Harbor Marine Surveys Annapolis - Tripp's Blog

How To Maintain Your Boat Part #2– Organize Information

Tripp — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:21:31 -0500

How To Maintain Your Boat Part #2 – Organize Information

Like any other piece of expensive equipment such as an airplane or a classic car, a boat should have complete documentation that is organized, up-to-date and readily accessible. This includes the following:

·        Original Brochure and Specifications

·        Owner’s Manual

·        User’s Manuals and Installation Guides for engine(s) and all accessorial equipment.

·        Maintenance Records

Such information is very helpful not only when developing your Maintenance Plan, but on an ongoing reference when maintaining the boat. Therefore, at least during the boat’s operating season, these records should be stored onboard. Enclosed plastic folders (that are water and moisture resistant) and/or file organizers, available in most office supply stores, are appropriate. We suggest the following:

·        A folder for the original Boat Brochure, Specifications and Owner’s Manual.

·        A folder for Engine and Propulsion System Manuals.

·        A folder for Electronics User’s Manuals and Installation Guides.

·        A file folder for Maintenance Records, Work Orders, Invoices, etc. with individual files broken down as follows:

o       General Maintenance and Repairs

o       Engine Maintenance and Repairs

o       Vessel Upgrades

o       Invoices for supplies used

Keeping the information organized as described above will also add real value to your boat when you decide to sell it since it backs up and verifies the Maintenance Plan you’ve developed.

Online Store

Tripp — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:12:35 -0500

ONLINE STORE

Please visit our Online Store created to provide our customers with the ability to buy books, magazines and tools intended to enhance the boat owning experience.

The books cover an array of topics that range from boat maintenance to single-handed sailing. There are also some great “sea stories” available. Any of these books are a good addition to a boater’s library.

The tools in our Online Store are generally not available in the large marine retail stores. The selection criteria are based on tools one should have to properly maintain and repair a boat and its equipment.

Have fun shopping. The prices are competitive. Also, please suggest any items that you feel should be added to the store.

How To Maintain Your Boat Part #1 – Develop a Plan

Tripp — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:24:05 -0500

How To Maintain Your Boat Part #1 – Develop a Plan

There are plenty of good reasons to maintain your boat. Here are three good reasons that come to mind. First, is the “fear” factor – your safety, that of your crew and others you may affect by an accident. As captain of your boat, you are responsible for safety and, therefore, liable for things that break and hurt people. Second is the “greed” factor – protecting the value of your boat and avoiding unnecessary repair costs. Finally, is the “pleasure” factor - maintaining your boat will give you more confidence and piece of mind when out on the water. Herein, is some good motivation for to decide to develop a maintenance plan for your boat.

Once you’ve decided to develop a plan, it’s important to have the correct state of mind regarding repairs and maintenance. Repairs involve fixing something that is broken. Maintenance is servicing your equipment to prevent breakage. While preventative maintenance will cost some money and involve some time, repairs are much more expensive and generally put your boat out of service while you are waiting to get it fixed. If you have a good preventative maintenance schedule and perform the service as required, you will rarely be surprised with a breakdown. Of course, there are other reasons for breakdowns besides a poor preventative maintenance program. They are equipment defects, improper usage and overloads. But, as soon as something breaks, no matter how small or insignificant, fix it. In our opinion, the best practice is to have a good preventative maintenance plan including a policy to repair whatever breaks, as soon as possible.

What are the basic elements of an effective maintenance plan? The plan should at least contain:

Objective(s)

Actions (required to achieve the objectives)

Assignment of responsibility for performing the action (you or outside contractor)

A schedule of actions

A schedule of inspections

Evaluation and follow up

When determining your objective(s), consider the following categories of boat condition:

Bristol Condition – Near perfect, better than, or as good as new – for those with “Obsessive Compulsive Boating Disorder”

Excellent Condition – Like new showing very little wear and tear. All equipment is operating normally, and the engine(s) is/are in good running condition.   This boat is meticulously maintained and does not require any reconditioning.

Average Condition – Clean with no visible damage or defects. Showing some moderate wear and tear with all equipment operating normally and the engine is/are in good running condition. May need some minor cosmetic or mechanical work.

Fair Condition – Obvious wear and tear with some damage and/or defects. Some equipment may be out of service and the engine(s) is/are in running condition. Needs some cosmetic and/or mechanical work.

Poor Condition – Excessive w ear and tear. Significant list of damages or defects. Engine(s) need(s) service. Needs significant cosmetic or mechanical work.

First, after considering the above categories, decide on the level of condition you want your boat to be in.

Second, develop and organize a list of action items that need to be performed to maintain your boat accordingly. You can break the activities list down into the following major categories:

Hull Exterior

Deck, cabin top, superstructure and cockpit

Mast, boom and rigging (if sailboat)

Hull Interior and interior amenities

Propulsion, controls and steering

Plumbing System

Electrical System

Electronics and Navigation Equipment

Safety Equipment

Specifics for each of the activities need to be determined. Time frequencies for each of the activities should be established. For example, you may want to polish all chrome, stainless or aluminum hardware monthly, but you’ll only wax your hull twice a year. Materials to be used should also be listed for each activity. Also, who will perform the work? Will you do the work, or a carefully selected outside contractor? Organize these activities by month. Put together a loose leaf book with monthly separators. List the activities and check them off as performed. Just add a new page each year for each month and save each year as a record.

Now you have a rough idea of and framework for developing your maintenance plan. Future posts to this blog will attempt to show you how to further develop, refine and enhance your plan so that it is complete, effective and efficient. Of course, your comments are welcomed and will be considered for use in this process.

Committed to the Sea

Tripp — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:40:38 -0500

I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it's because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, its because we all came from the sea. All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea - whether it is to sail or to watch it - we are going back from whence we came.

           John F. Kennedy at the 1962 America's Cup Races - Newport, RI

The Ship's Bell Code

Tripp — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:29:22 -0500

Telling time by the ship's bell has a romantic background that goes back hundreds of years. It is based on the workday routine of the ship's crew. A ship at sea requires a constant watch throughout the whole 24 hours of the day. To divide duty, the day is broken up into six watches of four hours each, and the crew into three divisions or watches. Each division of the crew stands two four hour watches a day. In order to rotate the duty, so that a division does not have the same watch day in and out, the 4 to 8 watch in the afternoon is divided into two watches known as dog watches. Here's how they are set up:

The First Watch                 8 PM. to Midnight.
The Mid-Watch                 Midnight to 4 AM.
The Morning Watch           4 AM. to 8 AM.
The Forenoon Watch         8 AM. to 12 Noon.
The Afternoon Watch        12 Noon to 4 PM.
The Frst Dog Watch          4 PM. to 6 PM.
The Second Dog Watch     6 PM. to 8 PM.

To apprise the crew of the time, the ship's bell was struck by the watch officer at half hour intervals. By this method of time keeping eight bells mark 4, 8, and 12 o'clock..

Ship's Bell Code

Eight bells       12:00              4:00                8:00

One bell          12:30             4:30                 8:30
Two bells        1:00               5:00                 9:00.
Three bells      1:30               5:30                 9:30

Four bells        2:00               6:00               10:00
Five bells        2:30                6:30               10:30
Six bells          3:00                7:00               11:00

Seven bells     3:30                7:30               11:30

Eight bells denotes time to relieve the watch.
Hours -- even numbers
Half hours -- Odd numbers

With a ship's bell clock. You can hear the time. You do not need to see it.

From: Chelsea Clock Company, Chelsea, Massachusetts

Keep It Simple

Tripp — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:04:33 -0400

Keep It Simple

"The greatest fun in boating usually comes in the simplest boats. The main thing that so attracted me to sailing and particularly to cruising more than 50 years ago was the total change in lifestyle - no hot baths, an icebox with real ice rather than a refrigerator, oil lamps, the isolation from the daily affairs on shore, the good smell of tarred marline and manila rope mixed with the aroma of cedar and bilgewater - all combined to make even an overnight cruise an adventure. Curled up in the red Hudson Bay blanket on the capon bunk cushion, listening to the water moving against the hull, I felt transported to a different world. And I still feel that way about cruising.

Most modern boats are simply too complicated. They are so full of systems, which all too often fail to work, that the feeling of self-reliance - that wonderful ingredient in the pleasures of cruising - is now missing. The modern cruising boat makes the owner a slave to the systems and to the chore of keeping them all working... On my Dad's old cutter Astrid, the only "system" was the 1932 four cylinder Palmer, and I don't recall that it ever failed to start. We never missed an expedition, whether it was for mackeral fishing, or for a weekend cruise, due to system failure. Keep it simple and have more fun."

by Joel White as recorded in Douglas Whynott's excellent book "A Unit of Water, A Unit of Time".

Preventive Maintenance

Tripp — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:35:02 -0400

"Keep the Preventive Maintenance Creed"

"I believe that the work I do on my boat has great value because I am important and my time is worth more than money. I believe that once I have poured great labor into my yacht it would be an insult to me and my yacht to knowingly allow the fruits of my labors to fall back to a state of disrepair when I could have prevented such decline. I believe it is my ethical duty as the guardian of my yacht to maintain its dignity year-round, whether it is yachting season or the middle of the snowy winter. And I beieve that, in dollar terms alone, I will spend one heck of a lot less money over the long haul keeping my yacht up on a regular maintenance regimen than I will allow it to fall into periodic ruin. Amen"

This is a great Commandment for boaters as layed out by Rebecca J. Whittman in her book "Brightwork and The Art of Finishing Work"

Messing Around In Boats

Tripp — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:13:58 -0400

Messing About in Boats

“Believe me…there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth

doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing, messing – about

– in – boats..."

Kenneth Grahame “The Wind in the Willows”

Preparing Your Boat for a Marine Survey

Tripp — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:17:04 -0400

PREPARING YOUR BOAT FOR A MARINE SURVEY

Properly preparing your boat for a survey involves some time, effort and even a few dollars. But, it’s well worth it. Generally, the better the boat is prepared for the survey the higher the probability is of getting a favorable survey. Once the boat is “under contract”, usually contingent on a pre-purchase survey acceptable to the buyer, the last thing you want is an unfavorable inspection that will re-open negotiations, delay the sale and possibly kill the deal.

Most importantly, the boat should be clean and orderly. The vessel should also be clutter free and have all systems and equipment accessible and operating. It’s the seller’s responsibility to have all “listed” equipment in operating condition. Having the boat in such condition will enable the surveyor to move methodically through the boat and get his job done efficiently. Even though most professional surveyors do a complete and thorough inspection and evaluate the yacht objectively, they generally get on a yacht and within minutes subconsciously form an initial opinion of her condition i.e. excellent, above average, average, below average etc. Why take the chance that a bad first impression might influence the outcome of the survey? Too much is at stake.

Next, anticipate that the surveyor will find problems. Don’t try to hide, deny, minimize or argue about the problems. If possible, have any known problems corrected before the survey. At least, get written estimates to repair any known problems and be prepared to deal with the negotiations after surveyor reports the problems to the buyer. Generally, normal “wear and tear” is already built into the selling price of the used boat, but the costs of repairs for any major defects found in the survey are negotiable between the buyer and seller.

The bottom and underwater running gear are generally inspected as part of the survey. A decision needs be made regarding how the inspection will be done. Will the bottom be inspected while it is stored “on the hard” i.e. on jack stands and blocks? Or, will the boat be hauled the day of the survey and the bottom inspected while the boat is in the Travel Lift. Consider the following before you make this major decision:

1.       You are always better off knowing of a problem than being surprised by one. For example, if the boat has blisters, you are better off knowing the nature, extent and remedy and disclosing the situation ahead of time than blowing the deal the day of the survey because the problem is not diagnosed properly or explained rationally.

2.       The bottom should be dry. If the boat is stored out of the water for at least three days before the survey moisture between the bottom paint and the outer coating of the hull will have a chance to dry out. Many surveys are done with what is called in the trade a “noon-time hang” or a “short-haul”. Here the vessel is in the water either at a slip or on a mooring on the day of the survey. At some point during the survey, the vessel is taken to a Travel Lift to be lifted out of the water and hung in the lift’s slings for a 1-hour inspection by the surveyor of the bottom and underwater running gear. This method is popular and appealing because it is quick and less expensive since the cost of having the vessel stored on land for a few days is eliminated. However, during one-hour of the “short haul” the bottom paint usually doesn’t have enough time to dry out completely. The remaining moisture in the bottom paint causes most moisture meters commonly used by surveyors to give elevated or high readings. Such readings are usually an unreliable indication of the condition of the bottom’s fiberglass laminate and may cause the buyer uncertainty and unwarranted alarm. An extra few hundred dollars for the three days of storage on land before the survey is well worth escaping the cost of jeopardizing the sale.

3.       Bottom and hull should be clean. Obviously a good inspection of the bottom and the underwater running gear necessitates that they be cleaned (power washed) of all underwater growth including slime and vegetation. Any barnacles should be scraped off. With the bottom, keel and rudder clean the surveyor can see and feel for the presence of unfairness, cracks and blisters. Cracks are generally very small and can easily be covered up and disguised by underwater growth. Also, dry underwater growth and barnacles can be very difficult to remove and the use of a scraper by the surveyor can result in scratches and gouges in the inspection area. Topsides and deck areas should also be clean to enable better inspection.

4.       Underwater running gear should be clean.

The propeller, propeller nuts, propeller shaft, shaft strut, cutless bearing, rudder stock, pintles, gudgeons, through hulls, etc. also need to be clean for a thorough inspection and to determine wear and/or the presence of any corrosion.

Once these decisions are made with the owner, buyer, broker(s) and surveyor then your boatyard should be notified and made aware of the date and the time of the survey so that the following procedures can be followed and preparations can be done prior to the survey. And, if you decide to store the boat on the hard for the inspection here are some additional considerations.

5.       Should be enough space and light around the boat.

The way some yards pack them in it’s sometimes impossible to get a good look at the topsides, moreover, do percussion sounding or moisture meter testing. Getting around the boat to climb up and inspect using a ladder requires at least three to four feet of space. Light too, is important to see if there are any hard spots or print through. Many times I’ve evaluated a hull exterior in the morning light and have had to change my findings after observations made later in the day under different lighting conditions. Being able to sight the hull from different perspectives and with various lighting conditions is critical. That’s why it’s important to have room around the vessel during a survey.

6.       Vessel should be securely chocked and supported.

This is a liability issue. Boats that are not properly chocked and supported have been known to fall yards starting a domino chain reaction that can be costly and aggravating.

7.       Boat should be exactly upright and on a level keel.

I recently surveyed a boat stored on the hard that had the stern higher than the bow. Bilge water accumulated through an open hatch and moved up forward and was smelly. Mildew was forming inside the cabin.

8.       Tarps or covers should be taken off before the surveyor arrives.



Inspection of the vessel is very difficult with the tarps, covers and support structure. Issues could be missed, the surveyor could get exasperated.

Here are some more wise and common sense actions to take regardless of the storage situation.

9.       Locks should be unlocked or removed.

While some surveyors carry lock pickers usually lock cutters are used. Won’t that make you unhappy?

10.    Hatches should be unlocked and opened slightly.

This “airs” the boat out and eliminates odors.

11.    Bilge should be clean and pumped out or drained.

Low lying internal water (i.e. puddles, etc.) does all sorts of harm. It attacks metal parts and wires, it insinuates itself between laminates of fiberglass, rots the bottom of bulkheads and furniture, as well as filling the boat with unpleasant smells. The bilge should be kept dry and clean

12.    All loose gear (except fire extinguishers) should taken off the boat and placed neatly near by (leave space under the hull for exterior examination) before the surveyor arrives.

13.    Lockers should be clean of gear.

Surveyor needs to get inside compartments to see condition of hull, structure and equipment. Full compartments prevent that unless the surveyor starts emptying the compartments and re-stowing them after he sees what he’s looking for. This is time consuming and will make it difficult to complete a good survey.

14.    Every part of the boat and every component should be made as easy to view as possible.

15.    Batteries should be installed, charged and working.

A survey can’t be completed unless all DC accessories are tested to see if they are working.

16.    Access is needed to shore power.

A survey can’t be completed unless AC accessories are tested to see if they are working.

17.    All equipment (including electronics) being sold with the boat should be available.

18.    Any owner’s manuals, equipment information, maintenance records, etc. should be available.

19.    If a mast has been pulled and stored, it should be easily accessible to the surveyors.

20.    Anchor and rode should be fed out over the stem head roller and arranged neatly in 6-foot zigzags on the ground.

21.    Engines should be ready to run.

22.    Water system should be commissioned with water in the tanks and water heater.

23.    Heads and waste system should be ready to be operated.

24.    Galley stove should be ready to be to be operated.

With the preparation described above survey day should be a happy event for all parties involved: the seller, the buyer, the broker and the surveyor.

Our Mission

Tripp — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:36:54 -0400
Let's talk about boats and boating. We'll have discussions, answer questions and solve problems.