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Tips on Specs For 35 years, I’ve been wearing glasses (or contacts and sunglasses) while on the water, but I have yet Do $20 glasses offer the same UV protection as a $200 pair? PS hopes to to discover an end-all solution to answer this and more in our upcoming report on polarized sunglasses. crusty lens-itis. In light spray, I keep a couple After successfully campaigning It is indeed frustrating to the boat sheets of paper towels in my jacket my J-120 for 10 years, I decided owner that bottom paint prices pocket to periodically wipe the to change my sailing and racing seem to quickly rise with copper lenses. In medium spray, licking approach to fit my new emerging prices, but never fall. The explana- the lenses actually improves vis- lifestyle (retirement). I bought tions from paint makers that we ibility if they are heavily crusted. an Alerion Express 28 (hull No. got for this are many and varied: In heavy spray, I occasionally 337) and have thoroughly enjoyed The raw materials that manufac- dump a 1/4 of my water bottle over sailing and racing the boat. Don- turers buy on the commodities my face and shades. na and Garry Hoyt winced when market are normally purchased I now race a Melges 24, and in a I ordered lifelines. However, I several months in advance. Raw breeze, the freshwater rinse is fair- sail on Lake Michigan and safety material prices also don’t include ly effective. I was curious if any for my grandkids overrode the the additional charges to convert of your staff or readers have any aesthetic theory. The crowning the raw commodities into a us- experience with lens products? glory, to me, was your side article able form. Hurricanes along the on the Cape Dory Typhoon. My Gulf Coast in recent years caused Morgan Dale first was a Typhoon (hull the price for other raw materi- St. Croix, USVI No. 199 in 1971). What a fun boat. als to rise, and those high prices Via e-mail I admired Carl Alberg’s designs so much that I eventually bought We talked to the folks at sunglasses- a , followed by a Practical Sailor online maker Costa del Mar, who offered Pearson Triton. this advice: If all you have are your ow are the older automated hands to clean with, a dab of neu- Jack Kelley Hsteering systems like the Ray- tral ph soap and water are excel- C.C. Rider, Alerion Express 28 marine ST4000 wheel pilot holding lent cleaners. Paper towels are too Grand Haven, Mich. up? More importantly, how are their abrasive; use moist lens towlettes “smarter” descendents surviving or micro-fiber cloths instead. Many Bottom paint prices in the real world? A reader survey glasses makers offer their own Do you have any recent survey on focusing on the reliability and per- cloths laced with isopropanol. It is the price of bottom paints. One formance of autopilots has been worth noting that some sunglass supplier shows an increase in posted online at www.practical-sailor. makers, like Maui Jim, recommend price of 25 percent over the past com. The data will accompany our only glass lenses for saltwater, pre- year, and meanwhile the copper upcoming reports on automated sumably because of the potential for price has dropped from $3.50 steering systems. A link to the sur- scratched lenses. per pound to $1.50 per pound, so vey is posted at the top of the home what is the excuse now? Are the page, and we hope that readers will Daysailers boat owners being held ransom by share their views on this topic. Read- I read your “Trophy Boat” article greedy paint manufacturers? ers are also encouraged to check out in the January issue of Practical some classic tests, PS Advisors, DIY Sailor. This excellent article was Jens Bagh tips, and special reports resurrected very descriptive in highlight- There You Are, BCC 28 from the archives in our “Tools and ing a new culture of . Edmonton, Canada Techniques” section. practical sailor APRIL 2009  m a i l p o r t

Weiss and Dr. said to be able to recharge the Michael Jacobs, batteries. I was skeptical of that or “Medicine but an hour of sailing regenerates for Mountain- all the amps used during the trip eering and from the slip to the big water (I other Wilder- haven’t yet measured drag in this ness Activi- mode). The other reason I chose ties,” by James the electric over a new diesel Wilkerson. was that I was able to install the The latter is entire system by myself with the available from help of a good friend who welded Mountaineer up the frame to attach to the ex- Falling copper prices haven’t impacted the bottom line Books. Both isting motor bed. I know there are on bottom paints. texts give guid- potential problems, but I compare ance on stock- them to those of a diesel. have not retreated. Finally, some ing kits appropriate for your boat. states are raising their pesticide Remember, the victim may be the Dan Walker registration fees in an attempt to captain or medical officer, and a Alberg 30 make up for shortfalls in other tax novice may be the one rendering Indianapolis, Ind. revenues. For instance, the fee for treatment. A medical guide is an a two-year pesticide registration invaluable resource. Galerider in the state of Florida more than Reliability doubled in 2009. The bottom line Curtis Edwards, MD, FACS I do not think the February 2009 to all of this is no surprise: We will General surgeon PS article on drogues supports the probably not see any significant FAA Aviation Medical Examiner conclusion that the Galerider is price reductions in bottom paint reliable. [The wire hoop that keeps pricing this spring. Thoosa Field Trials the drogue open] broke in two of In the September 2008 issue, PS the very few real-world uses cited. First-Aid Facts discussed electric power, and I’d That is not reassuring for a piece I read with interest your evalu- like to share my own experience of equipment intended for use in ation of first aid kits, which with this technology. I installed extreme conditions. Perhaps you wrapped up with the final install- an Asmo (Thoosa) system in my should seek a wider information ment in the December 2008 issue. Alberg 30, which weighs around base by asking your readers to I’d like to add a couple of points: 10,000 pounds. I need propulsion comment on their experiences. Weekend, cruising, and bluewater to get in and out of my slip and up sailors should invest in a good up- the river to Lake Michigan, about Ray Smith product update to-date first aid and CPR course. 3/4 of a mile. I do not plan on long Jeanneau 43 It is as important as a functional motoring trips. Chesapeake Bay bilge pump. So far, the Thoosa has done ev- The responsible sailor can erything the dealer (NGC Marine) Any reports of the wire hoop in outfit a substantial and superior said it would. When the lake level the Galerider breaking would, of first-aid kit for much less money was low, my boat would bottom course, interest us, as well as the than a commercially available out in the river, and each time the maker Hathaway, Reiser & Ray- kit. The kit should be appropri- Thoosa had ample mond. As noted ate for the expected duration a power to get me in the article, the victim will need treatment prior through the muck. Galerider has been to evacuation. Most commercial In addition, around for a long kits contain a lot of fluff and are the system was time and these re- unnecessarily redundant—a lot ports are very rare. of Band-Aids. I stress to distance It is also worth not- sailors stocking a few prescription The Thoosa 6000 ing that in the two items and aggressive treatment takes up a frac- cases we cited, the for seasickness, beyond Bonine. tion of the engine drogue still slowed I favor a solid medical text such space required the boats (although as “A Comprehensive Guide to for the diesel it it behaved errati- Marine Medicine,” by Dr. Erick replaced. cally in one of the

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incidents). Like any piece of safety Heaving To and the Shark equipment, the Galerider needs Regarding your February 2009 to be maintained and inspected. article on drogues and heavy- Stowing the Galerider wet or in a weather tactics: Heaving to is a damp locker and keeping the hoop technique I practice every season. tightly coiled could contribute to My yawl has a shallow and weakening of the wire over time. nearly flat bottom sections. I tried Signs of weakening, such as a military surplus parachute as a broken strands or corrosion, sea , but the lack should be noticeable upon of a deep allowed inspection. Unfortunately, the my boat to yaw un- wire runs through a Dacron comfortably. The chute sleeve that prevents visual spun, tangled the bridle inspection, so the user must feel and created 200 feet around inside the Dacron sleeve of hockles in the rode.

Photo courtesy of Fiorentino of courtesy Photo and inspect the sleeve for rust Drogue and sea-anchor stains. PS encourages sailors to maker Fiorentino sug- routinely uncoil the Galerider gested I deploy their 6-foot Para- and closely inspect the wire Anchor from a bow cleat rather The Shark drogue from Fiorentino hoop and Nicropress terminals. than the anchor roller. folds compactly for stowage. Owners should also consider They also suggested trying a stowing the Galerider fully opened bridle, consisting of a block on the or with the minimum number rode run back to a stern or quarter it because the Para-Anchor design of coils. Hathaway, Reiser & cleat. Experimenting on the Oregon eliminated any spin. Will you be Raymond advises anyone with coast, I found an angle to the swells testing the Fiorentino Shark drogue concerns about the condition of that dramatically eased the motion. in the next comparison? their Galerider to contact them Retrieval was easier than pick- directly (www.hathaways.com, ing up a crab pot. I hooked one of Robert Taylor 203/324-9581). The Galerider the lines and pulled the Para-An- Primrose, Nimble 24 is not perfect, but our has held chor into the cockpit. It was small Winchester Bay, Ore. up well to testing and we still enough that I was able to simply consider it a good piece of spread the chute over my dodger We tested a prototype of the Fioren- equipment worth recommending. to dry. My rode had no hockles in tino Shark for the February 2009

product update

Extinction of the Force 10 Seacook is a Sign of the Times hen heavy weather sets in, even the 10 principals, under a new name Kuuma. Wgourmand will happily settle for a warm (Kuuma may continue to use the Force 10 bowl of soup. No doubt thousands of foul- name through 2010.) Kuuma also retained weather soups have been heated on the Force rights to the Seacook stove —classified 10 Seacook, a single-burner swinging stove that as a barbecue—but the cooker has since easily mounts on a bulkhead and is fired by a small been dropped. According to Kuuma (www. propane canister. kuumaproducts.com), the product needed Although the ruggedly built Seacook failed to re-tooling and because of its limited market, comply with industry standards for cooking below the expense did not seem worthwhile. decks (lack of a flame-failure shut off valve held it back), Today, the nearest thing to the Seacook is the it routinely fared well in PS evaluations (see “Compact Forespar (www.forespar.com) Mini Galley , a petite Cookers,” July 2007). In the summer of 2006, Force 10’s rendition that hardly compares. With no plans to cabin heater line was sold to Vancouver-based Dickinson resurrect the Seacook in sight, it seems that our and the galley range product line (along with the Force 10 generation will be the last to know the purpose of name) was sold to the French company ENO. The water that U-shaped bracket found near the companion- heater and barbecue line remained in the hands the Force way on so many older boats.

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ing spots down to shiny metal with my Dremel tool and then applying a coat of epoxy resin to seal the metal from the air. After the epoxy dries, I have been us- ing more Mas epoxy

to fair the repaired Photo (right) by Dick Paden keel area to a smooth The keel on PS’s 35-year-old O’Day Javelin is finish. After fairing, prepped for a coatings test (above). Reader Dick I have been applying Paden’s keel weeps (right). two coats of Interlux InterProtect 2000 to article on heavy-weather tactics, add a second drogue, Zack Smith, keep the epoxy dry. Finally, I have but withheld our findings until the owner of Fiorentino, said it was been applying two or three coast we could confirm the production designed for setting a length of of Interlux Micron Extra with version was the same as what we chain behind the drogue, which, he Biolux. Ideas for improved keel tested. The two are basically the reports, has been shown to boost treatment are welcome. same. Used as a drogue, the Shark’s the drogue’s holding power signifi- performance was very similar to the cantly, and with less expense than Dick Paden Galerider and the Delta drogue in adding a second drogue in the line. Petite Cherie, Dufour 27 how much it slowed the boat. Each Arnold, Md. of these reduced boat speed about Weeping Keel half the amount that the Jordan se- My keel continues to be problem- Your approach is a bit different ries drogue did. One of the Shark’s atic; you can see in the picture from the one Practical Sailor has interesting features is a heavy line (above, right) that shows where advocated in the past: Thoroughly with a spliced thimble exiting the water is weeping out of the keel. prep the weeping wounds by rear. Although this could be used to I have been grinding these weep- grinding, wire-brushing, or

where credit is due

Dr. LED does good ment with the same model or pay U.S. Yachts stands out I recently purchased four Saturn the price difference and upgrade As long-time subscribers to Practi- Ring recessed LED light fix- to their new Saturn Ring Mk II cal Sailor and owners of an Ulti- tures from Dr. LED (www. with the next generation LED mate 24 sailboat, we wanted to say doctorled.com) and “bulb.” thanks to the people at US Yachts installed them in place I opted for the upgrade, (www.ultimatesailboats.com) out of my existing incan- and Dr. LED immediately of Capitola, Calif. We purchased descent fixtures. I was sent me 16 of the Mk II our Ultimate 24 five years ago, and so pleased with the models. Each Mk II has we just recently contacted the new results that I purchased three extremely bright owners/builders with questions an additional 16 fixtures. LEDs (compared to the 24 regarding the keel crane that Unfortunately, every Saturn Ring MKII medium-bright LEDs in the came with the boat. They cheer- one of the 16 fixtures be- original Saturn Ring) and is fully told us that there was gan to fail soon after in- advertised as equivalent to a un upgrade made to this and stallation. I was so pleased with 20-watt incandescent bulb. I agree. promptly sent one out to us with the performance of the first four I am very pleased with Dr. LED’s no charge! lights that I contacted Dr. LED product and their product support. for warranty replacements ver- sus requesting a refund. Dr.LED Bruce Marschall Dan and Barb Hackenyos apologized for my inconvenience Purrfection, Privilege 51 Solution, U-24 Hull No. 11 and offered me a choice: Replace- Chesapeake Bay, Md. Avon, Conn.

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media-blasting down to white metal, wipe with solvent, apply a thin coat of acid etch primer (such as Interlux 353/354), prime with an epoxy primer meant for under- water metals (Awlgrip 545, Inter- lux 404/414, not resin), fair and fill with fairing compound (resin and filler OK at this point), rep- rime any areas where metal was exposed by sanding, barrier coat with Interprotect or similar barrier coat system, and then add anti- fouling. While a mix-and-match of brands may work, Practical Sailor’s preference is to stick with William Solberg’s 1996 Tartan 3800, Wind Dancer, reflects the results of one manufacturer for metal prepa- meticulous polishing followed by a high-quality carnauba-based wax. ration, treatments, primers, top Photo courtesy of William Solberg William of courtesy Photo coatings, and antifoulants. This ensures chemical compatibility. thereby becomes less of an issue section. The two that come to mind For the past six months, PS and makes thick products like are “Offshore Log: Gelcoat Mainte- has been testing various etching 3M Ultra Performance Paste Wax nance,” www.practical-sailor.com/ acids, epoxy primers, coatings, more attractive. marine/gelcoat_maintenance.html, and fairing compounds, including I’d like to see articles on this and “Plastics Versus the Weather: some industrial-grade, non-marine subject less product-oriented and The Nature of a Losing Battle,” products. It is still too early in the more topic oriented. Frankly, I have www.practical-sailor.com/marine/ test to publish any results. a very shiny 13-year-old boat with boat-building-construction- A poor fit at the interface between high-quality gelcoat. The only way material.html. William Burr’s book the keel stub and the iron or lead I can keep it shiny is to polish, “Boat Maintenance: The Essential keel is often a contributor to keel polish, and polish followed by an Guide to Cleaning, Painting and corrosion problems. Any water that initial coating and subsequent coat- Cosmetics” is also a good resource. enters this area can get trapped, ings at least every two months un- where credit is due leading to corrosion not only of til I see that I have to go back and FAntastic Festool the keel, but also the keel bolts. We polish again. I have yet to remove I found a great tool in the 6-inch described how to improve the keel/ too much gelcoat with 3M Finesse- Festool Rotex 150 sander/grinder stub interface by making an epoxy It II since I do it by hand mostly. (www.festoolusa.com). The dual- mold in the September 2007 issue. mode transmission allows both For reference, four different PS William Solberg grinding and orbital sanding, and Advisors (May 2002, January 2007, Wind Dancer, Tartan 3800 the variable speed allows it to do September 2007, and March 2008) Marina del Rey, Calif. a very good job of polishing. The on this topic are posted online internal dust extraction system is under “Tools and Techniques.” Indeed, proper execution of the vari- a bonus. It is pricey, but the cus- ous steps to restoring and protecting tomer support is nothing less than a gelcoat finish arekey to achieving fantastic. Serious about waxes a shiny hull, and polishing is one of The February 2009 article on waxes the most critical. Over the years, we Jerry Brown struck me positively. I always learn have found significant differences Always, ’68 Moody Halberdier ketch something from your basic discus- among the products designed for San Francisco, Calif. sion before the test results are pre- this purpose. There is a science to sented. Still, there are some missed almost any maintenance task, and Practical Sailor welcomes letters from our opportunities to provide truly help- although we try as much as possible readers. Please include your name, home ful information on this topic. to amplify our print reviews with port, boat type, and boat name. Send A trick my hull detail man uses practical tips, the more extensive e-mail to [email protected] is to put some combo cleaner/wax discussions are posted on our and mail to Practical Sailor, 7820 Holiday Dr. in the tub to make it slightly website, www.practical-sailor.com, S., Suite 315, Sarasota, FL 34231. more creamy. Ease of application under the “Tools and Techniques”

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