Basic Boat Maintenance - Softcover

Brumbaugh, Frank; Brumbaugh, J Frank

Softcover

ISBN 10: 189221623X ISBN 13: 9781892216236

Publisher: Bristol Fashion Publications, 2000

Synopsis

Frank Brumbaugh has lived boating and written articles for most of his life. In that time, he has tackled every conceivable problem a boater could ever be confronted with on a boat. For the first time, he has put those years of knowledge into an easy-to-understand book, Basic Boat Maintenance. This book contains a wealth of information any boat owner can use to perform routine maintenance and repairs. Along with this, Frank has provided his recommendation for a time schedule to follow for this work. Basic Boat Maintenance is highly illustrated with graphics showing in detail the steps needed to accomplish most tasks. Additional graphics show the correct charge state for the batteries, a schedule of maintenance, which tasks to complete, and when they should be completed. The information is presented in a straightforward, easy-to-follow writing style. This allows any boater, regardles of skill level, from novice to advanced, to use the information quickly and easily without fear of mistakes during the projects. After completing the book, you will have the confidence to maintain and repair your own boat.

About this title

About the Author

After serving in Europe as a parachutist in the 82nd Airborne Division during WWII he became interested in small boats. As an Electronics Engineer he designed many electronic accessories for small boats including radio direction finders, depth sounders, fuel vapor alarms, battery charge meters, etc. with Heath Company. He has been awarded five U. S. Patents for electronic circuit designs. Later his electronics work took him to Florida in 1959 where he sailed the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. During vacations he crewed on commercial fishing boats. His ability to translate "engineering speak" to simple sentences and his wish for more "down time" to go sailing convinced him to become a self-employed engineering consultant. During this period he wrote more than 50 technical books and numerous military Specifications and Standards for all branches of the military. Between contracts he took advantage of many sailing opportunities. He has researched and written several books concerning his first love, boats. Drawing not only upon his long and varied experience but also those of many sailors he has interviewed over the years. Frank has recently spent over five years living aboard and island hopping on his 25-foot Hunter, Jade Lotus. He continues to write for national magazines.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER I Preventive Maintenance Tables Preventive maintenance means a semiformal schedule of minor maintenance performed at regular intervals. This prevents accidental breakdown or warns of its impending occurrence early enough that it may be avoided. It is the least costly but also the most important maintenance for the boat owner.

The simplest program, adapted from one used extensively by the Armed Forces, is called FITCAL. This is an acronym formed by the initial letters of six descriptive words; Feel, Inspect, Tighten, Calibrate, Adjust, Lubricate. Memorizing this acronym makes it easy to remember the six actions required in this simplest maintenance program. FITCAL is briefly described below as applied to small boat preventive maintenance.

Feel -- Use your hands to check for looseness, abrasion, broken parts, overheating, etc. Inspect -- Visually inspect the boat, her rigging, equipment, etc. Tighten -- Tighten loose bolts and screws, turnbuckles, etc. Calibrate -- Check operation of the compass against its deviation table. Check depth sounder operation against the hand lead line. Using methods detailed in instruction sheets for equipment, calibrate each as required when this is possible. Adjust -- Adjust as required: Turnbuckles, carburetor, lines, etc. Lubricate -- Oil moving parts of blocks, pulleys, genoa cars and tracks, pumps, fans, blowers, motors, generators, engines, alternators, rudder pintles, steering gear, hatch slides and hinges, etc. FITCAL can be applied at any time you are on board and will be a useful adjunct to the more detailed and formal maintenance schedule described in Tables 1 through 4. This formal preventive maintenance schedule has been divided logically into daily, weekly, monthly, and annual or special conditions periods. Those scheduled for daily attention are for times when you are at sea on an extended cruise. They can be safely lumped with the weekly schedule when you are docked or at anchor for long periods. Other scheduled maintenance should be accomplished at the periods given. Certain preventive maintenance actions are common to many areas of your boat and are mentioned here to prevent the preventive maintenance tables from becoming repetitious. When checking any electrical equipment make sure it is connected to its power source. Check fuses and replace if blown. If the second fuse blows, remove power and check wiring for short circuits. Replace defective wiring. When checking plumbing make sure seacocks are open on both intake and overboard drain. If manual pumps do not operate, check O-rings or impellers and replace if required. This also applies to electrically operated pumps after you have made sure of the electrical connections. Tighten, repair, or replace loose, damaged, or missing parts on all mechanical equipment, rigging, etc. Remove corrosion wherever found. Oil lightly all wire cables. Wash antenna insulators often with fresh water to remove salt deposits, but do not oil them. A thin coating of silicone grease may be applied to insulators to prevent rain or spray from bridging them and shorting the antenna out. Operate all seacocks at weekly intervals to make certain they are operable and to keep them in good condition. Do not leave seacocks open when at sea if the pump outlet is below the water line, except when using them. This applies particularly to the standard marine head on sail boats. Refer to the instruction manuals for each item of equipment on board for specific maintenance instructions which are beyond the scope of this book. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for the type of lubricant and the interval for lubricating moving parts. Use only cleansing agents and paints recommended by the manufacturer to prevent damage to the boat or her equipment. The preventive maintenance procedures of Tables 1 through 4 include not only the boat itself but all equipment and stores normally on board. These procedures should be followed as scheduled, although some may be skipped occasionally by the skipper who is watchful and thoroughly knows the condition of his boat. Not all procedures apply to all boats. Sailboats do not normally have windshield wipers and not every small boat is equipped with a shower bath. Use those portions of Tables 1 through 4 which apply to your particular boat and ignore the rest. Battery and Engine Logs, suggested in Table 1, are illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bristol Fashion Publications
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 189221623X
• ISBN 13: 9781892216236
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192