Anchors and Anchoring 101

This article is just a quick view on anchoring and anchors, this should point you in the right direction and what questions you may want to ask anchor manufacturers before you buy.

I would highly recommend you always buy an anchor larger than the footage requires. I own a 40′ trawler sundeck and it takes on a lot of windage, so I like to use an anchor required for a 45′ boat. I sleep much better at night. I use all chain and use snubbers (bridles) to absorb the shock, it’s two pieces of 12′ long three strand nylon rode secured to my front cleats, and on the other end there is a hook that secures to my anchor chain. It goes down into the water till there is tension, this will greatly reduce shock loads on your boat and your anchoring system as well as your windless due to the bridles elasticity. If your using all rode make sure you put a long piece of chain on the end of your anchor to prevent chafing of your rode on the seabed, it also gives your anchor a better angle while setting.

There are many different anchors on the market, here are some of the more popular ones:

CQR

CQR

The CQR anchor is one of the more popular selections amongst Skippers. Later on they added a swivelling head which will slowly reset itself on a 360 degree turn on a soft bottom seabed. It is inexpensive and effective, this is why it has earned the trust of many skippers. The holding power works best on seabeds, sand, mud, gravel, and clay. It does not do as well in weed, and it is bad in coral and rocks.

The Bruce is also a very good selection it has a signal pedal shaped fluke, when deployed it will settle down and reset itself on a 360 degree turn in any soft bottom seabed without breaking out. The holding power works best on the following, sea beds, sand, mud, gravel, and clay, but not well in weed and is bad in coral and rocks.

Danford

Danford

The Danford comes in many different styles, the flukes could have wide inner ends, longer and sharper flukes, a 90 degree swivel or even a roll bar. It has immediate holding power, it digs down deep and is difficult to brake out of the seabed. Holding power is better gripping in mud, sand, clay, weeds, not good on rocky bottoms.

The Fortress is a newer model of the Danford. It looks like the Danford,  but the big difference is it is made of light-weight aluminum. One of the employees of the Danford company left and just about copy-catted their anchor. It purposefully works much better, lighter and stronger.  Effect: immediate  holding power. It digs down deep, and difficult to break out of the seabed. Holding power is better gripping in mud, sand, clay, weeds, not good on rocky bottoms.

The Grappling anchor, this is your anchor for coral and rocky bottoms it can be used to for dragging the bottom to retrieve a lost item.

Fortress

Fortress

Scope is the length of your anchor line you wish to let out. It is the distance from your boats deck to the sea bottom. Recommended scope is 5’x1′ so 10 ‘ to the bottom, you would need 50′  (10′ x 5′ = 50’). The more scope the better holding power, 3 to 1 is very weak.

Holding Power settings guide:

2×1 = 10% holding power 3×1 = 40%  5×1 = 70%  7×1 = 85% 10×1 = 100%

Power setting and retrieving an anchor:

Setting your anchor, make sure your anchor is set. Back down very slowly, then when the anchor begins to set increase your engine load​,​ when you feel it ​ is dug in stop.

 ​Make sure you did not pull your anchor out by backing down to fast or to long.

Anchor retrieval: ​Retrieve you​r​  rode so you​’​re positioned right over you anchor, snub your line on a cleat​,​  power down backwards slowly to break the anchor off the bottom. Do not break the anchor while​ in forward​,​ it will require more energy.

Grappling

Grappling

Soft muddy bottoms offer as little as 15% of holding power​, try a Fortress with mud palms (wide flukes) and you can adjust your normal 32 degree angle to 45 degrees in order to change your holding power as much as 400%.

​We hope you learned a thing or two about anchor​s from this blog​.

Attend Trawler ​school​, we teach everything​ from boat handling to “rules of the road.” ​Educated boaters are safe boaters. Approximately 80% of all boating fatalities occur on boats w​here an operator ha​s never taken a boating course. We have trained hundreds of boaters interested in safety, running and learning about​ the right trawler for your specific needs​.

Plow

Plow

For pictures and information please visit my website ​www.trawlerschoolcharters.com​.

 

Have a great day,

Captain Bob

Electrical Boat System

electrical boat systemThere are two systems, the 110 volt and 12 volt. They work in combination to power up your boat. There are 4 ways to get power, let’s keep it simple and go through them.

First is your shore power, this is the electrical box from your dock,
just connect the shore cord, one 50 amp or two 39 amp cords. If you do not have air conditioning then one 30 amp will do. 

Your boat now has full 110 volt power.


Second is when you disconnect the shore cords and leave the dock. To get full 110 volt power you will turn on your generator and presto 110 volts, I have a 50 amp, 9kw Yanmar Generator, this will work all systems on my boat including the air conditioners.

Third is an inverter, I have a 3,000 watt heart inverter. The inverter extracts 12 voltage from your 12 volt house battery system and inverts the 12 volts to 110 volts. This provides 110 volts throughout your boat except for the air conditioner’s, they draw to much power and you must turn on your generator. The inverter allows you to run all your 110 volts on your boat without running the generator. In the old days you had to turn your generator off and on every time you turned on anything with 110 volts. This was a major breakthrough, you can watch TV without the noise and fuel consumption. The inverter is also a 160 amp battery charging system, whenever you plug into shore power or turn on your generator your batteries will start charging up.

Forth is your alternator, 
this is the system I have on my trawler. One 50 amp to charge my two high cranking engine batteries (just like in your car). The  generator has an alternator so it charges my generator’s batteries. Last but not leastmy secondary backup 150 amp alternator is connected to my eight 210 amp hours 6 volt house battery system, this is the power source that let’s you run all your 110 & 12 volt systems on board without the use of your generator. The 150 amp alternator will charge up your house batteries while cruising or at anchor by turning on your engine and running 1500 hundred rpm’s. This was the best money spent on my power system I do not have to keep running my generator to charge my house batteries, I just go cruising and the 150 amp alternator will charge up my system.

Hope you enjoyed this article 

there are many more on my web sitewww.trawlerschoolcharters.com

Vessel Miami Mermaid
398 East Dania Beach Blvd #281
Dania Beach FL 33004
954-649-9611
trawlerschool@gmail.com
www.trawlerschoolcharters.com

Marine Surveyors

 

marine surveySurveying is one of the most important processes of buying a trawler. When buying a trawler you are responsible for the survey, hauling out and cleaning the bottom. All together your looking at about $30.00 to $50.00 per foot. It is the best investment you will make. No one has a crystal ball except your surveyor, he will roll up his sleeves and survey and sea trial your boat, it normally takes 6 to 8 hours.

Find and pick your own surveyor if you are buying from a broker or a boat dealership, never take a recommendation on the sellers surveyor, no matter how good he may be. This is a conflict of interest, take no part of it. Just google the marine surveyors in the area where you are buying your vessel. Talk to a few and pick the one you like the best.

Your surveyor will have enough knowledge to do a general engine survey. First he will start the engine, if it starts right up you have good compression, he will then check the smoke out of your rear exhaust and wait a couple of minutes to see if she clears up. Always have him do an oil analysis on your engine, generator and transmission. He will check your engine under sea trial with a heat gun and check your rpm’s with the speed your trawler is doing. If anything is wrong he will recommend an engine surveyor and that will run about $1,500.00 to $2,000.00. You may want to walk away or tell your broker the seller must pay for this if he wants the sale to continue, or you can pay for it.

When making an offer on your trawler you must keep $5,000.00 cash in your pocket for repairs after the survey. You will have a list of around 50 deficiencies to take care of. Please remember you are buying a used boat! If it comes up with 75 deficiencies or is over $7,000.00 you may want to walk away. Anything over $3,000.00 needs to be addressed. I would have the seller repair and prove the item in question. Deal breakers would be a complete blister job, soft and spongy decks or replacements on a teak deck, these are just a few timely & costly repairs.

At the end of the survey your surveyor will pull you aside in private and go over his findings. You should know if the trawler is ok. He will email you your survey in about 48 hours. Sit down with your broker and go over the deficiencies. At this time he may suggest someone to work on the boat at a more reasonable price than a marine repair yard. You must either sign an accented or rejection letter within 24 to 48 hours after your surveyor checks your contract. If not addressed, it would be construed as an acceptance and now your deposit is at risk.
Never survey a trawler out of the water, if it has blisters they will be dried up. Put it in the water for a day or two and have it hauled. Do not dive under the boat to look at blisters, haul the boat out. Never buy a used survey from a broker at a big discount even if it was done yesterday. Have your own done and be on board.

This article is just to help you along with surveying your trawler. The prices quoted are just that, you may want to do things differently.

I have written many blogs, you can find them on my site. If your looking to buy a trawler or want to try ours for a few days more information can be found on www.trawlerschoolcharters.com.

Thank you,
Captain Bob

Trawler Sales Contract and the Art of Negotiation

A sales contract is an offer to purchase, in writing and conducted between the minds of the buying and selling party. Normally this is where negotiation’s start, the buyer makes an offer and the seller counteroffers, this will go back and forth until an agreement is met. The contract is signed and bound. In the Yacht brokerage business, a 10% deposit is normally required.

Trawler Sales ContractIf the buyer is buying private or thru a broker, your best way to negotiate would be to put yourself in a strong position, this could result in a better purchase price. Start off with a good offer that depends on the market value and the condition of the Yacht. It was my experience that 10% of the asking price was a good outcome under the conditions I just mentioned. Beware: if you really lowball the seller he could become insulted and become harder to work with, make sure to leave room on your first offer to negotiate. Please make sure you have $5,000 in your pocket for repairs after your survey is completed, you will have a list of deficiencies you must address. Please note, you are buying a used boat and there will be many small issues to deal with.

Ok, let’s make a deal! I would use the following conditions for ammunition to soften up the seller so he takes you serious and not just another tire kicker. First you must have a 10% deposit and contract filled out with an offering price, no seller will entertain an offer verbally, he will once again think of you as a tire kicker trying to get to his bottom line. You will survey his boat within a week and close within 2 weeks. This will show the seller that this is a clean quick deal and his boat will not be off the market for a long period of time. Having cash or financing set up would also be of value, this could end up saving you thousands of dollars on his counter offer.

Once the contract is signed by both parties your next step will be to survey the boat. Good luck!

This article was written by Captain Bob Hamilton, owner operator of Trawler School Charters.
For more information and articles go to www.trawlerschoolcharters.com.

Trawler Towing Insurance – “A horrible ordeal turned into a wonderful ending”.

trawler towingIf ever you were to spend money on your boat it would be a very important decision to buy Towing protection insurance. After writing the diesel engine blogs on trawlerschoolcharters.com site I felt compelled to address the towing issue. Without the right coverage, a tow on the water could set you back thousands and I mean thousands of dollars out of pocket for just a short tow.

Trawler Towing insurance is to help ease the stress, aggravation and out of pocket expense related to breakdowns, soft-groundings, fuel delivery, jump starts… while at the same time paying compensation to towing companies.

Commercial companies charge over $250.00 per hour for travel and (tow time) with additional charges for night time and bad weather. They may also charge $20.00 plus per foot of a vessels length for soft- groundings hard-grounding & salvage… Running time will also be billed for cancelled calls.

There are two types of towing insurance to buy, one being on your Yacht Insurance Policy and the other an inexpensive towing card like Boat US.

Why do you need Yacht Insurance Policy coverage above and beyond coverage from an inexpensive boat towing card like Boat US? Tow boats and other company’s like them do not cover hard-groundings & salvage. A hard grounding is when a second tow boat must assist, now more equipment is needed to free your boat, this is where your yacht policy will come into play and handle your claim. Another feature is your coverage will be extended to any coverage your policy provides for. you must find out if your policy will pay your towing bill up front or will you need to pay first and be refunded later (this could become a huge bill), you must have the cash or credit card to cover the tow. One more thing I would check on, make sure your policy covers salvage up to full value of your boat and not a percentage of your boat’s value.

You can buy inexpensive towing insurance coverage from outside company’s such as Boat US from West Marine. They offer on the water towing service by the nations largest towing fleet members and have unparalleled service at a competitive price in the US, Canada & Mexico 24/7 including water towing, fuel delivery, jump starts & soft groundings and 100% coverage for home dock tows.

I personally have both towing coverage’s and sleep very well at night with no worries while underway.

I hope this article was helpful, we teach this and a lot more at Trawler School Charters.

For more information, pictures and reviews visit our website at www.trawlerschoolcharters.com.

Become a trawler scholar.
Captain Bob Hamilton

Trawler School Charters Review

I got a nice YouTube Video Trawler School Charters review that I wanted to share with you today. Click the play button below to watch this Trawler School Charters review:

Enjoy!

Captain Bob
Trawler School Charters

Fuel Contamination and Owning a Trawler Boat – What You Should Know

trawler fuel contaminationAfter reading an article single vs twin a couple decades ago it predicted that 90% of all engine breakdowns are due to fuel contamination. Wow, that got my attention, Owning Trawler School Charters equipped with a single engine was going to be a problem, so I thought. If ever read an article that got to me it was that one, all I thought about was breaking down all the time because of the 90% fuel contamination rule.
 I needed to make myself bulletproof against this rule, first I had my fuel tanks pumped out it cost me $400.00, there was 100 gallons of fuel and 10 gallons was pure sledge, the other 90 gallons was put back into my tanks, that is called fuel polishing. These tanks are over 35 years old and never been cleaned. I was not happy so I pulled the six fuel injectors and had to rebuild them @ $600.00, now was I happy? No. The fuel pump, lets rebuild that @$800.00 I was still not happy,so how about fuel filters!  They come in different filter sizes 500, 900 and 1,000. These are racor filters separated from the engines,1,000 being the largest they would be harder to clog up, they also come in  #30, #10 & #2 microns (The  flow of fuel),  #30 will allow large amounts of fuel to flow through and that will allow debris to also flow through. Most boaters use #10 microns this allows good protection, in my case, I want the best protection so I use #2 which will really filter most debris but you can not use these on high fuel; guselling engines, it will suffocate them. I have 165hp engine that just putts along so this filter works for me. I do replace them every month just to make sure I have fresh ones all the time. It is the best $32.00 insurance policy one can invest in. You do have one more filter and that located is right on the engine, this is the last line of protection, here is how it works A #30 recon filter will have #10 micron on the engine & #10 recon will have a #2 micron on the engine. My #2 racor filter allows me to use a # 2 on the engine, this means I only have to replace the engine filter once a year. Now I’m a happy camper. Yes sir. Never had a breakdown in 8 years due to fuel contamination.
Ok lets get real, I went way overboard if I was to due this all over again this is what I would do. Just get the fuel tanks pumped and change your filters, use fuel additives or even a polishing system if you believe in them (I personally do not use one) that is it! This is my advice I give my clients during engine class, it is not by the book but first hand experience after 8 years and well over 300 trawler school charters I never had to bleed the engine.
In closing I would like to return back to the article written a couple decades back. First I’d like to address that 90% of breakdowns are caused by fuel contamination, that was the old days. Regulations were not enforced in the old days now you have strict  EPA enforcement rules on fuel tanks, newer tank materials, additives, updated tanks not the old rusty ones so on and so on… I would in my opinion believe fuel contamination to be under 30%. If you have a fuel truck or fuel barge to fill you up then you will be receiving much fresher fuel. Written by Captain Bob owner, operator of Trawler school charters, for more trawlers article’s check  out our web site wwwtrawlerschoolcharters.com hope you enjoyed this article. Sea U
Trawler School Charters
Captain Robert L. Hamilton
USCG Licenced
Vessel Miami Mermaid
398 East Dania Beach Blvd #281
Dania Beach FL 33004
954-649-9611
trawlerschool@gmail.com
www.trawlerschoolcharters.com

Single vs Twin Trawler Engine – The Great Debate!

This article will be my hardest to write, it is so controversial. It causes people to boil over into a heated debate on which is the better set up Single or twin!  In the matter of fact I refused to write about it in the book I wrote The ABC’s of Trawler Buying, that was seven years agotrawler engine. Now that I have over eight years experience giving engine classes, I am ready to address this subject. Years ago I read an article Single vs Twin and I was disillusioned for years. It really hit me hard. When it was time to buy my Trawler I wanted a twin mainly because I am running a Trawler school 3 days 4 nights I wanted the reassurance of the back up twin engine setup. I had to settle for a single.
In my engine classes, I explain to my clients that I don’t care if they buy a single or a twin. I’m not taken sides on either set up, whatever is most comfortable for you that’s what counts. Years ago when I tried to write about this I made a list of pro’s and con’s about single vs twins, the pro’s outnumbered the cons by so much, I became biased and now tilt more towards a single engine. In fact 75%of my clients favor a twin that come toy school. Take it easy, we will go over the list soon.
It took me 4 years to come up with the right answer, what you should own a single or a twin, Are you ready? If you can hold a screw driver and a wrench at the same time then you can own a single engine. In the article they made it crystal clear 90% of engine breakdown is due to fuel contamination. All I could think of was breaking down on charter, I just could not sleep at night. I will talk about the other 10%  on my next blog (flue condemnation), this article will have some good information, look for it.
Twins
Make no mistake twins are definitely for  maneuverability, you’ll have that extra engine also more of a selection looking for a trawler because of the availability with twins.
With twins all your costs are doubled, oil & fuel filters, shaft, prop, transmission fuel & shift cables, instrumentations, maintenance …By the way to change my single engine & generator oil and fuel filters is now running around $120.00 per change. A twin engine room has a tight space for maintenance and leaves little room for additional equipment, water makers, generators… to be installed. Under the waterline you are left with 10 foot of exposed shafts.
Single
You can out think a single engine as long as you concentrate while maneuvering.  You should know about prop walk ( look it up) your prop and extra large rudder equals prop thrust. Your most help will come from good old mother nature, wind and current, you soon will be able to out think your vessel  after a few maneuvers. This is your only engine and you must keep it in top shape by maintaining your fuel, oil, filters, keep some spares parts on board and your good to go. The best things I enjoy about my single is the 360 degree exposure to my engine and the space in the engine room. Under the water line the shaft goes thru the keel and only 12 inches is exposed. Mine has a bimmi bar (a bar that is connected from the keel to my rudder) for full prop protection, that to me is huge.
If you need help getting off the dock a Bow thruster or a Stern thruster is the answer. That should do it. I had this on my list to purchase but after maneuvering for a few weeks, I was able to spin my trawler on a dime in a storm and also if I was pinned against the dock by wind, I learned to how to get off.
 Other than owing a twin, emergency get home engine or back up engine. these are options you should think about. although in ten years of selling trawlers, I never saw any of these options installed!  One way a back up engine is installed would be a small get home engine connected to the shaft. Sounds good but what happens if your shaft, prop or locked transmission is the problem. You are out of luck. I think the most feasible would be Stern thrusters, transom mounted unit that can be lowered and can rotate at 90 degrees. The good thing about stern thrusters is you can use then for docking.This decision is up to you and you alone. You may want to try both set up’s before buying either one.
This article written by Captain Bob Trawler School Charters more blogs at www.trawlerschoolcharters
Trawler School Charters
Captain Robert L. Hamilton
USCG Licenced
Vessel Miami Mermaid
398 East Dania Beach Blvd #281
Dania Beach FL 33004
954-649-9611
trawlerschool@gmail.com
www.trawlerschoolcharters.com

Understanding Your Trawler Diesel Engine

trawler diesel engineTrawler School Charters – This blog is about understanding your Diesel engine.

Diesel engines can deliver many years of trouble free service given proper preventive maintenance procedures. Fortunately, diesel engines are remarkably simple in principle and require very little in the way of routine maintenance, although what little is required it is essential for it’s long life. Most diesels will run trouble free for thousands of hours just by changing your air, oil & fuel filters on a regular basis. According to the CAV, one of the worlds largest manufactures of fuel injection equipment, 90% of diesel engine problems result from contaminated fuel. The remedy is quite simple: set up a proper fuel filter system and monitor it. Knowledge is your best resource. The engine room should have the motto “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”.
I will bet that within a day of reviewing this very informative book Marine Diesel Engines, 2nd Edition, written by Nigel Calder, on how to maintain, repair and improve your engine, you will understand that a diesel is a thoroughly logical piece of equipment.  Along with your owner’s manual, you will be able to venture anywhere with the ability and confidence to handle any trouble that may happen to your engine should a problem come your way. All you need to know is the three basic principles of the diesel engine, they are as follows,Air, Water & Fuel and once you learn how they interact you should be able to understand the operation of your engine. You don’t need to become a mechanic just know the three principles. Learning preventive maintenance can become your best defense..
Trawlers are long range cruisers, it’s up to you to keep that heart beating (your engine). You are the only heart surgeon on board where ever you may be, you won’t need a PHD to understand the simple operation of the diesel engine as long as you do your homework. Think of the time and money that can be saved. We’re not talking about a complete overhaul, just simple repairs to keep you going “trouble free”. Newcomers say to themselves, I don’t want to be a mechanic, or get my hands dirty every time I have a problem, I’ll just call a serviceman.
The experienced cruiser learns pretty quickly that there isn’t anyone else who cares as much about your boat as you do. Also keep in mind that service is hard to find on the water or on a small Island. Many of the jobs you might pay someone else to do can be done quickly and easily once you are accustomed to working on your engine. Learning some of the routine service procedures also helps you gain knowledge and an understanding of the boats systems. The best mechanics are owners with specialized skills to work on their own engine. This theory is based on the principles that your devotion to the engine room is essential for successful cruising.
Written 11-23-2013 by Captain Bob Trawler school charters  for more information  join us at www,trawlerschoolcharters.com  954 -649-9611 trawlerschool@gmail.com.
Trawler School Charters
Captain Robert L. Hamilton
USCG Licenced
Vessel Miami Mermaid
398 East Dania Beach Blvd #281
Dania Beach FL 33004
954-649-9611
trawlerschool@gmail.com
www.trawlerschoolcharters.com

Turbo Charged or Naturally Aspirated Diesel Engine – Trawler School Charters

turbo charged trawler engineIn this latest post on the Trawler School Charters Blog we are talking about Engines.  There is a difference when choosing a Diesel engine, they are either turbo charged or naturally aspirated.
A naturally aspirated engine for example is a small block that could be a 120HP or 135HP (Horse Power), this engine has no stress, it just plows slowly through the water and is a very durable engine. I found in most older trawlers 1972 through 1985 had two types of engine manufacturers, a Lehman or Perkins,. If maintained & taken care of, changing your oil and all filters between 100 -200 hours these engines can last up to 25,000 hours. If you buy a used trawler with 5,000 hours on a naturally aspirated engine then most likely you can pass this engine down to your grandchildren’s, grandchildren. This is the best option to go with if you can find one, they are getting harder and harder to find. Turbo has been the up and coming engine.
Turbo charged engine, the Turbo is a 35lb apparatus bolted to your engine. It has a high speed fan with a high rpm that sucks in a lot of air that goes into your piston chamber and ignites quicker. It should give you more horse power on a small block engine, for example, your 120hp small block engine now becomes a 185hp turbo charged engine. You are now working this engine harder by putting a large load on that small block.The end result is stress and with stress comes shorter hours on your engine, end result being about 10,000 hours, you may have to rebuild your engine. That adds up to 10,000 hours turbo vs 25,000 hours on a naturally aspirated engine. Most engines are fitted with a turbo these days due to the EPA. The turbo allows for a smaller block which will sport a lesser weight engine with larger horse power. My engine has a turbo not that I wanted one, I had no choice, I could not find a naturally aspirated engine, I have been very lucky. My engine has over 18,000 hours on my turbo. This is what happens when you change your oil and filters every 100 hours. The heat on a turbo will turn the housing red hot, please watch yourself and beware of a nasty burn. Turbo’s can have problems such as recalibration, rebuild or even replacing it, any of these problems are time and money for that 35 pound apparatus. Written by Captain Bob (Robert Hamilton).
For more blogs about trawlers go to www.trawlerschoolcharters.com, become a trawler scholar and attend our trawler school. Hoped you enjoyed my article.
Trawler School Charters
Captain Robert L. Hamilton
USCG Licenced
Vessel Miami Mermaid
398 East Dania Beach Blvd #281
Dania Beach FL 33004
954-649-9611
%d bloggers like this: