COMPASS HAZE

Q:My compass works fine, but the glass bowl has become scratched and hazy. Can I clear it up?

Thom McNeil

Charlotte, North Carolina

A:Yes, you can use a light polish—toothpaste or a paste made from water and baking soda may do—to remove haze and scratches.

SPEAKER WIRE

Q: I have a new stereo to wire and a bunch of unused, tinned-copper, 12-gauge duplex marine wire left over from another job. Can I use that for speaker wire?

Jon Mattera Johnson City,

Tennessee

A: Yes, provided the terminations you use to slide onto the speaker terminals will fit. Many speakers use quite small spade terminals.

READER TIP

Q: Regarding the answer to Dale McCaffery in the May issue (“Heater Hose,” page 35), my boat has the same heater as the one in the photo, and also blew off a hose and cracked a fitting. The boat is a 43-foot express cruiser powered with twin 420 hp Caterpillars, which have a normal cruising temperature of about 195 degrees F. We had been cruising for about three or four hours when the elbow at the hot end blew off. The cause? The water heater has the internal coil to circulate engine coolant to heat the water in the heater tank. After running for that length of time, the water in the heater became much hotter than it would be after using only electricity. The high water temperature softened the plastic elbow, which, with the pressure of the water, failed. The plastic elbow was replaced with a brass one, which fixed the problem and prevented further problems of that nature.

David Mathis Schuylerville,

New York USCG Master

A: Thanks, Captain!