Hi Dan,

A lot depends on how much oil heads your way. If there is just a very light film on the water, then you shouldn't have too much trouble. Although, I would avoid running the water maker as oil definitely has a serious negative effect on the membranes. Remember your sea water inlets are below the water level and oil floats on the surface - - so assuming the water is not heavily fouled with oil, the rest of your systems should be OK. If the water becomes heavily fouled, then you need to take action by closing all the thru-hulls (these should be closed anyway when not in use) as filling the sea water side of your heat exchanger with an oily mess can only be bad; same with the heads and holding tanks.

Removing oil from the water line is not to much trouble, a bit of bio-degradable dish liquid will do the job fine, but my concern might be if a storm came through whilst the oil was around and blew oil onto the decks and topsides.

I recommend keeping a close eye on the situation, make sure your thru-hulls are closed, and prep the boat to haul if the situation gets really bad. I've seen the photos and to be sure it's a sad situation to have to deal with.

Best,

Captain Ian Fagg

Hi Ron,

I recently answered a similar question about a boat "not being for sale to U.S. citizens while in U.S. waters." Look up that answer as part of it pertains to your situation as well. Also, I invoke the same disclaimer for that answer, that I am not a lawyer and I am not providing legal advise.

That said, here's your answer. Get a good broker to represent you in the purchase. Take delivery of the yacht off-shore, that way you avoid sales tax all together. You will have to pay U.S. Duty when you bring it back into U.S. waters, but this is much less than the sales tax. Personally, I would document the yacht in Delaware as it is a "duty free" state. This is done all the time and your broker can guide you down this simple path. I would also talk to Atlantic Documentation in Annapolis, MD as they specialize in this sort of thing and can handle the entire process for you.

Now regarding California. You said the boat won't be in California waters, at least for a while. However, being a California resident, the state will attempt to collect personal property tax and that is why it is important that you document monthly expenditures such as dockage, fuel, repair bills that will prove the boat was not in California waters. As far as sales tax goes, the sale didn't take place in California, the boat isn't in California and therefore California isn't entitled to sales tax. Again you may be asked to prove that and that is why I would work with Atlantic Documentation.

Check with your broker, but I believe if you have owned the boat for more than one year, you can then legally bring the yacht into California waters without paying sales tax; it might be eighteen months now.  Again you will need documentation of the ownership period. But if you eventually do bring the boat to California waters and keep it there, then ultimately you will end up paying personal property tax.

Get yourself a good broker, talk to Atlantic Documentation and it will all go smoothly.

Hope this helps,

Captain Bob Wellen

Hi Richard,

This is an interesting problem, stray current is exactly that, it meanders wherever there is an electrical pathway. In other words it's not selective. The perplexing issue is that you say the port-side anode doesn't decompose, but the starboard-side anode does. You also state that the halos and corrosion on the metal underwater parts is worse on the port side where the anode doesn't decompose. This begs the question - - is there and a break in the electrical connection to the port-side zinc anode? That's where I would start.

Moving on, let's assume you've verified that the port anode has electrical connection, then we have to look a stray current sources. Preforming a stray current test is pretty simple when the boat is out of the water. Just take a regular voltmeter and attach the negative lead to the negative side of your service batteries, then touch the positive probe one at a time to the engine block, propeller shaft, your bonded system, keel bolts (if you have them), bow thruster casing (again if you have one), ans so on until you find the source of the stray current. With the boat out of the water the current should read very close to 0.0 Volts. If you do find a stray current then try to isolate it by switching off one at a time at the switch panel the various electrical appliances until you see the voltage disappear. Once you isolate the source, then you can trace the wires back to the offending item.

I recently had to do this on a new Swan 82 and managed to trace a stray current back to some faulty wiring in a compass light. I only took me about half a day, so it's a much less daunting task than it may seem.

However, the fact that your halos and corrosion appear more on the port side and the port side anode isn't decomposing at more or less the same rate as the starboard side suggests to me that the connection to the port side anode is damaged in some way or possibly severed.

Hope this helps.  Good luck.

Captain Ian Fagg

Hi Danny,

First a disclaimer - I am not a lawyer and I'm not giving legal advice and I do recommend you get a legal opinion.

What the broker told you about "the boat not being for sale to U.S. citizens in U.S. waters" is a very common occurrence and not to be concerned with, everything is above board here. What this has to do with is "sales tax" or topics along this line. Most likely, the boat was probably never imported into the U.S., but is owned by a U.S. citizen who, like you, kept or will keep the boat in non-U.S. waters (i.e. the Bahamas). Realizing that the boat would not spend much time in U.S. waters, the owner determined that it didn't make financial sense to pay the tax in the U.S. This is done all the time.

Your broker can guide you down this common and simple path. To legally fly the U.S. flag the boat must be registered or documented in the U.S. You can buy the boat in the Bahamas and import it into the U.S. and "register" it in the state you live in, or you can document the vessel in a duty free state like Delaware which would be my choice. Or you can simply leave the vessel foreign flagged in whatever country it is currently registered.

What you need to do is talk with your broker about all the options and a "Yacht Documentation" company like Atlantic Documentation in Annapolis, Maryland; they specialize in this sort of thing. Click HERE to go to their website.

Hope this helps, good luck with your new boat,

Captain Bob Wellen

Hello Glenn,

Basically you have three choices for covering the cushions: 1. Standard cotton canvas; 2. Vinyl coated polyester canvas; and 3. Acrylic canvas. All of these will give you a comfortable cushion to sit and sleep on in hot weather, but they each have advantages and disadvantages.

First, standard cotton canvas is inexpensive when compared against the two synthetic choices. That's its chief advantage, but it is also breathable and easy to work with. The chief disadvantage is mildew. There are spray on treatments that will retard mildew growth, but if you expect the area to be frequently wet with bathing suits, SCUBA gear, etc., and it sounds like that's what you expect, then cotton canvas is probably not the best solution.

Next, is vinyl coated polyester canvas.  This product comes in several trade names, with Aqualon and Odyssey being the most popular. It is a synthetic canvas coated with vinyl resin on the top and a water-resistant finish on the bottom. It's a good product and easy to work with and cheaper than the acrylic canvas that I will discuss below. The chief advantage is that it is virtually waterproof and mildew resistant. Also, because it is vinyl the color doesn't fade in sunlight. The chief disadvantage is it doesn't breathe and on hot nights it will still be uncomfortable to sleep on. But for areas that are frequently wet, this is a great choice and much better than naugahyde.

Last, the acrylic marine canvas is your best choice. There are several brands, the most popular being Sunbrella, but Outdura is also exceptional and less expensive. Advantages for marine use include UV resistance, water repellent, fade resistant, long-life and tear resistance. But most importantly, it breathes. The only disadvantage is cost, of the three choices, acrylic marine canvas is the most expensive. It does come in both 60' and 40' sizes so you can minimize wastage.

So to answer you question, I would go with acrylic marine canvas options. It will give you a nice seating surface and a breathable sleeping surface. Sunbrella comes in lots of different colors and patterns, Outdura has all the basic colors, but either one is a great choice for your application.

Hope this helps.  Good luck,

Captain Mike Clayton

Hello Art,

If you are planning to take the rudders right back to bare metal, then you should use a suitable metal primer before applying the bottom paint. Check the paint manufacturer's recommendations of specific primers and methodology for painting onto bare metal. 

If however, the paint is in good condition and has been previously painted with the same product as the bottom coat, then you can go ahead with giving it a light sanding (80 grit) and re-apply the same paint over the top. Remember, the paint is ablative so sand lightly and make sure you don't go down to bare metal, otherwise you will need to prime. Also, make sure you give it a good wash with soap and water to remove any sanding dust and let it dry well before re-coating.

On the annode, the most important thing is that it make full contact with the whole of it's surface area to the bare metal of the rudder/trim tab. It doesn't really matter if you remove the annode before or after you paint, just don't paint under where it goes and don't paint the annode itself, it needs water contact to do its job.

Best regards,

Captain Ian Fagg

Hi Rick,

So far it looks like you've been doing all the right things and it sounds like you know what you are doing with the volt meter. I always start with the potentially simplest cause first, so in this case I would check the Tachometer unit itself and perhaps you have already. There is usually a fuse in the back of the unit, so check that first.  Then remove the Tachometer unit from the circuit and use the volt meter to test the continuity to make sure there isn't a short in the unit itself. Commonly, there can be corrosion in the ground wire, or in the ground circuit that could cause the Tachometer to peg when powered. Although the clock works, it is independent of the Tachometer and does not guarantee that a short isn't present in the Tachometer circuitry. The fact that it pegs before even starting the engine tells me there is something wrong with the ground circuit.

If it is not the unit itself, then you will need to systematically check the continuity of the wires you replaced, right down to the terminals they are attached to, and perhaps you have already done that.

Assuming the continuity checks are OK, then it is possible that you have a ground fault somewhere in your engine circuit. I once had a battery cable that passed very close to the engine mount. Eventually, the plastic coating wore off of the cable and the wire came in contact with the engine block and all my electronics went crazy. Try testing the voltage between the battery -ve and the engine block, of course it should read close to 0.7 volts, but if you have more than that, then there could be some +ve volts getting in somewhere. The oil pressure sender is often a culprit, but you indicated that it is working properly, so it is unlikely to be this, but I would check just to be sure.

Lastly, I would try to get hold of a spare Tachometer, wire it into the circuit and see if it behaves the same. You're doing all the right things, but I would concentrate on the ground circuit, or the unit itself.

Once you get to the bottom of this, drop me a line with what you find, I'm curious. Hope this puts you on the right trail.

Good luck,

Captain Ian Fagg

Hi Daniel,

In my opinion, the most knowledgeable guy in marine electronics is Phil Lee with Cay Electronics in Portsmouth, RI. Rather than answer myself, I called Phil and here is his answer.  Personally, I would take his recommendation.

"There are many brands of hand held GPS units available but the most economical is a GPS “Puck” that is just a receiver and is powered by your USB port on the computer. Holux make some as do other manufacturers like Garmin and they can be found on the Internet for as little as $35 plus shipping

 See this link. http://www.google.com/products?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4ACGW_enUS345US357&q=usb+gps+receiver+for+laptops&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=EJCqS7nOEdvNjAe8zuj4BA&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCEQrQQwAA

As for hand held units Garmin units tend to output a proprietary sentence and a second “Utility Program” is needed to convert this into the more common NMEA format. My advice would to look at the Magellan series as many of their units can output a NMEA sentence that is compatible with all charting software.

 See link. http://www.magellangps.com/products/product.asp?segID=425&prodID=1912 

The cable is an optional extra, but overall the Magellan will be the easiest and most economical to interface with your computer navigation software. It's a simple plug and play setup.

Phil Lee"

So, pardon me for pawning this question off on Phil, but I trust his opinion and would follow his lead in anything involving marine electronics.

All the best,

Captain Ian Fagg

Hi Daniel,

In my opinion, the most knowledgeable guy in marine electronics is Phil Lee with Cay Electronics in Portsmouth, RI. Rather than answer myself, I called Phil and here is his answer.  Personally, I would take his recommendation.

"There are many brands of hand held GPS units available but the most economical is a GPS “Puck” that is just a receiver and is powered by your USB port on the computer. Holux make some as do other manufacturers like Garmin and they can be found on the Internet for as little as $35 plus shipping

 See this link. http:// "

Hi Tom,

Well that's an interesting question. The short answer as alarming as it may be is YES it's true, PFD's do not have to be worn to count. The long answer is it depends on who is on board. For example, are children under the age of 16 on board, if so, they MUST be wearing the PFD.

I'm not familir with the ABC class you are referring to, but here is a link to the US Coast Guard page that outlines the requirements for PFD's:

http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/life_jacket_wear_wearing_your_life_jacket.aspx

Though "NOT REQUIRED", a PFD should be worn at all times when the vessel is underway, but at a minimum, you must have a U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, III, or V life jacket "READILY ACCESSIBLE" for each person aboard, and for boats 16 feet and over must have at least one Type IV throwable device as well.

But the story doesn't end there, in addition to being readily accessible, the following are also required:

- PFD's can't be stored in plastic bags, or in locked storage lockers, or underneath equipment, lines, or other things that impeed quick access to the PFD's.

- You must show your passengers where PFD's are located and demonstrate the proper way to put the PFD on in a reasonable amount of time during an emergency.

- Inflatable PFD's must have a full cylinder and all status indicators on the inflator must be green, or the device is NOT serviceable, and does NOT satisfy the PFD requirement.

- Inflatable PFD's cannot be used for children under 16 years of age. Special life jackets are available, must be worn snugly, so as to not allow the child’s chin or ears to slip through.

There are some additional rules for children, water skiers, white-water boating, kiteboarding, etc. But the answer to your question is PFD's do not have to be worn to be counted.

Hope this helps, best,

Captain Craig Bliss

Hi Tom,

I'm a maritime attorney and marine insurance broker and Craig's answer is correct, BUT I would like to expand on that answer from the legal perspective. First, the best non-legal answer is "Wear it", a PFD can't help save your life unless you are wearing it.

The Department of Homeland Security (Coast Guard) regulation on the subject is 33 CFR; Section 175.15 and states in part:

1. No person may use a recreational vessel unless at least one PFD of the following types is on board for each person. Types allowed are type I, II and III).

2. If the vessel is 16 feet or greater in length, you also need in addition to the PFD's above, one type IV throwable PFD.

3. No person may operate a recreational vessel under way with any child under 13 years old aboard, unless each child is wearing an appropriate Coast Guard approved PFD, or the child is below deck or in an enclosed cabin.

4. As Craig stated, the PFD's must be readily accessible, so I won't elaborate on that subject.

The above are the basics, but watch out for these exceptions!!!

5. If the applicable State statute establishes any requirement for children of a certain age to wear an appropriate PFD approved by the Coast Guard, then that requirement applies on the waters subject to the State's jurisdiction instead of the federal requirement for children under age 13.

So, to answer your question, during a vessel inspection by the Coast Guard, you will have to establish that you have the right number of "wearable" PFD's for the adults and that they are approved and in good, serviceable condition and of suitable size. One way to establish that the PFD is of suitable size is to wear them. Children must be wearing properly fitted PFD's specially designed for children. There is no requirement for adults to wear PFD's, but the inspector will want to know that they are onboard, available and properly sized. Remember also, that for water skiing and Personal Watercraft riders, the PFD must be worn and an impact rating is recommended.

NOTE: If State law has stricter requirements, then for waters subject to the State's jurisdiction, the Coast Guard will enforce the more stringent State rule.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Cary Wiener, J.D.

President, Pantaenius Insurance

Hi Richard,

The answer lies in the total amps of stored power. The 6-volt batteries hooked in series have more total cranking power. Most likely Egg Harbor chose the set up because of battery technology in 1984 and the 454 engines require a lot of cranking power. However, battery technology has improved dramatically in the last twenty years so today a single 12-volt deep cycle marine battery will work just as well. Hope this answer helps.

Best,

Captain Bob Wellen

Hi Richard,

The reason Egg Harbor used two 6-volt batteries in series is that their construction is of very thick walled, all lead plates, which can be drawn deeper than a regular 12-volt battery. Today you can buy deep cycle 12-volt batteries, but for the same number of amps, they will be much bigger, heavier and more expensive than using the current setup.  For this reason, the 2 x 6-volt setup is often used for "house" batteries.

However, I think the batteries you are talking about are "start" batteries. If so, the 2 x 6-volt advantage is nill over modern 12-volt batteries. It is not the deep cycle you need (ability to give a fixed voltage for a long time) it is high load you need for a short time, in which case the 12-volt batteries will be fine.

Your engine manual will tell you what is recommended as a cold cranking amps value, this means the number of amps the battery is able to put out for a short period of time (usually only a few seconds) to start your engines from cold. Make sure the total number of amps in the batteries you buy matches this figure (e.g. 2 x 12-volt at 100 amps each in parallel will give you 200 amps of 12VDC).

Hope this helps, regards.

Captain Ian Fagg

Hi Richard,

The 454's are high compression and powerful engines and the reason you have 2 x 6VDC in series is that you will get higher load service, i.e. more cranking power for your money. Also, even though you need twice as many batteries, the 6VDC batteries are smaller and cheaper than equivalent amp 12VDC batteries. However, at the end of the day it doesn't really matter which way you go so long as you provide the proper number of cranking amps.

There are some other considerations though. For example, 12VDC batteries in parallel will leach off of the weaker battery (one battery is always weaker) while discharging. Additionally, more than likely you will have to change your battery storage boxes if you convert.  There's an old adage - if it ain't broke, don't fix it, so in my opinion you should stick with your current arrangement, no pun intended.

All the best,

Captain Craig Bliss