Fly Zone is off to a new home!

They say that the happiest day in a boater's life is the day they get their new boat. They also say the second happiest day is the day they sell it. Well I don't necessarily agree. You see last week I sold my beloved Fly Zone. Yes, I'm replacing my Amesbury skiff with a larger boat a week from today. Not too much larger mind you, but large enough so that my family and I can zip around Narragansett bay a bit more quickly and shoot out to the islands off the coast of RI and southern Massachusetts more easily. I also need a larger platform for some of the electrical equipment testing I do for posts here and some of the magazine work I also do. So, in the photo above, Fly Zone is on the trailer and ready to leave my life. She's going to a good home with  fellow fly fisher who I know will take good care of her and enjoy her. As he put it, a new chapter in each of our lives is about to begin. We'll get into the details of the new boat when I get back in action. My son an I are going to pick it up next week in Miami and are heading south to the Florida Keys for a little Tarpon fly-fishing adventure. After that we'll be trailering the new boat "Amped Up" back up the east coast to Rhody for a launch here just before Memorial Day weekend.

Although not new technology, I just got my hands on a new Sperry Volt Sensor model VD 6504. Ruggedly made and it works like a charm. A quick search found them available at Amazon.com for $15. If you work on electricity around the house or on the dock or your boat equipped with shore power, you want this inexpensive tool. It works just as shown in the photo here by plugging the plastic tip into an AC socket and looking for the red glowing light and hearing a rather obnoxious chirping sound that let's you know loud and clear that AC voltage is present at that terminal. These units will track through insulation on wire too, so tracing live AC current as it moves through your shore power system is as easy as pushing the tool's activating button and walking it along the outside of cabling. Simple, inexpensive and helpful. This one's going into Ed's Tool Box.

I received a good question from one of our readers yeaterday that needs to be shared because I'll bet a few of you out there are trying to do the same thing.

Garry writes:

My new fishing boat has a merc 60 hp 4 stroke efi outboard with 18 amps of alternator output.

Can I safely connect the starter battery and deep cycle trolling motor battery in series, to charge the deep cycle with the outboard engine? Of course I would install a switch to isolate the deep cycle when in use to avoid draining the starter battery.

 Garry, the key phrase here is series vs. parallel. No, you don't want to be series connecting your trolling motor battery to your engine starting battery. That said, a properly connected battery in parallel will work nicely. Just understand that the starting battery will recharge much more quickly than your deep cycle unit. Also, you don't tell us what the technology for the deep cycle battery is. If its a gel cell, you probably don't want to connect it to the outboard at all. If its a flooded cell or an AGM, things should work out here.

So, the diagram at the top of the page comes from a drawing supplied by one of our sponsors here, Blue Sea Systems. This diagram shows how to accomplish what you want to do properly. Just substitute "Trolling" for "house" in the drawing and you'll be good to go. 

Our friends over at Teleflex Corp. sent this in over the transom a few days ago. Good advice worth sharing:

NOW’S THE TIME TO TURN YOUR ATTENTION
TO YOUR BOAT’S HYDRAULIC STEERING

Annual Maintenance and Regular Inspections Will Insure
Top Performance And Long Life

Every year about this time, boaters across the country start to get the itch. The days get a little longer, and a little warmer, and it just seems natural to grab the toolbox and the wash bucket and head for the boat. After taking it easy for a couple of months, the old gal is going to need a little TLC.

Most of us head for the transom to give the outboard or stern-drive a little attention. Now’s certainly a good time to change the engine oil, check the filters and take a look at the gear oil in the lower unit.

But few of us think to look a just a little bit forward and check out the hydraulic steering system. In fact, when asked, most boat owners said they had no idea there was anything they should do, or could do, to maintain their hydraulic systems. As a result, this vital control system receives little or no attention, and small problems resulting from normal wear and tear are left to become major headaches – and sometimes, costly repairs.

At Teleflex Marine, we’d like to encourage you to do a little preventative maintenance at least once a year, and to take the time to inspect your steering system every time you put your boat in the water. A few minutes looking things over will help you catch little problems before they become big ones.

ANNUAL PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE

Every spring before putting your boat in the water, or more often if you put a lot of hours on your boat, you should perform a complete system check. You’ll need a wrench or two (the proper sized box-end or combination wrench is recommended over an adjustable wrench.) A torque wrench will also come in handy to make certain you tighten all fittings to spec. You’ll also need a good quality marine grease, like Sierra Premium Marine Bearing Grease, and an ample supply of rags or paper towels.

1.         Back at the engine, remove the support rod from the steering/tilt tube. Clean out the steering/tilt tube. Really clean it out. Old grease can harden and needs to be removed, not to mention the fact that old, dirty grease will contaminate the new grease. Do yourself a favor and get rid of the old stuff before you re-grease.

2.         Grease the support rod liberally and insert back into the tilt tube. Also grease the tilt tube itself, as well as the support bracket holes. Put a little grease on the threads before you insert the washers and tighten up the nuts. (DO NOT remove the tiller bolt to re-grease the cylinder.)

3.         Check the tightness of ALL fasteners and fittings throughout the steering system. Yes, this means getting under or behind the dash to check the back of the steering helm pump.

4.         Remove the steering wheel and re-grease the wheel shaft.

5.         Lastly, inspect the hydraulic oil for cleanliness. Flush the system with clean oil if it’s dirty. (This may be a task best handled by your dealer, as they’ve probably got an automatic pump that will refill and re-bleed your system.)

DO A QUICK INSPECTION BEFORE EVERY TRIP

Let’s go over those system checks you can perform before every trip.

Level Check - Check the fluid level in the highest helm pump. If the level is a little low, simply top it off with hydraulic fluid. (Take your time and keep a rag handy so you don’t make a mess.)

Turn Test - Once you’ve checked the levels and replaced the cap in the helm pump, turn the wheel smartly from side to side. You’re looking for immediate response from the engine or drive unit. If there’s a noticeable lag in engine movement when you turn the wheel, you’ve got a problem somewhere in the system that needs to be corrected. Be sure you run this check on all the steering wheels on your boat, including the autopilot, if you’ve got one.

Hose Check - Next, take a minute to look at all the hoses and fittings. You’re looking for wear, kinks and/or leaks. A hose might be rubbing against a bulkhead and creating a weak spot. Maybe a fitting has worked loose and there’s a little leak starting. Catching these problems early makes for easy fixes.

Ram Inspection - Lastly, inspect the steering tube and support rod, take a look at the exposed ram shaft and make sure everything moves smoothly as the engine pivots from side to side. Take a close look at the seals and wipers, and check for any bends, nicks or damage to the steering ram shaft. (If you boat in saltwater, make sure you’ve installed a grounding strap to protect from galvanic corrosion.)

If you notice a leak, a kink, a catch or any other “hitch in your getalong”, figure out what’s causing the problem and get it fixed before heading out for the day.

Steering is a vitally important control system on your boat. The ability to safely and confidently maneuver at speed or in close quarters makes for an enjoyable – and safe – day on the water. A little attention to your steering system before every trip, and regular maintenance will assure you of proper operation – and long lasting performance.

For more information on care and maintenance of your hydraulic steering system, be sure to check out our website at www.teleflexmarine.com, or call our technical service line at 604-248-3858. And don’t hesitate to contact your local boat dealer if you suspect a problem. They’ve got the expertise and the tools to get you safely back on the water.

I received a query from one of our readers today that is worth sharing. Although not too popular at the moment, this fellow is working on a boat with a 32 volt DC system. Some years ago these systems were quite popular. Not so much today. I spend more time answering questions about how to convert the older boats from 32 volts to either 12 or 24 volts. The question regards the use of conductance battery testers such as the one I use shown here:

Midtronics EXP Conductance Battery Tester

Anyow, the question goes like this:

Hello Ed,
I am a student working with a 32volt system and wanted to ask you for your advice with the system. Specifically how you might diagnose overall battery bank health with a conductance tester. Is it possible to do or must you break the bank apart into its components analyzing each component battery individually? I have very limited experience with such a tester but want to develop an understanding of its usefulness. If it is the case that the tester is not applicable to the 32volt system then I am relying on the congregated info regarding each battery within the system and as such I am interested in your approach when summarizing the overall health. I guess ultimately I am more interested in your tactical approaches with the larger 32volt systems then individual battery analyses. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Zander

Bad news Zander. All of the units I'm familiar with only work with either 6 or 12 volt batteries. My EXP unit shown above will also test 12 and 24 volt charging systems. I believe that your 32 volt system is using 8 volt batteries, which these days are quite rare in the marine realm. They are still used in electric golf cart applications for extreme deep cycle applications. So, even if you isolate each of the batteries in the system and test them individually, I'm not aware of a conductance tester that will work with them. Maybe another reader has found one that does?

As for the value of separating each battery in a paralleled system and using a conductance tester I have done it on new installations that weren't too large to see how it would play out. As long as your tester can be programmed for the maximum cumulative CCA that the parallel combined batteries are rated at, you can give it a go. My unit is good for a maximum of 3000 CCA. But frankly, I don't recommend this method as the most accurate. Small things like cable connections can make this dicey. These meters are really quite sensitive to any electrical resistance that exists and even a slightly loose battery cable clamp can throw your readings off.