Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
Casting Off:
Looking for Sludge in All the Wrong Places
August 17, 2022
Disassembling and cleaning the carburetor. Whenever the small engine on my Uncle Jess’ Chris-Craft stalled, he’d remove the cowling and work some mechanical magic with a screwdriver to get it started again. Not one…
Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
Diesel Deep Dive: Electrical Gremlins in Your Engine Compartment?
June 13, 2022
From the June 2022 issue of 48° North. Working as a marine engineer and mechanic, I have seen and continue to see some of the worst DIY electrical jobs on boats, both recreational and commercial. Unlike residential…
Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
Fiberglass in the Forest:Lesson in Backyard Lamination
June 2, 2022
From the June 2022 issue of 48° North. For the past 10 years, I have been a shipwright. My boat repair and building career began with bottom painting at CSR, a boatyard on the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle.…
Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
How-To: Stripping Your Boat’s Bottom
April 21, 2022
This article was originally published in the April 2022 issue of 48° North. It’s April and in the boatyard, the tide is beginning to shift. Just weeks ago, a whole day may have gone by before we spotted anyone else laboring…
Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
The Springtime Shift: Making the Most of the Pre-Season
March 17, 2022
This article was originally published in the March 2022 issue of 48° North. Every year, somewhere between a strong southerly wind blowing a hoolie through Puget Sound and daffodils pushing up through the ground outside the…
Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
Recommissioning: From the Blues to Blue Skies
March 10, 2022
This article was originally published in the March 2022 issue of 48° North Ah, spring at the marina. Full of promise. Renewal. Great times lay ahead. Blah, blah, blah. I trudge down to the boat in early March, dock cart…
Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
Tech Talk with SeaBits: Spring Tech Checkup
March 8, 2022
This article was originally published in the March 2022 issue of 48° North A great thing to do at least once a year, and especially prior to the start of a more active boating season, is to give your boat a tech checkup.…
Instructional,Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
Diesel Deep Dive: Functional Oil Filtration
February 15, 2022
(Caption) Engine room of the Maritime Instructor (Seattle Maritime Academy training ship). All engines are equipped with spin-on or cartridge style filters. This article was originally published in the February 2022 issue of…
Instructional,Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
Diesel Deep Dive: The Effect of Time on an Engine
December 14, 2021
This article was originally published in the November 2021 issue of 48° North. Marine diesels endure a tough life during their time on board a vessel. Often I hear, “A diesel will last forever,” or, “That engine will get a…
Instructional,Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
Diesel Deep Dive: Quirks of the Engine Cooling System
October 12, 2021
Exploring the quirks of the marine diesel engine cooling system. This article was originally published in the October 2021 issue of 48° North. It’s a beautiful sunny day, and the water is calling. Once the diesel is started…