The Ships Logg

Merry Christmas From The Ships Logg ____________ Visit our archive and check out more interesting articles from The Ship's Log by clicking here .  If you found this article useful, use the space below to subscribe and you will be notified by email every time a new article is published in The Ships Log. Don't forget to check your email afterwards for a subscription verification email from Feedburner. Your email address will only be used for notifying you when updates are made to The Ships Log. Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner

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Well, here we are.   Winter has set in (at least for most of us). Our boating time has been severely limited or maybe even eliminated until spring.   What do we do?   We dream of summers gone by and summers to come.   We plan the boating projects for the season so our water rides will be ready to go for the next season.   We talk about boats and boating and pontificate on things such as which one is better, inboards or outboards.   This is a debate that has gone on for years and everyone seems to have their preference.   Let’s take a look. For the purpose of this argument, let’s say that an outboard engine is one where the engine and transmission are outside the hull of the boat in its entirety and an inboard engine is one where the engine and transmission are inside the hull of the boat in its entirety.   Yes, I know that we also have sterndrives where the engine is inside the hull and the transmission is outside.   These designs were created to take advantage of some

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I am fortunate enough to live in an area where I don’t have to pull my boat out of the water during the winter.   That is great, because this allows me to take advantage of those unusually warm winter days that occur every now and then.   Also, my boat provides a nice place to hang out when I just want to get out of the house.   Of course, being on the boat in the cooler months is a bit different than it is when the mercury rises above 80.   For example, right now, it is a beautiful sunny day, but it is 43 degrees outside.   That kind of rules out water sports as an activity.   While I do sometimes go cruising in the winter months, this is the time of year where I am more likely to just spend time on the boat while tied in the slip.   My boat becomes my floating man cave. During the summer months, the TV on my boat hardly ever gets used but when winter rolls around, it is a staple of my time spent afloat.   After all, a floating couch potato is much happier than

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____________ Visit our archive and check out more interesting articles from The Ship's Log by clicking here .  If you found this article useful, use the space below to subscribe and you will be notified by email every time a new article is published in The Ships Log. Don't forget to check your email afterwards for a subscription verification email from Feedburner. Your email address will only be used for notifying you when updates are made to The Ships Log. Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner

I am a die-hard boater and even in cold weather, you will often find me on my boat.   Often times when I walk down my dock, I find that I am the only one there.   While many boat owners leave their boat in the water during the winter months, a good percentage of them tie them up in the fall and do not return until warm weather comes back.   Because of this, I make it a point to walk the dock, checking lines and fenders on all of the boats to make sure there are no issues.   I know that some of my dock neighbors that come up in winter months do the same.   One of the things that I consistently notice is that many boats do not have the proper lines securing them to the dock.   Let’s take a look at what types of lines should be used for various purposes on your boat.   Dock Lines Nylon is the best material for dock lines.   This is because it is strong and it also stretches.   Stretch is important because it allows the line to absorb the shock of the boat pulling

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This is the time of year where many of us reluctantly winterize our boats and put them away for the season.   But not all of us have to.   Fortunately, I live in an area where that water does not freeze and my boat stays in the water year round. I use it year round.   Boating in cold weather, of course, is different than summertime boating but it is still very enjoyable and you don’t end up spending your winter frowning and fretting because you haven’t seen your boat in several weeks.   Here are some tips that can make wintertime boating enjoyable and safe: 1.          Keep your Tanks Topped Off – In cold weather, it is easier for condensation to build up in your fuel tanks.   Keeping them topped off reduces the space for air and the moisture that can come with it.   This is also a good idea considering the fact that fuel docks typically have reduced hours in winter months. 2.        Keep Your Engine Warm – If your boat stays in the water and the water does not