In this article I will touch on battery choice and some of the basics to maintaining them. There are basically two tasks for boat batteries (your DC system) -starting your engines and running your electrical components such as lighting, refrigeration, bilge pumps etc. Most boats would ideally
Spring cleaning tips
We are blessed as boaters in South East Queensland with our year round mild weather. However, we do get a winter of sorts, and there are days, particularly those strong westerlies where, while it is beautiful in the harbour, probably not so pleasant down the bay. These are the perfect days to do
Polishing your boat.
Polishing and maintaining your boat’s surface In a previous article for the Mainsheet, I mentioned how I once heard a boat broker talking about ‘lucky’ and ‘unlucky’ boats. He was referring to the contrasting ways different owners maintain their boats. I spend most days in and about various
Mooring Lines
The high winds we experienced on the Australia Day weekend from ex-cyclone Oswald, were a wake up call for many owners regarding their mooring line set ups. While a lot of the old timers and experienced boaters have seen this before, you only need to walk around the marina to see who wasn’t
Bird deterrents – do they work?
Recordings of Elvis Presley or the sound of tortured seagulls, chilli paste on mastheads, Falconry and glued glass shards are just some of the extreme measures boat owners go to in a bid to rid their boats of birds and their calling cards! While all the products and ideas people use to deter
Maintaining your engine room.
The joy of boat ownership means different things to different people. For some, engine room maintenance is a long way down the list of reasons why they love owning a boat. Of course there are always extreme cases, like the eccentric English solo sailor I met many years ago at Middle Percy Island. He
Choosing the right anchor.
When you spend as much time walking around marinas as I do, you find yourself looking at a lot of anchors! An interesting observation is the ever increasing popularity of the ‘new breed’ of anchor designs _ I’m referring to the spade and roll-bar styles. Once choosing an anchor was simple, you were
Preparing for Christmas ‘down the bay’.
The Christmas break is here, and it has me recalling fond memories of spending many Christmas holidays ‘down the bay’ on the family boats. As a young boy, the lessons learnt messing about in boats on these extended holidays were priceless. Lasting friendships were made with other boating kids, and
Tips to Help Prevent Mould
Recent months of wet weather have left many boat owners with a dilemma - they have been experiencing significantly more mould and mildew growth than usual in their boats. I have even noticed heavy mould growth on the inside of flybridge clears which I haven’t seen to this extent for years! It’s a