Vol 33 No 3 march 2007 $7.50 (US)

The “Real” Morgan 41 Page 8

Page 13 Page 18 Page 28

8 Southern Belle 22 Ocean Tested: AIS Radar ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Florida-born 41 combines Device is a good safety aid, 2 Rhumb Lines – With spring on the balance, beauty, and comfort. but no substitute for a lookout. horizon, ya gotta let her soul shine 3 Mailport – Strippers, harnesses, 13 Life Rafts Guide 26 Have Tools, Will Travel tethers, and cords gone wild PS looks at the new standards Advice from a veteran cruiser 7 Where Credit is Due – Hats off to and what they mean to you. and all-around handyman. Harken, Raritan, and Kenyon 24 Chandlery – A small washer and dryer, and a BIG fish bag 18 VHF Antennas 28 Maintenance Special 40 PS Advisor – Blisters and Shakespeare, Digital Marine One-step waxes; freshwater wintering in the water offer top-notch big sticks. paints; teak caulks; and more. Rhumb lines

The Morgan 41 Hombre, owned by mere production model at that. The Charley Morgan’s partner Bruce modest sloop, a Morgan 41, was Bidwell, shows some soul. the talk of the docks it seems, and I quickly saw why. Though launched is assured a soul. Fiberglass and in 1968, the graceful centerboarder metal boats, for instance, start with looked as clean and new as any a minor soul deficiency, and need show boat (and far more beautiful a little boost to become complete. to my eye). Its name is Circe III, and This opinion was likely forged by its photo is on the cover.

my wooden boat years, when the Over the course of three years, Photo courtesy of Morgan Yachts mantra, “Yes, plastic boats are easy the owners David and Susan to care for . . . but so are plastic Woolsey, with the guidance and flowers,” sustained me througha occasional help of professionals, decade of hard labor. had gutted and rebuilt Circe III. Of course, to believe that boats This was no cosmetic makeover. have souls raises the second ques- A structural fiberglass grid was tion: What is the source of this added along the . The hull-and Spring is in atman? The easiest explanation is -deck joint was fiberglass-taped to also one of the oldest: The artist form a monocoque hull. I’ve seen the wind or creator is also the animator. many boats, ranging from Allied It’s easy to imagine a bit of Olin Seawinds to Block Island 40s, nyone who goes to sea in a Stephens in Stormy Weather, but whose owners have undertaken Awell-built boat is bound to how much of Bill Shaw remains bare-hull restorations, but none of believe it has a soul. For how else in a thoroughly rebuilt Triton? them could compare to this. could an object of wood, metal, or This question, I think, leads us It was then that I realized that plastic so deftly cleave a breaking closer to the truth. with every ounce of sweat we pour sea, or hold a true course with the About five years ago, I was walk- into a hull—truly a reservoir for helm unattended? And how else ing the docks at the Coral Reef dreams—so goes a bit of our own could a in perfect trim— Yacht Club in Coconut Grove, Fla. soul, too. It is by the rub of the nothing more than a tenuous I had been invited to sail aboard buffer or stroke of the brush, that arrangement of molecules—make Comanche, a legendary SORC racer our boats truly live and breathe. our hearts beat faster? designed by Wirth Munroe, son of At least this is what I tell myself Of course, there are those of us the South Florida pioneer Ralph this morning, as once again the who more easily adopt this convic- Munroe, whose adventures on Bis- rites of spring loom large. tion. To believe otherwise would cayne Bay inspired my childhood concede we’d lost our wits long ago, escapades. It was, by birthright, a Darrell Nicholson when our boat spoke to us, offered soulful boat. Editor advice, and consoled us in times of Oddly, the proud owners of despair. Comanche were more interested On the cover: Circe III at home on Still, I don’t think every boat in showing me another boat—a Biscayne Bay. Photo by Billy Black

Practical Sailor (ISSN #0161-8059) is published monthly by Belvoir Publica- tions Inc., 800 Connecticut Ave, Norwalk, CT 06854-1631. Robert Englander, Chairman and CEO; Timothy H. Cole, Executive Vice President, Editorial March 2007 • Vol 33 No 3 Director; Philip L. Penny, Chief Operating Officer; Greg King, Executive Editorial Offices Vice President, Marketing Director; Marvin Cweibel, Senior Vice President, Editor Marketing Operations; Ron Goldberg, Chief Financial Officer; TomC anfield, 7820 Holiday Drive South, Suite 315 Darrell Nicholson Vice President, Circulation; Michael N. Pollet, Senior Vice President, General Counsel. Sarasota, FL 34231 creative director Periodicals Postage paid at Norwalk, CT, and at additional mailing offices. judi crouse [email protected] Copyright © 2007, Belvoir Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or Associate Editor Subscription Department: in part is strictly prohibited. Printed in USA. Revenue Canada GST Account #128044658. Ann Key 800/829-9087 Canada Publishing Agreement Number #40016479. Technical editor www.practical-sailor.com/cs ralph J. naranjo Box 420235 Subscriptions: $84 annually. Single copies, $7.50 (U.S.). Bulk rate subscriptions for orga- Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 nizations and educational institutions are available upon request. Editors at Large for Canada: Postmaster: send address corrections to Practical Sailor, PO Box 420235, Palm Coast FL Dan Dickison, Nick Nicholson, Doug Logan Box 7820 STN Main, London, Ontario 32142. Practical Sailor, P.O. Box 39, Norwich ON, N0J 1P0 Canada. WDS return address N5Y 5W1 Contributing Editors in Canada: Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, Ontario N9A 6J5. ken Delavigne, Richard Greenhaus, Web, Back Issues, Fax Service Al Herum, Chris Landry, Dave Laska, or Customer Service: Quantity Reprints Available frank lanier, Doug Ritter, Robby Robinson, Minimum Order: 1,000 Scott Rosenthal, Dan Spurr PO Box 5656 Norwalk, CT 06856-5656 Contact Mona Kornfeld, Belvoir Publications, 203/857-3143 Publisher 800/424-7887 Timothy H. cole [email protected] PRACTICAL SAILOR ACCEPTS NO COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING

 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com m a i l p o r t

Soy Strip vs. Peel Away Based on your recent ranking of Franmar Soy Strip as the top- rated antifouling stripper (“Strip- per Showdown,” November 2006), I purchased two gallons of that product to remove four coats of six-year-old Interlux Micron Extra self-polishing paint that we had applied over Interlux Interprotect We re-tested Peel Away II and Franmar Soy Strip on a larger section of our 2000E on our Caliber 33. I tried test boat, a Union 36 (above). Soy Strip was still more effective, although several methods of using the Soy some readers have done better with Peel Away II. Strip—from leaving it on for six hours covered with plastic wrap, to scraping it off after one hour— and I found that the Soy Strip Soy Strip REPORT messy job, took another 3½ hours was totally inadequate in remov- I was reluctantly coming to the by the two-person team. (The resi- ing this paint. conclusion that the antifouling due should not be left on for too In desperation, I tried Peel paint needed to be removed, so long.) In the end, I would estimate Away Marine Strip II, which was I eagerly read the article (“Strip- that 75-80 percent of the paint easy to use and did an excellent per Showdown”) in the November came off. At least I avoided the job. It was quite easy to apply issue. risk of inhaling sanded paint—a with the provided spatula, like ic- An e-mail and a couple of real plus. A little additional work ing a cake upside down. I applied phone calls to the local Soy Strip in the spring and the hull will be the Peel Away stripper and paper distributor were most helpful. He in good shape for repainting. one afternoon and went back the pointed out that since the product next morning to remove it. is sensitive to both ambient air Mike Gerhardt It was quite easy to remove: I temperature and the temperature Warren, R.I. scraped the paste—which had of the hull, I should tackle the job dried and mostly stuck to the in the fall rather than wait for the We repeated our stripper test on paper—and pulled the paper off hull to warm up in the spring. larger sections of our test boat at the same time. Quite a lot of He also emphasized the need to with the same results as our initial red antifouling was left on the cover the product with thin plastic test (see photo above). However, as boat. However, when I washed sheets to hold it on the surface mentioned in the original article, it off with No. 4 wire wool and a and prevent evaporation during past tests lead us to believe that course pad, all paint was removed the “dwell time.” (This is, in fact, some paints remove easier with back to the Interprotect coat with a big part of the job.) My 30-foot Peel Away than Soy Strip. Tem- just a wipe, no scrubbing. Catalina required about peratures during our test were Based on this, I sug- Franmar Soy Strip 2-1/3 gallons of Soy Strip. above 80 degrees, and humidity gest that before anyone Application by a team was very high. The manufacturers splashes out $150 for two of two took about of Soy Strip do not recommend us- gallons of Soy Strip, they three hours. Scrap- ing their product in temperatures buy a quart first to see if it ing off the residue, an below 70 degrees. works satisfactorily. unavoidably Tether attachment Christine Newell I read about tethers in “ on Oceanus, Caliber 33 Peel Away a Short Leash” in the January 2007 Cambridge, Md. Marine Strip issue with great interest since I practical sailor march 2007  m a i l p o R T

end of a double tether on a harness D-ring (or anything else attached to your body) renders the quick-release on the harness end of the tether ineffective. If the quick release is activated, you are still attached to the harness via the “inactive” tether which was clipped to the D-ring of the harness. The only way around this prob-

lem is for the inactive tether to be Photo by Sherry McKillop clipped to the tether itself. Any double-ended tether should have a convenient attachment point for PS tester and veteran racer Skip Allan runs his safety tether under the the unused end of the tether, such jackline and back to his harness. This takes out the slack for use while the that an emergency disconnect will wearer is stationary. actually allow you to disconnect. The information supplied with the tether should note this potential have never had the occasion to use wearers minimize friction between danger and how to avoid it. Other- one. After reading the pros and the tether and jackline by clipping wise, you may as well use a locking cons of attachment devices on each the “boat end” of the tether snap carabiner on the harness end. end of the tether, I noticed that hook directly to the jackline, still Skip Allan, in the photos, did not minding to keep as much slack out Gary Aitken connect directly to the jackline, of the tether as possible. S/V Malakii but looped the tether around the Via e-mail jackline, a method not discussed in Elastic Tethers the article. Is that a recommended A note on tethers using elastic: My mahina on harnesses attachment method? Is the tether as experience is that the elastic in In regard to your tether article (“Sail- strong when it is attached this way? these tethers doesn’t last more than ing On a Short Leash,” January 2007) three or four years. My Wichard and mentioning that we (Mahina Bob Bedell 3-foot/6-foot double tether is three Tiare Expeditions) recommend the Via e-mail years old, and the elastic may as West Marine tether with Gibb hook, well not be present. If you’re plan- here is some additional feedback. A safety harness tether should ning to use your tether more than Mahina Expeditions has had 815 always be clipped to windward and three or four years, forget about sail-training students on board over be maintained with as little slack paying extra for the elastic. It’s the past 17 years, covering close to as possible. This prevents a teth- great while it lasts, but it doesn’t 200,000 miles, much of that in high ered crew from being awkwardly last forever. latitudes. We ask our expedition launched, and possibly hurt. Of more concern to me is that members to bring their own har- In the photos to which Mr. Bedell your review (“Sailing On a Short nesses and tethers, so we have seen refers, Skip Allan was wearing Leash,” January 2007) notes the many different types. a 6-foot single tether. By looping importance of being able to quickly The double tethers seem like a the tether around the windward disconnect from any tether in an great idea, but everyone who has jackline and hooking it back to his emergency. When using a double brought them has ended up taping harness, he halved its length and tether, the unused lead must be or cutting off the short end—it just removed the slack in the system, clipped somewhere, likely on your gets in the way too much. reducing the chances of being person—it can’t be left dangling. We love the idea of (and recom- launched out of the companionway, There is only one place to do this mend on our temperate voyages) across the cockpit, or even over that is convenient and consistently inflatable PFD/harness combina- the lifelines. There is no practical available: the harness D-rings. reduction in strength to the tether Unfortunately, carrying the unused when shortened in this The extra leg on a double manner. When moving harness just gets in the way, around the deck in a reports John Neal of vertical stance, tether Mahina Tiare Expeditions.

 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com m a i l p o R T

tions, but for passagemaking in the The marine tropics, nearly everyone finds them store “experts” heavy and sweaty behind the neck. claim that this The Crewsaver Sovereign harness problem can oc- has been a favorite. The combina- cur with cords tion of fairly rigid webbing and the about 10 years extra fabric section on the back old when used continu- make it easier to slip into than most. ously with a 1500-watt We are big proponents of the heater load and other Lifesling and—after 17 years of “heat sources” as well. Loose terminals on older power cords and worn having each expedition member They claim a 30-amp receptacles are common problems—they’re conduct several rescues—have cord is designed for also common fire hazards. developed a very fast, simple, and intermittent 30-amp predictable method of singlehand- loads. On the day of the edly retrieving a man overboard in failure, my heater, the boat water Great timing, Bill. We actually just less than 90 seconds. We have just heater, and the battery charger wrapped up a FilterBOSS evalu- documented this in our “Expedition were likely all on at the same time. ation. Look for the review in next Companion” textbook. However, the cord actually failed month’s issue. You will also likely during the night when only a 750- be interested in our upcoming look John Neal watt heater was running. Also, I do at fuel tanks, also looming high on Mahina Expeditions not leave the cord attached to the the horizon. www.mahina.com boat during the winter. It is usually stored below. Stainless Steel electrifying tale The magnet test suggested in the I recently experienced a scary mis- Bill Boyeson February 2007 issue oversimplifies hap with my shore-power cord that Via e-mail the issue of applying stainless steel should be shared with others. And in saltwater applications. The most I’d like to know how many others This is a common problem, most commonly available stainless steel have had a similar experience. likely caused by a loose connection. is Type 304, which is non-magnetic, I plugged my nine-year-old, “per- On an older cord, the terminals but also is notoriously susceptible fectly fine,” 30-amp cord into the inside the plug assembly can even- to stress corrosion cracking in the boat to provide power/heat for our tually get loose. Loose connections presence of chlorides. This environ- night at the dock. During the night, increase resistance in the circuit, ment exists in all standing rigging I noticed that our 1500-watt electric which in turn creates heat. Often, on a in salt water. Type heater was no longer working. I first there is enough heat to cause a fire. 316, which contains molybdenum suspected something was wrong The electrical receptacles can also and a slightly higher nickel content, with the heater or something in wear with age, creating a loose con- does not suffer from this problem. the boat’s electrical system. In the nection with potentially dangerous (But, it is more expensive.) When morning, I discovered that two of results. Scrupulous inspection of the stainless steel is used in a weld- the three receptacle terminals had integrity of the connections can help ment, it can suffer from intergran- burned off, and both the cord and prevent this sort of mishap. receptacle had burned and melted. Fortunately, the burning did not FilterBoss spread to the boat itself. The cord Has Practical Sailor ever tested the and all the boat wiring has worked FilterBOSS (www.ktisystems.com)? fine for nine years, and everything This system provides two fuel was “properly” installed at the filters, one online and one offline. J-Boat factory. The boat’s 110-volt The website indicates the device breaker did eventually trip, but the allows for easy engine bleeding. 30-amp dockside breaker did not. It also states that if your lift pump The cord was plugged in straight fails, the FilterBOSS will supply and tight. I’m assuming that I had fuel to the injectors. Sounds like a unseen corrosion inside the plug, great system to me. Any advice? and it created high resistance that Practical Sailor takes a look at the caused the eventual melt-down. Is Bill Blair FilterBOSS fuel filter system, by this a common problem? Via e-mail KTI Systems Inc., in the April issue. practical sailor march 2007  m a i l p o r t

has been an avid swimmer all her I am considering an ablative life. But now that she is a bit long in paint for use in waters from New the tooth, her West Marine doggie Jersey through New England for PFD’s extra buoyancy means the this year and the entire East Coast difference between swimming and for next year. Only the Sea Hawk sinking! Keep up the good woof! Mission Bay CSF rated better than Fair in NE waters (but only Fair in Crosby and Claire Roper Florida). Tethys, Catalina 320 So I am interested in looking San Diego, Calif. into what copper-based paints would be compatible with my Doggie PFDs aluminum saildrive and will per- I own several pet PFDs, but I have form well in both NE and Florida found a better alternative. I solo sail waters. Or better rated copper-free with my dog, who always wants to paints in both NE and Florida be by my legs. It only took him pok- waters. ing his between the spokes of I started checking the details on my Lewmar folding wheel once for some of the paint sites, but gave me to realize that his roaming free up trying to read the MSDS sheets, Crosby and Claire Roper’s 16-year- in a PFD was not an option. Plus, individually. old dog, Skyla, sports her West the modern Hunter’s stern swim Marine PFD in San Diego, Calif. platform is an inviting exit point for a canine. correction When underway, I outfit him ular corrosion in the area of the with a full harness designed as a weld. For this reason, low-carbon seat-belt harness for dogs (www. versions of these alloys (304L, petsafetybelts.com). I use the Pet 316L) should be used. The method Keeper from Shockles (www. of thread-forming on fittings and shockles.com) as the tether since it fasteners can also be significant. is elastic. I could also use a single Rolled threads are far superior to Wichard tether, but it is a little too cut threads because of the reduc- heavy. I clip him in where he can’t tion in stress concentration and the reach the wheel, but can otherwise lessening of sites for the initiation roam around the cockpit and get on of cracks. the seat. At , I go with a full- bellied PFD until bedtime, mostly The PS Advisor in the December 2006 Tom Walder for my piece of mind. issue of Practical Sailor incorrectly Ericson 29 stated that “...forward-facing scoop Wilson, N.Y. Glen Koch strainers should never be installed Hobie-g, Hunter 31 on sailboat engines and gensets, The magnet photo was not meant to Havre de Grace, Md. which like a little air in the cooling imply that all non-magnetic hard- stream.” The reason a forward-fac- ware is good. Past issues of PS have Bottom Paint for Metals ing scoop is not recommended for discussed the various stainless-steel After reading the 2006 Bottom is that while under sail, the issues that Mr. Walder succinctly Paint Test review (February 2007 scoop might force water past the describes and we will delve deeper issue), it’s evident that not all cop- impeller and flood the engine. Gen- into metallurgy in our upcoming per-based paints are equally com- erally, engines and gensets do not test of steel fasteners and fittings. patible with aluminum saildrives. “like” air in the cooling stream. Also, My Volvo MD 22 engine manual for engine intakes, PS recommends Pooch savers cautions to avoid copper-oxide no external strainer and an easily Thanks PS for your article on bottom paints used on the hull accessible water strainer, pictured “Pooch Savers” (January 2007). itself because of corrosion interfer- above. If you insist on an external Those of us who include our dogs ence with the saildrive, but “pure” strainer, it should be a 180-degree whenever possible are always look- copper-based antifouling paints dome type or a similar, non-direc- ing for sound ways to keep them containing “copper thiocyanate” tional strainer. safe. Our 16-year-old dog, Skyla, seem OK.

 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com m a i l p o r t

Any idea which of the copper- search for 12 inches It is available in a single-handle or based paints contain a more com- In previous issues of Practical double-handle version. They also patible form of copper and could Sailor (“Seven Muscular Winches,” manufacture 8-inch and 10-inch work with boats with saildrives? June 2006, and “Mailport,” Septem- standard-brass, aluminum-alloy ber 2006), you mention the benefit handles. Charlie Kapeghian of 12-inch winch handles over My 12-inch, locking winch Nelly Ruth, Bavaria 40 Ocean standard 10-inch winch handles as handle was shipped the same day I Forked River, N.J. having 20 percent more cranking ordered it. The winch handle is an power. Having a 40-foot sailboat impressive brass color and is very Based on your own research and and using/straining with a 10-inch well made. I look forward to more the results of our most recent an- winch handle for years, I wanted winch cranking with less strain tifoulant test (February 2007), we’d one ASAP. this spring. recommend Blue Water Paints’ After months of research, I found Kolor, which was a top performer out that the 12-inch winch handles Jerry Boudreau after 18 months and contains cop- are made by LVJ of Holland. I Swansea, Mass. per thiocyanate. The best perform- called Taylor and Snediker LLC, er in our last metal paints test was (800/599-0800) in Connecticut, the Practical Sailor welcomes letters from our Pettit’s Alumacoat. However, Alu- U.S. distributor of LVJ winches and readers. Please include your name, home macoat has since been replaced by winch handles. port, boat type, and boat name. Send e-mail Alumacoat SR, which rated Fair in The 12-inch, locking winch to [email protected] and mail the 2006 bottom paint tests. Look handle is made of a brass-alumi- to Practical Sailor, 7820 Holiday Dr. S., Suite 315, for an update to the metal antifou- num alloy and is available for $120 Sarasota, FL 34231. lant test in a future issue. (discounted) plus $6 for shipping. where credit is due harken service kudos Raritan I have had a Harken 1600 205 IN In January 2006, I purchased a midrange snatch block for several Hold’n’treat and Electroscan unit years. The shackle broke at one of from Raritan (www.raritan.com). the eyes, and thus can’t be closed. During the installation process, the I contacted Harken (www.harken. tank indicator gave me problems. com), and at their request, I sent Raritan’s technical support spent a the block shackle to them. Without lot of time helping me troubleshoot, question, they sent me a new one. including shipping me new parts Great service! Kenyon International’s service got a free of charge. After that, the thumbs-up from reader Rob Ran- unit worked perfectly—until John Helgerson sone after they replaced his storm- last December, when I found the Via e-mail ravaged Kenyon Express II (above). treatment unit was leaking. I Stay tuned for our small stoves contacted Raritan and within 24 Kenyon, thanks update and stove/oven test results. hours had an RMA number to I had a Kenyon Express II butane ship the unit for repair and factory stove stored in my dock box. When avail. I told him that the stove was refresh free of charge. The unit that rascal Hurricane Ernesto paid over a year old, and he informed me was shipped out shortly before us an unwelcome visit last fall, it that the warranty was for two years. Christmas and arrived in a timely inundated the box, including the He asked me to return the stove, and fashion. It looks—and works—as stove. Although I dried it out the in due course, I received a brand- good as new. I appreciate the best I could, the automatic ignitor new one. It is gratifying to work excellent, timely, courteous, and would not work. I called Kenyon with a company that stands behind professional help that Raritan has International Inc. (www.kenyonin- its products like Kenyon. provided over the past year. Kudos! ternational.com), of Clinton, Conn., and talked with a Kenyon repre- Rob Ransone Lance Ryley sentative named Frank. He walked 1976 Herreshoff 19-foot catboat S/V Bright Star, Freedom 44 me through several tests but to no Cranes Creek, Va. Boston, Mass. practical sailor  The ‘Other’ Morgan 41

Lovingly restored by her owners, David and Susan Woolsey, Circe III enjoys a reach up Biscayne Bay in Miami, Fla.

Balance and seaworthiness define this classic cruiser-racer.

n 1966, long before Charley Mor- boarder built by Wirth Munroe, seakeeping ability of that boat that I

Igan’s well-known Out Island 41 son of famed sharpie designer and knew this was the right direction to Photo by Billy Black took the Caribbean charterboat South Florida pioneer “Commo- go with a cruiser/racer. Finisterre had scene by storm, the “other” Mor- dore” Ralph Munroe. a pie-shaped centerboard that came gan 41 emerged from then-nascent “I had sailed on a sistership to up into the cabin, but Wirth had it Morgan Yachts in St. Petersburg, Finisterre, so I knew what it could right with his jacknife centerboard. Fla. Not yet 37 years old, Morgan do, and I had crossed the Gulf Stream It was more efficient, and angled was well on his way to becom- on Comanche,” recalls Morgan, back so you could adjust the helm ing one of the most recognizable who confides that his own suscep- as needed. names in fiberglass boat design. The tibility to seasickness was a driving “It didn’t matter if it was blowing cruiser/racer Morgan 41 embodied force behind his designs. “I was so 7 knots or 18 knots, you could leave many aspects of two of Morgan’s impressed with the stability and the helm, go get a cold drink below, most successful custom designs at come back, and find the boat just as that time, Paper Tiger, which won you’d left her.” back-to-back Southern Ocean Rac- The Morgan 41 is arguably one of ing Conference races in 1960 and the best looking of many lovely cross- 1961, and Sabre, which went on to purpose boats that the Cruising Club become the Columbia 40. of America handicap rating system Morgan traces the design’s engendered. One owner described heritage, particularly below the his boat as “a for a waterline, back even further, to regular Joe, only prettier.” Morgan, Olin Stephens’ famous Finisterre, Used boat review who strove hard to erase sailing’s and Comanche, a 40-foot center- elitist reputation, would no doubt be

 March 2007 www.practical-sailor.com R e m a K i n G t h e m o R G a n 4 1

ORIGINAL INTERIOR Hanging (ALMOST) locker The interior of Cary Capper’s Morgan 41 Sea Glass reflects the Walnut factory interior. The white-painted formica finish drawer faces replaced warped, de- Pilot berth teriorating composite faces, and are not original. Capper also pulled out the original pressure alcohol stove, replacing it with a two-burner Origo Origo stove under lid stove and an additional storage locker. (Not visible is the quarter- Locker New white replaces berth, which extends aft of the nav drawer faces original station table.) stove/oven

Opening ports Photos by Billy Black (top) and Loly Acuna REMODELED INTERIOR

Workbench Circe III, (also pictured on the cover and the facing page), owned by Susan and David Woolsey, was completely gutted and rebuilt with the help of pro- fessionals. The galley has shifted to port and the New quarterberth is closed off. In its place is space for U-shaped the boat’s systems and additional stowage. The nav galley station is to starboard. The table folds up into the bulkhead. A workbench and tool drawer replaces the original hanging locker. A bright white finish replaces the old walnut mica. pleased by the analogy. it’s very important for seeking shel- an overlapping genoa providing Although Morgan was already ter or reaching hurricane holes.” much of the sail area. (A 150-percent launching boats with detached Based on a design Morgan had genoa is the standard headsail in and skegs (in the Morgan previously tank tested, the 41’s hull South Florida.) Despite fairly con- 24), the Morgan 41’s is at- has modest overhangs at the ends, servative design ratios, the 41 is not tached to a long keel—a sensible adequate deadrise at the bow, and lacking for horsepower. A couple of approach for Morgan’s home waters a broad bilge—but no long, flat sec- owners reported they had of Southwest Florida. Its keel gently tions, as is common today. The 30 that were actually cut shorter than emerges from the curve of the , feet of waterline quickly increases the original and were quite content reaching its maximum depth of 4 as the boat assumes sailing trim. with performance. feet, 2 inches just forward the well- Its well-proportioned, 11-foot, 3- protected rudder. inch beam was considered broad Deck Details The centerboard extends another in its time. A survey of the deck reveals a long, I- 5 feet, 3 inches, giving the boat a All of the boat’s 9,000 pounds of shaped cockpit, wide sidedecks, and maximum draft of nearly 9.5 feet. ballast is in the fixed keel, so that an uncluttered foredeck. The cockpit Most owners said they seldom used even with the centerboard up, the suits sailing with guests or sleeping the board, unless they wanted more 41 is a very stable boat. The board under the stars, but will keep your stability in a cross sea, or to “spank lifts by a cable and sheaves, a design feet wet in a steep following sea. Sev- some hotshot” to windward. that would be the bane for future eral owners said they have enlarged “I’m a big believer in shoal-draft owners. (See “Construction Details,” the cockpit drains. boats,” says Morgan. “Not only does page 12.) On the boat we sailed, the bin- it open up more areas to cruising, The rig is typical of the era, with nacle and 27-inch standard destroyer practical sailor March 2007  c r i t i c ’ s c o r n e r — M o rg a n 4 1

PRO: Angled surface for CON: Bow roller instruments retrofit can require creativity CON: Wood cleats

PRO: Full-length grab rails cons PROs • Tight squeeze behind the wheel. • Wide side decks, handholds, and • Poor access to throttle controls. toe rail add security. • Small cockpit scuppers that can • End of boom sheeting delivers sail back up in a following sea. control to helm. CON: No coaming to accept • Bimini mounting tends to interfere • Long cockpit makes for a fine full-width dodger with winches. “Bahama-berth.” • Hatches and ports prone to leaks. • Ample cockpit storage.

wheel were so far aft that it was a accommodations pressure alcohol stove was standard, tight squeeze at the helm. In fair Although there were other optional so a conversion to propane requires weather, the favored helm spot is on layouts to the “stick-built” interior, finding, or making, a safe place to the leeward rail, where the view is most boats followed the plan on page store the fuel. The standard icebox intoxicating. During tight maneuvers 12. Aft to port is a quarter-berth/nav is big enough to allow for additional under power, the shin-high throttle station, with the galley to starboard. insulation and a new inside liner. controls give the skipper the unflat- In the main saloon, which has 6 feet, tering appearance of a farm hen, 4 inches of headroom, there’s a U- Performance hunting and pecking as he shifts. shaped settee to port that converts to The boat’s tight propeller aperture The standard running rigging a double berth. Facing that is a settee/ limits prop size, so a three-bladed provides a good framework for sea berth, with a pilot berth, above. prop is usual. Many boats came with improvement. Leading to a traveler Moving forward, you’ll find a a 30-horsepower Atomic 4 gas engine. just aft of the helm, the mainsheet separate head to port across from Westerbeke 55As and Perkins 4-108s is at the end of an antiquated roller- a very large hanging locker, which (our test boat had the Perkins) are furling boom whose popularity, one owner neatly converted into common today. Under power, the though short-lived, we are still at a storage and a small workbench. The boat cooperates in both forward and loss to explain. A simple slab reef- V-berth is about 6 feet, 11 inches reverse, though some owners like to ing system suffices. long and well-ventilated through a drop the board a bit for better control The sheets lead aft to primary large forward hatch. Another hatch in tight corners or in a crosswind. and secondary winches mounted on opens in the main saloon. Three We sailed the boat in 12-15 winch pads at the coamings, making small ports (one of them opening) knots on Biscayne Bay in Miami, winch upgrade a relatively simple and one large, fixed port allow light Fla. Seas were a light chop. Winds affair. Race-ready boats have two below. Most owners convert the gusted higher in two squalls that genoa tracks, one on the rail and small saloon deadlights to opening rolled through. The boat was an optional inboard track. ports, and many have painted or equipped with a fairly new, 150 There is a hawsepipe leading to covered over the standard walnut genoa on roller furling, but an aging the anchor locker (also accessible mica finish to lighten the interior. handicapped windward from below), but most boats were The galley is lacking by today’s performance. Even so, we easily not originally equipped with a bow standards, with a sink below the com- tacked through 90 degrees with the roller. Most owners have managed panionway and little useable counter- board partially down and exceeded with some off-the-shelf varieties. space for meal-making underway. A Continued on page 12

10 March 2007 www.practical-sailor.com Construction Details

harley Morgan estimates that urethane sealant. The joint is capped about 375 Morgan 41s were built with a teak toe rail, which is screwed in Cduring its production run from place with self-tapping screws. On the 1966 to 1972, though our research indi- boat we inspected (Hull No. 83), some cates there might be far fewer. This was of the through-bolts showed signs of a Vietnam War-era boat, so some mate- leaking, but in general, the hull-deck rial substitution during the production joint appeared in very good shape for span is likely, particularly with metal a boat of this age. The joint was such a components. nuisance on one heavily raced boat that it was fiberglassed from the inside—a HULL bear of a job. 1 Like many early fiberglass boats, the Morgan 41’s hand-laid, solid fiberglass SPARS and hulls have outlasted many lightly built RIGGING newer boats. Morgan had its own An upgrade of chemists to check cure rates and resin more than just ratios at different temperatures. The wire is due here if company worked with fiberglass and it hasn’t yet been resin manufacturers to ensure predict- carried out. The able results during molding. backstay chain- Much of the hull’s strength comes plate fractured or from its thick (by today’s standards) broke on three of layup schedule, which the CCA rule the five boats we researched. Less desir- encouraged with its credits for heavy able aircraft forks are standard terminals displacement and low ballast/displace- at the mast. The original spreaders were ment ratios. Two of the five owners we spruce, and prone to rot. Several owners inteviewed reported blister problems, replaced the shroud chainplates as well as 2 though not severe. The hull skin was fur- the horizontal mild steel I-beam to which ther supported by a “stick built” interior these chainplates attach. Mild steel in the in which all of the joinery work is bond- mast step is in a hidden spot beneath the ed to the inside of the hull, contributing head and prone to corrosion. to stiffness.A few bare hulls were sold as kits, and the bulkhead tabbing on these KEEL and RUDDER boats should be closely checked. The We heard of no unusual problems with owner of one such boat reported that Edson cable steering, which is easily the hull flexed in heavy weather. accessible via cockpit lockers, or the rud- der, which is supported by a formidable DECK bronze shoe. The main deck is plywood cored, The centerboard is a different story. although Morgan said balsa may have The lifting setup employs two sheaves been used in the foredeck on some boats. (one of which is attached to a mild steel Serious rot problems in the deck appear plate beneath the mast), two cables (one 3 to be rare. The cabin top is FRP (possibly of which is continually immersed in wa- core-composite on some boats), clamped ter and notoriously prone to corrosion), Construction details, from top: and bonded to an interior stiffening liner and a stainless steel shaft (which passes with a polyester filler putty. The cabin top aft through shaft log that is prone to 1. A cast aluminum-alloy stemhead flexes slightly when an well-fed skipper leaking). Morgan 41 owners have come fitting and the stylish but nearly jumps on it, suggesting that some addi- upon perfectly good solutions—one of invisible port running light; tional stiffening may be in order, particu- which involves the simple substitution larly beneath any load-bearing hardware of Spectra SK75 for the immersed wire 2. Centerboard partially lowered that may be added. rope—but the improvements require the with an inset photo of an improved assistance of a professional. Access to the shaft and cable lifting system; HULL-DECK JOINT problem sheave is usually delayed until The hull-deck joint is an inward-turning the mast is replaced, so the mast step of 3. Hull-deck joint and stanchion flange with the deck through-bolted at any boats which still have the original rig fasteners (which could use a back- 10-inch centers and bedded in a poly- merit close inspection. ing block) from belowdeck. practical sailor March 2007 11 boat r e v i e w

While the Morgan 41’s interior volume can’t match that of today’s 40-foot- ers, it can easily support a family cruise (above). The protected rud- der and gently sloping keel (left) minimize the potential damage of a grounding. A comparison of three classic centerboard cruiser-racers inspired by Olin Stephens’ Finisterre—the Morgan 41, Bill Tripp’s Bermuda 40, and Ted Hood’s Bristol 40—produces some interesting numbers (below). All three boats were offered as yawls, a nod to the CCA handicap ratings, which favored mizzen sails. With ample ballast and respectable sail area-displacement (SA/D) ratio, the Morgan shows potential for faster passages, as well as a seakindly ride, although the Bristol’s higher displacement-length (D/L) ratio reflects its reputation as a comfortable passagemaker. As with many CCA-era boats, the D/L ratios here can be deceptive.

Morgan 41 Continued from page 10 Morgan 41 IN CONTEXT 7 knots while reaching, always with fingertip control. Indeed, MorGAN 41 BERMUDA 40 BRISTOL 40 impeccable balance is the boat’s hallmark. LOA 41’ 40’ 9” 40’ 2” The boat clearly hits its stride LWL 30’ 28’ 10” 27’ 6” about 65 degrees off the true wind, and owners regularly speak of Beam 11’ 3” 11’ 9” 10’ 9” making double-digit speeds while Draft 4’ 2”/ 9’ 5” 4’ 3”/ 8’ 9” 4’ / 7’ 10” reaching during long ocean races. (board up/down) We sailed most of the time with Displacement 19,500 lbs. 20,000 lbs. 17,580 lbs. the board about three-quarters of the way down, and the only time Ballast 9,000 lbs. 6,500 lbs. 6,500 lbs. we could truly notice its effect was going to windward, when it reduced Sail area 773 sq. ft. 776 sq. ft. 694 sq. ft. the amount of leeway. The overlap- ping headsail makes short-tacking Engine 30 hp. 30 hp. 25 hp. a pain, but the boat is surprisingly Water 60 gal. 110 gal. 35 gal. nimble when tacking in light air. Fuel 39 gal. 48 gal. 20 gal. Conclusion SA/D ratio 17.07 15.22 16.7 The Morgan 41 is a good upgrade candidate for someone who is D/L ratio 320 291 378 handy and determined. The boats Price are typically well-loved, much of (pre-1974 model year) $30,000-$60,000 $80,000 -$300,000 $30,000-$60,000 the essential work has usually been done (replacing gate valves with tury, much of the gear belowdecks to part with them. If one does land proper seacocks, for example). They and abovedecks will need upgrad- on the market, expect to pay any- are proven offshore cruisers, but key ing or replacement. where from $30,000-$60,000 or more, spots need careful attention. A well-restored Morgan 41 can depending on the condition. Should Any boat with the original center- shine next to some of the most highly you decide to part with it down the board system will need revamping. regarded classics on the waterfront, road, you should not have a hard To bring the boat into the 21st cen- so their owners are typically loathe time finding a buyer.

12 March 2007 www.practical-sailor.com Choosing a Life Raft New international standards have prompted a closer look at life raft design.

Tube structure and diameter, canopy entrance configuration, handholds, and boarding aids were scrutinized during our recent test of six-man offshore life rafts (left to right: Zodiac ISAF, Elliot SOLAS, and Switlik SAR MK-II).

ince our last extensive test of life Best Buy honors. This time around, through our weeklong evaluation Srafts in 2002, both the Internation- we were curious to see how life process, we were able to come up with al Standards Organization (ISO) and rafts built or upgraded to the new recommendations to help clarify the the International Sailing Federation standards compared to the ones we differences among offshore/ocean- (ISAF) formal guidelines for build- tested. We also wanted to see how capable life rafts and allow you to ing recreational small-craft life rafts Elliot, a life raft we did not test last better decide which features are most have taken shape, and the major play- time, would do. relevant to your circumstances. ers are scrambling for certification Next month, we’ll take an in-depth under these standards. Whenever an look at the results of those tests, but Risk Check industry reviews its own standards, before delving into the details of our Picking the right life raft for your Practical Sailor re-examines its own findings, we present here a discus- own needs starts with an evaluation testing procedures and criteria. sion—no less important—of the of the risks and the exposure you Against the backdrop of this new considerations that every sailor must may encounter. In warm, inshore regulatory landscape (see “Life Raft weigh when choosing a life raft. and coastal waters, hypothermia Standards,” page 14), we carried out There is no one life raft that will and the risk of being caught out an in-depth test of eight life rafts: suit every person or budget. However, in a heavy gale are less likely. As- DSB ISAF raft, Elliot SOLAS raft, sistance is closer at hand. Conse- Switlik MD-3 raft, Switlik SAR-MKII quently, a lighter-duty, less-expen- raft, Viking RescYou (UKL), Viking sive life raft may suit the needs of RescYou Pro (USKL), Winslow Ocean your crew. However, those cruising Rescue, and the Zodiac Class Ocean offshore (20 miles or more from ISAF raft. the coast) and/or transiting colder In our last life raft test (“Life Rafts waters, face shorter survival times. Revisited,” Jan. 15, 2003) the Win- Their life rafts need to be capable of slow Ocean Pro was our favorite, performing in more significant seas and the Viking RescYou Pro earned safety & survival and lower temperatures. practical sailor March 2007 13 Life raft safety & su r v i v a l Standards When you abandon ship, lives s of yet, there are no fixed are at stake. So when you’re shop- Astandards specifically tar- ping for a life raft, what may begin geting life rafts for U.S. recre- as a hunt for a good bargain might ational cruising boats. Instead, quickly evolve into a sky-is-the- life rafts are usually built to one or limit search for the best life raft more of the following standards money can buy. Perhaps no major for commercial ships, European gear purchase elicits more hand- recreational boats, or Interna- wringing and reflection than that tional Sailing Federation (ISAF) of the life raft. events. None of these standards In some ways, our survey was fully address the needs of cruis- like grading graduate students at a ing sailors. top-notch university—all of the life rafts were quality products, but each SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) had a slightly different approach to statutes are the “top gun” of life accomplishing the same objective. In raft regulations. They apply to some instances, little nuances were a commercial vessels governed by very big deal. We found a few clear SOLAS rules, have international examples where one life raft maker standing, and are the most strin- would use relatively simple engineer- gent. These regs specify that raft ing and quality materials to achieve manufacturers use heavy-duty a particular result, while another material and large volume infla- would take a more complicated, ex- tion bottles. Even ISAF special pensive route with nothing gained. regulations recognize that SO- LAS specs trump all the rest. Setting standards Sailors competing in transoce- Commercial and military interests anic or high-latitude races (Cat- have long known the relationship 0) must carry SOLAS life rafts. between life rafts and survival at sea, and following the Titanic tragedy, ISO 9650 is the International more and more agencies regulating Canopy structures get close scrutiny Standard Organization’s criteria maritime operations set standards for under the new ISAF standards. aimed at the makers of recre- the structure and design of life rafts ational craft life rafts. Adopted by and other life-saving devices. The In- the ISO in 2005, it classifies rafts as either coastal or offshore. The latter are built to ternational Maritime Organization’s carefully chosen specifications that spell out factors such as the tear strength of the (IMO) Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) tube material (800 N warp/ 750 N weft), breaking strength, and porosity. They also Convention set standards for com- are parameters for stability, canopy structure, inflation system, etc. mercial life rafts, and these have become the benchmark by which all ISAF (International Sailing Federation) regulations have recognized that most other life rafts are measured. smaller and mid-sized boats competing in offshore (but not transoceanic) events Until recently, recreational life raft need a rugged, light raft small enough to be stowed aboard a racing sailboat. Pre- design and construction in the U.S. viously, racing rafts that met the size and weight criteria fell short in strength and was a self-regulated industry, one in safety features, so the ISAF generated its own set of specs that use the structural which manufacturers independently guidelines of ISO and some key design criteria all their own. Mandates include set design criteria that might or might “semi-rigid boarding aid… one person righting… stable in a seaway with from 0 not have complied with the rules of to a full number of occupants.” the U.S. Coast Guard, SOLAS, and other life raft regulatory bodies. The U.S. Coast Guard promulgates life raft regulations for domestic in- The recently completed European spected vessels, and in many ways, these are similar to SOLAS statutes. Passenger- ISO Standard 9650 defines what a carrying craft must meet these specs, not just for the raft, but for how it is stowed recreational life raft should be ca- and deployed. These regulations are oriented toward ships and larger craft, so the pable of enduring and how it should weight and bulkiness associated with the required ancillary gear do not transfer be built. International life raft compa- very well for use aboard sail and smaller power boats. However, these regulations nies and some domestic builders now do underscore the need for tough tube material, rugged inflation systems, and manufacture their products to these high-visibility fabric and reflective tape. standards. To further complicate the

14 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com w h o ’ s w h o

6-Man Life rafts Switlik MD-3 Elliot 6-SOLAS ive manufacturers provided eight, six-man life rafts Ffor our test late last year in Annapolis, Md. Citing time constraints and concerns about the protocol, Revere Viking RescYou Zodiac Class rafts and Givens declined to participate. West Marine Raft Ocean ISAF was working with Zodiac to develop a six-man ISAF raft, and has agreed to provide us with the new raft when it becomes available for testing. The rafts we tested:

• DSB 6-ISAF raft (canister) • Elliot 6-SOLAS raft (canister) Switlik SAR MK-II Viking RescYou Raft Pro • Switlik MD-3 Life Raft (canister) DSB 6-ISAF • Switlik SAR-MKII (canister) • Viking RescYou Raft (UKL) (canister) • Viking RescYou Raft Pro (UKSL) (canister) Seven of the eight rafts PS tested came in canisters. Their • Winslow 0cean Rescue (valise) weights ranged from 84 pounds for the DSB ISAF (front, • Zodiac Class Ocean 6-ISAF raft (canister) center) to 167 pounds for the Elliot SOLAS (back, right). issue, the ISO standards for aviation life rafts, and how both might be raft?” The answer is—quite a bit. life rafts differ from the ISO marine reduced without compromising the Fundamental to the integrity of standards, so compliance with one life raft itself. any life raft is the material with standard does not mean compliance which it is constructed and the with the other. Most notably, the ma- Material Perspective quality of construction, so it is not rine standards place a higher impor- Within the alphabet soup of regu- surprising that the new ISO 9560 tance on more durable material than latory agencies is some valuable standard addresses material tear-test the ISO aviation standards. guidance. One of the most telling and breaking strength. These same The ISAF, the governing body statements is found in ISO 9650-1 of material specs are adopted by the of international sailboat racing, is the “International Standard for Small new ISAF standard. another new player in the life raft Craft—Inflatable life rafts.” The sec- Modern inflatable life rafts are regulatory game. To compete in tion states that life rafts built and made of tough nylon fabrics that have an ISAF-sanctioned, Category 1 or maintained to the ISO Type I stan- been coated or “calendared” with Category 2 event, a boat must have dards should provide “a reasonably natural or synthetic rubber to make a life raft that conforms with the safe refuge for a shipwrecked person them air tight. The tear strength of the new ISAF standards. It’s interesting awaiting rescue...(be) designed for material and seams are engineered to to note that ISAF mandates SOLAS extended voyages, where high winds withstand impact loads associated rafts for Category 0 races, those held and significant wave heights may be with breaking seas and abrasion from in the most extreme conditions, and, experienced, but excluding abnormal curious sea creatures. The trade-off of course, accepts them for all other conditions such as hurricanes...not between weight and rugged reliabil- events. This is further endorsement of (for) voyaging in extreme zones (e.g. ity is a tough balancing act and good SOLAS as the gold standard of inflat- Southern Oceans).” engineering is essential. able life rafts. A study commissioned by the We noted significant variation With prices of a good SOLAS life Australian government after the in the materials chosen for the hull raft running lower than some recre- storm-swept Sydney-Hobart Race of tubes. At one extreme is the Winslow ational life rafts, it’s surprising that 1998 further clarifies the hierarchy Ocean Rescue, which had a compos- SOLAS life rafts aren’t seen aboard of life rafts in the eyes of experts. The ite construction using six layers of more sail and powerboats headed commission recommended SOLAS- neoprene coating along with biased- offshore. One reason that cruising grade life rafts for future races. cut, rip-stop nylon, for a total weight boats don’t favor these life rafts is the But not even a SOLAS life raft of 8 ounces per square yard. The new added weight and bulk of the can- comes with warranties that state Winslow ISAF life raft being intro- isters and extra water and survival “will survive in all conditions.” As duced this year will be 10 ounces per gear stowed with the life raft. As we one industry expert put it, “if the con- square yard. At the other end of the took a closer look at this subject, we ditions are bad enough to cause your spectrum is the SOLAS-approved, discovered some interesting facts primary vessel to founder, how much urethane-coated, 16-ounce-per- about the weight and bulk of SOLAS can you expect from a 100-pound life square-yard material used in the El- practical sailor March 2007 15 safety & su r v i v a l

Certainly, the life raft’s toughness is only one of several key consider- ations. In warm, temperate, or trade- wind conditions, a lighter life raft Inflatable boarding platforms (left, on that is easier to launch and stow may the Zodiac ISAF raft) made boarding be the best alternative. Once the life the rafts much easier. The Winslow and raft is inflated and the crew on board, the Elliot also had these mini-porch a watermaker and a 406 EPIRB will platforms. All the test rafts’ canopies become the crew’s next best friends. had zippers—like the Viking RescYou (above). PS would like to see a backup Abandoning ship means of sealing the door. Prior to this test, we reviewed a small-craft survival situation and scrutinized what really goes on Major disasters like the 1979 Fast- during an abandon-ship procedure. liot SOLAS life raft. Switlik also uses net Race and the 1998 Sydney-Hobart Typically, the event is highly cha- a heavy-duty, urethane-coated (inside event do shed some light on the vio- otic, inducing reactions steeped and out), 16-ounce nylon for the tubes lent impact of breaking seas. Those with anxiety, and at the same time, in both its life rafts we tested. Viking who review these events arrive at it requires a multifaceted response. uses a slightly lighter denier nylon similar conclusions as commercial The first challenge is damage con- coated with natural rubber in both life raft experts who have defined trol: Efforts aimed at stemming the life rafts we tested. (Both Viking rafts USCG and SOLAS life raft charac- ingress of water or fighting a fire and meet ISO 9650 criteria.) The DSB teristics: Sailors cruising or racing saving the vessel. At the same time, ISAF-6 life raft was quick to enter the in the colder, gale-swept, higher lati- a mayday message must be transmit- market with a lightweight material tudes are better off with a well-made ted and other SOS signals deployed. that meets the ISO 9650-1 tear-test SOLAS life raft. If you have neither If the damage-control effort proves and breaking strength standards. the room nor the ability to handle the to be fruitless, the crew must switch Zodiac’s PVC-coated nylon also meets larger canister and heavier weight, into abandon-ship mode—getting the the ISAF spec and is orange, adding you do have another option: a valise- raft launched, secured alongside, and to the life raft’s overall visibility. West packed SOLAS life raft. crew and useful gear transferred into Marine also has a new offshore de- The SOLAS life raft we tested, the life raft. The less time available sign under development that’s slated the Elliot six-man (the minimum for this scenario to unfold, the more to be available this year. carrying capacity for a SOLAS life demanding the process becomes, and It’s hard to say what is tough raft) weighed 167 pounds, with 39 the more essential it is to have a good enough. Survivors of shipwrecks pounds worth of survival equip- life raft and a well-trained crew. (See who tout one brand of life raft or an- ment and a rugged, fiberglass, drop- “Abandon Ship,” page 17.) other are both fortunate and biased. proof canister that alone weighed 38 Statistics regarding life raft failure pounds. The same life raft packed Devilish Details are slim. Even more rare are accounts in a valise with a more basic sur- Every life raft in this test utilized a of why the life raft failed to help save vival kit would weigh about 105 zipper to control the main opening(s). people—non-inflation, destruction pounds and still offer the rugged Should one or more of these zippers by the elements, or inability to board quality of a commercial life raft. fail (not unlikely given the history of a functioning life raft are all pos- Any survival gear that you omit these fasteners in salt water), condi- sibilities. could be augmented via an aban- tions could become unsafe in heavy don-ship bag kept in the weather or cold conditions. Some deck locker used to house zippers were simply much more rug- the life raft. ged that others. The waterproof YKK zipper on the Switlik MD-3 failed during its initial use, leaving a siz- With its plug removed, a able opening in the canopy. (Switlik large hole for the painter in now has the raft and is looking into the Switlik MD-3 canister this.) Given our experience with zip- (inset) can lets water in, re- pers in general, we’d like to see all ducing buoyancy that helps manufacturers sew in a set of simple a raft autoinflate. The raft loops or tabs along the perimeter of inflated fine in our test. the zipper’s arc that could be used

16 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com Abandon Ship!

ll crew members should be familiar with the abandon-ship Aplan, which should be rehearsed prior to any extended, off- shore voyaging. The odds of survival greatly increase if you can make it through the first few minutes of the emergency evacuation.H ere is a basic rundown of the sequence of actions to take: • Fire flare(s). • Turn on EPIRB(s). • Call Mayday (on VHF, SSB, Satphone). • Gather gear (ditch bag, other usable gear). • Check/secure life raft painter. • Launch life raft. • Short-scope painter and inflate the life raft. • Tie raft alongside vessel (provided this is safe). • Transfer crew from boat to life raft. • Cut painter and paddle clear of distressed vessel. • Check crew and deal with any medical issues. • Skipper should calm crew and set up structure. • Review raft instructions. • Bail water taken on—keep watch—inflate raft as needed—inventory gear—catch/make water • Begin signalling for help.

All the rafts we tested, like this Elliot SOLAS model, have lines or webbing to assist one person in righting a capsized raft.

to lash the openings closed. A few ally deploy the life raft in time, the have been enough to inflate the hair life rafts tested did have back-up life raft automatically releases. trigger life rafts that we tested, those ties, although in our opinion, these With a hydrostatic release, as the that inflated with only about 10 were insufficient for providing a life raft and vessel submerge, the pounds of pull. But one of the sample secure seal. change in atmospheric pressure life rafts in our evaluation, the DSB As it turns out, the canisters ac- causes the release to fire, unlatching ISAF-6, required a 40-pound-plus count for much of the weight of these the canister from its cradle. As the pull to initiate inflation. life rafts. The packed weight of the uninflated life raft floats toward the Float-free capability is a great heaviest canister life raft was nearly surface, residual air in the canister idea, but the lack of positive buoy- twice that of the lightest. However, and life raft oppose the pull of the ancy in an uninflated life raft, and the weight gap between the lightest sinking vessel to which the life raft other issues—including rigging and heaviest life raft, on their own, may be tethered, creating enough ten- clutter, the possibility of a hydro- was far less. While the Elliot life sion in the painter to inflate the raft. static release malfunction, and sim- raft’s hefty canister tipped the scales While this auto-inflation scenario is ply Murphy’s Law—make manual at 38 pounds, the lightest entrant in plausible, we found that many unin- deployment the best bet. the test was the DSB-ISAF canister, flatedlife rafts don’t have a whole lot which weighed just more than 12 of buoyancy, and it is not impossible Mounting pounds and was made of a higher- that a life raft could be dragged down Life raft location is a challeng- tech-laminate. Getting the life raft with a sinking boat for some time ing question to answer. A strong, deployed is one of the toughest chal- before inflating, if it did at all. (After fit person may be able to heft and lenges for a shorthanded crew, and our test, Switlik said it was enlarging heave a life raft of about 100 pounds. it’s sad to see how little attention the MD-3 canister, which would add However, darkness or a slippery, naval architects give to the canister more buoyancy.) submerged deck can significantly design process, which could poten- Vacuum-packed life rafts placed in complicate the issue. You want to tially mean life or death. small canisters and larger canisters place the life raft where it will not be Many manufacturers offer canis- with bottom drain holes and a larger prematurely launched by a boarding ter-mounting brackets that can be hole where the painter line exits sea and yet can be slid over the side. or are equipped with a hydrostatic- retain very little residual air. The On a small sailboat, that location release mechanism. In case of a rapid tension between a slowly sinking ves- can be hard to find. All too often, sinking, when the crew fails to manu- sel and an uninflated life raft would (continued on page 39) practical sailor March 2007 17 PSL_SubscriberAd 12/12/05 8:41 AM Page 1

safety & su r v i v a l

aids as the most important safety fea- ture on a life raft: “A life raft doesn’t do you any good if you can’t get in Subscription Service it,” he said. And the inflatable, mini- porch-like platforms found on the Elliot, Zodiac, and Winslow made for the easiest boarding. Three Ways to Contact Crew weakened by cold water and Practical Sailor encumbered by the stress of a survival 1. Log onto our website at situation are often exhausted when it comes time to get into a life raft. This www.practical-sailor.com. Click point was driven home during our on Customer Service to renew wave pool tests in 2000 (PS May 1, your subscription, update your 2000 and June 1, 2000). mailing or e-mail address, check A good life raft not only prolongs your payment status or order back your ability to survive, but also adds issues – online, any time, day Winslow’s retractable ballast bags let to your chance of being rescued. the raft be sailed downwind. Despite the fact that some rafts can or night. be trimmed up by retractable water 2. Call toll free: 800-829-9087 ballast bags and actually sailed LIFERAFTS continued from page 17 downwind at a knot or two, the real 3. Mail this coupon (or a photo- the best spot is high on a coach roof, hope for rescue lies in being visible copy) to: and the brackets are bolted through to others. In a passive sense, this Practical Sailor a deck that was never intended to may mean a ship’s crew seeing your P.O. Box 420235 carry the shear loads that a breaking yellow, orange, or red canopy, or a wave could exert on such an instal- spotlight hitting the reflective tape of Palm Coast FL 32142 lation. In a worst-case scenario, the the canopy at night. Signaling mir- Name ______life raft and mounting bracket rip rors, flares, water-surface streamers, away, leaving a hole in the cabin top. VHF radios (marine and aviation), Company ______Be sure that the mounting point is EPIRB, SART cell, and sat phones all Address ______structurally sound enough to handle play a role in being visible. the loads imposed by breaking seas. Next month, we’ll do our raft-by- City______Some makers show their life rafts raft evaluation. Following that, we’ll State ______Zip ______clamped to a stern pulpit, a structure compare the various survival kits not intended to take these loads. and examine what belongs in an E-Mail ______Once the life raft is launched and abandon-ship bag. To order or extend your current subscription, inflated, it can be brought alongside enter your name and address above and a sinking vessel for the crew to trans- check the subscription term you prefer: fer directly into the life raft without Contacts jumping into the sea. At this point, dsb ■ One year: $59 305/231-5640 the larger the opening, the better. deutsche-schlauchboot.de ■ Two years: $97 However, once everyone is in the ■ Check enclosed. life raft, the optimum opening size elliot 330/239-4331 ■ ■ ■ changes. If the abandon-ship situa- Visa MasterCard Amex tion includes fire or rapid sinking, it switlik Card # ______may become necessary to enter the 609/587-3300 switlik.com water before entering the life raft, and Exp. Date ______the best method is to jump in close to viking Sig. ______772/287-0463 where the painter can be grabbed and viking-life.com work your way to the life raft rather These rates are good in the U.S. than attempting to swim to it. Cloth- winslow only. In Canada, 1 year CDN $87, 941/613-6666 ing and a PFD can make climbing winslowliferaft.com 2 years CDN $147. For all other into a life raft cumbersome. countries, 1 year US $84 (air), 2 Our professional yacht captain/ex- zodiac 410/643-4141 years US $168 (air). naval officer and in-the-water evalu- zodiacmarineusa.com ator, Eric Naranjo, ranked boarding practical sailor March 2007 39 E l e c t r o n i c s

Each of the 8-footers have a 6-dB out- put, which theoretically offers greater Fiberglass Pole range than a 3-dB antenna of the same height. However, the narrower radiation pattern means that the 6-dB VHF antennas signal may be directed into the water when the boat is heeled. Digital Marine products top the field. The field of 16-footers was much smaller, with one antenna from each of the three manufacturers: the Shakespeare 5018 (171 feet), the Comrod AV90312 (16 feet), and the Digital 532-VW (16 feet). The Comrod and Shakespeare are 9-dB antennas, while the Digital model is rated at 10 dB. Although these antennas have a greater potential signal strength than either a 3-dB or 6-dB unit, the relatively narrow radiation pattern is even more prone to being directed downward into the water on a boat that is heeled. These antennas make, easy-to- service backups that would function well on a multihull or on a monohull that is under power or at anchor. They have the advantage of a shorter coax- ial cable, where a surprising amount of signal strength is lost in a mast- mounted antenna. However, their di- Testers installed the seven 8-foot test antennas on the T-top of our test rected radiation pattern makes them boat, a 26-foot Scout. The three 16-foot test antennas were mounted to a unacceptable as a primary antenna platform 5 feet above the waterline. on a monohull, and mounting limita- tions make them generally inferior to a mast-mounted 3-dB antenna. s we pointed out in last month’s and Shakespeare—and requested Areview of 3-dB VHF antennas their participation in our “at-sea” Comrod (“VHF Antenna Face-off,” February evaluation. They responded by The Comrod company designs and 2007), a mast-mounted 3-dB anten- sending a total of 10 different an- manufactures a complete and very na’s more oval radiation pattern of- tenna models. high-end line of yacht and commer- fers sailors the best compromise be- Shakespeare sent us five 8-footers, cial marine antennas at its headquar- tween range and output when the ranging from $36 to $100. We also ters in Tau, Norway. Launched as a boat is heeled. However, when the tested 8-foot models from Digital fishing pole maker in 1948, Comrod boat is at anchor or under power, (529-VW) and Comrod (AV 60 BI8). began targeting U.S. recreational you can achieve acceptable perfor- boaters in 2000 with an entirely new mance (though probably not better) line of pleasure craft antennas. with a high-quality, deck-mounted The Comrod antennas PS tested 8-foot or 16-foot fiberglass whip. In all came without attached coaxial fact, many cruising boats carry a antenna cable, which is optional. standard 8-foot whip to be used in When we looked into the situation, an emergency such as a dismasting. we discovered an installation ex- For this test of 8-foot and 16-foot clusive that Comrod enjoys over its antennas, Practical Sailor contacted competition: On the bottom of each the three most popular manufactur- Comrod antenna, inside the base of ers of marine recreational anten- the mounting ferrule, is a male BNC nas—Comrod, Digital Antenna, ELECTRONICS antenna fitting where the antenna’s

18 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com H ow we tested

inside and out Digital 529-VW e tested the antennas in two groups: 8-foot and 16-foot. We Wrequested a spare from each manufacturer in case we had any performance doubts about a particular product. Because of the many variables that can influence any test at sea, our evaluation cannot be considered a perfect evaluation Shakespeare 5206-C of an antenna’s absolute range, but rather a limited comparison of different antennas under specific, nearly identical conditions. Testers found that the radiating element of the $36 However, the antennas were tested at the same time under virtu- Shakespeare 5206-C is siginificantly thinner than that ally the same conditions, and we feel the results are useful and of the $149 Digital 529-VW. informative. For the performance test, we set up a control base at a local ma- rina that had an unobstructed line of sight to Block Island Sound in We also cut open each antenna to study the construction Rhode Island. At the base, we used an Icom M604 VHF radio (con- of the radiating element and rate the quality of materials and nected to an 8-foot, 6-dB antenna mounted about 40 feet above construction. sea level) to send voice broadcasts to our test boat. A second VHF For the record, here are the chief concerns raised by the manu- radio and separate Station Master commercial antenna were also facturers regarding our range comparison: installed, so base and boat could communicate. Comrod’s Vidar Bakke suggested that the Shakespeare an- We installed each 8-foot antenna on the oversized T-top of the tenna may have outdistanced the two others because it is 18 test powerboat, a 26-foot Scout center-console. All three 16-foot inches longer. He said Comrod has performed tests similar to PS’s antennas were tested on the same mounting platform 5 feet indicating that “only small variations of the antenna height gave above the waterline. Only one test antenna was vertical at a time relatively large variations of receive signal strength.” to eliminate the possibility of parasitic oscillation interference Digital Antenna was concerned about the “on-the-water” na- between idle antennas. ture of the range tests and the installation of the 16-foot antennas, We ran the test boat on a predetermined track into open water. which company officials feel may have handicapped their 10-dB With each test antenna in use, we moved away from the control antenna. “An open-range test of monopole antenna must be point until voice communications were unintelligible. The vessel conducted on an extremely level surface and is typically done route/track line was recorded, and waypoints were entered as on land,” said John Jones, Digital’s vice president of engineering. each antenna lost communication with the base, and the entire Jones suggested that because our results exceeded line-of-sight track with antenna waypoints was saved to a flash memory card. distances, environmental factors may have influenced our maxi- The vessel’s speed was 20 knots, except when we slowed to idle mum range findings. during communication periods with the base; seas were running Jones also said the Digital 16-foot should have been mounted 4 to 8 feet. higher (at least one-wavelength, 6.25 feet above sea level), and After voice communication was lost, we turned our bow into that it should have been mounted where there would be fewer the sea and then turned again to run with the sea to minimize surrounding obstructions. “Our antenna provides more gain and side-to-side roll. We were able to complete the 16-footers’ test, distance; however it is more sensitive to improper installation. Our but due to deteriorating weather conditions, testing the 8-foot 10-dB gain antenna is designed to be mounted a minimum of 1 antennas was postponed. wavelength above water level,” said Jones. (The information that Several days later, seas were calmer and we tested the 8-foot was sent with the Digital antenna did not provide these details, antennas. After testing the 8-footers, we decided to retest the and we did not find this information on the Digital website.) 16-footers. The results mirrored the outcome on the initial test. To Given our experience with Digital, we have no reason to doubt double-check our final results, at the last waypoint location en- that its 16-foot antenna, had it been installed as Jones suggested, tered for each group, all antennas that were previously eliminated would have likely matched the top results in our range test. This is were connected and given one more chance to communicate not taking away anything from the other antennas that excelled in with the base. This, we believed, would help rule out any channel the field, which also would have done better with the company- interference that might have affected their range evaluation. recommended installation. coaxial cable would connect via a fe- “cable tool” with each antenna that attached antenna coax is especially male BNC connector. The female con- slips over the antenna coax and helps important on VHF antenna installa- nectors swivel 360 degrees, which land the female BNC connector inside tions where the coaxial cable needs means one could thread a Comrod the antenna’s ferrule. This “no-twist” to be longer than the standard 20 antenna down onto a mounting base cable feature and the ability to thread feet. Coax runs requiring more than without the coaxial cable twisting and un-thread a Comrod antenna off 20 feet on a Shakespeare or Digital up. Comrod provides a little plastic its mount without worrying about the antenna would necessitate a cable practical sailor march 2007 19 E l e c t r o n i c s

PS VALUE guide 6-dB & 9-dB vhf antennas 8-foot Antennas 16-foot-plus Antennas Manufacturer Comrod Digital antenna Shakespeare Shakespeare` Comrod Digital Marine Shakespeare Model  AV 60 BI8  529-VW 5102 5202 5206-C $ 5225 XT 5225 XP  AV90312  532-VW $5018 Gain (dB) 6 dB 6 dB 6 dB 6 dB 6 dB 6 dB 6 dB 9 dB 10 dB 9 dB

Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Antenna Design w/ 5/8 wave w/ 5/8 wave w/ 5/8 wave w/ 5/8 wave End-fed w/ 5/8 wave w/ 5/8 wave w/ 5/8 wave w/ 1/2 wave w/ 1/2 wave phased element phased element phased element phased element phased element phased element phased element phased element phased element

20’ Low Loss Cable Type RG-58 Optional 20’ Low Loss RG-8X 15’ RG-58 20’ RG-58 15’ RG-58 RG-8X 20’ Low Loss RG-8X RG-58 Optional 20’ Low Loss RG-8X 20’ Low Loss RG-8X

Ferrule Type Chrome Chrome Chrome Stainless Steel Stainless Steel Plated Brass Plated Brass Plated Brass Stainless Steel Stainless Steel Stainless Steel Stainless Steel Chrome Plated Brass Weight 3 lbs. 2 lbs. 1.5 lbs. 2 lbs. < 1 lb. 2 lbs. 2 lbs. 9.5 lbs. 7 lbs. 6 lbs. Tested range (NM) 12.3 13.1 10.75 12.8 6.8 13.7 14.25 18.3 19.1 23.1 Product Quality Excellent Excellent Fair Good Good Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Warranty 5 yrs. 5 yrs. 2 yrs. 2 yrs. 2 yrs. 5 yrs. 5 yrs. 5 yrs. 5 yrs. 5 yrs. Price $159 $149 $59 $79 $36 $82 $99 $399 $299 $239 pilotmarine. consumermarine. Source com consumermarine.com defender.com defender.com westmarine.com boatfix.com boatfix.com pilotmarine.com com defender.com $ Budget Buy  Recommended  Best Choice splice, which causes signal loss. in the range test and are expensive, adapter, which is also gold-plated and Comrod does offer RG-58 coaxial their tubes are definitely overbuilt screws onto the mini connector. cable kits in 5-, 7-, and 12-meter and should last a long time. In our performance tests, the Digi- lengths for more standard instal- tal antennas finished third to a pair lations. However, low-loss RG-8X, Digital Antenna of Shakespeare antennas in the 8-foot which is readily available at most ma- Digital Antenna Inc., based in Sun- category and second to a Shakespeare rine stores, would be a better choice of rise, Fla., is the only manufacturer in the 16-foot group. antenna cable, in our opinion. in this test that makes its antennas The 16-foot Digital has one huge In our performance tests, both in the U.S. brass-and-copper element that fills the 8- and 16-foot Comrod antennas The fit and finish of both the 8- the entire antenna void. Not only was finished behind the Shakespeare and and 16-foot antennas is impeccable, the Digital full of expensive materi- Digital antennas. and Digital uses a custom RG-8X als, but its design was impressive. Back at our shop, when we sawed coaxial cable with an added layer of When we cut open the Digital 8- each antenna lengthwise, the Com- foil shielding beneath the tin shield. footer, we observed a very well con- rods gave us quite a workout—they’re Cables provided with the Shake- structed, custom-looking radiating filled with a dense polyurethane speare and Comrod sticks do not have element that was similar in scale and foam, a Comrod exclusive. Filling the this additional shield. With the extra stature to the 8-foot Comrod and the antenna with foam is said to lock out layer of foil, Digital’s coax exhibits the Shakespeare XT /XP products. any condensation that would form in- lowest loss of signal per foot, accord- Bottom Line: Even though they are side the antenna due to temperature ing to the company. expensive and their range fell short changes, subsequently corroding the Another nice touch: Digital uses of the Shakespeare test models, the antenna’s copper and brass radiating a factory-installed, gold-plated mini- Digital antennas, in our opinion, of- elements. We think that the use of UHF connector on the end of the an- fer great value because they are built foam is a good idea and will probably tenna coax. The connector is roughly with high-grade materials. If you keep the conductors inside of these the same diameter as the coax cable, want an antenna that will last for the antennas corrosion-free for life. Each which means that you don’t have to long haul, the Digital antennas are Comrod 16-foot antenna also comes cut this connector off or core out any excellent choices. with a locking set screw and a tube large holes to run the cable through of Loctite to insure that the antenna’s your boat. Connecting the coax to the Shakespeare two sections do not disconnect. back of the radio is a snap. Digital pro- Founded in 1897, the Shakespeare Bottom Line: Although the Com- vides a slick mini-UHF to UHF male company is credited with manu- rod antennas came up a little short (commonly referred to as a PL-259) facturing the first fiberglass marine

20 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com E l e c t r o n i c s

PS VALUE guide 6-dB & 9-dB vhf antennas has a proven track record, but lacks 8-foot Antennas 16-foot-plus Antennas the high-gloss finish of the Galaxy product. The Centennial is good for Manufacturer Comrod Digital antenna Shakespeare Shakespeare` Comrod Digital Marine Shakespeare near-shore boating where maximum Model  AV 60 BI8  529-VW 5102 5202 5206-C $ 5225 XT 5225 XP  AV90312  532-VW $5018 range is not a priority. The Economy Gain (dB) 6 dB 6 dB 6 dB 6 dB 6 dB 6 dB 6 dB 9 dB 10 dB 9 dB 5206-C ranked dead last in our range test, with 50 percent less range than Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array Collinear array the Galaxy XT. All that is inside of Antenna Design w/ 5/8 wave w/ 5/8 wave w/ 5/8 wave w/ 5/8 wave End-fed w/ 5/8 wave w/ 5/8 wave w/ 5/8 wave w/ 1/2 wave w/ 1/2 wave phased element phased element phased element phased element phased element phased element phased element phased element phased element the 5206-C antenna is a stripped back piece of inexpensive coax cable. 20’ Low Loss Bottom Line: Shakespeare’s Gal- Cable Type RG-58 Optional 20’ Low Loss RG-8X 15’ RG-58 20’ RG-58 15’ RG-58 RG-8X 20’ Low Loss RG-8X RG-58 Optional 20’ Low Loss RG-8X 20’ Low Loss RG-8X axy antennas performed the best in Ferrule Type Chrome Chrome Chrome our test. They are priced right, and Stainless Steel Stainless Steel Plated Brass Plated Brass Plated Brass Stainless Steel Stainless Steel Stainless Steel Stainless Steel Chrome Plated Brass readily available at most retailers. Weight 3 lbs. 2 lbs. 1.5 lbs. 2 lbs. < 1 lb. 2 lbs. 2 lbs. 9.5 lbs. 7 lbs. 6 lbs. For someone closely watching their Tested range (NM) 12.3 13.1 10.75 12.8 6.8 13.7 14.25 18.3 19.1 23.1 expenses, the 5335 XT or 5335 XP are Product Quality Excellent Excellent Fair Good Good Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent good choices. The 5018 is our Budget Buy for the tall sticks. Warranty 5 yrs. 5 yrs. 2 yrs. 2 yrs. 2 yrs. 5 yrs. 5 yrs. 5 yrs. 5 yrs. 5 yrs. Price $159 $149 $59 $79 $36 $82 $99 $399 $299 $239 Conclusion pilotmarine. consumermarine. Source consumermarine.com defender.com defender.com westmarine.com boatfix.com boatfix.com pilotmarine.com defender.com In the 8-foot, 6-dB category, Shake- com com speare’s 5225 XT and XP held a slight $ Budget Buy  Recommended  Best Choice range advantage over the Digital 529- VW. These two Shakespeare anten- antenna (a double-sideband AM an- rattling occurs when the cable inside nas are not as rugged as the Digital, tenna) in 1954. the element slaps against the side of but they cost significantly less. At Our test group included three the brass elements, but that this in no $82, the 5225 XT earns Budget Buy antennas from Shakespeare’s Galaxy way impacts performance or durabil- honors. We were impressed with the lineup, the 8-foot 5225 XT and 5225 ity of the antenna. price and performance of the 5225 XP, and the 16-foot 5018. These anten- Shakespeare provides 20 feet of XP, too, but we think Shakespeare’s nas are coated with a high-gloss, UV- low-loss RG-8X with its Galaxy an- top-of-the-line antenna should not resistant polyurethane that protects tennas. This is quality coax, but not rattle—at all. the antenna’s fiberglass strands from as high-quality as Digital’s double- With its exceptional range and top- yellowing, deteriorating, and becom- shielded coax with the factory-in- quality construction, the Digital 529- ing fiberglass shards (as was the case stalled mini connectors. VW is a good choice. The Comrod is with some of Shakespeare’s earlier Other than being silver-plated, built to last, and we recommend it. antenna models). the radiating element inside the XP Shakespeare also led the way in The Galaxy antennas have a preci- antenna was far less substantial the long-stick range test, with the sion-cut radiating element that is said than that of the Digital 529-VW. And Budget Buy 5018, which costs about to have an ultra-low angle of signal the elements inside the big Galaxy $60 less than the 16-foot runner-up, radiation, yielding maximum range were anorexic, in our opinion, joined the Digital 532-VW. Shakespeare and minimum fading when com- together by RG59/75 Ohm cable and 5018’s had the longest range, but it pared to most other antenna designs. supported at the antenna tip via a wasn’t as rugged. The Digital and Last year, Shakespeare engineers small shock cord and a brass barrel Comrod, based on our examinations added silver-plating to the radiating swivel. “Looks can be deceiving,” of their innards, should withstand element of its flagship 8-foot, - 6 dB said Henry. “While the materials may years of rough use. The Digital is $100 XT Galaxy antenna, creating the new not look that impressive, they are less than the Comrod, so it would be “XP” model. very well designed.” our top choice. During the installation and dock- On the water, the 8-foot Shake- side check of the 8-foot Shakespeare speare 5225XP Galaxy and the 17- Contacts Galaxy antennas, we noticed that foot, 6-inch Galaxy 5018 decisively comrod, 850/893-5730 the more expensive XP rattled exces- outdistanced the others. comrod.com sively when screwed onto its four- We also tested Shakespeare’s 8-foot digital antenna, 954/747-7022 way mounts. The backup XP antenna 5202 Pro, the Centennial 5102, and digitalantenna.com also rattled when we gave it a shake. the Economy 5206-C. Shakespeare’s shakespeare, 803/227-1590 Shakespeare’s Don Henry said the 5202 is a well-respected antenna that shakespeare-marine.com

practical sailor march 2007 21 Pictured at left is the installation testers used rather than cutting a hole in a bulkhead. On the top left corner of the Nasa Marine AIS Radar is an alarm circuit modification for a louder buzzer. While operating, the Nasa Marine AIS Radar shows the radar-type plot on the left and the selected ship’s information on the right (pictured above). Notice the north- up orientation label on the top right and the incorrect heading (HDG=511°) displayed.

speed over ground, heading, status, and Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number. The broadcasts hap- pen every few seconds. Last summer, we got a chance to try an AIS receiver on a 2,500-mile Voyage Puts Nasa AIS trip from Baltimore, Md., to Bermuda, Nova Scotia, Maine, and back to Bal- timore. For the trip, we installed the Radar to the Test Nasa Marine AIS Radar. In this case, Nasa Marine is not NASA (the U.S. AIS is a great safety aid, but with caveats. space agency), but is instead a British ack in 2002, we sailed our boat we needed a better passive system. company known for low-cost marine Bfrom Bermuda to Providenciales, One solution is the Automatic instruments. Turks and Caicos. We carried a radar Identification System (AIS) from SO- The AIS Radar is not radar. The detector to alert us to nearby ships. LAS (Safety of Life at Sea). Starting in name comes from the way the in- However, most of the time, it didn’t. 2002, the SOLAS regulations (chapter strument displays the received AIS We surveyed all the ships we could V, regulation 19) required that all data from ships. The AIS Radar plots see during daylight hours and found ships over 300 gross tons carry and the ship data it receives on a radar- that 80 percent were not spinning operate at all times an AIS. Briefly, looking screen with your boat at the their radar antennas. No wonder the the shipboard AIS broadcasts ship in- center of the screen. radar detector didn’t alert us! formation on a VHF radio frequency, It also is not a replacement for ra- The notable thing about the radar including the vessel’s name, latitude dar. The AIS Radar’s plotted targets detector is that it is a passive device and longitude, course over ground, will not offer as complete a picture (listens only), and therefore, doesn’t as a conventional radar. AIS doesn’t take much power. We could leave see fishing boats, buoys, or rocks; it on 24/7 without worrying about radars—and sharp lookouts—do. battery drain. We just couldn’t trust And remember, if you have a radar, the tool since the ships were running the International COLREGS require with their radars off. We could have you to use it for collision avoidance. run our radar, but running it just at Ocean Tested However, our experience has shown night killed our batteries. We decided that many radar-equipped commer-

22 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com ocean tested

Testers found the Nasa AIS Radar’s manual (left) to be protective (conformal) coating many marine electronics lacking needed information, specifically about the output have. Nasa doesn’t claim the unit is waterproof, but if the signal’s electrical characteristics. A peek into the AIS AIS had a conformal coating, it could better resist corro- Radar’s circuitry (right) shows that it does not have the sion and other maladies that befall marine electronics. cial vessels do not use their radars. Pressing a soft key moves the focus to would like to see is a way to acknowl- But in our informal survey during the second closest ship. Once the last edge a ship within the alarm area so this voyage, every ship we saw had ship has been reached, it starts over that the alarm could be reset to pick an AIS identifier. again with the closest ship. Nasa’s lat- up any other ships entering the zone. The AIS Radar is 4.5x6x2.5 inches, est software for the AIS Radar allows As it stands, users have to wait until and weighs 1.4 pounds. It is de- it to track up to 30 vessels, and ship’s all ships leave the zone before turn- signed to mount in a bulkhead in a names are “remembered,” so as users ing the alarm back on. 4x5.5-inch hole. It is not waterproof. move from ship to ship, they don’t Testers also noted the Nasa AIS Ra- Installation is easy, except a separate have to wait for a ship to rebroadcast dar’s skimpy manual. In our opinion, VHF antenna is required (no antenna its data before the AIS Radar displays the information about the electrical sharing). Rig an antenna (e.g., on the it. (Anyone with an older unit can characteristics of the alarm output pushpit), give it 12-volt power, con- get the software upgrade from Nasa signal needs beefing up. nect your GPS NMEA output, and Marine for about $20.) Testers found Nasa’s alarm too qui- connect the alarm. We generally ran with a 16-nm et, so they installed a different alarm, The AIS has a graphics LCD range, which meant the alarm went with a power converter circuit so as screen that uses a backlight at night. off at 8 nm. Most of the time, the AIS not to overload the unknown alarm The screen is adequate for use at a Radar “saw” the ships before we did. signal (see photo, p. 22). Attempts to nav station. There are four soft key contact Nasa Marine about this have buttons along the bottom edge that Conclusion gone unanswered. change their functionality based on Even though the Nasa Marine AIS SI-TEX Marine private labels the screen contents. Radar worked, it did have a number the device and offers a two-year The good news is that the Nasa AIS of problems. The menu functionality parts/one-year labor warranty. SI- Radar works. When running, it takes is awkward to use and not intuitive. TEX-branded units are available at 0.090 amps, which means that over A ship that is selected is hard to see www.defender.com for $520. Units 24 hours, it will take only a little over on the LCD screen (too tiny). Not all purchased from Nasa Marine ($512) 2 Ah. The backlight does not signifi- ships broadcast all information, so likely will have to be serviced in the cantly change the power usage. the AIS Radar might display a head- UK, so if warranty and less-costly re- There are two range rings on the ing of 511° (29-1, a computer default pairs are important to you, we suggest screen that can be adjusted out to 32 value!). Backlight intensity is not buying the SI-TEX unit stateside. nautical miles (nm). If the alarm is on, adjustable. On is too bright at night AIS technology is a great safety aid. any vessel within the inner ring—that (why a white light?), and off means It won’t replace radar, but it will cut has AIS installed and running—will that there is no way to know in the down on at-sea collisions. set off the alarm. dark what button to press because the Each ship showing up on the button functionality changes based Contact screen is depicted with an informa- on the last thing you were doing. Nasa Marine Ltd., 0+143/835-4033 tive symbol, defining the ship’s status The display works only in a north-up nasamarine.com (moored, steaming, not under com- orientation, which is great if you’re SI-TEX Marine Electronics Inc., mand, etc.). The right-hand side of the going due north. 727/576-5734, si-tex.com display has the ship’s information. Another improvement testers practical sailor march 2007 23 c h a n d l e R Y

The Mini Countertop Spin Dryer cuts laundry’s line-drying time in half. Two pounds of laundry take about 2 to 4 minutes to spin dry, but the clothes will still have a slightly damp feel to them.

come out slightly damp. After washing several loads of laundry in the Wonder Wash, we loaded the spin dryer with 2 pounds of clothes and set the timer for 2 minutes. Cotton shorts, T-shirts, and underwear came out of the spin- dry cycle only slightly damp and required about an hour on a clothes- line in full sun to dry. For comparison, testers hung on Wonder Wash, Spin-drying the same clothesline an identical pair of shorts and underwear and Sidekick to the Rescue an identical T-shirt that were not Updated mini washer, new small dryer team up previously dried in the spin dryer. That set of clothing took more than to save you from that dreaded bucket washing. two hours to dry. he value of space onboard a boat Weighing 5.6 pounds and measur- Towels, jeans and socks were Tmeans that just about every piece ing 12 inches x 12 inches x 16 inches, tougher customers. The spin dryer of equipment has to have at least two the Wonder Wash is roughly the size fits only one small- to medium-sized uses. For the portable Wonder Wash, of a milk crate. You’ll have to decide bath towel at a time, or else the spin may we suggest colors and whites? whether skipping those long morn- cylinder gets thrown out of balance. Reviewed in Practical Sailor in ings spent with a 5-gallon bucket are Still, towels that went through the September 2002, the Wonder Wash worth the space the Wonder Wash spin cycle took half the time to has recently undergone two minor takes up. “clothesline dry” next to towels modifications. The manufacturers that were not put in the spin dryer. changed the machine’s lid screw and Mini Countertop Jeans were difficult to dry because the drain spout. Spin Dryer they have to be evenly distributed Our last review found that the Wonder Wash’s newest partner in in the spin cylinder to keep the tub compact, plastic Wonder Wash does grime is the Mini Countertop Spin balanced. Spun-dry socks took up small loads well and quickly (one Dryer. The spin dryer cuts laundry’s to two hours to line dry while socks to two minutes per load). It requires line-drying time in half by extract- that were just air-dried took three no electricity and no maintenance, ing water from the clothes during a or more. uses less water and less detergent high-speed spin cycle. Two pounds The laundry loads spin very quiet- than washing machines, is rust- of laundry (one towel and two shirts, ly at 1600 rpms. The machine makes proof, costs only $43, and sits a night or a pair of wet jeans) take 2-4 min- almost no noise, unless the cylinder watch...well, you can’t have it all. utes to dry. Because it is not a tumble is thrown off-balance by a heavy The Laundry Alternative Inc., mak- dryer and does not use heat, clothes or uneven load. The tabletop dryer ers of the Wonder Wash, found Mini Countertop Wonder Wash weighs 11 pounds and measures 13.5 that the knob that goes into the Spin Dryer inches x 13.5 inches x 15 inches. It lid can strip the threads inside runs on 110-volt, uses 82 watts and the lid if installed improperly, costs $70. The Laundry Alternative and they changed the lid screw Inc. also makes a bigger, 12.2-pound so that it cannot be screwed in capacity spin dryer for $130. past the point where it can dam- age the threads. The drain spout Contact was modified to make it easier The Laundry alternative, to slide in and out of the fitting 888/813-9559, at the bottom of the tub. laundry-alternative.com

24 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com c h a n d l e R Y

Fish Storage: It’s in the Bag Quality materials give Canyon the edge over other big fish store-&-totes. f you like trolling while you sail, Iand you’re good at it, you’ll inevi- tably land some fish too big for the cooler or ice box. Here’s a powerboat- oriented product that might save you For temporary big-fish storage, we recommend the Canyon fish bag. It the trouble of spilling blood, and guts holds ice well and rolls up nicely (inset) for stowing. on your nice clean deck, just so you can put that oversized striper, wa- hoo, or mahi on ice. Enter insulated up position for storage. The Canyon a two-pull zipper, which operated fish bags.We looked at three bags ca- bag performed best in our test, with well, but the metal zipper-pull could pable of holding a fish weighing 50 30 pounds of ice remaining after 20 suffer from saltwater exposure over pounds, plus ice. hours. Canyon makes a dozen differ- time. Handles are 2-inch-wide nylon Since getting three fish exactly the ent sizes. This one is $135. webbing sewn all the way around the same size would have been nearly Bottom Line: Our top pick. It per- bag. There is no accompanying stor- impossible, we elected to use only ice formed better than the others, doesn’t age strap, and the provided storage to test the bags. We placed 50 pounds leak, and it is well constructed. bag is made from thin, clear vinyl. in each one, then threw them on the In our opinion, the storage bag won’t deck of our test boat. After they sat for CE Smith last on most boats. In the ice test, this 10 hours in both sunlight and shade, The biggest of the three bags tested, bag performed well, with 25 pounds we opened each bag and found lots this one measures 22x66 inches. The of ice remaining. Several sizes are of solid ice remaining. The daytime outside layer is white heavy-duty, available; this one is $80. outside temperature was 80 degrees. marine-grade vinyl. A reflective in- Bottom Line: A good performer, We let the bags sit on the deck over- ner liner is sewn to the outer layer and it’s $50 less than the Canyon. It’s night, inspecting them again the with a half-inch of closed-cell foam our Budget Buy following morning. This time we re- between the two. A heavy-duty, two- moved the remaining ice in each bag pull nylon zipper (our’s was a little Conclusion and weighed it. We also considered stiff at the corners) extends around The usefulness of a fish-storage bag construction, design, and price. both sides and the top to make getting depends on how much you fish for fish and ice in and out easier. Four that big catch—and how little you Canyon handles are sewn to the top. It has like gutting it underway. If you’re This 20x64-inch bag is constructed sewn-on storage straps and a nylon short on refrigerated storage space with heavy-duty, fiber-interlaced carry bag for easy stowage. This bag and big on fishing, then we suggest PVC skins with closed-cell foam had only 15 pounds of ice left after 20 the Canyon bag. It has heat-sealed sandwiched between two layers for hours. It is $130. edges and did the best in our ice-re- insulation. The bottom and both Bottom Line: A big bag that takes tention test. It’s our top pick. sides are heat-sealed to supply a up little stowage space. It did not hold leak-proof seam. A smooth-operating ice as well as the others. Contact zipper closes the top of the bag. The zipper pull is metal, not our mate- Offshore Angler Canyon, 631/567-6861, rial of choice on any piece of marine At 17x 57 inches, this is the smallest canyonproducts.com gear. Handles made from 2-inch-wide bag in our test. It’s made from two lay- Offshore Angler, 800/227-7776, nylon webbing are attached at each ers of fiber-interlaced plastic with a basspro.com end. One bottom corner has a drain. layer of foam insulation between. The CE Smith, 800/334-2490, A stretch strap with Velcro-like side seams are sewn together with cesmithco.com fasteners holds the bag in a rolled- nylon webbing. The top closes with practical sailor march 2007 25 T o o l s Taming Your Toolbox For faster fixes and fewer headaches, stow the must- haves in one portable bag.

By Evans Starzinger he oft-repeated chestnut that selected to Tworld cruising is fixing your boat be compact, in a series of exotic ports is true, and easy to car- it implies that a cruising boat should ry and stow, carry a lot of tools to do all that fixing. while just big Over the years, my partner, Beth, and enough to fit the necessary tools. • Largest flat-blade screwdriver I have added more and more tools to that will fit inthe bag, also used our stash. It got to the point that I had Standard as pry bar the tools sorted by type into six large Mechanical Tools • Two multi-blade screwdrivers Rubbermaid tool boxes and a four- This category consists of a very con- (large ratchet unit and smaller drawer tool chest. I then discovered ventional collection of tools. I did one with specialty blades) that to do almost any project required not want to carry a full set of both • Three small jewelers’ unstrapping and opening at least half metric and standard socket wrench- screwdrivers—two flat blades of the tool boxes. This created quite a es, so the only real learning point (small and tiny) and one Phillips mess, a big cleanup, and a big restow- was to figure out exactly which box • Eight ratcheting box wrenches— ing job when my project was com- wrenches were needed to fit the two 7/16 inch, two half-inch, and pleted. I decided to develop one small bolts on our boat, Hawk. Our hose one each of 9/16 inch, tool bag that would cover 85 percent clamps have 7-millimeter nuts, 7 millimeter, 12 millimeter, of the jobs by itself and most of the half-inch and 13 millimeter fit the and 13 millimeter other 15 percent hopefully by open- adjustment screws on our two alter- • An adjustable crescent wrench ing only one of the larger tool boxes. nators (and also the mainsail batten • Two vice grips (needle nose and After two years of tinkering with tension adjustment bolts), 7/16 inch standard) the contents, I have settled on a small fits the Harken batt cars, and 12 • Two sets of hex wrenches (metric tool bag that seems to fit the bill. It millimeter fits the bleed screw on and standard) has four basic categories of tools: stan- the engine. The hex wrenches are • Pipe wrench dard mechanical tools (screwdrivers the only tools that seem to rust, so I • Filter wrench (style with and wrenches), electrical, sewing, keep them in a Ziplock bag sprayed adjustable chain) and consumables. The tool bag was with WD-40. The following tools • Lineman’s pliers with fall into heavy-duty wire cutters this cat- • Exacto knife egory: • Heavy-duty scissors

Boat ownership requires a bevy of tools that would make Bob Vila jealous. We suggest keep- ing your most-used tools in their very own “fix-it” bag. While the tools you use less frequently can be stowed out of the way, this “kitchen-drawer” toolbag will allow you access to what you need for smaller tasks without having to dig through those endless bins of DIY utensils. Pictured at left is an example of tools you should include in your standard mechanical bag.

26 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com Investing in high-quality electrical tools (at left) is well worth it, if you like trouble-free connection making. Your consumables toolkit (above) should include frequently used items like cable ties, Loctite, and tape.

Electrical Tools Sewing Tools (Some PS editors prefer monel seiz- Through our own experiences and The thread needs to be strong and ing wire over stainless wire and discussions with electrical com- UV resistant. The Goretex thread plastic cable ties, which are affected ponent experts, we have been con- (available from Sailrite, www. by UV rays.) WD-40 is not much of vinced that a good crimp connection sailrite.com) meets that bill, as a lubricant, but it is a terrific clean- is the way to go rather than soldering. does waxed dental floss, which ing fluid. The key is that it must be a GOOD also holds a knot better. The small While we have many special- crimp, which is almost impossible needle-nose pliers and vice grips purpose lubricants and adhesives, to make with the inexpensive “auto are used to put a needle through we use LanoCote (www.defender. crimper kits.” It requires a high-qual- thick cloth. We carry the following com) as our general purpose stain- ity ratchet crimper that will make a for sewing needs: less-fastener lubricant, blue Loctite perfect, watertight crimp every time. • Heavy sailmaker needles (www.loctite.com) as the standard (PS’s favorite crimper is the Klein • Normal household sewing thread lock, and super glue and a 1005, PS Aug. 15. 2003.) I also use a needles two-part epoxy putty as the normal pair of specialty wire strippers that • Goretex sewing thread adhesives. In our consumables tool- make a perfect strip to fit the crimp • Waxed dental floss kit you’ll find: terminals. Ancor (www.ancorprod- • Heavy, polyester waxed • A small assortment of crimps, ucts.com) makes a quality stripper (a whipping twine terminals, and heat-shrink PS favorite in the 2003 review) and • Small scissors tubing crimper. They run about $60 each, • Needle-nosed pliers • Wire ties but are worth it for perfectly trouble- • Small vice grips • Stainless-steel (or monel) free connections. I keep the multi- • Lighter seizing wire (to tie shackles meter in a Ziplock bag to prevent • Sailing knife closed) the display from being scratched by • Fid set • A small jar of LanoCote the other tools. Our electrical toolkit • WD-40 includes: Consumables • Electrical tape • Digital multimeter We use wire ties on most of our • Rigging tape • Ratchet crimper shackles to prevent the pins from • Blue Loctite • Wire stripper vibrating loose. But on two of the • Silicone caulk • Wire cutters shackles (mainsail tack and an- • Super glue chor), we found that the wire ties • Epoxy kept breaking, so we now use stain- less wire to seize the pins on those. Conclusions This single, small tool kit, along with a DeWalt (www.dewalt.com) or Not your grandma’s sewing kit (left): Makita (www.makita.com) cordless Sailors’ sewing tools—including drill and carbide bits, allow me to do UV-resistant thread—must be able most common jobs without unpack- to handle heavy-duty projects. ing any of our big tool boxes.

practical sailor march 2007 27 To Shine and Protect Collinite 870 tops the list of still-glossy cleaner/waxes after three months.

PS testers ditched the buffer and applied 11 one-step cleaner/polishes to three boats, including the Hunter 25 pictured here. After three months, five products stood out for cleaning ability, gloss, and water-beading action.

mazingly, there are still mar- last time we looked at waxes (“Wax Once we find our best in this field, Aketeers who tout fiberglass as a Test Results” Nov. 15, 2004), we we’ll jump into the non-marine world maintenance-free material. It is, as looked at products whose primary to find a worthy competitor (any sug- any sailor knows, anything but. De- purpose was to serve as a protective gestions from readers are welcome). terioration begins as soon as a hull coating after any old wax, unbound These dual-purpose products com- emerges from the factory shadows. pigment particles, dirt, grime, and oil bine cleaning and polishing materi- The blessed sunlight that makes had been removed by compounding als (a wetting agent, mild abrasives, sailing such a pleasure immediately and polishing. This time, we looked and surfactants to dissolve oils) and begins gnawing away at any unpro- for the lazy-man’s approach—so- protective sealing agents (typically a tected gelcoat, the mixture of resin called one-step cleaner/waxes that carnauba wax or polymer coating), and pigment that is a fiberglass boat’s combine the compounding and wax- and, in most cases, a UV inhibitor. frontline defense against the ele- ing processes. Unfortunately, nearly all of them ments. Although many products call have petroleum-based ingredients. Ultraviolet rays and oxygen speed themselves cleaner/waxes, the di- Most of the manufacturers told us up the oxidation process, which liter- rections on most of the products we that their “one-step” products will ally wears away the gelcoat’s binding tested call for a clean and dry hull not last as long as their premium resins, leaving only pigments behind. before applying. This just means you wax or polish, but offer a good alter- When you drag your hand across the should rinse off surface dirt before native for those who want to protect surface of a heavily oxidized hull, applying the product to keep the their boat, but could do without the the chalky substance you’re picking grit from scratching the gelcoat. The exertion of a buff-and-wax routine. up is actually the remaining pigment cleaning action in a one-step cleaner/ (In other words, these products are particles. wax is primarily a mildly abrasive aimed squarely at the shirkers among Waxes and polishes combat oxi- scrub aimed at removing oxidation, us who just want to get on the water dation by sealing out oxygen and, deep stains, grease, or oil that can’t and are quite content with a less- in some cases, inhibiting UV rays. be removed by detergents, a sponge, than-perfect finish.) For 30-plus years, one of the most or a brush. Not surprisingly, our test group engrossing projects here at Practical featured several manufacturers with Sailor has been searching for the What we tested a history in the automotive wax/ ideal armor for gelcoat— inexpensive, We gathered 11 one-step products polish market (Collinite, Simoniz, easy to apply, and long-lasting. for this test, all of them aimed at the Meguiar’s), or like West Marine and Typically, restoring and protect- “marine” market, which means we Interlux, are household names in ing an oxidized hull is a two-step can probably find similar (if not the marine maintenance. The one unfa- process, compounding with a mild same) products for less money at local miliar name was Re-Structure Ma- abrasive, followed by waxing. The automotive stores or major retailers. rine, a company based in California

28 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com how we tested

Wax On, Wax Off esters applied the same 11 test products to three Tdifferent boats in the course of this test. For our long-term test, we applied the waxes—following each product’s instruction—to 6-inch by 6-inch, taped off sections at the sheer work of a 25-foot 1980 Hunter sailboat with moderate From left: Collinite 870, Meguiar’s 50, oxidation. For comparison, the remainder of the hull was com- Restructure Marine Polish, Meguair’s pounded with a mild rubbing compound and then waxed with 67, 3M Fiberglass Cleaner Wax, 3M Clean & Collinite 885, the winner of the PS 2003 wax test. Shine, Interlux Premium, West Marine One To test the one-step products’ cleaning ability and ease of Step, Star brite Cleaner Wax, and Simoniz. application over a larger area, we applied them to our 21-foot Parker powerboat, which had a healthy dose of rust stains, yel- ness. The hulls were sprayed and dried repeatedly low-brown waterline stains, and even tire marks—post hurricane with a fine mist sprayer to check for beading (oil or scars. Finally, to see whether any products were more effective on dirt on the surface may prevent beading of an oth- colored hulls, or a severely oxidized hull, we applied each one to erwise intact wax). Each of our test products is designed 3-foot-long topside sections of a 1974 O’Day Javelin that is about to bead water, so beading—or lack thereof—is a good one season short of a paint job. All three test boats were left to indicator of the wax’s integrity. However, it is interesting endure the Florida sun and rain, either at a dock or on a trailer. to note that water beading is not necessarily the mark To evaluate initial gloss, five observers, two of them profes- of a good finish. Some automotive finishes sional polishers, were asked to rank the top five finishes. After deliberately inhibit beading so as to prevent three months, three PS editors evaluated each section’s glossi- watermarks. that makes some pretty bold claims but hey, a sample of the sealer came comes in a screw-top bottle. It was (three years of protection!) regarding free with the bottle of wax, and we the second-most expensive product its new products, which they say were curious. (But after applying in our test, and its pour applica- uses nanotechnology (science that each product by hand to three differ- tion and thin consistency made it controls matter on a scale smaller ent boats—see “How We Tested”—we slightly messier to work with. Testers than one micrometer). Several manu- were happy to keep the number of were briefly stumped by Collinite’s facturers offer one-step clean and steps to a minimum.) instructions that suggested using a wax products that are more abrasive Turkish towel. (From a Turkish bath, than the ones we tested, but we tried What We Found perhaps?) We chose to use a terry- to keep the field limited and didn’t After three months, the lazy man’s cloth towel, but a cloth diaper would want to unduly buff off good gelcoat, route was looking pretty good. Our work as well. an important consideration for any top five one-step polishes were hold- Bottom Line: This was the only boat owner. ing up just as well as a premium two- one-step tested that was unanimous- Most of our test products were step finish (Collinite 885, which was ly rated the best initial finish. It also thick liquids in squeeze-top bottles: our top pick in the wax test) that was seemed to take less effort to achieve 3M Marine Fiberglass Cleaner and applied to one of our test boats at the that gloss. And the shine has held up Wax, Meguiar’s 67 One Step Com- same time as the test products. well after three months. pound, Meguiar’s 50 Cleaner Wax, Five products that stood out for and Re-Structure Marine Products their cleaning ability, gloss, and Interlux Premium Professional. Two were pourable their ability to bead water: Starbrite Like the Collinite, the Interlux Premi- liquids: Collinite’s 870 Super Heavy Cleaner Wax, Collinite Special Heavy um Teflon Marine Wax with Cleaner Duty Fleetwax and Interlux Premium Duty Fleetwax, Re-Structure Marine is a runny liquid that is slightly Teflon Marine Wax with Cleaner. We Products Professional Marine Polish, messier to apply than the pastes. also had one spray, 3M Clean and Meguiar’s 50 Cleaner Wax, and Simo- This is the only product in our test Shine Wax Enhancer, and one paste, niz Royale Marine Cleaner/Wax. The that touts Teflon (a Dupont trademark Simoniz Royale Marine Cleaner/ three-month results are summarized that requires paying royalties to use Wax. We also tested the Interlux in the following text and chart. Stay in marketing). However, several other Premium Teflon Marine Wax in tuned for the six-month update. products (Collinite 870 among them) combination with its UV Protectant & use the chemical equivalent, PTEF. Teflon Wax Sealer, which is to be ap- Collinite 870 Our first application left a hazy plied after the cleaner/wax. Techni- Touted as “almost indestructible,” swirl mark—like the kind you’d cally, this makes a two-step process, Collinite 870 is a runny liquid that leave on a hastily washed window practical sailor march 2007 29 maintenance

PS VALUE guide one-step cleaner-waxes  $ star  re-structure west  maker interlux interlux collinite brite marine prod. marine meguiar’s meguiar’s 3M 3M  Simoniz Premium Teflon UV Protectant Heavy Duty Professional One Step 67 50 Fiberglass Clean Royale Boat product Marine Wax and Teflon No. One Step Marine Fiberglass One Step Cleaner Cleaner and Shine Cleaner/ & Cleaner Wax Sealer 870 Cleaner Wax Polish Cleaner Wax Compound Wax Wax Wax Wax price (cost $10 $10 $16 $22 $30 $13 $22.50 $13 $15 $12 $7 per ounce) (.60¢ /oz.) (.60¢ /oz.) ($1 /oz.) (.69¢ /oz.) ($2.50 /oz.) ( .81¢ /oz.) (.70¢ /oz.) ( .81¢ /oz.) ( .94¢ /oz.) ( .80¢ /oz.) ( .78¢ /oz.) price defender. defender. waxbytes. amazon. re-structure westmarine. meguiars. defender. defender. defender. jamestown source com com com com marine.com com com com com com distributors.com Type Liquid Liquid Liquid Liquid Liquid Liquid paste Liquid Liquid paste paste Liquid paste paste paste Spray Paste application Good Poor (2-steps) Fair Good Good Fair Good Good Good Good Excellent

cleaning Fair NA Good Excellent Good Fair Good Excellent Excellent Fair Excellent initial gloss Fair Good Excellent Good Good Good Good Good Good Fair Good 3-month gloss Fair Fair Excellent Good Good Fair Fair Good Good Fair Good 3-month water bead Fair Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Poor Poor Excellent Poor Poor Excellent $ Budget Buy  Recommended  Best Choice or mirror—visible from about 1 foot to pull it off with its Clean and rubbing compound and a blend away. We reapplied the product the Shine Wax Enhancer. of carnauba and other waxes, it following day on a different section Carnauba wax is one of this was one of the few products that of the hull, and had the same results. product’s listed ingredients. It was directed us to “rub aggressively us- On an adjacent taped-off section of the only product that allowed ap- ing straight, short strokes.” It also the boat, we applied the UV Pro- plication on a wet hull, which made told us not to let the product dry tectant & Teflon Wax Sealer with the product even more appealing. to a haze before wiping away: Just slightly better results. At the three- Hose the boat down, spray, wipe keep rubbing until the material is month mark, only the section with and voila! Too good to be true? gone. Most of the other test prod- the sealer still beaded water. (See Bottom Line: This was an unex- ucts advised applying in a circular pictures, p. 31) ceptional cleaner. It left a moderate motion, letting it dry, wiping, then Bottom Line: Middle-of-the-road gloss that did not last to the three- buffing. This product also comes performance. If you are going to use month mark. Like the Interlux wax in paste. this product, use the UV Protectant sealer, it seems this is best used Bottom Line: This was a more and Teflon Wax Sealer as well. over previously waxed surfaces. vigorous cleaner than the Collinite or Interlux, and the finish rated high 3M Clean and Shine 3M Cleaner and Wax for initial gloss. Though it retained We haven’t had much luck with With the thickest consistency of good gloss and still beaded water, spray-and-wipe waxes (pastes have the flip-top bottle products, 3M the 3M was not among the top long been a PS favorite for durabil- Marine’s Fiberglass Cleaner and performers after three months. Too ity), but we figured maintenance- Wax, required vigorous shaking to much work, not enough shine. giant 3M might have the expertise dispense easily. Combining a light West Marine One Step Collinite 870 In a flip-top bottle very similar to (Day 1) Whether a wax can bead water after three months of weather exposure and regular wash- those used by Star brite, West Ma- ing is a good test of its protecting ability. PS’s rine’s One Step Fiberglass Cleaner Wax was runnier than the other Best Choice, the Collinite 870, beaded water ex- flip-top one-steps. Application was cellently both on Day 1 and at three months. At fairly easy, and the gloss stood the other end of the spectrum, the West Marine out to one judge. But, after three One Step failed to months, gloss was unexceptional Collinite 870 West Marine One Step bead water after and water ran off the polished sec- (at 3 months) (at 3 months) three months. tion in big drips. Instead, the water Bottom Line: Another mediocre was shed in large performer that isn’t worth any pen- drops. nies you might save.

30 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com maintenance

Interlux Premium Star brite Cleaner Wax with sealer Star brite’s Heavy Duty One Step Interlux Premium without sealer Cleaner Wax was one of the least 3M Clean & Shine expensive test products, and at three months, the section polished with it The Interlux Premium wax with cleaner we bought for was looking very good. It picked up Interlux Premium Teflon this test came with a free sample packet of Interlux UV Marine Wax & Cleaner a lot of oxidation on our rag during protectant and wax sealer, so we decided to test the application and provided one of the Premium with and without the sealer. The difference is glossiest finishes. easy to see in these pictures: three-month results above; Bottom Line: A good cleaner that initial results at right. The Premium alone is not a top was still beading water after three performer. The water-beading action and gloss achieved months, this is hands-down our by using the sealer is a big improvement, however, ap- Budget Buy. plying the sealer essentially adds a step and defeats the purpose of a one-step cleaner. Interlux Premium Meguiar’s 67 One Step with protectant/sealer Labeled as an aggressive compound cleaner plus polish, Meguiar’s 67 cleaning agent is MBSilane, and its isfy the person One Step Compound clearly seemed other ingredients seal the fiberglass who is looking to lean toward the “cleaning” side to keep out dirt, grime, and UV for a shine that of the cleaner/wax continuum. The damage. turn heads? We thick liquid picked up stains and Bottom Line: This is expensive think so. oxidation, but not as aggressively as stuff, but it works. It does not clean O u r B e s t we’d anticipated. Even on the heavily as well as some of the more abrasive Choice, Collinite 870 is the gloss oxidized Javelin, it did not stand out products we tested, and its initial champ at three months, though the in the field for its cleaning ability. gloss was not quite as shiny as the dark horse and recommended polish, At three months, it was clearly not Collinite. But at three months, this Re-Structure Marine Professional beading water. finish was beading water like it had Marine Polish, is beading water as Bottom Line: A big step behind just been applied. Recommended. well or better than the Collinite. We Meguiar’s 50 liquid cleaner/wax. also recommend Star brite Heavy Simoniz Cleaner and Wax Duty Cleaner Wax, Meguiar’s 50 Meguiar’s 50 Cleaner wax The Simoniz Royale Boat Cleaner and Cleaner Wax, and Simoniz Royale Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze 50 paste wax Wax was the only paste wax/cleaner Marine, which are all neck-and-neck was the second-best product in our in our test, although 3M, Star brite, at this point. wax test, so we had high hopes for and Collinite make paste versions Except for Re-Structure, most this product. It touts anti-corrosive of their cleaner/waxes. (We’ll report manufacturers say six months of properties to fight rust, so we also on these in a future update.) As the Florida sun is about the limit for put some on our test boat’s rust- results of our previous wax test bore these products. We’ll see. prone stainless steel folding ladder. out, pastes trump liquids when it In terms of consistency, this was the comes to durability, and they are also Contacts best of the products tested, not so less messy to apply. This paste went a 3M, 877/366-2746, 3m.com/US runny as to be sloppy, not so thick as long way and did a good job cleaning to dispense in gloppy burps. rust and waterline stains. Collinite, 315/732-2282, Bottom Line: Excellent cleaner, Bottom Line: Simoniz delivered collinite.com and very good initial gloss that held an easy-to-use paste that holds up Interlux, 908/686-1300, up well at three months. It’s a Recom- over time. Given the results of our yachtpaint.com mended product. wax test, its performance was no Meguiar’s, 800/347-5700, surprise. meguiars.com Re-Structure polish Re-Structure, 310/639-7069, Introduced in 2005, Re-Structure’s Conclusions re-structure.com Professional Marine Polish is ef- Overall, we were surprised with our Star brite, 800/327-8583, fectively a marine version of what is results after three months. We’d ex- starbrite.com used to protect some new cars. The pected none of the products to still Simoniz, 800/227-5536, bottle guarantees a three-year finish, be beading water after continuous simonizusa.com and according to the company, the exposure to the Florida sun, when finish is advertised for five years on in fact, few of them weren’t. Will the West Marine, 800/262-8464, westmarine.com cars. The product’s penetrating and best gloss so far—Collinite 870—sat- practical sailor march 2007 31 2006 Freshwater Paint Test

Bottom paint panels in Ohio (above) were pulled in November for inspection after four months in Lake Erie.

Pettit Premium and Hydrocoat offer affordable freshwater protection. emperature and salinity can roditic master-fouler that greatly does in salt water. Nutrient load- Taffect antifouling paint per- inspired Charles Darwin’s larger ing—fertilizer runoff is a common formance, but in our own experi- pursuit, is marvelously well-adapt- source—in lakes like Lanier in ence, most modern concoctions are ed to thrive in salt water, capable Georgia, Okeechobee in Florida, or meant to work in a variety of con- of colonizing an unprotected barge Texoma in Texas and Oklahoma, ditions. Those coatings that repel bottom in a single season. coupled with summer sun, create bottom-clingers in the briny waters Freshwater fouling organisms ideal conditions for algae blooms. of the Florida Keys or Long Island are no panzies, however. One of the Fortunately, fighting slime alone Sound (our two test sites) are usu- most notorious, the zebra mussel, doesn’t require a lot of copper, a key ally potent enough to deter any introduced by the ballast water of biocide in most antifouling paints freshwater life-form that might try voyaging ships, is known to wreak that is driving up costs. One of the to latch on. havoc with power-plant cooling best-selling bottom paints in the Saltwater species exist in one systems. However, for sweetwater Midwest, Interlux VC17, has just of the harshest, most competitive sailors who have but the summer 17 percent copper. A standout in environments on the planet, and to sail, the most common threat this test, Pettit’s SR-21 has just 21 so a great variety of tenacious, fast- to the hull is algae. In fact, algae percent copper. In fact, some boat- reproducing species have evolved. (aka slime) actually tends to grow ers in Lake Erie, where we dropped The marine barnacle, the hermaph- much faster in fresh water than it our paint panels for the freshwater

32 March 2007 www.practical-sailor.com maintenance

ps VALUE guide antifouling Hard Paints at 4 months in lake erie Price Name Maker (Gallon) SOURCE RATING Copper % Anti-Slime Seasons Sea Bowld Coastal 45 Blue Water $63 boatersworld.com Fair 45% No One MarPro SuperKote Hard (New) Blue Water $70 Blue Water Marine Paint Good 45% No One Coppershield 45 Hard (New) Blue Water $80 bluewatermarinepaint.com Good 45% No One EP 2000  E Paint $232 epaint.net Fair None Zinc Pyrithione One Fiberglass Bottomkote Aqua  Interlux $87 boatersland.com Good 46.50% No One Ultra  Interlux $196 boatersland.com Excellent 66.65% Irgarol One Ultra-Kote Interlux $176 boatersland.com Good 76% No One VC 17m (Canada only) Interlux $43 (qt.). jamestowndistributors.com Fair 20.35% No One VC 17m Extra Interlux $41 (qt.) boatersland.com Good 20.35% Irgarol One VC Offshore Interlux $190 defender.com Good 41.15% No One SR-21  Pettit $39 (qt.) defender.com Good 21% Irgarol One West Marine FW-21 Pettit $43 (qt.) westmarine.com Good 21% Irgarol One Super Premium  Pettit $100 boatersland.com Excellent 66.9% No One Trinidad Pettit $170 defender.com Good 75.6% No Multiple Unepoxy Standard $ Pettit $60 jamestowndistributors.com Good 45.70% No One Vivid  Pettit $150 defender.com Good 25% Zinc Omadine Multiple West Marine Bottom Pro Gold Pettit $200 westmarine.com Fair 70% Irgarol One West Marine Bottomshield Pettit $100 westmarine.com Good 45.70% No One Sharkskin Sea Hawk $119 Sea Hawk Good 45.2% No One  Best Choice  Recommended $ Budget Buy test, said they do just fine with an because they don’t know which CONCLUSIONS annual “moustache,” a 4-foot-wide paints they are judging. In general, paints that did well in stripe painted below the waterline A selection of paints was tested salt water also did well in fresh (where slime growth is thickest) in Lake Erie off Fairport, Ohio. The water. However, some low-copper and finish the entire hull with a panels were dropped in mid-July paints that did poorly in the salt- multi-season paint every two to and pulled for rating in late Novem- water test did very well in fresh three years. ber after 18 weeks in the water. water. Top honors overall go to Pet- Opting for a less-potent concoc- Before assigning ratings, testers tit Super Premium, a copper-loaded tion in fresh water is more than sluiced the panels with buckets of paint that had only a few smidgens just economical, it makes environ- water. Virtually clean panels earned of slime still clinging to it after mental sense. Smaller lakes, in par- Excellent ratings, while Good ratings being sluiced. The Interlux Ultra ticular, are more fragile ecosystems went to those paints with a mini- was equally clean, but it is more than well-flushed saltwater basins. mum of soft growth. Coatings scor- expensive. ing Fair clearly allowed more soft Shown above is the breakdown HOW WE’RE TESTING growth than those rated Good. None for hard paints, which are generally Our freshwater evaluation followed of the panels in this round showed better suited to burnishing or heavy our usual, well-established bottom any hard growth, the criteria for a scrubbing, trailering, and beaching. paint test routine. New fiberglass Poor rating. For racers, Pettit SR-21, a thin-film, panels were prepped and painted Once we have the ratings on low-copper paint did much better with swatches of various bottom paper, editors identify overall win- in fresh water than it did in salt. paints. Each panel was identified by ners, as well as the top paints in the a series of holes drilled in a simple various categories, such as ablative, binary code. The holes withstand hard, multi-season (i.e. does not lose the attack of marine growth better potency when the boat is dry-stored), than any other marker system. The environmentally friendly, paints for system also keeps testers impartial, metals, and water-based paints.

Although our panels were immersed for just 18 weeks, algae attached quickly and mussels grew on most of the unprotected areas. practical sailor March 2007 33 maintenance

ps VALUE guide ablative / copolymer antifouling at 4 months in Lake erie Name Maker Price / gal. SOURCE RATING Copper % Anti-Slime Seasons Copper Pro SCX 67  Blue Water $200 bluewatermarinepaint.com Excellent 67% Irgarol Multiple Copper Shield 45 Blue Water $120 bluewatermarinepaint.com Fair 45% No Multiple Copper Shield SCX 45 Blue Water $165 bluewatermarinepaint.com Good 45% Irgarol Multiple Kolor Blue Water $170 bluewatermarinepaint.com Fair 45% No Multiple Sea Bowld Ablative 56 Blue Water $90 boatersworld.com Fair 56% Irgarol Multiple Sea Bowld Ablative 67 Pro  Blue Water $145 boatersworld.com Excellent 67% Irgarol Multiple Copper Shield 45 Uno (New) Blue Water $80 bluewatermarinepaint.com Good 45% No One EP-21 E Paint $125 epaint.net Fair None None One ZO E Paint $199 epaint.net Fair None Zinc Pyrithione 1–2 Aquagard Flexdel $95 aquagard-boatpaint.com Fair 26.37% No Multiple Micron CSC Interlux $159 boatersland.com Fair 37.20% No Multiple Micron Extra Interlux $185 boatersland.com Fair 38.62% Irgarol Multiple Micron Optima  Interlux $202 boatersland.com Excellent 28.45% Zinc Pyrithione Multiple Super Ablative Interlux $129 boatersland.com Good 41.97% Irgarol One Trilux 33 Interlux $182 boatersland.com Fair 16.95% Zinc Pyrithione One Trilux II (Canada only) Interlux $233 blyachting.com Good 22% No One Epoxycop Ablative (New) Interlux $77 boatersland.com Good 43% No One Bottomkote Interlux $109 jamestowndistributors.com Fair 42.75% No One Hydrocoat  Pettit $105 defender.com Excellent 40.34% No Multiple Premium SSA $ Pettit $70 boatersland.com Good 37.50% No Multiple Ultima SR Pettit $190 defender.com Good 60% Irgarol Multiple West Marine CPP Pettit $115 westmarine.com Good 37.50% No Multiple Alumacoat SR (New)  Pettit $165 boatersland.com Excellent None Zinc Pyrithione Multiple Cukote Sea Hawk $189 Sea Hawk Good 47.57% No Multiple Cukote Biocide Plus Sea Hawk $209 Sea Hawk Good 47.57% * Multiple Biocop TF (New) Sea Hawk $228 Sea Hawk Good 42% * Multiple Monterey  Sea Hawk $194 Sea Hawk Excellent 54.67% No Multiple Mission Bay CSF (New)  Sea Hawk $224 Sea Hawk Good None Zinc Omadine One  Best Choice  Recommended $ Budget Buy * N-Cyclopropyl-N--(dimethylethyl)-6-(methylthio)1,3,5-triazine-2-diamine

Almost as effective in our test as our overall winner was Pettit Contacts the Super Premium (which has Hydrocoat, an affordable water- Blue Water Marine Paint, three times the amount of copper), based paint that is easy to apply 800/628-8422, SR-21 also sells under the West and can be used for multiple bluewatermarinepaint.com Marine label as FW-21. For an eco- seasons. Bluewater, Sea Hawk, donovan marine (MarPro Paints), friendly, copper-free hard paint, and Interlux each had relatively 800/432-4333, ext. 31 EP 2000 is our pick. Metal boats expensive paints that also rated E Paint Co., or outdrives are safe with Pettit Excellent and so earned our rec- 800/258-5998, epaint.net Flexdel Corp., 888/353-9335, Vivid, which was also our best ommendation. For metal boats, aquagard-boatpaint.com hard multi-season paint as well as Pettit Alumacoat SR is clearly Interlux Yacht Finishes, the best paint available in white the best ablative. For environ- 800/468-7589, yachtpaint.com or bright colors. For those wanting mentally friendly protection in Kop-Coat (Pettit), easy application, Bottomkote Aqua an ablative paint, the new cop- 800/221-4466, pettitpaint.com was the best performing water- per-free Mission Bay CSF is our New Nautical Coatings, based hard paint. For those who top choice. Our Budget Buy in 800/528-0997, seahawkpaints.com West Marine, want a good hard paint for bottom the ablative category is the Pet- 800/262-8464, westmarine.com dollar, Pettit Unepoxy Standard is tit Premium SSA, which scored Boater’s World, our Budget Buy. Excellent in our most recent salt- 800/826-2628, boatersworld.com In the ablative paint category, water test in Connecticut.

34 March 2007 www.practical-sailor.com Teak Caulk Update 2007

The seven teak caulks being tested are holding their own so far. Despite being subjected to chemical dousing, summer and winter weather, and the loaded-bucket test, no caulk seam has failed, or even wavered.

PS takes a look at seven caulks eight months after application.

n June of 2006, we began our eval- chemical resistance, and adhesion holding up. Iuation of seven caulks advertised test results. Results: Each of the seven prod- for use in teak deck seams: Simson ucts appears to be holding its own MSR (Marine Special Range) Deck Durability with no signs of deterioration or Caulk Plus, Maritime Teak Deck To compare durability, we applied seam failure. Caulking, Teakdecking Systems the products, following manufactur- While all of the products have held SIS 440 Teak Deck Caulking, West ers’ instructions, to seven 9-inch- up equally well so far, we did notice Marine’s Multi Caulk Sealant, and long, 2-inch-wide, half-inch-thick some differences. Some of the caulks three from BoatLIFE (Life-Caulk, teak planks that each contained a seem more pliable than the others. Teak Deck Sealant, and Life-Calk single square seam ¼-inch-wide and Our softest caulk, the West Marine Type P). The test group was a mix of ¼-inch-deep running the length of Multi-Caulk, had the resilience of a polysulfide-, polyether-, Silyl Modi- the plank. After 14 days cure time, neoprene wetsuit, while our hardest fied Polymer- (SMP), and silicone- the panels were placed outdoors caulk, the BoatLIFE Life Caulk, was based products, as well as both one- and fully exposed to the weather. slightly firmer than a pencil eraser. and two-part products. We inspected them in January, eight However, all had more than enough months after placing them outside, Testing to see how well each product was Tests were designed to compara- The teak caulks are: from tively evaluate each caulk’s ease left, BoatLIFE Life-Caulk of application, durability, adhe- Type P, BoatLIFE Teak siveness, and resistance to chemi- Deck Sealant, BoatLIFE cals. We discussed the products’ Life-Caulk, Teakdecking ease of application in Systems SIS 440, Mari- the September 2006 time Teak Deck Caulk, issue, so this and West Marine Multi- future updates will Caulk, and Simson deal with durability, MSR Deck Caulk Plus. practical sailor march 2007 35 M a i n t e n a n c e

ps value guide Teak C aulks Maritime West Marine BoatLIFE BoatLIFE Teak BoatLIFE `TDS Bostik/simson CAULK TDC Multi-caulk Life Caulk Deck Sealant Type P Type Silicone based Silicone based Polyether based Polysulfide based Polysulfide based Polysulfide based Silyl Modified Polymer

$11 $9.50 $12 $19 $16 $12.50 Price* (Only by the case: Cleaner: $16 (pt.) $68/ qt. Cleaner: $11.50 (pt.) 12 for $114) Primer:$18 (6 oz.) Primer: $39.50 (pt.) Tack free 20-40 mins. 15-20 mins. 1 hour skin-over time Tack free 1-3 days 30 mins. 1 hour Skins over in 45 mins. Cure 24-48 hours (full 2 days (depending on time 48 hours cure after 14 days) temp and humidity) 7-10 days 24 hours 24 hours 7 days Sandable After 48 hours After 24-48 hours After 2 days After 7-10 days After 24 hours Not specified After 7 days

Tool Acetone/ Acetone MEK Life-Caulk Life-Caulk Life-Caulk Simson clean up Mineral spirits Solvent & Cleaner Solvent & Cleaner Solvent & Cleaner Cleaner E Application similar Pourable; fairly runny; Thickest; cleaner and Comments Smooth, Smoother Easy to apply; calls for Comparable to WM to Life-Caulk; pot life 1 hour at 75 F and primer have strong smell; easy to apply than TDS Life-Caulk Primer no need to prime 50% relative humidity calls for Simson Primer P application 3 2 4 4 3 1 4 (1=Thin, 4=Thick) pliability After 8 months (1=softest, 3 2 1 6 5 5 4 6= hardest) *per 10.6-oz. caulking gun cartridge, unless noted flex to handle joint expansion, so Cetol marine oil, acetone, Starbrite nately exposed to all chemicals used this observation may have little bear- teak brightener (containing Oxalic in the test. The 16th panel was ex- ing on our results. acid), WD-40, brush cleaner, Fantas- posed to no chemicals. After a two- tic, Murphy’s Oil soap, MEK, and a week curing period, all panels were Chemical resistance heavy-duty bilge cleaner from West located outside (fully exposed to the The goal here is to see how well Marine. weather) and given the initial dose each caulk holds up to chemicals We used 16 teak panels (8 inches x of their respective chemicals, after one could reasonably expect a teak 4 inches), each containing a 4-inch- which the chemicals were applied deck to be exposed to during its long bead of each caulk tested. Of bi-monthly and in such quantity as lifetime—gasoline, diesel, motor these, 14 were exposed to a single to thoroughly saturate each caulk oil, ammonia, household bleach, chemical, while the 15th was alter- bead and the test panel surface.

The Finer Points of Application aulk is typically applied in one of two ways: The seams are taped prior to caulking (pictured here), allowing removal of excess caulk by pulling up the tape, or the seams Care “flooded” and the decks sanded down afterward to remove excess caulk once cured. Taping takes longer, but is neater— flooding the seams can be a real mess—and a lot easier on the deck. A teak deck can last the lifetime of a boat, but not if exposed to the ex- cessive sanding that invariably results from the flooding method. Flooding and sanding can remove a lot of wood from the deck, particu- larly if you have grooves or weathered wood where the caulk can get into the cracks, and you have to sand it out. When taping, be sure to tape slightly outside the seams (to ensure the integrity of the seam edge when remov- ing the tape) and remove the tape prior to the caulk skinning over, or your freshly payed seam could be damaged.

36 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com M a i n t e n a n c e

Results: So far, so good. There are no signs of damage or deterioration Common on any of the panels at this stage. causes of Adhesion To test adhesion strength, we seam failure mounted seven 2-inch-x-2-inch hen it comes to a suc- squares of teak on a 2-foot-long teak Wcessful caulking job, all plank with walnut sized gobs of each manufacturers echo a common caulk tested, once again following theme: Seam preparation is the each manufacturer’s recommenda- key. Each product tested calls for tions for surface preparation on new seams to be not only clean and teak. The plank was then set aside for free of old caulk (ideally taken There were no signs of seam failure three months to ensure each caulk back to new wood), but also dry during our adhesiveness test when each had plenty of time to fully cure. and oil free. That’s a particularly seam was subjected to 35 pounds of pull. Prior to being attached to the plank, interesting proposition consider- each square had an eyebolt fastened ing the oily nature of teak. Caulk- through its center and secured via ing uncleaned teak can mean early it’s wet and contracts when it’s dry, a nut and bolt. After the three-month seam failure, even if all other product factor you can use to your advantage. curing period, we braced the plank directions are followed correctly. When caulking a deck, move the boat and suspended 35 pounds from Sealant failure in teak deck seams can indoors, if possible, or at least cover each of the squares for five minutes typically be classified as either adhesive the decks, letting them dry out for a and observed the results. failure, substrate failure (the caulk main- few months. This not only ensures the Results: Each caulk-attached tains its adhesiveness, but the seam seams are dry (a basic requirement no square held the suspended weight sides fail due to splits or cracks in the matter which product you use), but also with no sign of failure. teak), or cohesive failure (the caulk splits allows maximum shrinkage of the teak or tears apart). planks. Once exposed to moisture, the What’s next Proper joint design is as critical as planks will expand (squeezing the caulk We’ll continue to monitor each caulk selection. According to Teak Deck- in the seams between them) rather than plank and report the results in ing Systems literature, “Failure occurs shrink, which causes the seams to open, future updates. For chemical re- when the design of the joint exceeds possibly pulling the caulk away from the sistance testing, we plan to drench the ability of the sealant to function seam sides. If caulked while the deck is the panels in their respective properly, or when the material is ap- completely dry, the seams will always chemicals. Then we’ll embark on plied incorrectly or carelessly.” be pushed together. some destructive adhesiveness A teak deck seam is simply a groove All this movement is the reason testing—applying pressure to each cut atop the crack between each plank manufacturers stress the need to ap- caulked square until the point of to provide a cavity for the caulk. Seams ply bond-breaker tape to the bottom failure. Stay tuned. can vary in width, depth, and shape of each seam prior to caulking (epoxy (V, square, round, etc.). However, to backing adhesive may also serve the be functional, they must have enough same purpose in the case of glued teak Contacts depth and width to hold sufficient overlays). Yes, it’s a pain in the poop BoatLIFE amounts of caulking material to with- deck and adds yet another step to the 843/566-1225 stand deck movement, expansion, and project, however, it’s a step you skip at boatlife.com contraction without failure. Razor-thin your own peril. Bostik Inc. seams may look professional, but they’ll A seam with no breaker-bond tape 800/523-2678 bostikfindley-us.com be nothing but trouble in the long run. suffers from three-way adhesion, a situ- They will eventually pull away from the ation where the caulk adheres to both Maritime Wood Products seam sides. the sides and the bottom of the seam. 772/287-0463 maritimewoodproducts.com A 1/8-inch seam is realistically the Caulk needs to be able to expand hori- thinnest that should be used, and zontally to keep up with seam expan- Teak Decking Systems 1/4-inch is typically the widest from sion and contraction. Once adhered to 941/756-0406 teakdecking.com an aesthetic standpoint—however, the bottom of the seam, the caulk loses this depends on deck plank size (wider this flexibility, causing the sealant to pull West Marine 800/685-4838 planks need wider seams due to their away from the sides during deck move- westmarine.com greater expansion and contraction. ment, starting the downward spiral of Teak, like all wood, expands when failure. practical sailor march 2007 37 Metal Cleaners Miracle Cloth still holds the top spot. n the last year, Practical Sailor ant that’s safe for all Itested a slew of metal polishes on finishes. Although its stainless steel (June 2006) and bronze label claims­—in the fine print—that Latecomers (from left) Prism (January 2007). The bronze test in- it cleans chrome, Mirage Polish ap- Polish, Mirage Polish, and cluded three newcomers that weren’t pears to be meant primarily for “fin- Sure Shine, took on reigning champ available for the stainless test, so we ished” surfaces (clear coat, gelcoat, Miracle Cloth (far right). decided to put those three to work on paints, plastics, etc.) rather than for a grimy stainless bow railing. heavy metal cleaning. In fact, the ContactS The challengers: Sure Shine from label for Prism Polish recommends 3M Marine, 877/366-2746, 3M.com Weems & Plath and Metal Polish Pros’ Mirage Polish & Sealant for use on Blue Magic, 888/522-2746, Mirage Polish & Sealant and Prism fiberglass and painted surfaces. The cargobluemagic.com Polish. To see whether they would Mirage mustered a Fair+ this round. Collinite, 315/732-2282, collinite.com unseat the reigning overall metal pol- The Miracle Cloth lived up to its Flitz, 800/558-8611, flitz.com ish, Miracle Cloth—rated Excellent in title as Practical Sailor’s Best Choice Meguiar’s, 800/347-5700, both the stainless and bronze polish for polishing stainless and bronze, meguiars.com Metal Polish Pros, test—we taped the railing into four edging out the newcomers to keep top 877/377-5112, mppros.com sections. Testers applied the products honors for stainless cleaning. Miracle Cloth, 727/391-3958, per the instructions, and evaluated Bottom Line: The hands-down miraclecloth.com how well the newcomers performed winner: Miracle Cloth. We recom- Mothers, 714/891-3364, mothers.com against each other and compared to mend both Sure Shine and Prism Nevr-Dull, 516/378-8100, nevr-dull.com the Miracle Cloth. Polish for cleaning stainless. Noxon 7, 800/228-4722 Sure Shine is advertised as a one- To see how the newbies stack up to SeaPower, seapowerproducts.com step application that cleans, polishes, the other cleaners tested, check out Star brite, 800/327-8583, starbrite.com and protects for three to six months. the chart. Five products did not make Sure Shine, (Weems & Plath), Testers rated it as Very Good. the performance cut after two tests, 800/638-0428, weems-plath.com Turtle Wax, 800/turtlewax, Prism Polish is a “metal polish and and were dropped from the chart: turtlewax.com fiberglass deoxidizer” formulated to Woody Wax CPR System spray; the West Marine, 800/BOATING, clean, polish, and protect all metals. liquid Mothers Chrome Polish; Nevr westmarine.com It also earned a Very Good rating. Dull Magic Wadding Polish, the ZEP Woody Wax, 800/619-4363, Mirage Polish & Sealant is mar- Stainless Steel spray cleaner, and woody-wax.com ZEP, 888/805-HELP, zepcommercial.com keted as a wax-free cleaner and seal- West Marine’s Teflon Boat Polish. ps VALUE guide metal polish update late-comer Products Type Price / size Price Source Bronze Ratings Stainless Ratings Mirage Polish & Sealant Liquid $20 / 16 oz. mppros.com Fair- Fair+ Prism Polish  Liquid $25 / 6 oz. mppros.com Very Good Very Good Sure Shine (Weems & Plath)  Liquid $14 / 8 oz. weems-plath.com Very Good Very Good top performers Miracle Cloth  Cloth $8 westmarine.com Excellent Excellent Flitz Metal Polish  Liquid $10 / 3.4 oz. westmarine.com Fair- Very Good+ Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover  Liquid $3 / 12 oz. partsamerica.com Fair- Very Good+ 3M Marine Metal Restorer and Polish  Paste $23 / 18 oz. boatersworld.com Very Good Good Blue Magic Metal Polish Cream  Paste $6 / 7 oz. amazon.com Very Good Very Good Collinite’s No. 850 Metal Wax  Liquid $15 / 16 oz. westmarine.com Good Very Good Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze Professional All Metal Polish  Paste $7 / 5 oz. boatersworld.com Good Very Good Noxon 7 Metal Polish  Liquid $4 / 12 oz. amazon.com Excellent Very Good Seapower Metal Polish  Paste $10 / 8 oz. boatersworld.com Very Good+ Good Star brite Chrome and Stainless Polish  Liquid $8 / 8 oz. boatersworld.com Good Very Good West Marine One Step Metal Polish  Liquid $13 / 16 oz. westmarine.com Very Good Very Good  Best Choice  Recommended Stainless Polish  Recommended Bronze Polish  Recommended for Both

38 march 2007 www.practical-sailor.com ON THE HORIZON Rust inhibitors (above) fuel tanks wet cell batteries safety tether update NMEA Multiplexers weather stations

A Wet Winter? blisters usually increase in depth and diameter, and prevention efforts, as Using a barrier coat can help reduce water intrusion. well as prompt repair, make sense. What are the effects of keep- Hauling a vessel does lessen the ing your sailboat in the water contact with water, but in winter year-round? In Connecti- climates that are below freezing, the cut, it’s cheaper to store a issue of expansion-caused micro boat in the water than to The climate in many parts of the cracking becomes a factor to consider. have it hauled all winter world allows boats to remain One answer is barrier coating, which long. Is this constant con- in the water year-round, and at least lessens the porosity of the sur- tact with the water bad composite FRP structures hold face and slows, if not stops, moisture for the fiberglass (blisters, up pretty well to year-round im- intrusion. water-logging, etc.)? Does mersion. The benchmark would If the bottom is blister-free, try the PS advisor “barrier coating” (apply- be early 1960s hulls, most of Interlux approach, using a coat of Epi- ing a special protective coat under the which are still going strong. It’s impor- glass Epoxy resin and several follow- bottom paint, after you have stripped tant to note, however, that these were up coats of Interprotect 2000/2001-E. it all off) prevent any of the damage? not cored hulls, and more often than Such barrier coat systems seem to How long does a barrier coating last? not, were built with thicker hull skins have a life span of about 10 years. If What barrier coating would you rec- than vessels made today. the bottom is badly blistered, a profes- ommend? So despite the fact that many older sional removal and laminate replace- wet-stored boats are still blister-free, ment using epoxy or vinylester resin Bill Cavers water—the universal solvent—can is a costly but proven fix. Care must Saquish, 1984 Bristol 31.1 hydrolyze seemingly impervious res- be taken during prep work because Darien, Conn. ins. Many other variables affect this adhesion quality is directly correlated process, but, yes, with surface prep. blister problems If you consider wet storing in Con- are more prev- necticut, make sure that the marina alent on boats has adequate ice abatement capabil- that remain wet ity and their electrical system is reli- stored year- able. Careful and thorough winteriza- round. If left un- tion includes keeping the cockpit and attended, these deck drains from freezing up and if electric lights or heat tape are used in the bilge, care must be taken to Reader Bill prevent shock or fire hazard. When- Cavers’ Ted Hood/Deiter ever there’s an extreme winter, New Empacher- England marinas suffer damage from designed moving ice as it clears in the spring. Bristol plies This said, wet storing can be cost ef- the waters near fective and certainly has you primed Darien, Conn. for an early-season sail.