Joe Coons
It's potpourri time here in Bellingham! Each month as I see stuff in various journals I set clippings aside in a stack near my word processor, and eventually most of it gets used in these columns, or for them. So let me clean my desk:
Ron Hardesty, a relatively new member of our club sent me an E-mail a few months back, wondering how his battery kept discharging. His question: Can a battery switch go bad?
Naturally I suggested several other potential causes, most likely a bad regulator that was keeping the alternator field winding energized all the time, or (less likely) a bad isolator, where a shorted diode would discharge one battery into the other.
Wrong, Joe. Ron's guess was right: It was the battery switch, which had indeed failed.
When Ron reported this, I was reminded of a time in 1988 when I had a flasher- style depth sounder. You'd turn it on, the light would flash, the sounder would spin a half turn, and die. I took it to buddy Jerry Writer at San Juan Electronics who said, "Works OK. Check the power." I did, the power was fine, but the sounder wouldn't run! Then I checked the power with the sounder connected. Sounder off, power on. Turn on sounder, power goes off! The fault, of course, was a bad circuit breaker: it could carry electricity, but not with any load! After I replaced the breaker, all was OK. Live and learn!
Saw the same problem on Bud Swanson's new-to-him boat which I'm helping him with. A main power breaker works - - - but only about 75% of the time. I hate those intermittent power problems!
Let's change the subject to web sites. If you haven't "surfed the net" yet for marine stuff, try it! First stop should be our own www.byc.com, with lots of help for northwest boaters (including all my old columns). But another site is www.boatus.com, operated by BOAT/U.S. It's just getting started, but looks promising. If you work on boats a lot, try www.siri.org/index.html. This site is the "Vermont Safety Information Resources on the Internet" has lots of data about marine-related safety and links to other sites.
In 1973 there were 1754 deaths from boating accidents. In 1996, there were 716, with 54 of these coming from "Personal Watercraft" (Jetskis), in spite the the much greater number of boats. The vast majority of these deaths are in "small" boats, under 16- 18 feet, and many involve alcohol. The bottom line is that boating, properly done is a safe sport, and getting safer.
I've written a 16-page booklet called "Maneuvering Inboard-Engine Powerboats". It covers both twin and single engine operation concepts and procedures, some key knots, etc. Most of the discussion points include useful diagrams or checklists.
After I had a preliminary printing to give to my maneuvering-lesson-students, I discovered (naturally, too late) several typos. I have delivered about 30 of these to the Yacht Club for them to give away to the first 30 BYC members, so pick one up, if you wish: to you they're free - - - but no squawking about those printing boo-boos!
Happy and safe winter planning, fixing-up, and cool cruising, and Happy New Year!
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Last updated 12/26/97 by SCR