Boating in homelike comfort for more than a few hours at a time takes more electricity than most battery systems can provide, but adding a generator to the mix gives boaters a constant feed of power. A generator is a rather involved upgrade, but it can be boiled down to a few basic steps.

Determine Your Vessel’s Power Needs

There’s a big difference between the power requirements of a 40-foot cruiser and a 30-footer. Take air conditioning, for example. Both boats may have it, but one might need a 20,000-Btu system to chill down the salon while the other can get by with 5,000 Btus. So, the bigger boat will not only have more systems to feed, but each one is larger in scale. That means step one is simply figuring out how much power is enough. And remember that bigger isn’t always better. Generators are designed to run under load, and if you regularly run one at less than 25 percent of its output and don’t typically run at closer to 50 to 70 percent of load, it will often lead to soot formation, poor piston-ring seals and clogged injector tips.

What if you need only minimal juice? In that case, could carrying a portable generator aboard make sense? Maybe so, but these usually hold enough fuel to run for just eight or nine hours. If you want electricity for longer than that, you’ll have to carry a gas can and plan to refuel from the deck of a pitching, rolling boat. Obviously, that raises safety concerns. Plus, these generators generally aren’t marinized for use in the saltwater environment. As a general rule of thumb, carry-on generators have limited applications on boats.

Determine Your Boat’s Available Real Estate

The biggest limiting factor in how much power you can bring aboard will be engine-room space. Generators are often shoe-horned in, which makes for tough maintenance, but even tougher installation. You need a solid, level mounting surface, as well as room for cables and hoses. Also consider access to the area, because it won’t do you much good to buy a generator only to discover it doesn’t fit through the hatch.

Mounting a Boat Generator

Generators are weighty, and they require secure mounting. Screws or lag bolts aren’t sufficient—you need stout through-bolts or hefty brackets. Think of it like mounting an engine in a boat, because, well, they are engines. True, the generator won’t be bearing any thrust, but all that weight creates an awful lot of leverage when the boat rocks and rolls. If you’re adding a generator to a boat that originally offered one as optional equipment, check with the manufacturer to see if pre-tapped mounting plates were laminated into the stringers. You may have an ideal mounting point ready and waiting for you.

Plumbing a Boat Generator

Ready to start running hoses? You’ll need a cooling water feed via a through-hull with a seacock, and an exhaust run. Intake lines need to have a sea strainer between the seacock and the generator, and should not depend on a scoop-style through-hull, which can force water into the generator when it’s not in operation. Exhaust lines need an anti-siphon loop installed at the manufacturer’s recommended minimum height above the waterline.

Obviously, you’ll also need to get fuel to the generator. In the interest of minimizing the hazard of mixing up fuels and increasing the workload, most boaters want to choose a generator that burns the same fuel as their vessel’s powerplants and tap into the existing supply. Otherwise, installing a fill and vent lines will be necessary in addition to installing the tank itself. You’ll also need to plumb in a fuel filter between the tank and the generator.

Wiring a Boat Generator

Wiring is a stage that can get quite tricky, and the bottom line is that you must follow the manufacturer’s specifications for both the boat and the generator. That said, there will usually be cables for an externally mounted battery for starting the generator, the AC output, and you may wire in a remote-control panel above decks, as well. Care must be taken to make sure that all wiring is up to manufacturer and ABYC specs, and that it’s supported and protected from stress and chaffing. AC wiring must be done as per the manufacturer’s recommendations. Note that generators must also be grounded and bonded in accordance with USCG regulations.

Insulating a Boat Generator

Generators can be notoriously loud. If your boat’s engine room isn’t thoroughly insulated, choosing a generator contained in an insulated soundshield is a smart move. Adding acoustic insulation to an engine room after the fact is rarely as effective. Air intakes, exhaust type and mounting will also have an impact on the noise and vibration levels.

So, is adding a generator to a boat really all that involved? You bet it is, which is why few DIY boaters ever even consider giving it a shot. It’s also risky to try installing one yourself from both a safety and a reliability/longevity standpoint. So, 99 times out of 100 this is a job best left to the professionals.

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Over time, even the shiniest boat will turn faded and dull as its gelcoat oxidizes. UV exposure is the culprit, and as chalky oxidation fills the gelcoat’s microscopic pores and cracks, that once-lustrous shine will slowly dwindle away. But all is not lost. If, that is, you know how to restore the gelcoat on a boat.

Step 1: Remove the Oxidation

This is a very simple, but very labor-intensive process. You’ll need to get oxidation remover, a power buffer and plenty of bonnets. Whatever you do, don’t eschew the power buffer and try to tackle this task manually. You’d need to firmly rub in circles tens of thousands of times to de-oxidize even a relatively small boat, and unless a severe case of tennis elbow sounds like fun, that buffer is a must-have for this work.

Before you begin buffing, tape off any fittings, the rubrail and anything else that could be damaged by the abrasives in the oxidation remover. Next, squirt a dose of it onto the bonnet, hold it up against the hull side, and pull the trigger. Again, and again, and again, until that hull begins to gleam once more.

Tip: Be careful not to hit the power button on the buffer before it’s placed firmly against the gelcoat. Do so, and its orbital motion will sling the viscous liquid in every direction.

Plan on spending hours of buffing to get rid of the oxidation, noting that the worse the damage is, the more work it will take. Also remember that the buffer won’t reach all of the tight spots, like under the rubrail or lips in the hull side. Once the large areas are completed, you’ll have to attack the parts you couldn’t reach by hand. Even though it may be a tiny fraction of the surface area of the hull, rubbing these free of oxidation can take hours or even days.

Step 2: Wash the Boat and Give It a Close Visual Inspection

Next, you’ll want to wash the boat and give it a close visual inspection. Then, get ready to attack it with the oxidation remover again. You’ll almost certainly see some areas where the oxidation remover obscured your view and some cloudiness remains in the gelcoat.

Step 3: Apply the First Coat of Protective Wax

Is that gelcoat shining like new? Great. But it won’t stay that way for long, because now fresh, unprotected gelcoat is exposed to the sun and the air. It began deteriorating the moment you washed away the last of the oxidation remover. Now, you need to cover it up with a protective coat of wax. Use thick paste wax. It lasts the longest and provides the best UV protection. Time to start rubbing again.

Step 4: Apply the Second Coat of Protective Wax

You knew we were going to tell you to wax the boat a second time, right? One coat simply doesn’t cut it, because there are always areas where the wax coat is too thin or were missed entirely on the first go-round.

Step 5: Apply the Third Coat of Wax, This Time Carnauba

The gelcoat may be protected now, but it’s not shining as brightly as it could be. To get the very best finish, you’ll now want to do a third waxing. But this time, use a liquid carnauba wax. This stuff gives the best shine, and although it won’t last as long as a paste wax, it will give that gelcoat a gleam that can’t be beat.

Read Next: Stripping Bottom Paint from a Boat

Step 6: Maintain the Restored Gelcoat

Maintain the shine. That means keeping the boat clean and reapplying the carnauba wax every few weeks. At least twice a season, give it another base coat with the paste wax, too. As long as you do so, you’ll keep the oxidation at bay. But, if you let a few months go by without waxing, the shine will begin to wither once again.

The post How to Restore Gelcoat on a Boat in Six Steps appeared first on Yachting.

Nobody gets excited at the thought of stripping bottom paint from a boat, but this is one of those dirty jobs that’s a necessity every so often. And, in most cases, stripping bottom paint makes less of a mess (and is less of an environmental hazard) than sanding. It’s also more economical than hiring a professional to get the paint off via soda blasting.

Before we dig into steps, we need to lay out a few bottom-paint-stripping ground rules. First, completely read the manufacturer’s instructions before getting started, and follow them to a tee. Some strippers need to be covered with a plastic barrier to prevent the solvents from gassing out. Others can harden, if they’re left applied to the hull for too long. Many need to be applied within a specific temperature range. And some may even damage the boat’s gelcoat, if used improperly. Each is a bit different, so you need to familiarize yourself with the particular product you’re using before you use it. That said:

Step I: Dress in Tyvek or clothing you don’t care about, including eye protection and rubber or nitrile gloves.

Step II: Cover the ground under the boat with a disposable tarp or plastic drop-cloth. Gobs of the stripper and paint will be falling off the boat and you’ll need to contain it. Also, tape off the paint line to protect the gelcoat immediately adjacent to the paint.

Step III: Apply the stripper as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Usually, this means more or less painting it on with a brush or roller. Some strippers can be sprayed on, but overspray onto nearby surfaces can be problematic. In general, you’ll want to lay it on as thick as possible, but not so thick that gobs fall off of the boat.

Step IV: If the stripper is one of the types that needs to be covered, apply the plastic film or sheets as instructed.

Step V: Sit back and wait. You can’t hurry this stuff up, and it usually takes a matter of hours for the stripper to work to full effect. It’s also critical that you don’t wait beyond the recommended period, or some strippers may harden.

Step VI: With a putty knife or scraper (with sharp edges rounded to prevent gouging the gelcoat), begin scraping off the softened paint. If possible, place a waste bag directly under the area you’re working on as you scrape to catch the falling paint and stripper. Move it as you go and replace the bag as it fills up. Keeping the mess contained along the way will help in reducing the cleanup at the end of the job. Note: Some strippers can be power-washed off in controlled circumstances, however, this generally isn’t recommended for DIY bottom-paint stripping due to environmental concerns.

Step VII: Be prepared to do it all over again. In most cases, the stripper will take off a few layers of paint, but when there are three-plus layers on the hull most products will require a second application.

Step VIII: There will often be some small areas where for whatever reason the stripper didn’t quite do the job, and you may need to sand away some remaining paint. Finally, give the bottom a thorough wash.

With stripping the bottom paint from the boat now complete, you can prep the hull bottom for a fresh coat of paint, and begin the bottom-paint cycle all over again.

The post Stripping Bottom Paint from a Boat appeared first on Yachting.

Whether it’s a new installation or time for some maintenance, knowing how to bleed a boat’s hydraulic steering system is a must.

Learning how to bleed a vessel’s hydraulic steering system is often born out of necessity. Case in point: A few years ago, I pulled my boat straight out of the slip, made a 90-degree turn by opposing the twin engines, then idled towards a dog-leg in the marina that would lead me to open water. When I reached the dog-leg, I spun the wheel to starboard and, well, nothing happened. A quick glance over the shoulder confirmed that both engines were still nearly centered. With just 30 feet between my boat and a line of pilings and bows, I threw both engines into reverse and came to a full stop—just short of my boat’s bowrail meeting the Danforth anchor perched atop a bow pulpit. I maneuvered back to the slip using the engines, only, then set about bleeding the steering system.

How to Bleed a Single Cylinder Hydraulic Steering System

This process isn’t difficult, but it does require two people because you need one at the helm and another at the steering cylinder. First, get some oil-absorbent pads ready in case any hydraulic fluid makes a mess (which is usually the case). Open the reservoir at the helm and top it off. Then connect the filler tube and oil bottle, and invert the oil bottle so the filler tube fills with hydraulic steering fluid. Poke a hole in the bottom of the inverted bottle so the fluid can freely run out of the bottle and into the system. The person at the helm needs to keep an eye on the filler tube and replace the bottle if it runs empty, to prevent introducing more air into the system.

Next, turn the wheel all the way to starboard. Then the person positioned at the cylinder should open the starboard-side bleeder valve and prepare a container to catch fluid that comes out. (It’s not a bad idea to attach a short length of hose to the bleeder valve so you can direct any fluid that comes out into a container, to minimize the mess). He or she needs to hold the cylinder in place while the person at the helm turns the wheel to port, until air bubbles cease coming out of the bleeder valve. When no more air is coming through, the valve can be closed. Now repeat the process with the portside bleeder valve.

Read More: Yacht Maintenance

How to Bleed Twin Cylinder Hydraulic Steering Systems

Simply follow this same procedure on each cylinder, one after the other. Complete each cylinder individually one at a time, rather than doing both starboard sides then both port sides.

How to Bleed Multiple Station Hydraulic Steering Systems

If your boat has two stations, you’ll need to do each one individually. The good news is that there are no additional steps in this case, either. Simply follow this exact same process at wheel number one, then do it again from wheel number two.

So, how do you know the system is fully purged? You should be able to turn the wheel smoothly from lock to lock sans bumps or hesitations. A sea trial is the best way to get a feel for how smoothly the steering system is working, but at the dock you can usually feel if there are any major air bubbles remaining.

Before you start bleeding the system, however, it’s mission critical to remember that air doesn’t just mysteriously appear in a boat’s properly functioning hydraulic steering system. If air got in there, it most likely found its way in via some sort of leak at a connection point. As a first step, it’s a good idea to check every connection point and seal, look for the telltale sign of hydraulic fluid where it doesn’t belong, and fix the leak. Fail to do so, and chances are that in a day, a week or a month, your steering will be problematic once again.

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Sure, it’s natural to be a bit depressed when the boating season comes to an end, but keep your chin up and a smile on your face because in a few short months you’ll be ripping away that shrink wrap and prepping for spring again. When that time comes, you’ll want the boat to operate just as smoothly as it did when you put it to bed in the fall, and properly winterizing the engine(s) and generator will ensure that it does.

Whether you’re working on the main propulsion system or a generator (diesel or gasoline), in all cases the boat-winterizing process can be broken down into five steps:

• Stabilize the Fuel System
• Change the Fluids
• Drain and/or Winterize the Cooling System
• Visually Inspect the Systems
• Seal and/or Protect any Openings to the Outside

Stabilizing the Fuel System

You’ll want to lay up your boat with full fuel tanks to prevent condensation from forming, however, all fuel has a shelf-life. Over time, varnish and gum can build up in diesel fuel, and gasoline loses octane. If the gas has ethanol in it, the dreaded phase separation can set in too. Adding in a quality fuel stabilizer is key if you want a successful startup come spring. And, after adding it to the tanks be sure to run the engine(s) or generator long enough to allow the treated fuel to work its way all the way through the systems.

Change the Fluids

Now’s the time to change the engine’s oils (including lower unit or transmission oil) and, in the case of a closed-cooling system, the coolant as well. All of these fluids deteriorate over time, and with use. Old oil builds up acids and contaminants, and the corrosion-fighting additives in coolants and antifreeze wear thin with age. You’ll want to change all these fluids now, not in the spring, to prevent those contaminants from doing any harm over the winter.

Drain or Winterize the Cooling System

Any engine’s cooling system needs to be completely drained of all water and/or have antifreeze added to prevent freeze damage. Fail to take this step, and the results can be catastrophic. Generally speaking, this will include bringing the engine up to operating temperature and then pulling drain plugs and/or replacing water with antifreeze (excepting outboard engines, which drain fully when tilted all the way down). That said, every manufacturer has its own recommendations for how to perform the task. In some cases, failing to have an authorized dealer perform the winterization may even void the warranty. So, we aren’t going to get into specifics here — you’ll need to refer to the owner’s manual for your particular engine or generator to ascertain exactly what needs to be done.

Visually Inspect the Systems

Prior to putting the boat to bed for winter, take the time to inspect hoses, belts, electrical connections and all the other visible exterior parts on the engines and generators. In fact, now’s the time to inspect all the hoses, wires and other items in the engine room that are subject to aging, whether they’re attached to the engines and generators or not. If there’s a problem like a cracking, aged hose, spot it now and you’ll have plenty of time to have it fixed before the spring rolls around. But if you wait until the weather begins warming back up to perform these basic inspections, the boatyards and mechanics will be busy and it could lead to significant launch delays.

Seal and/or Protect any Openings to the Outside

Finally, you’ll want to seal exterior openings like exhaust ports and water intakes (most people simply tape plastic over them and/or tape down flapper valves, if present). This will help keep out moisture, but just as important, it will help keep out critters. Nothing is worse than getting ready for a spring shakedown cruise only to discover a nest of wasps or a family of mice has decided to take up residence inside your boat.

Winterize your engines and generator properly and come spring you should be back out on the water in no time. That alone should be enough to keep a smile on your face all winter long.

The post How To Winterize A Boat’s Engines and Generator appeared first on Yachting.