’ swags or cracks) and that toggles are on all ends.
• Inspect all of the mast and mast fittings for cracks
• Low profile T-ball fittings are best.

Have you ever been caught on the wrong side of corrosion? What did you find the last time you inspected your mast?

We will certainly be going over Un Tigre Beau‘s mast with a giant magnifying glass this winter I can tell you…

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

* coxengineering.sharepoint.com

Battery Capacity

‘The most unreliable part of the boat is its electric systems.’

–Tony Brooks

At the Boat Show we managed to attend 2 (free!) mini lectures, the second of which was on ‘Electrics for Boaters’ with Tony Brooks. 

Tony is an instructor offering boaters’ courses and technical help. His site with some good technical notes on it can be found here.

He only had 20 minutes to speak and focused on calculating how much battery capacity you actually need to have on your boat.

Here are the highlights…

First do an energy audit

1. Turn all electrical items off on your boat. Then one by one, turn each item on and off to determine how many amps each item on your boat draws (eg lamp uses 3.4 amps, pump uses 5 amps).
2. Estimate how many hours you use each item for per day (eg lamp used 2 hours, pump used 2 hours).
3. Multiply each item’s amps by the # hours/day used – this will give you amphours per day per item (3.4×2=6.8 and 5×2=10).
4. Add up all the amphours of all the items together (6.8+10=16.8 amphours).
5. This tells you the amount of usuable battery capacity needed.

BUT

• You can’t use 100% of any battery all in one day! 
• In fact, you should only use up 50% of the charge in your batteries each day (otherwise you significantly shorten the battery’s life).
• AND you can only realistically charge the battery to 80% of its so-called total rated capacity.
• Therefore really only 30% of the battery’s claimed capacity is available to you (80%-50%=30%).

Then calculate battery capacity

1. 16.8 amphours per day is only 30% of rated battery capacity needed. So how many amphours of rated capacity do you actually need?
2. Solve for x: 
• 16.8/x = 30/100
• x = 56 amphours needed per day

So 1×110 ah batteries should be enough. 

On the other hand, if you only charge your battery every third day, then you’ll need 168 amphours and should do fine with 2×110 ah batteries.
  
Listening to this lecture also showed us… we don’t know a thing about engines yet either. Hmm.

So the Can Opener will be trolling the electrics section in our Don Casey’s Sailboat Maintenance Manual as well. And the RYA marine Electrics course has also been bumped up the list…

Have you ever done an energy audit? 
Find any surprises?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)


Cruising Lectures
Next: Chuck Paine Speaks
Previously: Diesel Bug
 

Diesel Bug

Just back from the Boat Show – which was brilliant!

Amidst all the boat and gear ogling, we also managed to attend 2 (free!) lectures, one of which was on ‘caring for diesel engines for cruisers’ with Tony Brooks. 

Tony is an instructor offering boaters’ courses and technical help. His site with some good technical notes on it can be found here.

He only had 20 minutes to speak but had great handouts and parts on hand to illustrate his points.

Here are the highlights…

For a long lived and happy engine you need:

• a clean fuel system
• a clean oil system
• a clean air system 

and

• regular maintenance prevents and pre-solves a lot of problems.

Okay. So far so good. Then came the meat of the talk…

Diesel bug
This is a pretty yucky bug that likes to live in your diesel fuel and turns it a burnt brown colour and lumpy (dead bugs). The solution previously appeared to be to add emulsifier to the fuel.

Unfortunately, this emulsifier caused a new problem – a waxy-like, light coloured fuel which blocks up the filter. Not good.


To get rid of diesel bug, you should:

1. stop using emulsifier
2. treat your tank by adding a de-emulsifier with a biocide included in it (eg Marine 16 or Grotamar)
3. let it stand to give the de-emulsifier with biocide time to do its job
4. pump out the cloudy opaque fuel from the bottom of your tank
5. then keep using the Marine 16 or Grotamar regularly

Listening to this lecture highlighted that… we don’t know a thing about engines yet. 

Even the Can Opener was motivated to jump to the engine section in our Don Casey’s Sailboat Maintenance Manual.

We’re also going to take the RYA Diesel course earlier than planned. As the wise bloke at the Boat Show’s Cruising Association stand said, being able to troubleshoot an engine will make us more appealing as crew. So bring it on.

Have you ever gotten diesel bug in your fuel? 
What did you do? 

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cruising Lectures

Next: Battery Capacity 
Previously: Stay Alive – How to Cross Shipping Lanes

Self Sufficient Sailor – Reviewed

links below at bottom of post

 

Book Captain Cat just finished snoozing on: 
Self Sufficient Sailor, by Lin and Larry Pardey 

A big thumbs up (metaphorically speaking) on yet another Pardey classic. The key themes in this must-have for the sea library are: 

Keeping costs down 
The Pardeys are famous for economical cruising and once again they do not disappoint. For example, they discuss:

• interesting advice on how to hitchhike on boats to gain sea miles and experience. If this is for you, there is some solid advice here on how to do it
• what kind of careers/jobs are most compatible with cruising based on what they have done and what they have seen others successfully doing
• the usefulness of keeping your boat under 30 feet to get out cruising earlier and stay out there longer. Can’t remember where the Can Opener got this 30 foot and under idea, but this is probably it (he’s read it before).

They also keep costs down by… 

…being prepared 
For squalls, emergencies, fire, lightning, repairs and guests. In no particular order. 

…keeping it simple 
If you can’t repair it, maybe it shouldn’t be on board. 
–Lin and Larry Pardey 

Yep, these guys are hard-core. They cruise without an engine, electricity or flush toilet. And they probably could repair all of the above anyway. 

They also tell you about a few simpler system substitutes they have seen successfully used if this is the above is too intense for you. 

Keep it fun and safe for everyone on board 
All sensible recommendations and discussions here:

• Everyone should be able to sail the boat.
• All equipment should be designed so that the weakest member of the crew can operate/use/carry it.
• Share tasks and do not stick one crew with all the crappy jobs.

The sort of things you’d think were kind of obvious. Apparently not. 

This section is written with the assumption that the wife will be the one getting stuck with the short end of the stick. Seems a bit like a 1950s labour division, and yet it seems like this is a surprisingly common scenario. 

Jimmy Cornell’s World Cruising Survey demographics show the greatest number of cruisers are in their 50’s, 60’s and beyond. So maybe this helps explain why it happens too often. 

The Pardeys note that boats cruise longer, more safely and happily when everyone is well trained and individually confident in their own abilities to do all the tasks needed for their own boat. 

The tough stuff of cruising 
Lest you begin to think that a life of Spartan simplicity and ‘bucket and chuck it’ toilets is one big holiday, the Self Sufficient Sailor finishes with direct and sensible discussions on guns, pirates, security and worse, how to get laundry done on a boat. 

Things you need to consider and to make well informed decisions about before going cruising. 

Conclusion 
Self Sufficient Sailor? Loved it. Nuff said. 

Any other books you would recommend for cruising? I am researching for the next round of additions to our sea library…

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Other Book Reviews

Next: Maiden Voyage – Reviewed 
Previously: Capable Cruiser

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Why Yacht Surveys Save Money

Tips on Surveying Boats 
from the 2nd half of the Cruising Association lecture 

Here are our notes from the second half of the lecture with Paul Stevens on: SurveyingYachts and Small Craft at the Cruising Association last week. 

The first half of Paul’s lecture covered a serious issue he has helped to build awareness for recently: the use of brass skin fittings below the waterline in salt water-sailed yachts – and why this is a very bad idea. 

The second half of the lecture covered some general tips on surveying. In one short hour, this is what we covered… 

Keel, Rudder and Hull 

• Look for weeping, staining on the keel
• Look for ‘tide mark’ inside the bilges from keel staining
• Look at the boat in slings to see the keel ‘in tension’. Is there light visible between the hull and the keel where it joins the hull? Yikes!
• Look at the hull surface when the sun is low in the sky. This will throw the bottom into relief and show up imperfections
• Check for crazing where the skeg is attached
• Hammer tap test over hull to find voids in laminate (ie. if delamination has occurred). If you hear a change in sound as you tap, you will notice immediately. It sounds like rotten wood
• Scrape off anti-fouling to see if there is blistering – you always have to do this, no excuses
• Test the rudder – can you move it relative to its stalk? Is it loose?
• What is the propeller made of? Very often they are made of manganese bronze – this means brass! Avoid. 

  

Inside and On the Boat 

• Look for crazing at the cockpit joins, roof joins etc.
• Tap around bulkhead. If the chainplates are leaking, then the bulkheads might be rotten
• Do hatches close properly?
• Check for corrosion at stanchion bases – it’s very common to have stainless steel stanchions in an aluminum base. Different metals together accelerate corrosion
• At rigging attachment points, sealing plates should be removed, retightened and resealed once a year!
• Take a winch handle with you to check that winches move in 2 directions and are not seized
• Does boat conform to light regulations? Are all the lights working?
• Does boat conform to bilge pump regulations? Check pump is working. MCA Code of Practice tells what number and type of bilge pump is required for each size of boat. These are sensible recommendations

Engine

• Look in ‘rocker’ box. Is the oil all creamy?
• Do a dip stick check
• Check the coolant. How clean is it?

How do you know if your yacht surveyor is qualified?
You don’t. This is an unregulated industry.

How can I tip the odds in my favour when looking for a good yacht surveyor?

• Ask friends for recommendations
• Ask people at your boat club for recommendations
• Ask your cruising association for recommendations
• Don’t use the yacht surveyor the yacht broker suggests you use
• In the UK, you can check to see if they are members of the Yacht Designers and Surveyors Association (YDSA) and/or British Marine Surveyors Europe (BMSE). Neither of these memberships are required and it is not a fool proof guarantee – but it is the best there is in the UK

There’s a lot more to yacht surveying than this. But this is all the time we had in Paul’s lecture. His book apparently covers much more in excruciating detail.

The Cruising Association has this to say about Paul’s Surveying Yachts and Small Craft: ‘…the book seeks to appeal to boat owners either actual or prospective… a good prior knowledge of FRP boats, their construction and equipment is assumed by the author… this book is an excellent tool.’ 

I’ve got a long list of books on surveying for the Can Opener to read this year. Another surveyor-guy might have different tips and ideas. We want to know it all.

Any problem that comes with the boat we buy becomes our problem. For a long time. Even a short time will feel like a long time if it’s a big problem. And sometimes big problems can be life-threatening.

We don’t want to be surprised by a lemon. Our lives are worth rubies.

Are there any USA (or Canada or Oz…) equivalents to the YDSA and BMSE found in Europe? 

What has your experience been with surveyors who are registered members with this/these organisation/s?

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cruising Lectures

Next: Stay Alive – How to Cross Shipping Lanes
Previously: The Wrong Seacocks Can Sink Your Boat

The Wrong Seacocks Can Sink Your Boat

 

Cruising Association Lecture Notes:  

The Wrong Seacocks Can Sink Your Boat 

Another great lecture at the Cruising Association earlier this week, this time on Surveying Yachts and Small Craft with Paul Stevens, yacht surveyor, lecturer and author. Paul currently teaches at the International Boat Building Training College in Lowestoft, UK. 

Did we like him? Yup. He was passionate about his topic and it’s clear he knows his stuff. He cares about getting it right and keeping people alive on yachts that are safe. 

The first half* of Paul’s lecture covered a serious issue he has helped to build awareness for recently: the use of brass skin fittings below the waterline… in salt water-sailed yachts! 

What’s wrong with that? Apparently everything. 

So What’s Wrong With Brass Fittings? 
Brass seacocks in saltwater can corrode to failure in 5 years… or less! 

Dezincification

Brass fittings in fresh water – okay. But in salt water, brass (an alloy of copper and zinc) corrodes to failure. It’s called dezincification. If there is any current in the water (as often happens in a marina) this can happen in less than a year. 

What drives this? 
Well, it costs about a quarter of the price to make a fitting out of brass...

Is this new knowledge? 
Nope. Apparently the downside of using brass in this way has been known for about 90 years or more. 

Why did this happen? 
The new (since 1998) European Community’s Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) ISO Standard 9093-1 was rewritten to require only that fittings should be corrosion resistant for 5 years. (Though who knows why they were rewritten this way??…) 

Huh? Not required to last the life of the boat, you say? 
Nope. Not under the current EU regs. 

And if they corrode through and fail beneath the waterline my whole boat will sink?? 
Uh-huh. Pretty fast too. 

Is there a disaster waiting to happen under my waterline? 
Yacht owners need to prove to themselves that their fittings are NOT brass. 

There is currently no requirement in the EU to mark on packaging what components are made of. And the packaging of valves with and without brass are nearly identical. Even many chandleries are unaware of the difference between them due to this lack of clarity. Big problem. 

How to check 
Got written documentation of what your fittings are made of? Old packages? Documentation from the manufacturer of your boat? Can you write the manufacturer and get this in writing?  If you are buying a new boat, the builder should definitely be willing to write this down… 

You can also hammer-tap test every fitting that pierces the hull below the waterline. Even if the fittings were all put in at the same time and some of those other fittings have tested okay. Fittings may have been subsequently replaced with brass. Or some brass fittings may have gotten mixed in when the boat was first built due the unclear and very similar packaging. 

Brass corrosion shows as a grey pinkish putty colour. It showed up as splodges on the outside of valves and especially in the threads of valves that Paul had to show us. Does the fitting collapse when you hammer-tap it (not a guaranteed test) or break off? Not a good sign. 

If you can’t prove to yourself that all your fittings are not brass, then be safe. Replace them all. 

Prevention is far cheaper than calamity. 

The Right Stuff: Bronze and DZR 
We should be using bronze! Or products that are clearly labelled/confirmed as dezincified resistant brass (DZR). Plastic is a possible alternative, but shouldn’t be installed around heat sources – say in or near the engine box. 

How to be sure you’re getting bronze or DZR 
If you don’t have documented proof that it’s not brass – better to be safe and replace them all. 

How do you ensure this? Here are some ways: 

• If the package states clearly that the product is bronze or DZR, then okay. If it does not mention what material it’s made of… then it’s brass.
• If the valve shows the ‘CR’ symbol on it when you turn it over, then it’s DZR. That’s good. But you can’t necessarily see this when it’s in the package.
• Another clue – bronze fittings cost 3 to 4 times more than brass ones.
• Blake seacocks now use DZR only.
• ISIS make a range of DZR ball valves.
• New Zealand make the True Plastic Range by Lee Sanitation. Also okay.
• ASAP Supplies will supply a list of what things they sell are made of.

Here’s a link to Paul’s site and articles on seacock safety and technical metals info. Here’s info on Essential Seacock Checks. 

After Paul’s talk it looked like the vast majority of attendees would be down at their boat this weekend, checking for documentation and hammer-tap testing away to ensure the integrity of their fittings and the safety of their yachts. 

Do you know what your seacocks are made of? 
Does this situation exist in the US too? 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

* The second half of Paul’s lecture covered general surveying – tips on things to watch for and check before you buy a new boat (new to you) or during your yearly review of your current boat.  Lecture notes on this coming soon in my upcoming post Cruising Association Lecture Notes: Tips on Yacht Surveying. 

Cruising Lectures 
Next: Why Yacht Surveys Save Money
Previously: Going to a Lecture On: How To Survey A Boat

Going to a Lecture On: How To Survey A Boat

Not getting a good yacht survey can cost you a bundle

 We’re off (Where’s my sceptre and cape? The wiley Can Opener has hidden them!)  to a lecture tonight on how to survey a boat before you buy it. 

It’s at the Cruising Association down at Limehouse Marina. 

We’ll learn how to conduct a thorough inspection of a yacht or small craft. Or at least whatever we can learn in a two hour lecture. (Then we’ll come home and keep reading/snoozing on Don Casey’s Sailboat Maintenance Manual!)

We need to know what to look for when we are narrowing down options to the last one or two picks.

And since small boat surveying is entirely unregulated, it’s a fine idea to know about as much as about it as we possibly can and not rely totally on the surveyor we bring in for the final pre-buy inspection of the yacht-of-our-dreams. 

We might actually find the best surveyor ever. We might not. If you don’t know much about surveying yourself, it’s hard to tell.

Even if we do find the best surveyor on earth, they’re only human and could miss something. It’s our pocketbook on the line and us that will be living with any flaws that get missed. We need to know about surveying too.

I’m packing the Can Opener’s rucksack full of notebooks, highlighters, pens and smoked oysters. He’ll be taking copious notes for me at the lecture… and directing a constant stream of mollusks toward me to ensure the delicate balance of my electrolytes.

All in all he’s a good First Mate. His recent performance has been quite satisfactory. (If he just relinquishes my cape,) I’ll consider giving him a gold star. 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Cruising Lecture Notes

Next: The Wrong Seacocks Can Sink Your Boat
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