As part of your spring maintenance and upgrades there are some key areas of concern if you own a gasoline fueled boat and are replacing certain components that are either mounted directly on your engine or located in a space where an engine is or a fuel tank is located. The term to remember here is "ignition protected" and it applies to some common items that fall under the routine maintenance or upgrade category. This designation applies to gasoline fueled boats only (as far as engine and tanks torage is concerned) and LPG gas storage areas as well as battery storage areas and is  actually covered under USCG regulations as well as ABYC Standards. That said, way too many boaters ignore or simply don't understand what the regulations dictate. The bottom line here is that things like starter motors, alternators, ignition components like distributor caps, or any electrical device located in engine room spaces or fuel tank spaces must be rated for ignition protection. The problem is further complicated by the fact that this is a marine only requirement and the fact that the designation of a component as being ignition protected rated is sometimes obscure to the average boater.

Component labeling requirements allow some latitude in how a manufacturer can mark their equipment to let you know that the part meets the specifications. Any example is shown here on a gas engine ignition distributor cap:

In the center of the photo above you are looking at an engine distributor and you can see it has a label on the cap. The label reads "SAE J1171 Marine".

Now a lot of dockside gurus over the years have figured out that marine gas engines are actually marinized automotive engines and think that the marine labeling is merely an excuse for the parts people to charge more money for the part. I can say definatively that in this case you will be taking your life in your hands if you substitute an ignition protected component with a standard automotive component. In the above example J-1171 refers to an automotive standard that identifies ignition protected, which means that the device will not be a source of sparks in the event of a fuel leak that could blow your boat sky high! J-1171 is not the only standard that is referenced. UL-1500 is another possible reference, and on components made overseas, you may see a reference to ISO 8846. This designation applies to things like fuses, circuit breakers, alternators, starter motors, ignition distributors and / or caps and switches, bilge pumps, and blower fans that may be mounted in the above described areas of your boat. The bottom line here? Look for one of the above references on the new parts you install this spring as you get ready for launch, and don't let the dock guru tell you that you can save big money by going down to the local autoparts strore and buying the automotive equivalent. Simply put, it is not going to be equivalent! This is NOT an area where you want to try and save money.

Reading my colleague Lenny Rudow's piece yesterday entitled "Installing New Bilge Pumps, Read This First" made me think of an on-going issue with bilge pumps and any small motor circuit you install on your boat, macerators, bilge blower fans and such. The issue is called "locked rotor" and what happens when this occurs. A locked rotor situation is basically defined as a motor that's trying to turn, but can't, for whatever reason.

In the case of a bilge pump motor any bit of debris that enters the motor housing around the pump's impeller and wedges itself between the motor housing and the impeller could jam the pump so that the impeller can't turn. The problem is, your float switch doesn't know that. When the float reaches its turn on point, its still going to send power to the bilge pump motor. what happens next is the tricky part. The motor has power so its trying to turn but can't. So what happens electrically here is the interesting part. You have a voltage source, and a device trying its best to function. It does the  only thing it can do at this point, generate heat. In fact maybe even enough heat to catch on fire. The electrical current is flowing, but gets reduced based on one of the key electrical equations we have, Ohn's Law. Ohm's law states that if voltage is a constant and electrical resistance increases, amperage must go down or be reduced. That's whats happening here, the voltage supply is pretty steady from your battery, the motor is heating up and that increases electrical resistance, amperage goes down. Its a mathematical fact.

The problem is, we would hope a fuse would blow in this case and shut down the power to the motor. It won't. Why? Because fuses blow based on amperage and if the fuse is not being subjected to enough amperage, its just going to sit there and allow whatever current there is to flow freely.

The simple answer to this problem is to be absolutely certain the fuse for your bilge pump motor is rated exactly as the motor manufacturer recommends and that's where the installations typically go wrong. The vast majority of blower fan and bilge pump circuits are over-fused, and in the event of a locked rotor will not blow! In the photo below, you see the beginning stages of what can happen. Mind you I disconnected the power to this motor after about 20 minutes.

 If you turn sideways and look very carefully at the printed information on the top of the pump you'll see that Rule recommended using a maximum 11/2 amp fuse (this one is a 24 volt motor). All I did to get the melt down going was lock the motor impeller in a vise and install a 5 amp fuse. Again, within about 20 minutes the case got hot enough to start melting as you can see. Had I left the power connected, it would have eventually caught on fire.

So, besides Lenny's sage advice about adding a vented loop to your near the waterline bilge pump installations, make sure the fuse you use matches what the pump manufacturer recommends, and no more.

I just did a quick price comparison to get myself up to date on marine battery pricing. I immediately noticed that the price spread from traditional flooded batteries to gel or AGM technology has diminished dramatically, at least for small basic batteries you might use in a center console powerboat or small cruising sailboat. None-the-less, prices for these batteries has risen over the last few years just as for everything else on boats. The cheapest traditional flooded cell battery I found in the West Marine catalog was $120, worth thinking about if you are having to replace batteries every couple of years.

Some years ago I discovered a company that makes products most boater's are not familiar with, PulseTech Products Corporation. I learned about the company at a boat show in Chicago, and at the time the boating industry gave PulseTech an innovation award for its Pulse battery chargers. I was impressed enough to buy one of their units for my 25' walk-around fishing boat because it seemed like I was going through batteries annually and I really wanted to get past that.

 With that boat I at least doubled my battery life simply by adding one of the solar powered PulseTech units. To this day I'm the only person I know that utilizes a PulseTech charger so I thought I'd introduce the concept and product here. One of their current 5 watt units is shown below:

So heres the scoop, the unit shown above retails for $179.95 and is available direct from PulseTech at www.pulsetech.com . I'm using one on my current boat which spends way too much time just sitting on a mooring and I can honestly say that I've at least tripled my battery life with this boat.

The trick is the "Pulse" which at approximately 25 KHz literally rattles  damaging sulfate particles off my battery's plates while it sits waiting for me to get enough time to go run the boat. Besides the increase in battery life expectancy, the unit keeps my battery supplying the parasitic loads for radio memory and bilge pump on my boat during my long spells away.

I highly recommend this technology for boaters that are not plugged into a shorepower charger all the time. Don't expect the units to recharge dead batteries overnight, their output is just not designed for that, but to maintain and replenish during long periods of no running, these silent solar chargers will keep you powered up.

Well we're finally getting a break in the weather here in Rhode Island and people are beginning to uncover their boat's and start an early spring assessment of work to be done. This made me think about some things you need to be looking for on your boat, today in the electrical area. One of the advantages of being an industry insider is that some of us trade horror photos of things we see.

Today I want to share with you one photo that came in from Derek Rhymes, the principle at All Boat & Yacht Inspections LLC, a marine surveyor in Annapolis, MD. This particular photo holds a dear spot in my shop of horrors collection and represents the sort of thing you need to be making sure does not exist on your own boat. Scenes like the one below could be the cause for some truly shocking experiences on board.

What you are looking at is a commonly used marine water heater. It is powered by the shorepower system and the power is supplied by the three wires you see in the center of the photo. Black, white and green represent 110-Volt service. Notice how the wires are routed through a stamped out hole on a metal bracket extending outward from the case of the heater. The stamped out hole has no chafe protecting grommet around it's perimeter and let me tell you, the edges of that hole are sharp! The wiring is laying on the sharp edge. What will ultimately happen here is that due to normal vibration on the boat, the edge of the metal is going to chafe through the wire insulation and create a short circuit. If the boat owner is lucky, it'll be a really good connection and trip the circuit breaker protecting the heater circuit. If the boat owner is unlucky, the short circuit will have a poor quality connection and although leaking current directly to the case of the heater, the connection will not be able to carry enough current to trip the breaker.

So, the short circuit will just quietly wait for the boat owner to reach down into the locker where the heater is installed. As soon as the boat owner touches the case of the heater. ZAP! Electric shock.

The moral of the story here is to visually inspect your wiring system and add chafe protection whenever you see a situation like this on your boat. Don't wait to get zapped!

Today I received a press release from Cobra Marine Electronics with a useful list of reasons for why you need a VHF radio. Written by Bill Boudreau, Cobra's director of product and new business development, you might say there is some bias in the release, and yes it does focus on features that Cobra has integrated into their own product line, but none-the-less, its a great list and offers up some really good reasoning for why you may want to upgrade. VHF radio technology has not been static and the advantages to owning a new unit incorporating some or all of the features Bill outlines make a lot of sense, regardless of who makes it. So, I'm going to share Bill's list with you, but give full credit to him for coming up with it.

One of Cobra's hand-held units is shown here:

So what follows is Bill's punch list, useful regardless of who's radio you favor. But based on the development work Cobra has done, I'd sure recommend taking a look at one of their units.

TOP REASONS TO OWN A VHF RADIO

By:  Bill Boudreau

        In times of emergency, a VHF radio can be one of the most important pieces of gear aboard.  This means of communication can be a boater's only line from sea to shore or nearby vessels, so it's important users select a radio that has the most advanced, as well as most helpful features.  Here are the top reasons to own or simply upgrade a VHF radio.

1. DSC Calling – A unique feature of VHF radios is Digital Selective Calling (DSC).  This enables even novice boaters to, when the VHF is connected to a working GPS, send a digital distress message that contains the vessel's GPS position to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) or other DSC-equipped craft.

2.) NOAA Weather Alert Monitoring – Some VHF radios offer NOAA Weather Alert Monitoring, which provides instant access to national All Hazards and weather information, 24 hours a day.  This helps determine when to head back to shore before getting caught in a storm.  No cell phone can do that.

3.) JIS7 Waterproof Rating – Meeting JIS7 standards means a VHF radio can be fully submersed for 30 minutes in three feet of water and still function properly after it's taken out.  Unlike cell phones or other communication devices, there's no need to worry about heavy seas or rain when a unit has this type of rating.  The radio can remain out in the open, right where a boater may need it.

4.) Floating Handhelds – The ability to float is a relatively new feature for handheld VHF radios.  Now, owners don't have to worry about getting their radio wet or accidentally dropping it overboard.  It can be easily retrieved.  No more lost radios.

5.) Unique Features – Technology is consistently advancing by leaps and bounds, and likewise so are the features VHF radios offer.  Some of Cobra Marine's models offer Rewind-Say-Again™.  It's a digital voice recorder which enables the radio to record up to 20 seconds of any incoming call.  Standard Horizon provides AIS integration with certain radios, so users can safely avoid collisions on the water.  Combining these sophisticated functions with a VHF radio makes the units even more valuable to a boater.

6.) Bluetooth® Wireless Technology-enabled Mobile Phone Calling/Integration – Enjoying a day on the water doesn't always mean a boater wants to lose contact with friends, family or business associates.  That's why certain VHF radios now incorporate Bluetooth wireless technology.  Users can pair their cell phone to the unit and make and receive phone calls, all while the cell phone is safely stored where it won't get wet or damaged.

7.) Better Battery Technology – A handheld VHF won't do users any good if its battery is dead.  New radio models feature lithium ion batteries or an option for AA batteries, reducing the chance of it being out of power when it's needed most.  Some new handheld radios will transmit at a higher 6 watts of power.  The better the battery, the more reliable and stable power output will be.

8.) Rescue 21 System – The Coast Guard's investment in its new VHF-receiving Rescue 21 system reaffirms that the marine VHF radio is the preferred method of electronically contacting the USCG when in distress.  Cellular devices are unreliable in the harsh maritime environment, while a VHF radio is the best way to alert search and rescue crews to a boater's condition and location.

9.) Bigger and Better Displays – When something goes wrong aboard, clear communication is important.  With brighter and bigger displays than ever before, boaters can quickly identify who's calling.  They're also easier to use with descriptive menus, resulting in less wasted time.

     )Whether used for communicating with marinas and locks or when making a mayday call, VHF radios are a necessary piece of boating gear.  Manufacturers now offer a wide range of unique, innovative and, sometimes, lifesaving features on their units.  No matter what type of VHF radio boaters own, they'll gain peace of mind and security when they are properly equipped and prepared with the latest in marine communication.

One of the points Bill makes I want to reiterate, because in my view it has become a major safety concern. Remember, your cell phone is not the best choice for initiating a distress call when you're out on the water! Use a VHF!