Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Nordic Tug Interior Teak
Teak walls in Nordic Tugs....
If the walls and woodwork are grimy they can be cleaned with hot water mixed with a strong solution of TSP and scrubbed with green pads and then rinsed with clear water. Light sanding if necessary and then apply Seafin Teak Oil or an even mixture of Teak Oil and Formby’s Lemon Oil Treatment with a lint free rag. Repeat application as necessary and can be sanded with 400 grit wet/dry or OO bronze wool. Applying the teak oil and lemon oil mixture as regular maintenance keeps the wood in like-new condition
Minimum Suggested Spare Parts List
MINIMUM SPARE PARTS TO KEEP ON BOARD
- One oil filter for each engine and generator.
- Two sets of primary fuel filters
- One set of secondary fuel filters
- Anti Freeze engine coolant
- Belts for engine and generator
- Replacement pump for fresh water
- Raw water impellers for engine and generator
- Replacement macerator pump
- Spare toilet parts
- Head pump assembly and repair kit
- Spare oil for engine and transmission
- Distilled water for batteries and battery filler
- Tool kit
- Rags
- Silicone lube and WD40
Preparing your boat for cruising
PREPARING YOUR BOAT FOR CRUISING
1. 1. Create an inventory of safety items on your boat with the location of where items can be found. (Especially helpful when boarded by the Coast Guard)
2. 2. Create an equipment list with make, model and serial numbers of all equipment on board. (You can more easily order parts when something breaks.)
3. 3. Purchase spare parts, and create a list including the location of where items are stored. (It’s so easy to forget what you have after it is stowed)
4. 4. Perform a detailed inspection of your boat and create a repair discrepancy list in order of importance.
5. 5. Maintain a “Captain’s Log”
6. 6. Get a free Vessel Safety Check fomr the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
7.
Overcoming Motion Sickness
Overcoming Motion Sickness
“Navy Times” author William H. McMichael interviewed Cmdr. Rita Simmons, an aerospace physiologist assigned to the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida in an article titled “5 THINGS EVERY SAILER SHOULD KNOW”.
1. Why do people get queasy? No one really knows, Simmons said. One theory holds that the eyes, ears, and other sensory items “kind of tell you where you are in space”; when the eyes perceive one state and the body another, the brain receives mixed signals, producing physiological effects. Another is that the body treats unusual motions like a foreign substance such as a poison, and the body reacts by rejecting the sensation in a similar fashion – by vomiting. Researchers do know that there are certain types of motion – up and down motion and rolling motion—that can be sickening.
2. Who’s affected. All people with intact inner ears can get ill – Simmons said it’s been proven in her laboratory. About 1 percent of people do not have intact inner ears and cannot be made motion sick. Some 10 percent of people very rarely get motion sick; conversely, Simmons said, about another 10 percent “can’t look at a boat on the water.”
3. Current remedies. Over-the-counter remedies, generally antihistamines such as Dramamine, are “moderately effective” for a portion of the population, Simmons said. Prescription remedies lean towards drugs that are anti-cholinergic, as well as some stronger antihistamines – all of which can be delivered orally or by patch, suppository or injection. Once you’re sick, though, those drugs aren’t going to help, and there aren’t many remedies for that unfortunate 10 percent. “You can delay or lesson the symptoms,” Simmons said. “When they cross their threshold, they may eventually get sick.”
4. What doesn’t work? Some people believe that there is an anxiety component for some people with motion sickness. If someone is afraid of flying, for example, nonprescription medications or natural remedies such as ginger, pressure-point therapy (used by the popular Sea-Band bracelets) or breathing exercises may help reduce anxiety, thus reducing the chances of motion sickness. But in controlled trials with real motion, Simmons said, “they have not been found to be effective.”
5. On the horizon. Researchers are working to find a solution that “has as close to zero side effects as possible, that will be effective as quickly as possible…. So that we can have it available to them at the moment … and they can continue to stay at their duty station,” Simmons said. NAMRL’s research has shown nasal delivery of scopolamine allows the drug to be quickly absorbed and highly effective and low doses. NAMRL hopes to finish its research and send a recommendation by Oct. 1, 2011.
Cooking crab with no muss and no fuss and no smelly galley!
Cooking Crab on the Barbecue
No steamy smelly galley
No need for big pots and propane tanks
What you’ll need:
-Dungeness or Red Rock Crab, cleaned * (cleaning your crabs before cooking allows for more crabs in the space and allows you to eat them hot from the grill, besides the fact that it’s hard to wrap them if they are alive)
-Barbecue (heated to medium high)
-Heavy Duty Foil
Wrap the crab in two layers of heavy duty foil, being careful not to pierce the foil, and place it on a heated (medium high) grill. Close cover on barbecue and set timer for 10 minutes. Remove lid and turn over the entire package (wearing rubber oven mitts is recommended) Cover grill, wait another 10 minutes and turn again. Set the timer for a last 10 minutes (that’s 30 minutes total) and your crab should be perfectly steamed in the foil and ready to crack and eat. Use caution when opening foil.
*When I catch crab I like to kill and clean them while they are still fresh. I turn a crab onto it’s back (getting hold of the back legs to turn it usually keeps your fingers out of harm’s way) Holding the crab with both hands using my thumbs on the belly and my fingers on the back I am able to hold legs and claws from pinching and scratching me and firmly gripping the crab I crack it in the middle of the back by smacking it on a sharp edge while pulling it apart. This kills the crab immediately and I have two halves that are easy to clean and store till I’m ready to cook.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Boat Cleaning 101
Boat Cleaning 101
Scuff Marks - Sea Power/ McGuires or another cleaner/wax product.
Dingy & White Fenders – Westley’s Bleche-wite may be combined with Soft Scrub on excessively scruffy, blackened rubber. Always finish with 303 rubber & vinyl protector.
Power Cord - Clean black residue off with Power Cord Cleaner or Paint Thinner and then coat with wax to prevent build up of grime.
Teak Decks – Two part teak cleaner such as “Snappy-Teak” or “Teaka” (read directions carefully) then apply as many coats of wood oil sealer as wood can absorb. Wash with Joy dish soap to remove residue. Maintain by scrubbing with “Barkeepers Friend scouring powder and apply another coat or two of oil sealer.
Windows – Windex is okay on glass but NO AMMONIA on plastic, use Plexus or another Plexiglas cleaner instead.
Isinglass – Plexus or other plastic cleaner followed by Pledge Wax (keeps isinglass curtains soft)
Rust – Whink rust remover can be soaked on a paper towel and applied to rusty area. Rinse well. Also On/Off Bottom and Hull
Mold Remover- Household bleach 1:10 ratio or anti-microbial spray and a enzyme-based detergent for fabrics
Carpet – spills and pet odor can be removed with club soda or a mixture of 1/3 C. white vinegar in 1 qt. cool water. ½ c. hydrogen peroxide 1 tsp ammonia
Countertops may be cleaned with corianne countertop cleaner or if really scratched can be buffed with a power (sponge –egg crate type) buffer.
Teak to be varnished – Use heat gun to remove old finish, (caution - heat from gun can damage fiberglass) followed by paint stripper (Interlux) applied in one direction only with cheap brushes and scrub with medium bronze wool pads. Keep decks, hull, and all areas constantly wet to protect at all times. Also can tape with excellent quality green removable tape and protect with wet light-weight plastic sheets. Use a two part teak cleaner, such as Snappy-Teak scrubbed with bronze wool. Sand until smooth. Apply wood sealer. Sand again. Apply up to 10 coats of varnish, lightly sanding between coats.
Teak to be oiled – can be cleaned with hot water mixed with a strong solution of TSP and scrubbed with green pads and then rinsed with clear water. Light sanding if necessary and then apply Seafin Teak Oil or an even mixture of Teak Oil and Formby’s Lemon Oil Treatment with a lint free rag. Repeat application as necessary and can be sanded with 400 grit wet/dry or OO bronze wool.
Additional Sources:
Cruising Checklist
Cruising in the North West
Departure check list
by Captain Donna Wright
Float Plan
Know the route to your destination on paper charts
Check Weather, Wind, Tides, (flood vs. ebb) and Currents,
Bow to Stern Check
Make sure everything is stowed and secure in and outside the vessel
WOBBS and Fuel
Water, (coolant and fresh water) Oil, Belts, Bilges and Sea Strainers
Assign crew to departure posts
Disconnect Shore power
Turn off everything on electrical panel that is not needed
Turn off shore power at electrical panel
Turn off power at the electrical box and unplug power cord
Disconnect power cord from vessel and stow
Check the electrical panel AC, DC Inverter
Turn on electronics/ Check rudder angle
Remove unnecessary lines
Start engines
Check for bubbles and water flow at exhaust
Check transmission forward and reverse both engines one at a time (still tied)
Check traffic. Check wind and current direction within marina
Crew should prepare ‘single tie’ back to vessel bow and stern
Depart, OK to idle out of the marina but do not go to cruising speed until the engine is warmed up
Bring in fenders
Stow all lines and fenders
When engine is warm note temperatures of engines and monitor for any changes
Check all gauges and monitor for any changes while under way.
Cruising in the North West
Arrival check list
by Captain Donna Wright
-Look up your destination in Waggoner’s cruising guide
-Find the diagram of the marina
-Find the VHF channel and call the harbor master to get slip assignment - write down assignments
-Begin cool-down of engines and plan approach to marina and assign crew for docking
-Put out Fenders about 2 inches above water line on dock side and raise to the gunnels on the other side
-Prepare dock lines
-Check flags for wind speed and direction & look for currents. (How other vessels are sitting in their births or anchored may give a clue)
-Bring vessel into assigned slip. Captain must stay at the helm until lines are secure
-Crew secure all lines
-Check vessel access to dock
-Turn off engines
-Re check all lines and spring lines making sure the vessel can not move forward or aft
-Attach shore power
Turn off everything you can
Attach power cord to vessel
Turn on power at the dock
Turn on power at the electrical panel
Check polarity
-Shut off electronics
-Turn on AC power where needed
-Check in with Harbor Master
-If you are at a mooring buoy take tender to shore to pay
-Turn on anchor light if at anchor
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)