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I have mentioned several times on my website the value that BoatUS provides to us in the marine industry and to you as the boating public. I thought I should write something here on the blog to the same affect…

How do I get there?

BoatUS is a great resource for everyone who owns a boat. You DO NOT have to be a member to take advantage of their website and information. Anyone can just go to www.boatus.com and browse their articles and services. I recommend that, if you have time (after reading my blogs of course) to peruse the BoatUS site, you do so. If you can spare 15 minutes during a lunch break or after dinner, it would benefit you greatly.

What will i find?

The site has a great deal of information including: how to find service providers in your area, insurance quotes, recent news regarding boating, classified ads, laws, and much, much more. There is a huge wealth of knowledge available in one location. Any time I am looking for information regarding the marine industry, I start with BoatUS.com.

Happy Boating!

Hopefully you find BoatUS as helpful as we do. If we can every answer questions or be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Trig

Whether it’s Viaggio Maritime working for you or anyone else, I want you to know what you should expect when employing a manager. If you can’t spend any time checking on the work being done on your boat, hire a manager. This will save you a lot of money and protect your interests as a boat owner.

• Who is this?
• Preferably this will be someone with marine experience
• Someone you trust
• Build a rapport with a service person
• Ask some questions
• A person that knows your ideas and can enforce them
• Go over the project thoroughly
• Look for pitfalls and solutions
• What are they going to do for you? (Presuming they’re doing their job correctly)
• Protect your interests
• Make sure the contract is followed
• Help write the contract
• Ensure best practices are being used
• Help with decisions based on discussion about project completion
• Watch laborers and document work/time being done
• Help with work
• This can save you $65+/hr and will give a better look at work being done.
• Ensure progress payments are justified
• Progress reports
• Depending on the length of your project, expect regular progress reports so you’re informed. My favorite owners want to be ‘informed not involved’.

This is a very general idea, but hopefully it will make you more aware of what to look for when hiring a manager. Or maybe it will just lead you think about a manager for the future. As always, we’re here to help answer your questions, so please don’t hesitate to call.

• Here is an email I received this last week that was dated March 5th. Please read through it and act on it ASAP! The removal of the money from this fund will be very noticeable to those of us who use boating resources. That money was put there with our tax dollars and fees and should be utilized by the boaters.
  

  Dear friends - Many of you know us only as the producer of the Seattle Boat Show. In fact, our staff at the Northwest Marine Trade Association works year-round to promote and protect boating in the region. Part of our efforts include promoting and monitoring legislation in the Washington state capitol that is favorable to boating and our industry. This is why I am e-mailing you today: I’m hoping that you can take a few minutes today (time is of the essence here) to contact your elected officials in Olympia. Unfortunately, they are making moves to divert precious money that is specifically dedicated for improving boating infrastructure (for example, launch ramps, mooring buoys, marina restrooms) to other areas of the general fund. It’s a bold move on their part. For more information, please take a few minutes right now to visit this action alert which will help you get your message to your legislators: http://www.votervoice.net/groups/nmta/advocacy/?issueid=27791 If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your attention to this important issue. Sincerely, George Harris President, Northwest Marine Trade Assocation GeorgeH@SeattleBoatShow.com

  Thanks to everyone for their support. Trig

Boat US has been advocating for boater’s rights to clear GPS signals against LightSquared. Please follow the below link and make your feelings known.

http://www.boatus.com/gov/fed_alert.asp

It is up to all of us as boaters to speak up and make sure that the GPS signal is left alone so we can count on our electronics. Please take this very seriously and take the time to follow through with it.

Aaron and I are currently working on installing a diesel furnace and I thought I would update some of you as to what we’ve had to do. It may seem like we’re dragging this out, but it is for an owner that would rather just have it put in around our schedule. Typically, we would do an install straight through and get it done in a week or 2 depending on the vessel size and complexity.

In working a large project like this, PLANNING IS KEY. I cannot stress that enough. As installation experts, this can mean taking many different things into account. There is the installation side…and then there’s the owner’s wishes. Sometimes these two things don’t mesh as well as we’d like. As with everything, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. Our approach to ensuring that the owner gets what he/she wants, we inform them to the best of our ability so they can make the important decisions.

Once all of the needs and wishes have been assessed we begin the PLANNING stages. (Note it’s importance shown by the capital letters) We start by discussing where we would like the furnace to be placed (usually in the Engine Room or Lazz). Then we look at where the terminations (heat exchangers) will go and how the ducting will be run. Here’s a little better breakdown of those items:

Furnace Placement:

We recommend that you find a place where the exhaust line can make an easy transition out of the boat and still be as high above the waterline as possible. There’s a couple of reasons for this. 1) We don’t want the chance of water getting in the exhaust pipe. 2) The exhaust tubing and insulation is extremely expensive. We also want to mount it with space nearby for the manifold for all the supply lines.

Termination Placement:

There are 2 things to consider when looking to place your heat exchanger/fan boxes. Firstly consider how you are going to make it fit into the space. Secondly, you need to think about where your vents will end up. Usually, the thermostat is an easy enough run that we don’t take it too seriously into consideration. 1) Depending on which unit you are using, you will need a decent amount of space to install the box and run the venting. 2) Once you find a place for the box, you actually have to get your ducting to where your outlets will be.

Count your Heating Units:

You will need to know how many heating units your boat takes in order to determine how many supply/return sets to run. If the duct runs are too difficult in a certain area, it may be better to use more, smaller units. Be careful with this decision because the heater boxes are expensive and the cost may not be worth it. Once you decide on how many heater units, you can figure the number of lines to run.

Create your Manifold:

There are 2 ways to do this. Depending on your skills at sweating copper (or lack thereof), you can build your own at the size that works best for you. You can also buy pre-made manifolds from some of the furnace manufacturer/suppliers. Obviously, you will need valves for every line set. When we create a manifold, we also put the pressure tank in for the return lines. We find it to be easier to have the engine room laid out prior to running anything. That way, you know which chases to use and where to (if you have to) drill holes.

Run the Pipe:

This step is MUCH easier with another person. Some of the areas the pipe will need to fit through some areas that will require both pushing and pulling.

Once you are sure you have a good location scouted, it’s time to run the supply & return lines to the units. One of the easier materials to use is PEX piping. It is spendy, but well worth the extra money to avoid some additional hassle with material that is either too rigid or not rigid enough. You will need to watch the fitting type you use. This is where hiring a professional to do the work or at least help with it comes in. The tools for crimping the fitting rings is quite pricey and unless you are going into business for yourself, you won’t have much use for them in the future. Any piping that is running in the bilge area needs to stay off the hull and out of any bilge water. Also, if you don’t want to heat your bilge, you need to put some insulation around the pipe prior to (or as you) put the pipe in.

Purchase 20′ sticks of PEX if you can. This will make it easier to bend it around corners and you won’t have to put in unnecessary fittings for ease and costs. If you have to put fittings in, we make sure to line them up with an access or opening in a closet back, etc so we can reach in to put the clamps on. When we’re going through this process, we don’t put any fittings on until we’re done (unless absolutely necessary). This eliminates the chance of accidentally not fastening a fitting and keeps the pipe moving.

Hook it all Up:

Make all of your connection and hook the system up. Fill with water and fire up the furnace. The water pump will start and pump some of the system with water. You will need to continue to fill the pressure tank as the water is sucked into the lines. Make sure not to overfill the tank as the water will expand as it warms up.

Hopefully this brief overview has provided some insight into putting together a diesel heating system. If we can ever provide some consultation, please feel free to contact us via email or phone. We’re always happy to help.