26 | BOATINGMAG.COM | APRIL 2018
BOAT DOCTOR ///PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK (TOWEL), COURTESY WEST MARINE (CHAIR)Q:
(continued from page 25)CLOCKED
Q: Hi Mick. I was shopping
for a new boat, and a sales
guy pointed out that, aboard
one particular make, the
screws were all aligned the
same way. In other words,
the X where the screwdriver
point fits was oriented the
same for all screws. He
claimed this made the boat
better. What do you think?A: With slotted screws, if
all the heads are clocked —
lined up the same — then it
is easy to tell at a glance if
something is coming loose.
For this reason, aboard
wooden boats, on machin-
ery, on firearms and other
applications, clocking canindeed be helpful and a sign
of quality workmanship.
That said, clocking screws
does not make an assembly
more structurally sound.
And, of course, the benefit
of seeing a difference at a
glance is largely lost with
Phillips head or square
drive screws. One can say
that the workman took
more time in assembly — so
there is that.ASK THE DOCTOR
Send questions to Mick with
your name and address to:
[email protected] or
The Boat Doctor, Boating,
460 N. Orlando Ave., Suite
200, Winter Park, FL 32789.harm in mixing synthetic
with conventional oils. All
true. However, the picture
shown ref lected a quart of
conventional oil and a quart
of synthetic blend. Actually,
part synthetic — also called
synthetic blend or semisyn-
thetic — oils are blends of
mineral oil (conventional)
and synthetic base oil.
Part-synthetic motor oil is
designed to have some of the
benefits of a full synthetic
but at a lower cost. I think
you should have displayed
a quart of full synthetic to
emphasize your point.
Rich Redhill
Melbourne, FloridaA: Thanks, Rich. Point taken.and refill the tank. Burn it in
some less critical equipment
than your outboard, like a
lawn mower. Otherwise, call
a disposal service.
You don’t want to leave
the tank empty for all that
time because 1) it is sure to
collect condensation and 2)
an empty tank is more of a
hazard than a full tank, since
gas fumes are way more
explosive than gas itself. You
can pump it out by discon-
necting the fuel line at the
engine and using the primer
bulb to pump out the tank.
(It goes faster than you think
and doesn’t require a big pur-
chase of special equipment.)
The engine gets fuel via a
hose, and it most certainly
can be disconnected.
Usually, there is a short
section of hose coming out
of the engine connected to
the fuel hose coming from
the tank and connected by
a double-ended connector
just downstream of the
primer bulb. (Of course, you
could always disconnect at
the primer bulb itself, at the
boat’s fuel filter, or at the
engine’s onboard fuel filter.)SYNTH
Q: Boat Doc, the first
question in February ’s Boat
Doctor Q&A concerned
using a mixture of synthetic
oil and conventional oil.
Your correct answer, in part,
indicated that there is noA:
Use water and a soft cloth. Do not use paper towels
— these are more abrasive than many people realize.
A swatch from an old sweatshirt works, as do store-bought
microfiber cloths. Just beware of seams and sewn edges
because thread can scratch. For tough jobs, I’ve used Star
brite screen cleaner and protectant. You can read Boating’s
test of that at boatingmag.com/we-test-star-brite-screen-
cleaner-and-protectant. Be careful of sunscreen and oils.
If the screen is glass, you should be OK, but some of these
products can mar plastic touchscreens.FIRST AID FOR SEATS Every boat should have a
well-equipped fi rst-aid kit, and well-equipped fi rst-aid kits
include alcohol wipes. Great for antiseptic purposes, these
can also be used to clean tough stains, like pen ink from vinyl
upholstery, that occur far from the specialty-cleaners shelf
of your marine store. —The Boating Tech TeamCLEAN
SCREENS
My new boat came with new Garmin touchscreen electron-
ics. I love them, but between sunscreen, oil, bait, lunch and
more, the screens need to be cleaned often. I do not want
to damage my nice, new screens. How should I keep them
desmudged?
Rocco Variale
Providence, Rhode Island