THE BOAT DOCTOR
Q: Dear Doc, what is your opinion of using a portable generator aboard my boat? Is it safe? Is it legal?
Bob Van De Berg
Lansing, Michigan
A: It is legal—although you cannot use a portable generator and install it like a built-in generator. It must be on deck. Still, I am generally against them. There is the problem of what to do with the exhaust, which can be deadly, as well as challenges in securing them in a safe manner. My advice is to install a genset (like the one above), use an inverter, or make do with less electricity.
Q:TUBE TIME
How can I tell if my wake tower is installed with enough strength to tow a tube from?
Jack Ellison St. Louis
A: You should not tow a tube from a tower. A tube puts an inordinate strain on the line compared to skiing or boarding. The extra height of a tower gives this force a longer lever arm with which to act on the fasteners. More importantly, such great force applied via such a long lever can cause the boat to lose control or even flip over if the tube submerges while being towed.
Tow from a transom tow eye or a bridle secured across transom rings.
OOPSIE!
Q: Another boat crashed into my boat at the dock. The bow rail is damaged, and I think I can bend it back in shape if I remove it. (I also know that a welder can fix it or make new sections, if need be.) But I am having a problem removing it. Most of the screws just spin free. There is no way to get a wrench on the nuts under the bow deck.
Lenny Dietz, Penetanguishene, Canada
A: Cleats, bow rails and other deck fittings are often installed before the deck is fastened to the hull. Repairs later, as you are finding out, are more difficult. In your case, look for access and be prepared to get creative.
For example, if there is an anchor locker, you can probably reach the underside of some of the stanchion bases. Use a long-handled socket wrench, and you might be able to reach more. Also, are there stereo speakers on the bow? If so, they can be removed for access.
Next, go below into the cabin. You may have to look inside lockers or cabinets, or remove some headliner material. You almost certainly will be shoulder-deep in reach and end up with scratched arms and scraped knuckles. But the job will get done. This is the nature of boat repairs and one reason for the cost of such repairs.
BOAT BEARDS
Q: I often notice a fuzz or fur of grass or weeds forming on my trim tabs, transducers and the waterline of my hull about midseason. I scrub it off, but it ends up coming back even heavier. Another boater noticed my scrubbing and stated that I was removing the fouling and also the anti-fouling paint. Is this true? How should I handle this midseason fouling? Howard Mann New York City
A: Your fellow boater might be right. If your boat’s hull is coated with an ablative paint, which in simple terms wears away to expose fresh biocide, then yes, you are removing protection when you scrub. If, however, you coat your hull with an epoxy or so-called “hard” bottom paint, it can be scrubbed.
The ablative paint wears away as part of how it is engineered. In so doing, the surface is super-smooth and the coating does not build up over time. It can also be reactivated after being out of the water so that you can get more than one season from it. The hard paint leaches biocide into the water, but the paint carrier remains and over time builds up to a cratered, pock-marked surface that robs efficiency and must be sanded smooth. Hard paints are not multiseason.
Back to your question. Try one of two things: Switch to an ablative paint that specifically states “fights slime.” That’s what the fur you describe is called, slime. (Old salts call it a beard.) Or coat your hull with a hard, scrubbable paint, knowing the surface will need to be sanded after several seasons.
Some boaters will also paint the waterline with a hard, scrubbable paint—so they can scrub it—and the rest of the hull with an ablative, taking advantage of each coating’s unique properties.
CLEAN SWEEP
Q: What’s the best boat soap? John Gardner South Padre Island, Texas
A: I find that on general dirt and grime, any basic boat soap or mild household detergent such as Simple Green and others does a good job with the least impact on the environment. That said, stains on fabric and vinyl, extra-aggressive nonskid surfaces, blood and guts from fishing, grease and other tougher stains might require more aggressive and specialty cleaners. Care must be taken with powerful cleaners, which can damage vinyl, remove wax or produce other undesirable affects.