My Wife’s Sister is in to Car Racing

My wife’s sister is in to car racing!

My wife’s sister is in to car racing, and seems to be quite good at it. She is a better mechanic then many mechanics that run their own shop. She is great when I have a question about cars and maintenance.

She was prepping her car before a race and she was checking the wheels and the brakes on each wheel.  She was putting the wheels back on and she tightened the lugs down with a torque wrench. That caught me off guard. I just tighten the lug nuts way down. I asked her about it and she said they should be tightened down with a torque wrench so: you do not over torque the nuts on the bolts so they will not shear, and so you can get them off easily when you need to.

She said 12” to 13” tire/rim wheels (5 lug) : 50 ft-lbs min to 75 ft-lbs max.

On 14” and 15” tire/rim wheels (5 lug) : 90 ft-lbs min to 120 ft-lbs max .

On 15” and 16” tire/rim wheels (6 and 8 lug) : 90 ft-lbs min to 120 ft-lbs max.

She had a little chart in her tool box with the torque ranges.

She also said that when you tighten them down, you should tighten one, skip one and tighten that one, skip the next and tighten that one. Do every other one till all are tight to the right torque.

She also said you use a torque wrench to tighten a bolt only. You will trash the wrench if you use it to unscrew nuts. 

I have to say I had not really thought about it…I just tightened them down so they would not come off.

Dog Gone Those Cats !

Dog Gone

I was having my coffee this AM and our dog Bosco was sitting next to me with his tail off the couch. The tail was wagging slowly back and forth, and two cats were watching it swing. I could just tell there  were evil thoughts going through Newmans head, Monty just looked like he should attack it because it was there. 

I told the dog he was about be attacked. His ears went up and his tail waged faster. Both cats went for the tail at the same time. Big old Newman got there first with claws out.  Newman grabbed the tail.

The dogs ears went straight up, then he went straight up, and then my coffee went straight up. As the dog went over the back of the couch and I stood up. Monty followed the moving tail straight up trying to catch it.

In the space of seconds the 4 of us trashed the living room. Newman was sitting there with a cat smile, Monty was helping Bosco check his tail out, and I was cleaning coffee off the couch, rug, coffee table, and me. 

The 4 of us looked at each other and I am sure 3 of us were thinking “ that was fun…now what?” The dog was still checking out his tail.

Steering Your Sailboat By Weight and Sails. .

Steering Your Sailboat By Weight and Sails.

Steering you sailboat with the tiller is main way you will turn your boat when sailing, but you can steer your boat by shifting your body weight and with the sails. 

Bearing off is turning away from the wind. Heading up is turning toward the wind. If you want to steer by shifting weight, moving body weight to the windward will help the boat bear off. Moving weight to leeward will help the boat head up.  

Steering with sails can also be done. If you ease the main off and / or trim the jib in it will help the boat to bear off. If you trim in the main and / or ease off the jib, this helps the boat head up. 

These are two ways you can easily help steer your sailboat and make your turn smooth and nice in addition to using the tiller.

Water Hyacinth Problem

Water Hyacinth Problem

The canal we are on gets an overgrowth of water hyacinth about 3 times a year. They can look very attractive at times but they are also a big problem. I have seen them fill and block our canal in a matter of days.

When this happens the fishing off the dock and in the canal becomes a useless effort. The fish die or leave. The oxygen level of the water drops way off, the fish leave and a bad odor lingers near the water.

I call to have them sprayed when I notice them starting. If you wait too long and they do not come out and spray them on a timely basis, when they are sprayed and die it takes a week for the dying plants to clear from the canal and there is a real smell then.

I did not like the idea of having them sprayed and killed when I first moved here. After a few heavy blooms I changed my mind. They are an exotic plant that has been introduced in our waters, and all of us need to do our part in limiting the spread of the plant.

One of the canal resident’s would run his boat up and down the canal to chop them up with his prop. He thought he was doing all of us a favor by keeping the canal open, and it was fun. When we told him that chopping the plants up just spreads them, his question was: “ Well what do we do about them?”  That’s when we started getting them sprayed regularly. 

You can report infestations of nonnative plants and sea life species to the Bureau of Invasive Plant Management at:    850-488-5631

Unfortunately the current Governor of Florida must not feel this is a high priority because he is eliminating funds and not renewing positions that deal with things like this.     

Boat Cleaning Product Alternatives

Boat cleaning product alternatives that are non toxic have been around for years.

There are a number of things on your boat that can be cleaned with things that are not toxic and harmful to the water environment. Try some of these alternatives. 

You can use hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach. The release of oxygen in the peroxide is the bleaching agent.  

Baking soda or salt can be used as scouring powder. The baking soda is a very soft abrasive.

Cream of Tartar: 2 tablespoons in a quart of hot water makes Aluminum Cleaner.

A paste of equal parts of lemon juice and salt makes a mildew remover.

Baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar have long time been used for safe non-toxic cleaners. Sometimes old is better.

Also, Elbow Grease is a non-toxic cleaner and it is a free. *-)

Clean Marinas and Clean Boater

Clean Marinas and Clean Boater 

We were at a new Boating Store opening this last week end and one of the tables set up was for “CLEAN BOATER”. They were not selling anything. They were promoting your participation and involvement in keeping the Florida Waters, both inland and shoreline cleaner.  The message they are spreading is: “ Take clean water personally and get involved.

Everyone in Florida needs to get on this wagon. They are a volunteer group working together to care for our waters.

The hand-outs they had were excellent and the hand book is better than good. All they ask was to get involved and sign a pledge to help keep the water clean.

The hand book gave a list of things you could do, things that you should do, numbers to call, and helpful hints.

I liked it! The list of groups that are participating with them was impressive. The Digital Compass Shop is more than happy to promote “CLEAN BOATER”   

Bedding boat hardware to prevent leaks.

   Bedding boat hardware to prevent leaks.

To eliminate some pesky leaks on my sailboat, I figured that some of the deck hardware was where the leaks could be coming from. I started re-bedding all the hardware that was anywhere near where I had the leak.

After taking off the hardware I cleaned both the deck and hardware. Next I checked the holes where the screws and bolts came out. I then put creeping crack cure in the holes and let it seep in to any hairline cracks around the hole. Creeping crack cure is a very thin polymer that flows into tiny cracks via capillary action and when it cures it plugs leaks. I Let this dry for 24 hours.

When I am ready to remount the hardware put the sealant I am going to use as beading on the hardware and in the screw holes. I tighten down the hardware lightly just so it squeezes out some of the sealant around the perimeter, but do not seat it fully down.  I give the sealant 24 Hours to set. After it has set, I tighten down the hardware. By doing it this way I do not squeeze all the sealant out from under the hardware and a gasket is formed between the deck and hardware. I have had good luck with eliminating leaks this way, and it seals new hardware right from the start.

Cat Names

Cat Names

We have more than our share of cats now that we took in my sisters 3 cats. You can tell who named the cats very easily.  My wife likes names that end in IE, my sister liked names that ended in ON.

We have Bettie, Montie, Inkie and Tookie named by my wife. The 3 cats from my Sisters are Newmon, Burton, and Grayson. I noticed this name thing the other day.  I do not think there is anything significant about it. 

When I said something about it to my wife she smiled and said: “You are like your sister and named the one cat Watson”. She had a point, even if I do not know what it means.

My sister's 3 cats are all noisy. They meow at every thing. Our cats are quiet. Her cats want to be next to you, our cats like you around where they can see you but do not want to be next to you.

We now have too many cats that look alike. I find I start calling out a list of names till I get the right one. Or I just call "Cat". The Catses are winning...they just look at me and flip their tail

      

Smell like a French Pirate

My Dad had a cloth bag that was about 5” square and had talcum powder in it. The cloth of the bag was not tightly woven and when you would pat the bag against something it would leave talc dust on it. In hot weather, if you dried off with a towel and then patted yourself with the bag it felt cool and left you feeling cool and nice. I do not know what happened to the talc bag.

With the hot weather we have been having, I remembered that bag. When we cleaned out my sister’s house we found multiple unopened containers of body powders. I did not want to just pitch them out and I thought my wife could use them. She was not all that thrilled…most were strongly scented.

After cutting the grass the other day, I came in all sweated out. I was toweling off in the bath room and saw one of those containers of powder. I remembered the old talc bag.  8-)  I powdered myself down, and it did feel nice and cool. I was also well scented.

The dog took one sniff and headed elsewhere. Two of the cats ( my sister’s old cats ) followed me, and my wife turned up her nose and said I smelled like a Frenchman.  I corrected her and said I smelled like a French Pirate.

She sent me back to the bathroom for a shower and said she liked the smell of a Florida Buccaneer better.  I will just have to use the body powder up when she is not around. It did make me feel cool.   

      

Most boaters know that they need zinc anodes attached to metal parts to prevent electrolysis damage. The zinc dissolves and breaks down instead of the other metals. What works better then zinc on aluminum hulls and aluminum parts is magnesium. It can be used as a sacrificial metal in place of zinc.

So with aluminum hulls use magnesium anodes not a zinc and you will have better protection.

Pet Insurance Policy

Pet Insurance

BoatU.S. insurance now has a new policy benefit that will cover your pet with pet injury coverage. You can get up to $1000 ( per pet ) for veterinary expenses for your cat or dog injured on board. I think it is a interesting benefit for the boater.

Our dog is the first on and off the boat when we go out and come back. Bosco is a smart dog, a good boater, but he can get into unique problems on the boat. I could see him getting hurt and needing to see a vet.

Last year we were sailing on the river and we were passing a field next to the river. Bosco saw something or maybe smelled something in the field and ran to the bow of the boat barking and growling. A camel that was lying on the bank stood up. Bosco’s bark went up an octave and he almost knocked my wife and I off the boat when he leaped in to the cockpit of the boat. None of us got hurt but it could have been bad. (Yes, it was a camel, owned by a local resident).

I am always afraid of the possibility he could get a fishing hook snagged in him. My vet would say “He is a bit large for bait” or “ You were fishing for cat fish and caught the dog were you!” She can be sarcastic, *-)

I think I will check out this coverage.

His, Hers, & Ours Sailboats

We have 3 sailboats, his, hers, and ours. The ours is on a trailer, but the his and hers are in the water. We sail on the his and I get to work on the hers. Her boat is too large to easily sail on the river so it stays at the dock more than my 21’er.

After a stormy 3 days I was cleaning the boats of leaves and stuff and found that one of the deck drains on the her boat was running slow, then it stopped draining. I figured it should be an easy fix. I started by trying to clear the clog from the through hull that was just above the water line. From the Kayaks I tried pushing a long nylon wire tie in the hole. I got a little crud out but there was a 90 degree seacock on the inside of the hull and the wire tie would not turn the bend.

Next I emptied out the storage locker and wiggled in and opened and closed the seacock a number of times to see if it would free up the drain. No luck. Next I figured I would take off the hose, but that would let all the water on the deck drain into the boat.

Wet-dry vac cleared the standing water and I tried to remove the top drain. I found the top bronze fitting was a 90 degree that was screwed to the deck with the drain hose attached. The hose was not long enough to come out the top to be disconnected. So back in the locker I went. No room to get to the top hose clamps at the top. The bottom of the hose went in to the seacock and you could get to that.  I took the clamps off but the hose would not come off the fitting. After 20 minutes I got it off and was able to clean out the sludge. 

After I put it back together and checked it I was well sweated out. I finished cleaning her boat, putting away the tools and sat down for a cold ice tea. This little “easy job” had only taken about an hour and a half. It is always the little easy jobs that are so time consuming. And these easy jobs are always on the Her boat.  The his boat easy jobs are always much easier. I wonder why that is?   8-)

Recalibrate the Carburetor to Tolerate E10.

Ethanol for boats

Older outboard motors with carburetors were calibrated to run on the old fuel. The ethanol in the new gas makes the engine run to lean. This can cause hard starting and rough running and running hot. A good mechanic can recalibrate the carburetor to tolerate E10.

E10 can cause some problems and it is often used as an excuse when the engine runs rough. It is a great excuse to get you to buy a new engine. The newer fuel injection systems are somewhat self-adjusting and do handle E10 better. 

The first thing for the older carburetor run engines it see if adjusting the carburetor will take care of the problem. Second is use fresh fuel.

E10 gas will absorb water. A ½ full tank of gas will absorb more because there is a high surface area exposed to the air. A full tank is better. A fuel stabilizer added when you fill up is recommended. If you think there is absorbed water in the fuel, do not add a fuel dryer. These are often ethanol and can compound the problem. There is no way to recombine separated water and E10.  

Brass Bucket...Make it shine like Gold!

2 Brass Buckets

One of the things I found when we were cleaning out my sister’s place was a 3 gal. brass Bucket. I put in the collection of things that I would keep. I have another brass bucket that is about a 5 gal. at home and I thought they would look nice together.

When I saw it I remembered it being at my Dads lake cottage for years and that the two buckets came from my Mother’s parent’s farm back in Indiana. There was something about seeing the bucket that gave me a negative feeling but it was fleeting and I did not dwell on it.

When we got back to Wen-Dan Landing and were unpacking all the stuff, we put the bucket on the porch and forgot about it. The other day we were watching the rain come down on the porch and I saw the bucket. I got thinking if I polished up the Brass Bucket it would look nice on the schooner.

Like a ton of bricks that negative feeling hit me and I remembered the history of me and that bucket. Back in the late 50’s when I was 10 or 12 my older brother got into BIG TROUBLE for doing something. I have no idea what “it” was but both of us got punished for “it”. I am sure my Mother came up with the punishment; Dad would have just paddled us.

We were each given a bucket and we had to polish them up to look like gold. I got the small one. My brother got the bigger one because he was older and “should have known better”. It took us the better part of a week to shine those buckets up. I do not know what we used to polish them up, but it took a lot of elbow grease and the polish to get them “to look like gold”. 

I remembered that when we cleared out my Parents home I did not want that bucket so my sister took it. I took the big one that my brother had polished. Now the two buckets are back together and I get a smile when I see them. I have not polished either one up. 8-) But I have noticed my little bucket still has a better shine to it. 

Why Did You Put It There?

You drilled how many hole's!

The two questions I fear most when I install a new instrument is: Why did you put it there? And: How many holes did you drill in my boat? Where you install an instrument it takes a lot more consideration than picking the instrument. *-) My suggestion is first think about where it will be mounted, then pick the unit. Some new instruments are wireless and can make mounting very easy. 

Take a fish-finder as an example. You want to mount it where you can easily see it when you are fishing, high enough you do not have to bend to see it or look around something to see it. If it is movable that is an advantage.

Other considerations are where the wiring will be run and what you can mount it to. The actual mounting is usually simple and straight forward. Start by having a friend (and or owner) make suggestions and diplomatically give your own reasons where it should be put. Everyone sees things from a different point of view. “It looks nice here” and “If it is put here you can easily see it from the back rail” or “if it is there it will be in the way when you…”

After you find the place it will go, follow the mounting instructions and wiring instructions. Most are straight forward and easy. The wiring is usually the hardest part of the job. I do not like to see wiring just strung, I like it hidden when possible and in conduit when not. 

With a fish-finder and some other instruments a sensor is requires, or an antenna is required and these have to be considered. For a fish-finder, where the transducer is mounted to get the best image under the boat and where the display is mounted will determine how much cable will be needed.  

One of my wife’s concerns is “how many holes are you going to drill in my boat!” I always say only two or three and none should below the water line… I hope! You always have to cover your tail.