Boat IQ

Propspeed

john — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 03:50:49 +0000

Information

Propspeed™ prevents marine growth from bonding to metal surfaces below the waterline. Propspeed™ works because it is slick, not because it is toxic.

Coverage

250ml kit will cover 2 x 23″ props
500ml kit will cover 2 x 24-42″ props
1000ml kit will cover 2 x 43″+ up props

Shelf Life After Product is Open

approximately 6 months

More Information

http://www.propspeedusa.com/

Distress Buttons, DSC and MMSI

john — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 03:22:45 +0000

Almost all new fixed mount radios sold today have a distress button – but what does this button do? The distress button is part of a broader system known as Digital Selective Calling – a part of the USCG Rescue 21 system and is an extremely helpful and useful tool – both for Search and Resuce as well as fishermen and cruisers.

DSC allows you to send a pre-formatted mayday call to the USCG, provided you have registered your radio and have input you MMSI! This tells the Coast Guard information about you and your boat. One of the major additions with the DSC is also the ability to tie in your VHF to your GPS – when the radio is tied with your GPS, your position is automatically sent along with the mayday call – and when full integration is completed your chartplotter will also display the location of other boats around you that are in distress – allowing for faster response times, and higher level of Safety at Sea.

DSC also has the ability for you to monitor where your tournament fishing friends are, and help track where your cruising group is around you through its position polling and request features. This allows for discreet monitoring of friends on the water as well as safety monitoring of cruisers in your group when headed out in a big group.

For more information regarding the Rescue 21 system check out the USCG Page on Rescue 21 – click here.

If you have not registered your radio and received an MMSI – we recommend registering through BoatUS for free – click here.

Ethanol and marine engines

john — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 03:18:41 +0000

We all know ethanol is bad news for the marine environment and marine engines. This article is not designed to tell you anything that all the other sites have already told you. This article is designed to give you places to look to find out – from the engine manufacturers – what they say about ethanol and their engines, as well as provide a couple of ideas for preventing ethanol from ruining your weekend boating fun.

Tips to prevent ethanol problems:

Fuel – stabilize and treat your fuel – use something like Startron, Valvtect Ethanol, Biobor Ethanol Buster, or Sta-bil Marine – every time you put gas in
Filters – keep a spare filter aboard your boat and a filter wrench – ethanol absorbs water (think about your fuel tank vent)
Fuel Lines – J1527 is the ethanol resistant rating – remember “resistant” doesn”t mean its ethanol proof – check regularly

These 3 tips can help you out on the water with your family and friends and not succumbing to the “Ethanol Problem”.

Engine Manufacturers talk about Ethanol

Mercury/Mercruiser – Click Here
Honda – Click Here
Yamaha – Click Here
Evinrude/Johnson – Nothing found as yet
Suzuki – Nothing found as yet