Why thank you very much…
by John Curnow, Editor, Powerboat-World.com 2 Oct 2019 23:13 PDT
Corrosion can quickly attack metals beneath the waterline © Mark Rothfield
The emails and phone calls certainly came in after our last editorial, Out of Sight?. So thank you very much for that. Seriously. It really is wonderful, and the whole PBW team appreciate you reading the material, and then talking to us about your experiences.
There was a lot to learn, and we will keep on that very case as more and more unfolds. Evidently, we were not the only ones to find new learnings inside the material, as one group even asked if they could re-use portions of it during one of their training sessions.
Stemming out of it all, almost like a subset, was the classification known as boat bags. These are the mostly submerged 'gloves' that sit around your craft whilst it is not in use, and then slip away under it when you take it out, or bring it back in. They then close around your vessel, pump out the vast majority of the water, and you can walk away with your boat totally suspended in water still, but with a barrier between it and the nasties.
Now there are a number of aspects to all of this, and we will not cover them off here, but go away to do more research, just like when preparing Out of Sight?, before returning with additional knowledge and information.
So, just to get the grey matter working, here are some points:
- First and foremost, a boat bag is still damp.
- Now this is crucial because a lot of your boat's equipment is either meant to be in, or completely out of, the salt water, not left in between!
- Certainly stern drives (inboard/outboards or Z-Drives) and outboards are very much part of this, especially as a lot of craft powered in these ways use boat bags.
- Not flushing legs, housings and so forth in fresh water, means the salt sits, and then becomes terribly acidic as it feeds on oxygen now in far greater supply than when immersed, and the result, well, corrosion is nasty and expensive...
- Next you have active components like MerCathode that must be switched off when the units are not immersed, or else they can accelerate issues.
- Finally, many, many craft are made with polyester resin, which will blister from osmosis when left in direct contact with salt water, even in the 'damp' conditions of a boat bag. So you simply cannot leave a hull in its manufactured condition without some form of coating. Putting antifoul on is not necessary in this way, but you must put a clear epoxy coating on (such as Durapox).
Roll up, Roll up
Boat Shows. Been plenty of them all around the globe of late. Leading Australian luxury motor yacht manufacturer, Maritimo, is heading into this week's Auckland On Water Boat Show with more momentum than ever, after a string of successful boat shows throughout Australia, and also North America.
The growing popularity of the brand's latest M-Series Enclosed Flybridge Motor Yachts, and X-Series Sport Coupe's launched at Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in May, have since been on display at Maritimo's award winning on-water brand experience during exhibitions in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
"We have had an incredible response to our new model releases in the new X50 Sport Coupe, and the M59 and M51 flybridge motor yachts, since their unveiling earlier this year," said Maritimo lead designer, Tom Barry-Cotter.
"We are seeing an influx of appointments for the Auckland Show now streaming in, with people excited to see the latest offerings from Maritimo." On display at Maritimo's on-water brand experience will be the X60 Sport Coupe, M51 Flybridge Motor Yacht and S59 S-Series Sedan.
Australasian Sales Manager, Ormonde Britton said the company's factory-backed warranty that provides owners with complete peace of mind after they took delivery of their new vessel was further adding to the growing attraction to the Maritimo brand.
"I am confident with the feedback we are already getting from our factory-backed warranty program from New Zealand customers, that it will remain a key feature unique to our brand heading into the future," he said.
Giving it plenty (like all the way to 11!)
So in earlier editorials we looked deeply into the results of Nizpro Marine's efforts with Yamaha-based outboards here in Australia, also the UAE. Now it is the turn of the ol' USofA.
David Symons from Nizpro Marine explained, "Our dealer S2 Marine in Quitman, Texas performed the flashing upgrade of the ECU. The end customer appears to have been really happy about it all and has posted a lot of information about the results, the process, and his final take on it all."
"S2 Marine flashed my ECU, and had it back to me in one day, and tested it on Sunday. I sit here as an open-mouthed believer in your product. My results should be shared. My Yamaha 200 SHO is on a heavy Bennington Tri-Toon. It did not have enough power to get the front out of the water, so speed and fuel efficiency were terrible," stated our client.
He added, "Now I need a bigger prop, but even with the original my fuel efficiency has increased from 1.8 MPG to 2.55 MPG, and my top speed has increased from 33 mph to almost 44 mph. I can trim the bow up now, and the boat rides on the back 1/3 to 1/2 of the toons. The high lift strakes, etc on the front are completely out of the water. The stock ECU would spin the prop to 5200RPM. Now the Nizpro Marine 330hp flash hits the rev limiter at 6200RPM! I can't wait to put a bigger prop on it and check my cruise fuel flow and top-end speed."
The delighted owner finished by saying, "I had been making inquiries about trading my 200 SHO in on a used F300. This saved me $20k! Thanks guys."
QED me thinks. So if you have not checked it out for yourself then please read the links above, or better yet, get out on the water and see what any of the Nizpro enhancements can do for your boating world.
OK. Today you will find that we have information for you about Arcadia's Sherpa XL, the new Lexus LY 650, Rosetti explorer craft, Volvo Penta innovations, Yanmar X47, Wally's awesome 165, FLIR cameras, ditching glass for volcanic rock, the next Marine Auctions event, the Great Barrier Reef, taking a seat (shock resistance wise), the beautiful Palm Beach GT50 Open, Princess F and S Class, Silent Yachts electric cats, ZF drive systems, Tiaras with Seven Marine outboards, all things superyachts including toys inside and on water, Fabio Buzzi passes very sadly, new boats from Prestige, as well as much, much more below.
So as you see, there are stories, lessons, inspirations and history to regale yourself with. Please do savour... We're really enjoying bringing you the best stories from all over the globe. If you want to add to that, then please make contact with us via email.
Remember too, if you want to see what is happening in the other parts of the group, go to the top of the Powerboat-World home page and the drag down menu on the right, select the site you want to see and, voila, it's all there for you.
Speak with you again, very, very soon. Time to go boating now...
John Curnow
Editor, Powerboat-World.com