Topics by ABC

• Accessibility

• Why Internal Hull Areas Should Be Accessible
  Are There Bogymen in Your Basement?

Battery

• Solving Chronic Battery Problems
• Battery Basics

Bilge Pumps

• ALL ABOUT BILGE PUMPS
  Those Essential Devices for Keeping Your Boat Off the Bottom
• Bilge Water Blues
  How to get rid of that last inch of water

Blisters

• Blisters Again?
  Wonderful World of Hull Blistering And Other Interesting Scams
• Failed Blister Repairs: A Case History and Solutions
• To Buy, or Not to Buy... A Blistered Boat That is.
• Avoiding the Blister Blues
  Good Detection and Communication Techniques Critical to Avoiding Complaints
• My Wet Hull Won't Dry The 8 Grand Conundrum
• Blister Repairs Part II
  The Alchemist Still Hasn't Found the Philosopher's Stone

Boat Handling at Sea

• Rough Water Seamanship  Part I
• Rough Water Seamanship  Part II
• Rough Water Seamanship Part III Getting Caught in Thunder Storms

Boat Safety at Sea

• Carbon Monoxide Alert
• Navigation Lights
• Boat Safety at Sea - Part I
  Why  do so many small boats founder in the ocean? We take a look at this problem and provide some answers on how to avoid becoming a statistic.
• Boat Safety at Sea - Part II

Cored Hulls

• Are They Fiberglass Boats Anymore?
• Cored Hull Bottoms: The Final Word
• Core Materials
  The Hamburger Helper of Boat Building, Reviewed in the Light of History
• More on Cores
  And Why New Boat Surveys are Becoming a Necessity.
• Composites - High Tech Materials in Boat Building
  The Pros and Cons of Space Age Materials in Boat Building. What it Means for the Consumer
• Sea Ray and Balsa Core Bottoms

Corrosion

• Corrosion (with 9 photos )
  A Boatman's Primer on the Essentials
• Corrosion in Marinas The Hot Dock

Design & Construction Faults

• Top Twenty Design & Construction Faults
  Updated for Y2K
• Bubble Decks
  The Space Shuttle Goes to Sea or How Chris Craft Nearly Ended My Career
• Hull Design Defects Part I
• Hull Design Defects Part II
• Surveying Boats With Molded Integral Grid Systems
• The Hull - to - Deck Joint

Diesel Engines

• Comparing Diesel Types
  Two Cycle, Four Cycle
• More on Performance Diesels
  And How Money Grows Wings
• Diesel Engines
  Report on Aluminum Cooling System  Component Failures

Docking

• Docking in Style
  With Twin Screw Boats

Electrical Systems

• Tips on Electrical System Use and Maintenance

Engine Maintenance

• Diesel Maintenance Or Lack of it
• Maintenance Fundamentals Part I - Engines

Overhauls

• It's Got Recent Overhauls!
  Dealing With Engines -  Part I
• What Does an Overhaul Entail?
  Dealing With Engines - Part II

Engine/Shaft Alignment

• Troubleshooting Problems Involving Engine/Shaft Alignment
• Drive System Alignment

Exhaust Risers

• Exhaust Risers
  Whether you're a stinkpotter or rag boater, this arcane and disinteresting subject is of major importance to your wallet.

Fuel Tank

• How to Install an Aluminum Fuel Tank
  . . . . So you Don't Have to Do It Again
• The Myth of Condensation in Fuel Tanks

Gas or Diesel

• Gas Versus Diesel
  Power Options Part I
• Gas -vs- Diesel
  Power Options Part II

Gas Engines

• Gas Engines
  4 Gold Stars to Crusader

Hardware Attachment

• Attaching Hardware to Your Boat
  Taking the quick and easy way out by just ramming in a few screws through a cored structure can and does cause thousands of dollars of unexpected damage.

Hull to Deck Joints

• Screw It!
  Graphic Reasons Why Screws Shouldn't be Used to Fasten Boat Parts
• The Hull - to - Deck Joint
  A Critical Look at This Often Under-rated Element of Boat Quality

Hurricanes Preparations

• Safe Harbor - Lessons learned from recent hurricanes 
• Finding Refuge
  From Hurricanes & Tropical Storms: The Finer Points
• Your Legal Obligation During a Storm
• Hurricane Season 2000 - The Problem of Complacency

Insurance Issues

• Latent Defects
  Little Understood Term Results in
  Boat Owners Not Taking Advantage of Insurance Coverage
• What to do if Your Boat Is Hurricane Damaged
  ..., your insurance policy obligates you to take all reasonable actions to preserve it from further loss and damage.

Leaks

• Dealing With Leaks
  This article deals primarily with sailboat leak problems. However, the principles and methods discussed here apply equally well to power boats.
• Deck Leaks
• How to Repair Window Leaks
• Is Your Boat a Leaky Tiki?
  If so, it's probably going to cost you big bucks if you don't get those leaks fixed fast.
• Leaking Stuffing Boxes
  How to Prevent $15,000 Worth of Damage for $5 and 30 Minutes of Your Time.
• Windows, Windows, Those Leaky, Leaking Windows

Moisture Meters

• Moisture Meters on Boat Hulls
  Do They Produce Reliable Results?

Older Boats

• How to Decide if Buying an Older Boat is Right for You.
  There are Great Values in Used Boats, But the Cost is More Than Just the Price.
• Fundamentals of Restoration Project-Part I
• Fundamentals of Restoration Projects-Part II

Painting Hull

• Tips for Painting Fiberglass Boats

Pump Repairs

• Repairing Diaphragm Pumps
• Repairing Rotary Vane Pumps

Rot

• Preventing Rot in Encapsulated Wood Structures

Screws

• Screw It!
  Graphic Reasons Why Screws Shouldn't be Used to Fasten Boat Parts

Sinking

• How to Keep Your Boat From Sinking
  A Simple Self-survey Can Prevent Big Trouble
• The EL TORO Tragedy
  An Independent Review of the Coast Guard Investigation Report - Sinking of EL TORO II in Chesapeake Bay
• ALL ABOUT BILGE PUMPS
  Those Essential Devices for Keeping Your Boat Off the bottom

Stern Drive

• Maintaining Stern Drives

Stolen Boats

• How to Avoid Purchasing a Stolen Boats

Storm Damage

• Storm Damaged Boats 
  Liability Risks for Failure to Report Inadequate Repairs Runs High.

Water Saturated Hull

• Illustration of Water Absorption from a Hull Interior
  Many Water Saturated Hulls Don't Blister .

Windows

• How to Repair Window Leaks
• Windows, Windows, Those Leaky, Leaking Windows

Winter Lay Up

• Winter Lay Up

Wood Boats

• Surveying Wood Hulls
• The EL TORO Tragedy
  An Independent Review of the Coast Guard Investigation

Sail Boat Axiliaries

• Sail Boat Auxiliaries
  And Why They Don't Last as Long as They Should