By Peter NielsenA raw-water cooled engine is cooled by water drawn from outside the boat, then circulated through engine block and cylinder head. A fresh-water cooled engine is cooled with raw water pumped through a heat exchanger, where it first draws the heat from the fresh water/antifreeze mix that cools the engine, then is injected into the exhaust hose where it cools
“I’ve got my boat well grounded for lightning protection and have a pair of insulators to isolate my backstay. I’m concerned that the grounded rigging will pull down my SSB signal transmissions.”– Jim Wonn, Cashmere, WashingtonGordon West replies: As long as your backstay is insulated so the SSB antenna can radiate, there is no problem. Although the signal
“My Grampian sloop is fairly heavy, but it performs well in a breeze. However, my arm gets tired holding the tiller to keep the boat sailing in a straight line. Would moving the foot of the mast forward or aft help correct this problem?” — Harry Newiger, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada Win Fowler replies: Several things could be causing this problem—it’s
“The two group 27 batteries on my boat are both four years old. After charging, all cells have a specific-gravity reading of 1.225 +/- 0.005 and about a 75 percent charge. Hoping to improve the readings, I have been charging at 16 volts and 1 amp. After several days, the cells read 1.260 +/- 0.005. Is this a sign of sulfation?”– Roger A. Karmes, North East,
“Our boat was built in the Far East, and the interior has a beautiful lacquer finish. I have a photograph of a worker brushing on the lacquer, and I can see he is using a 1-inch brush. Ive tried a thick brush, a thin brush, short strokes and long strokes, and I cant get a finish that looks like the original. Any suggestions?”– Duane Ericson, Oceanside,
“Our Hunter 34 has a 25-gallon fuel tank. Wed like to add a 20-gallon tank so we wont have to carry jerry cans on deck. I estimate the two tanks will be about a foot apart. What is the best way to hook up the second tank so air cant get in the fuel line? Id like to avoid having to pump fuel from the new tank into the old one when it gets low. Unfortunately, there isnt enough room to install
“Im rewiring my Cal 2-27 and have reviewed the advice given by Don Casey in his Sailboat Maintenance Manual. He mentions grounding the green wire of an AC system to the engines ground terminal, but Im not sure where to put the green wire on my engine, an outboard with an electric starter and a 6-amp alternator. Do I even need one if I install ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)
“The 20-horsepower Yanmar in my Orion 27 has low hours, but last summer it began to stop about a minute after it started. When I tried a restart, it was clear to me that it was being starved for fuel. I bled the fuel line, and, when I saw air bubbles coming out at the secondary filter, I thought Id fixed the problem. But when I let the engine sit unused for a couple of days, the start/stop
“Im about to install an antenna farm on the horizontal arch behind my boats cockpit and am wondering whether the antennas need to be placed on the arch in a particular way. Are there guidelines for proper antenna location?”– Dave Richardson , Winnetka, IllinoisGordon West replies: You should do several things. First, if possible mount the radar antenna
“Many experts recommend that cruisers carry extra shrouds and stays. To save space, I’m thinking about carrying Spectra line as a backup. Does the idea have any merit?” — Kim Barr , San Francisco, California Win Fowler replies: In theory, Spectra or Dyneema line—both are high-modulus polyethylene—will work fine as standing rigging in terms of breaking
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