Securing in Marina

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Akapeterc,

I have seen a number of boats in Oz that have old T-shirts covering them, the idea being that cloth is softer than the fender material. I made covers for our fenders out of track suit material from Spotlight. Easy to make. Cheap, too. And keeps the plasticizer from coming out on the hull when the fenders are old.

If you can, get a boat-knowledgeable friend to keep an eye on the boat for you, run the engine, check lines and sumps while you are gone. Usually the boat is fine on its own for extended periods, but it lends peace of mind to have someone you trust looking in on her from time to time.

Ann

Someone to just walk around the boat, open the cabin, poke around a little. Someone noticed a boat in the marina riding a little low, got aboard. Hose bringing raw water into the engine had cracked and was now bringing raw water into the boat.

So I went through my entire boat, checked all the hoses, clamps, thru-holes. All the hoses were fine, and the one bringing raw water into the engine was brand new. Even though the engine installer generally did a fantastic job, he used non-marine clamps on that hose. Put them on properly, two on each end, one clockwise and one counter-clockwise -- but two of the four literally fell into pieces when we removed them they were so rusty. Needless to say, they were replaced.

Doesn't matter whether or not the hose is in good shape if it falls off!