Boating USA — February 2018

FEBRUARY 2016 / BOATINGMAG.COM / P.NO

Boat

Doctor

Q&A

By

Michael “Mick”

Hannock

DOCTOR

BOATINGMAG.COM

FEBRUARY 2018

BOAT DOCTOR

FINDING CABIN LEAKS Few things are more annoying than a leaky cabin. Try this

technique to fi nd cabin leaks: Close off the cabin, station a helper inside, and dog down all

hatches and ports. Wedge a shop-vacuum hose into any one hatch and seal off the resulting

opening with a plastic sheet and packing tape. Now turn on the vacuum and liberally apply

soap suds all over the cabin’s surface. When bubbles are spotted belowdecks, you’ve found

your leak.

For larger boats, seal off the cabin in sections, moving from stateroom to salon to head and

so on until the leak is found. —Kevin Falvey

PHOTOS: COURTESY MERCURY MARINE

A:

You can, but unless it is

an emergency and you

need it to get back to dry

land, why would you?

It’s a widely held myth

that one cannot switch

back and forth between

synthetic and conven-

tional motor oils. I still

recommend sticking

with the same oil for a

given oil change. That’s

the only way to know

you’re getting consistent

performance and pro-

tection from your oil.

OIL’S

WELL?

Q:

Hi Doc. Can I mix

synthetic oil and

conventional motor oil?

Bert Stephens

Green Bay, Wisconsin

LUBED

A reader asks

if he can mix

synthetic and

conventional

motor oils.