Hints and Tips: Boat Equipment

• Free Download Safety and Navigation Equipment Guide

• Equipment Review: Garmin GPSMAP 4008 Chart Plotter

• DIY Bailer

• Free on-line VHF/GMDSS Radio Course

• Types of Anchor

• Anchor Rope and Chain

• Live Bait Well

• New Lifetime Radio Licence

• VHF and GMDSS Short Range Certificate

• The Perils of Duplex VHF Channels

• VHF Range

• Softening Ropes

• Splashproof Electrical Junction Box

• Trailer Modifications

• Mooring Ropes

• Battery Troubleshooting

• Laptop Chartplotter

• VHF Aerial Connectors

• More Electrical Tips

• Adding a Fishfinder Transducer

• Non-Slip Decks
  

Free DownLoad: Safety and Navigation Equipment Guide

I have often been asked for a list of the safety equipment and other items that anyone buying or owning a boat for fishing should have on board. I have turned the relevant section in "Angling Boats" into a downloadable .pdf document which you can access here

Equipment Review: Garmin GPSMAP 4008 Chart Plotter

For a full review of one of the latest latest chart plotters from Garmin, including in-use photos from the Eastern Solent, click here

DIY Bailer

Bailers are handy for lots of things, in addition to scooping water out of the boat. (They are particularly handy for peeing into when a strong wind makes the usual method unpredicable!) Although they only cost a few quid, you can make one for free. Firstly obtain a strong, clean plastic container of the sort used for lubricants and other chemicals. (Remember to keep the cap!)   Make a cut at an angle from below the handle to the far corner. A band-saw makes this job very easy, but a hand saw or even a sharp knife will do.     Voila, the finished article. It really is that simple. It also serves as a funnel if you take the cap off.

Free VHF/GMDSS On-Line Course

It is not every day you find something free that is worth having (apart from this site of course). As far as I can make out, the Leonardo da Vinci Project to provide an free, on-line radio course has no catches - it genuinely is a free e-learning course. It closely follows the RYA course prospectus, although the area maps cover the Mediterranean rather than UK waters. All you have to do is register, log in with the password they send you, and follow the course. There is even a radio simulator. Here is the link: www.egmdss.com

Types of Anchor

There is a comprehensive section on choosing anchors in the book "Angling Boats". There have been many enquiries on web forums about anchors, so I have included an extract from the book here.

Each anchor has advantages and disadvantages, and many anglers swear by one or another. The weight of anchor to buy can also be a worry, so I would recommend that once you have selected a style of anchor, you ask someone knowledgeable in a yacht chandlers, and tell them the length and weight of your boat and the type of anchoring you intend to do. Anchors are sized by weight, and the only disadvantage of having one heavier than needed is the effort required to raise it. Different types of anchor are as follows:

Fisherman. This is the “traditional” anchor, used for centuries and still in widespread use. They usually have a folding “stock” which has to be pegged in place to ensure the flukes dig in the seabed. This makes them more cumbersome to use, and the protruding fluke and stoke are prone to tangling with the anchor chain. Fisherman anchors will not “self-stow” on a bow roller because of the protruding stock. You need a slightly heavier fisherman anchor to give the same holding power as other styles, which is a consideration when hauling up from a great depth.
Danforth Style. Good general purpose designs, and fold flat when not in use. Some people think they do not hold as well in some types of sea bed in my experience they work as well as any other style. They cannot be rigged to trip with a cord as they are designed to hinge and dig into the seabed from either side. Be careful when handling as fingers can be pinched between the stock and flukes. They can usually be persuaded to self-stow on a bow roller but need additional fastening due to the lack of an “elbow”.
CQR or Plough. As the name suggests these have a plough shaped head which may be fixed or hinged. They hold well in most sea beds and also nestle conveniently if you chose to stow your anchor permanently on a bow roller. If you do not, they are less convenient to store in the boat as they do not fold flat.
Bruce. This is a modern design with exceptional holding power for their weight. Like the plough anchor, unless they are stowed on a bow roller they are not very convenient to store as they do not fold flat.
Grapnel. These are available in smaller sizes at very low cost but are not as effective as the other styles except for rocky areas. Shop-bought ones have folding flukes which make them easy to store but have a habit of folding when in use as well. Home made grapnel anchors made of rebar (steel bar used to reinforce construction concrete) are probably the best option in very rocky and snaggy areas as the prongs will bend to allow a snagged anchor to be retrieved, and are cheap to replace if that fails.

Anchor Rope and Chain

You need a length of chain attached to the anchor approximately the same length as your boat. This is in turn connected to the anchor rope. The rope needs to absorb shocks and sink, so nylon and polyester are the best materials. You will need a length of between 3 and 5 times the depth of water. Rope is measured by the diameter - 10mm is the minimum because anything thinner is difficult to handle when hauling in. Multi-plait is nice to handle but expensive: three-strand is perfectly adequate.

Live Bait Well

I receive a lot of enquiries about bait wells. I am lucky enough to have an American-built boat, with a bait well built-in. You can make and fit your own if you are handy, so here is the design of mine. The water supply is pumped from the sea through a sea-cock (remember to close this when you leave the boat), and sprays into the top of the bait well. The outlet drains through the side of the hull, and here is a neat trick. The outlet from the well is at the bottom, and a push-fit "L" shaped tube keeps the water level to the tope of the tube. To drain the well, just pull the tube out. I have fitted a mesh cover to prevent sandeels making a run for it down the tube.

The bait well is not very large, probably 10 gallons at the most. As you can see, it is plenty large enough for a dozen joeys. The bait stays fresh because the inlet is constantly replacing the water with fresh cool seawater. Modern thinking now suggests bait wells should be circular to prevent bait crowding into a corner and stressing themselves.

I used to worry about battery drain when leaving the pump running, so I fitted a timer to the pump. This is adustable from full on, through to on for 30 seconds every five minutes. These are available mail order from US on-line tackle stores.

New Lifetime Radio Licence

The good news is that we no longer have to pay for a VHF Radio Licence every year, a lifetime licence is issued free of charge. If your details are already registered with Ofcom from a previous licence, they will send you a new licence in the post. In the letter are full instructions on how to make changes to your licence on-line. For new licences or to register on-line to change existing licences, follow this link:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/licensing/olc/

Don't I make it really easy for you?

I wonder how they will recoup that lost revenue. More checks and on the spot fines maybe? Surely not, it could never happen here.

VHF and GMDSS Short Range Certificate

If, like me, you took your VHF Operators course and exam many years ago, you may not be aware that you need an upgrade to the GMDSS Short Range Certificate. This involves some tuition on the use of the DSC features that are now standard on all new fixed radio sets, and re-sitting the RYA exam. Although there appears to be little policing of this in the UK, apparently our foreign friends are much more keen on imposing penalties on folk who are operating their radios without the correct certificates.

You can take the full GMDSS Short Range Certificate course in a single day followed by the certificate, or you can take the upgrade course which involves sitting in on the afternoon session of the full course. I can fully recommend the course run by RT Training in their training rooms in Universal Marina, Bursledon. I took the full course as a refresher and I am glad I did - there have been quite a few changes in the last 15 years. The course is run by John Finch and he is very knowledgeable, a good teacher and he makes a day in the classroom a very enjoyable experience.

The Perils of Duplex VHF Channels

The VHF frequencies available to anglers are allocated for different purposes. Some are single frequency, where the sender and receiver takes turns to transmit, and some are dual frequency (duplex) used for ship to shore. The most common duplex channel that small vessels use regularly is Channel 80, which is monitored by many marinas.

A vessel can call a marina on Channel 80, and the marina can reply. However, a second vessel cannot hear the first vessel because its set will not be tuned to receive the transmitting message from the fist vessel. This means it is very easy to accidentally interrupt a conversation between a vessel and a marina, simply because the vessel cannot be heard. This is explained with the diagram below. In crowded areas where there are several adjacent marinas such as in the Hamble, it is better to call the marina on your mobile phone.

VHF Range

Have you ever wondered how far a VHF signal will reach? It all depends on the height of the aerials, because VHF signals travel in a straight line. Due to the curvature of the Earth's surface, vessels with low aerials will have a shorter effective radio range than a yacht with an aerial mounted on top of the mast. This explains why you can often hear Portland Coastguard from off the Isle of Wight, but you can't year a small boat a few miles away. The Coastguard Shore Stations have very tall masts to give maximum radio range. The following diagram, used at the RYA VHF course, shows the approximate range from a shore station to different types of vessel.

Softening Ropes

After a while, ropes can become stiff and difficult to handle - probably due to salt drying in the fibres. To give rope a new lease of life, soak it overnight in a bucket of water to which you have added a cup of fabric conditioner. Rinse the rope out in the morning - it will be softer, but not as soft as it was when new. Better than it was, though.

Splashproof Electrical Junction Box

This box can be used to protect individual connectors, fuses, bus-bars, connection blocks or anything else for that matter. All you need is a plastic food-saver type box with a lid that seals. These are available in a variety of sizes from supermarkets and home stores. First, mount the box by screwing the base to a bulkhead. Seal under the screw heads with Sikaflex or silicone. Drill cable entry holes in the side, thread cables in and seal with grommets or more silicone. Connect your connectors, or fix your connector block, and snap the lid on. Job done, a nice waterproof house for your electrics for not much money. You can also mount a larger one (without any cable holes) to hold keys, watch, mobile phone etc. A suitable plastic lunch box would have a hinged lid - even better. Just don't get a Barbie one.

Trailer Modifications

There are two modifications worth making to your trailer. The first is to fit two vertical metal rods sticking up above the trailer wheel axle, wide enough to clear the sides of the boat and high enough to see above water when you are guiding the boat onto the trailer. If you can, make these rods sturdy enough so they can hold the boat aligned correctly above the trailer once the boat is between them. This saves a lot of trouble when you have a difficult cross-wind or current to contend with.

The second is to fit a sturdy flat board to your trailer draw-bar using galvanised U-bolts, so you can walk along the trailer from the shore to the boat, to make adjustments or connect the winch hook. This is much easier than stumbling through the water, potentially tripping over bits of submerged trailer. Cover the top of the board with some form of non-slip surface so you are less likely to fall off it. I said less likely. Remember to pack a towel.

Mooring Ropes

Splice or tie a loop at one end of each mooring warp, and make the size of the loop fairly generous. This makes it much easier to slip the line over a bollard and quickly get a secure point ashore when you are coming alongside. You can concentrate on tidying up your mooring once you are connected with dry land. Large loops can slip off however, so if you are using it to tie up for any length of time, use the loop to create a noose, or if the mooring point ashore is a cleat with a hole in the middle, run the line through the hole first then loop back over the cleat.

Battery Troubleshooting

Batteries have a hard life on a boat as they are not used as regularly as most car batteries, and when they are used, they are subjected to deep drain when starting an engine. If your battery fails to start the engine, it may have been drained as a result of unexpected use while the boat was left, or it could just be a failing battery.

To check whether there is a load on the battery even though you think everything is switched off, disconnect the positive terminal and connect a multimeter between the terminal and the cable. If there is a current flowing, something must be draining the battery and you need to track down the culprit. If you do not have a multimeter (these are very useful and cost less than £10 from B&Q or Screwfix), use a festoon bulb instead. A festoon bulb is the type of bulb with a metal connector at each end, and are used in car interior lights and navigation lights. If the filament glows even slightly, there is a current drain, and you need to find it. There may be a short circuit or short to ground somewhere, or there may be a device left switched on.

If you suspect the battery may be faulty, firstly visually inspect for obvious problems, such as damaged cases, corroded terminals or cables, loose terminals or low electrolyte. If all appears OK, then you will need to check the voltage.

If you have just recharged your battery, then a phenomenon known as "surface charge" will cause the battery voltage to be higher than normal. To ensure accurate readings, you must eliminate any surface charge before testing. Use one of the following methods:

1. Allow the battery to sit for six hours with no load or charger connected
2. Apply a 25 amp load for three minutes and wait five minutes
3. With a battery load tester, apply a 150 amp load for 10-15 seconds

The battery under test must be disconnected from any load or charger when testing. This is referred to as "Open Circuit". To determine the battery's state-of-charge using a multimeter, the following readings will indicate the level of charge

• 12.70 - 100%
• 12.45 - 75%
• 12.24 - 50%
• 12.06 - 25%
• 11.89 - 0%

If the state-of-charge is below 75% the battery needs to be recharged before proceeding.

Replace the battery, if one or more of the following conditions occur:

• If the battery will not recharge to a 75% or more state-of-charge level
• If digital voltmeter connected to the battery terminals indicates 0 volts, you have an open cell
• If the digital voltmeter indicates 10.45 to 10.65 volts you have a shorted cell. (A shorted cell is caused by plates touching or sediment build-up between plates).
  

Laptop Chartplotter

I bought a copy of the 2006 RYA/Admiralty Chartplotter software, and it is a real bargain. For less than £50 you get all the Admiralty Leisure Charts covering the area Selsey to Poole and right across the Channel. It arrives on a CD and installs on a laptop in minutes. The charts on 1:1 zoom are exactly as printed, and also have detailed tidal predictions for a number of locations on each chart.

You can use the software in the same way as a chart, with the added bonus of the Lat/Long being displayed as you move your cursor, making it very easy to select a mark from the chart and pick up a waypoint. You can also plot routes and work out distances with just a few mouse movements.

The real value comes from connecting the laptop to a GPS, then your laptop becomes a 15 inch chartplotter - something only large vessels have! This is a very easy process: all you have to do is connect the NMEA OUT and GROUND wires from your GPS to two pins on a serial connector, and plug into the back of a laptop. There are full instructions for this in both the GPS manual and the Chartplotter Help files.

The laptop will now display your position and route on the chart, and you can switch between chart fixed mode and vessel fixed mode. One thing to watch is the sequence of plugging in the serial connector - if you do this before powering up, the laptop may think the GPS signal is a mouse and the curser will take on a life of its own. Get the laptop running normally, then connect the GPS and all will be fine.

If you are worried about battery life, you can buy a laptop power cable for a 12v cigarette lighter socket from independent suppliers on the web. It would be advisable only to connect when the engine is charging the battery, I am not sure what the drain is but it will reduce battery capacity slightly while at anchor.

The only downside of using a laptop is screen visibility in sunlight. Unless you have the latest daylight laptop screens such as the new Sony Vaio, you will need to keep the laptop in a cabin to see the screen clearly.

POSTSCRIPT: I recently traded my laptop up for a new model, which only has USB ports. The GPS puts out a serial signal, so a converter is necessary. There are cheap converters on eBay but I never managed to get the one I bought to work. I paid a bit more and bought one with the correct driver software from www.directusbstore.co.uk which has a wide range. Once the driver and port simulator have been loaded, check the USB settings in your PC to see which COM port your USB is pretending to be, and then go to the Chartplotter software settings to set the GPS interface port to be the same one as the USB port. It should...should, now work!

VHF Aerial Connectors

Many VHF problems can be traced to a faulty or corroded connector attaching the aerial cable to the back of the unit. Unfortunately all VHF radios are fitted with a SO259 socket so you can only use a PL259 to connect up your ariel. They are a large plug to connect and being a screw fitting they tend to vibrate loose on a boat. To make a secure connection, strip back 20mm of the outer insulation and tease the braid of your cable back. Strip back 15mm of the insulation from the centre conductor, flux it and tin with solder. This is important as this will help prevent the corrosion problems.

Feed the centre cable into the centre pin of the PL259 and screw the cable into the shell of the plug. This provides a grip on the cable and connects the shell to the braid of the cable. Solder the centre tinned cable to the centre pin. Trim the tag end and you will have a secure connection between plug and cable. (Thanks to ChrisP from World Sea Fishing)

More Electrical Tips

1. 
   Which wire to use? Insulated copper wire is fine, but the problems start when the copper is exposed to make a connection. Dip the exposed copper into Silicone grease or Vaseline (Silicone grease has a slightly higher flash point but not as easy to source) and 4mm of the insulation prior to crimping the connector to the end. As you crimp you should get the grease/Vaseline squidging out of the crimp, this provides a good seal to the bare wire.
2. Where you have to run a positive and negative wire anywhere near your compass twist the wires, this negates the magnetic field they create and minimises the effect on the compass.
3. The power to your VHF should be direct from the battery and fused separately as close to the battery as you can. This stops interference getting into or out of the set.
4. Connections: buy a proper ratchet crimping tool and insulated crimps. These are available from good tool suppliers like www.screwfix.com
5. There is a crimp available that incorporates a heat shrink tube. These are very good but expensive. Alternatively you can use the normal crimps with a length of heat shrink added, there is a dual wall tube available which has a normal outer and an inner of hot melt glue which provides a mechanical and waterproof joint when heated.
6. Battery Switches: If you use a battery switch ensure it is the type that maintains a contact whilst switching (apart from the off position obviously). There are some that don't and if the engine is running whilst it is switched off it can cause damage to the charging circuit.
7. Lighting: for a deck light, buy a cheap car reversing light or even two. Fit one with a 5 watt bulb and one with a 20+ watt. Put them on separate switches and you have the 5watt for background light and the 20 watt for baiting, tackling up, landing fish etc. Put a smear of Vaseline over the internals of the light and it will last just as long as the purpose made marine variety but cost less than a tenth of the price.
8. For a cabin light a small 12 volt fluorescent (cheaper from camping shops) is good, it provides shadow free lighting and doesn't use a lot of power.

All these tips came from ChrisP of WSF, a mine of knowledge. Thank you my friend.

Adding a Fishfinder Transducer

The following text is taken from the DIY chapter in my book "Angling Boats"

A fish-finder works by sending pulses through the water and measuring the time and strength of the return signal. The unit that sends these signals is the transducer, which must be mounted either in the water or on the inside face of a fibreglass hull, with no air space or bubbles between the face of the transducer and the water. The transducer must be mounted where the face of the transducer is on a horizontal plane, where no turbulence and bubbles in the water will pass in front of it. All of this will be described in detail in the fish-finder installation manual.

The position giving the best signal will be a transom mount, using the brackets supplied. If you chose to do this, make sure you use marine-grade screws, and a caulk sealant designed for underwater use. Route the cable up the transom to a point well above the waterline before drilling a hole and threading the cable through. The cable will have a connector for the unit already fitted, so you will have to drill a hole large enough to accommodate the connector. This will be larger than the hole required for the wire, so fill the gap with caulk sealant and cover the outside with a plate designed for the purpose – if one was not supplied with the fish-finder, they can be obtained from the larger yacht chandlers.

Alternatively, you can mount the transducer inside the hull, but only if you can find a suitable position. The transducer must be in a safe place where it will not be damaged by your fishing activities, where it can be mounted flat, and where it will shoot through solid fibreglass without the signal being obstructed by foam cores, wooden stringers or external turbulence. The mounting will require permanent fixing so you will need to test it before committing to a position, because if you fit it in the wrong place it will be very difficult to move. To create a trial mounting, make a “pond” of vegetable oil where you want to mount the transducer, using a quantity of modelling clay such as Plasticene for the walls of the pond, just large enough to accommodate the transducer. Place the transducer in the pond, and the oil will fill the gap between the transducer face and the hull, allowing the signal to pass through. Ask a willing crew member to hold it in place while you test the signal in the water, both at rest and under way, or if the crew proves unwilling or unreliable, make a sandbag by filling a strong plastic bag with damp sand and wedge the transducer in place with that.

One you have decided on the position for the transducer, clean away the Plasticene and oil, and thoroughly de-grease the inner hull surface and transducer face. There are two alternative means of fixing the transducer face to the inside of the hull – you can either use epoxy adhesive such as Araldite, or silicone sealant. In either case, use a generous quantity to make sure there are no gaps or air bubbles under the face of the transducer. If you are mixing adhesive, do it carefully so there are no air bubbles. Place a large blob of adhesive on the inner hull and press the transducer face down onto the blob, pushing down and making sure the transducer face is well seated in the adhesive. Wedge the transducer in place until it sets.

Non-Slip Decks

You can buy non-slip deck material and stick it on your decks in strips or patches, but the stuff costs money and tends to lift off after a few years. There is a much cheaper alternative if you have painted deck surfaces. Mask off the areas you want to make non-slip, and prepare as you would normally do for painting. Put on a layer of marine paint and as soon as it is on and while it is still very wet, sprinkle with fine dry sand giving an even covering. When the paint is dry, brush off the loose sand and put another coat of paint on top.

This will make the most effective non-slip surface you can get, but be careful with exposed skin because if you fall on it, it will skin you. A kinder alternative but not so hardwearing is to use sugar or salt instead of sand, and put on one coat of paint only. When the paint is very hard, wash the surface down with water to dissolve the sugar or salt, leaving a rough surface behind.