commissioning Archives - Page 2 of 2

Summer Days

The first day of summer, Saturday, June 20, is just about a week away and the harbor boat population is still a few heads short of a full herd. It’s been a tough spring – rainy and cold, overhung by a global pandemic which has impacted virtually everyone in the world. This environment has, in many cases, derailed the spring commissioning train, leaving many boats on the hard longer than anticipated. While some areas of the country enjoy a wide boating window, here in the Northeast that is not the case, making every day on the water, precious. So, in [...]

June 12th, 2020|

In God We Trust

It is almost June and, unfortunately, many of us are still ensnared in pre-launch activities. One of those tasks, of course, is replacing defective equipment and this year, the small water-sensing bilge pump was on the list. Last Saturday, I purchased a new pump at the local yard, and then, with some difficulty, installed the pump under the engine before moving on to other tasks on the list. Things proceeded according to plan for the remaining morning hours until during a short break it occurred to me that the normal pump buzzing sound, typically projected every few minutes when it [...]

May 29th, 2020|

Safety First

A critical part of the spring commissioning process is checking out the safety equipment: PFDs, signaling kit components, fire extinguishers, marine radios, etc. Static PFDs should be examined for wear and tear and inflatable PFDs should be checked not only for integrity, but also for expired cartridges. Some signaling kit components such as the orange flag and whistle, are evergreen, and can be used year after year. But, other pieces, specifically the flares, have a fairly narrow shelf life and should be checked for expiration dates annually. Fire extinguisher pressure gauges should be reviewed to determine readiness. And, clear access [...]

May 24th, 2020|

Checklists Help

It’s mid-May and many of us are knee-deep in the spring commissioning process, in a socially distant manner. There are a multitude of tasks to be accomplished including: sanding and painting the bottom; washing and waxing the topsides; cleaning the cabin and cockpit; exercising the thru-hulls; checking the gas tank; clearing bilge debris; etc. Some of the tasks like spraying preservatives on the seats are relatively superfluous, while others such as ensuring that all the battery connections are tight and greased, are mission-critical. Even on a small powerboat, I find the tasks to be extensive and peace of mind is [...]

May 21st, 2020|

Spring Commissioning Bargains

Currently, we’re in middle of the COVID-19 pandemic which is causing global issues along many lines, including: personal, social, and economic health. And, with travel restrictions becoming increasingly restrictive, the whole situation casts a somewhat dark cloud over the spring commissioning process. However, there might be a bright spot, namely, special retail sales. With retailers suffering in general, marine suppliers are offering extraordinary deals, with discounts of up to 50% off featured on their websites. All you need to do to take advantage of the special prices is to enter your order online and wait for the products to arrive [...]

March 22nd, 2020|

80 Grit

In spite of cold and windy weather conditions that seemed more like early March than late April, spring commissioning efforts began this weekend and 80 grit seemed to be the right roughness for attacking the old bottom paint. If you've ever sanded a bottom, you know what a dirty job it can be. Toxic anti-fouling paint dust not only gets on the hull and clothing, but also into your eyes, ears, and throat. Naturally, you wear protective clothing, goggles, and a respirator, but still the fine particles seem to find a way through. And if you're "lucky" enough to have your boat [...]

April 26th, 2015|