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QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Q could work up a reasonable estimated position (EP) until I got the GPS up and running again. Had I not recorded these I recently suffered a GPS failure mid-Channel at night. Fortunately I had recorded regular fi xes and
fi xes I would have been lost.internal battery to maintain the unit and sound an alarm if the main power supply Are there any plotters that have an
is lost, so the skipper can record vital information before it switches off?Justin Neely
A common for wired-in chartplotters to Henry Castledine, electronics manager at Berthon Boat Company, replies: It is notfeature a reserve battery, but there are a few options available to safeguard against these situations.Navigation via an iPad or tablet
is becoming increasingly popular, with options of GPS add-ons or built in GPS. This can function as a fully independent system and plug into the boat’s
power supply for charging when necessary. Lots of navigation apps are available, many offering extremely cheap charting options. There are also converters available to send
NMEA0183 data wirelessly to the app, allowing transfer of heading, speed, wind and depth data to name a few. With connection to most new chart plotters available, an iPad or tablet
does a great job as a second station as well as a backup system.for years and offers many of the benefi ts mentioned above, but a lack of apps limits connectivity with onboard chartplotters. PC navigation has been commonplace
The advantage is having a full functiong PC with a poper keyboard and mouse.electronics, the logbook and paper charts Despite huge advances in marine
still play a vital role. The most economic and common backup system is a handheld, battery-powered GPS, which will give you a fi x until you can restore power.PHOTO: COLIN WORK
Does any chartplotter
have reserve power? Laptops, iPads and handheld GPS units can all
offer similar functions without external powerPHOTO: DAVID CANTWELLCan I fi x blisters in Coppercoat?
Q for a full year to ensure she was completely dry. When she was hauled out last month, I noticed that blisters had formed on the I had my boat Coppercoated 18 months ago by a leading South Coast boatyard, after leaving her ashore
rudder, between the Coppercoat and the gelcoat. In fact, I managed to knock one of them off with a pressure washer. Can this sort of damage be touched up, or does the whole
lot need to be stripped off and re-done?David CantwellIf the surface was keyed properly, Coppercoat should stay put for yearsA touch with us directly we would be more than happy to help look into this problem. From the information given, and from what I can see in Ewan Clark, of Aquarius Marine Coatings (Coppercoat), replies: If your reader would like to get in
the photograph, under normal circumstances such areas can simply be touched in, just as you would if it were any other antifoul. Simply sand the affected area of gelcoat to clean the
surface and provide a good physical key, and apply a dab of new Coppercoat. This should give a satisfactory repair.
Why do fenders degrade?
Q our hull and deck fi ttings although they are only four years old. This is the second time this has happened. The fi rst time we were The tops of our Polyform fenders have degraded into a slimy mess and the sticky rubber is transferring to
told the degradation was caused by harmful cleaning chemicals, but this time we only used mild soapy to clean them.she is ashore with the fenders inside from October to May. Is it really just UV damage, and what can we do to protect them?Our yacht is kept in the Mediterranean but
Christina Dewey
A cleaners may exacerbate the problem, and rough concrete quaysides will score fenders, allowing a build-up of dirt or chemicals. Lu & Rod Heikell reply: fenders will degrade as a result of exposure to ultraviolet light. Certain All normal
onto the hull and fi ttings, where it takes some serious chemicals and polishing to remove it. As you say, the greasy sticky mess transfers We use covers (fender socks), hemmed
from a roll of stretchy polyester. They last a few seasons, depending on what they are lying against, and do seem to protect the fenders from UV. Some of our current fenders are over
a decade old, and show little sign of sticky nastiness. The alternative is to buy Hypalon infl atable fenders, although these are a lot more expensive and can puncture. We keep
a couple aboard for extreme situations. We also cover all our aerials with cheap socks to protect them from UV.