DSC VHF radios

A Sticky Situation 

By Captain Rich

To keep your canvas snaps lubricated and working easily, just dab a little Chap-Stick on each snap about once a month.

Tabs Up

Always return your trim tabs to the full up position. Although the tabs may be coated with anti-fouling paint, the interior part of the ram cannot be painted. If you leave the tabs down, barnacles will grow on that interior part. The next time you retract your tabs the barnacles will damage the hydraulic seals.

Also, if you keep your boat at a dry marina, like our Fort Lauderdale or Jensen Beach locations, the forklift can damage your tabs if they are left down.

Selecting a Dealer

I am always amazed when I hear of one of our customers or friends, who are in market for a new or used boat, relate to me the number of hours, days, weeks, months and even years they have spent researching their purchase. They probably know more about the features, benefits and idiosyncrasies’ of their next purchase than most salesmen do.

Hours spent on the Internet, discussions with friends, brokers and visits to dealers and “For Sale by Owner” locations. For many the process is tedious…for others, it is the thrill of the hunt.

But here is where the amazing part comes in: I often ask them if they plan on spending as much time researching the dealer to purchase from as they spent researching the boat. The response I usually get is a blank stare.

I have said to people who are looking to purchase a boat that 50% of the decision is the type, style and emotional appeal of the boat they decided on. Now the next 50% is harder. Who should you buy it from?

Not all boat dealers are the same…even if they carry the same brands of boats. And, there are things to look for:

Are they a 5 Star Certified Dealer? Our industry is changing and changing for the better. The Marine Manufacturers Association is now certifying marine dealers to insure that customers are treated with honesty, integrity, respect, courtesy and professionalism.

Who is this sales guy? Does he really know how that vessel operates in a variety of seas and varying conditions? How many “Salesman” have we all run into that have never been on a boat and are simply giving information gleaned from a brochure? And it usually isn’t too difficult to figure out.

How is your new vessel delivered to you? Do they have Captains, Certified by the Coast Guard, providing you with the proper orientation and in-water training? Are those Captains available even after you take delivery for refresher and additional training? No matter how experienced you are having an expert always available is pretty reassuring.

Things are going to need fixing. What is the reputation of their service department? Or, do they even have one? It’s a boat and will need maintenance and repair. Having quality people who are knowledgeable, honest and professionally trained to work on your new boat is a must. You need a service department that is going to deliver your boat on time and at a fair price.

Who are these guys? We have all seen boat dealers come and go. Sometimes we wonder who said that “anyone” could be a marine dealer. How long has the dealership been in business? What is their reputation? Is there active Owner participation in the management of the company? Will they be around for the next 20 years? Are they actively involved in the boating life style?

These are just a few of the things you should look for when making the other 50% decision. There are many more. If you spend as much time researching your dealer as you do your vessel, you’ll find your boating experience is going to be a lot better.

Head Batteries

Get your head straight.

The head systems on modern boats have improved over the years. They are, however, still prone to clogging and require caution to keep them operating properly. The following tips will help keep your system clean and working well.

1. Never put anything into the head except human waste products and SMALL AMOUNTS of marine toilet paper.
2. Inform ALL guests of the head rules before leaving the dock.
3. Add deodorizing chemicals to the head system prior to the first use and after each time the tank is emptied.
4. Always keep the overboard discharge valve CLOSED when not pumping.
   1. Legally, it must be closed when the boat is within the 3 mile limit.
   2. If left open, seawater could backfill into the tank, causing damage to the system.

When was the last time you checked the water in your car’s battery? Chances are you’ve never checked it. Your car always starts right up, no need to check the battery. Besides you get it serviced every 3000 miles so the dealer must be taking care of the battery.

The truth is that most car batteries are sealed and don’t require maintenance. Most marine batteries, however, are not sealed and do require periodic maintenance. Unlike your car, boats are often connected to shore power and the batteries are constantly being charged. While this keeps the batteries charged, it also speeds the evaporation of the water inside the batteries. It only takes a small loss of water to lower the batteries’ efficiency. Continued neglect will lead to dead batteries that are unable to hold a charge.

Fortunately, the maintenance is easy. Keep your batteries filled with water. But, don’t use just any water. While you may enjoy Perrier after a round of golf or tonic water in a cocktail, your batteries require only DISTILLED water. Distilled water is free of impurities that will also reduce the batteries’ efficiency.

Filling the batteries can be challenging on some boats. To make the job easier, get a 2 ½ gallon garden sprayer from your local home center. Cut the tip off of the spray nozzle so that a straight steam of water will come out. Fill it with distilled water and your ready to fill your batteries. The garden sprayer’s wand extends your reach and eliminates the need for a funnel. Just remove the battery’s caps and squirt the water into the holes.

Nothing can ruin the fun like a dead battery. So, remember, treat your batteries well and they wont let you down.

Press Release from United States Coast Guard

Sell it Vs. Trade it? What a Dilemma

While every owner has unique & special needs there are several common elements often considered by most owners looking to change boats.

There is a “cost” to trade your boat that must be calculated with your sales representative’s assistance. Most owners are surprised to find the cost is frequently much less than they had expected.

Once your trade-in value has been determined the next step should be to have a market analysis prepared for the sale of your boat.* A good yacht broker will let you know what amount is reasonable to expect and what conditions are like for its sale.

Now that all the numbers are in front of you the “cost” of trading can be determined. Other considerations include, sales tax savings, timeliness, carrying costs (interest, insurance, dockage, maintenance and more) during the marketing and sale of the boat and overall ease of transaction.

Here’s an example:

Your dealer quotes your trade-in value as $100,000

($100,000 + 6% tax saved in the transaction) = $106,000 net value of the trade-in.

The projected selling price on the market is $125,000. $125,000 less 10% brokerage commissions = $112,500 net proceeds from its sale.

$112,500 - $106,000 = $6,500 “cost” to trade. (NOT $25,000 that one might have thought)

This of course does not factor in the carrying costs incurred during the marketing & sale of the boat.

*SunDance Marine’s brokerage division offers all owners a no obligation analysis upon request.

BATTERY ISSUES:

Lately our company has been getting a lot of complaints or issues regarding batteries. Marine batteries are a different breed than a car battery. We use our boat battery a lot more and this battery will go from a full charge to a dead state very quickly. So it is very important we keep a maintenance schedule for the battery. Once a month the battery must be inspected; check the water level, check the condition of the terminals and be sure the battery charger is working. Our boats are more complicated than our father’s boat; we have electronic devices that need power all the time. When the battery switches are turned off there are still items on the boat that are drawing power; Stereos, security devices etc. Some boats have lights that are active with the battery switch is off, we must be sure they are turned off when we leave. It is very difficult to see if these lights are on in the day light. Because of these devices boats that are left over two weeks with no shore power you may return to the boat and find one or both of the batteries are dead. This is normal, so if any have any boat issues please call any of us in the service department and we will do what ever it takes to get you back on the water.

GENERAL MAINTENANCE ADVICE:

I have a boat and I am the worst person in the world to my boat. I do not see the boat for months at a time and when I get a chance to use the boat I like to invite friends along and plan a great day on the water.

My wife and I try to arrive at the boat a little earlier than guests, knowing it has been closed up for all this time and, of course, it is dirty. Get the brush out and give the boat a quick wash. Open the boat up and the boat just smells of mold and dust. My wife and I jump on this duty and in a few hours we have a spit shined boat.

Our guests arrive and we prepare to start the engines and leave the dock. The motors will not start. The batteries have boiled dry and I need to add water to the cells and a 1/2 hour later, if lucky, the motors will start.

Those of you with marine air conditioning might have experienced this one. As you are leaving the dock someone in your party informs you the air conditioning has died and the cabin is hot. You look at the panel and it displays "HP". Your first thought is to call our service department and, of course, the day has been ruined.

All these items I mentioned are not warranty issues but as a SunDance customer we try our very best to educate our owners so a day of boating never becomes a day of aggravation. All the above could have been prevented if a normal maintenance schedule had been kept.

Boats will get dirty and it should be washed on a normal bases. Rust and salt are a common problem and there are products to clean and prevent rust. Batteries need to be checked on a monthly basis, terminals inspected for bad connections and the water levels checked. Check and inspect all strainers and thru hulls. The thru hull valves need to be opened and closed for all strainers, engines, generator and air conditioning systems. Regarding the air conditioning system aboard, the majority of the time the strainers are filled with debris and that will cause the air conditioning system to quit and display the HP on the control panel.

SunDance Marine takes quite a bit of time with owners to explain in detail the proper operation of their boats and demonstrate these maintenance procedures. We want your boating experience to be carefree and for you to have confidence that whatever may arise, you are prepared.

ANCHORING, HEAD SYSTEMS AND ELECTRONICS:

Whether you have purchased an 18 foot or a 48 foot vessel, our delivery system is designed for your particular model. The larger the boat, naturally more systems must be explained and we encourage our new owners to take notes and ask questions.

What I have consistently noticed at the delivery time is how overwhelmed the owners can get with so much new information. NO question is a stupid question and we are here to help in any situation. Areas that come to mind as I write this are the operations of the anchor system, sanitation system and the navigation system.

Anchoring a boat is a full day lesson in itself. The words slop, hold, tides and current all have an effect and the lucky owners who have an automatic windlass needs to have an observer at the bow to assist in setting and retrieving the anchor. Too many times the anchor system is blamed when the real problem is the anchor system is not used properly.

The head is a delicate system all on its own. We all make the huge mistake of treating the boat sanitation system like our residential house. If you ever followed the plumbing in you house the pipe stays about 3 inches in diameter until it goes under the street. It then it expands to 10 or 12 feet in diameter. In boats it starts out at 1 1/2 inches in diameter and then it is reduced to 3/4 inches in diameter. 99% of all head failures are caused by introducing foreign objects into the head system that have no possibility of clearing these small diameters. Here is an age old and a very true saying "Nothing goes down this head unless you have eaten it first." This includes toilet paper. My advice is to have a basket or a bag in the head area and ask all guests on board to dispose all paper products in the bag and not the head. I know it is nasty but clearing a plugged head is even nastier.

The navigation system aboard your boat can become a high tech and very complicated system and it kind of reminds me of setting the time on a VCR. We learn just enough to get us by but a lot of the systems available on the electronics are not used. My advice is to request a time to have one of our technicians or a representative of the electronics manufacturer you selected to give you a minimum 2-hour lesson. And again, TAKE NOTES.

It is our job to make sure you boat is an enjoyment not a problem. Call us and lets make Boating Fun.

IS YOUR BOAT PERFORMANCE SLIPPING?

We get a number of complaints on running issues. The boat just does not run like it did. There is a checklist that needs to be followed before we contact the engine or boat manufacturer.

1. Be sure the boat is bottom cleaned by either haul out or diver on a regular basis. In our southern waters algae and barnacle growth is fast. Even in one-month time the boat can be slowed down by this growth and your gas consumption can be increased.
2. Equipment added. We do not pay attention but food, clothes and additional equipment all add weight to our boats. This is a critical addition and can cause the boat to slow down and fuel consumption to increase.
3. Even though the boat engines seem to be running fine after a few months of sitting, the fuel filters can be restricted. If you notice a decrease in speed and the top two items have been considered, change the fuel filters.
4. After the above three items have been done and the boat still does not perform to the original expectations, the boat needs to be visually inspected. This may require the boat being hauled out and the running gear inspected. Make sure your props look good, your bottom is clean and there are no barnacles present.
   Note: If you are trying to get the advertised performance of your boat please carefully read your engine manufacturers disclosed test conditions. Example: the original boat was tested with 1/2 tank fuel, no water or waste, no canvas, no equipment and 2 persons on board. Not a reality test.
5. After all the above is done contact me or the engine manufacture and we will get the boat and motor running to the maximum performance level.