Boating – June 2019

(C. Jardin) #1
BOAT DOCTOR /// Q &A

44 | BOATINGMAG.COM | JUNE 2019


BOAT DOCTOR ///Q&A

SANDWICH TIME
Q: When they make boat
hulls, why don’t they sand-
wich 3 inches of Styrofoam
between the skins and
make a boat that can’t
sink? Or do they do this
already?
Bill Mason
Via email


A: Boston Whaler is one
example of a boatbuilder
that produces a foam-
filled boat.
Just using plain Styro-
foam would likely fail over
time. As a boat pounds
through the waves, this
foam would likely crumble
if used as a core. Secondly,
you need to leave room
between the “skins” for
stowage areas, livewells,
the running of cables,


wiring, the fuel line, etc.,
and a place to collect
water (the bilge). That is
probably why Whaler uses
a liquid, expanding foam,
which is injected after the
hull and deck are fastened
together. The liquid f lows
around the built-in areas,
filling all the dead-empty
spots. I’ve oversimplified
the process for brevity,
but that’s it in a nutshell.
We’ve toured more than
100 boat factories, includ-
ing the Whaler plant. We
can say that using foam
like that builder does is
more labor-intensive and
more time-consuming
than other methods.

NEVER DULL
Q: Hi, Boat Doc. My 2007
Cobalt 252 sits in the sun

all summer with its cockpit
covers on, and the deep
burgundy gelcoat gets quite
chalky. None of my local
detailers seem capable of
polishing out the chalk
because they all treat it like
a car. I did it myself last
spring, and the results were
great but with one prob-
lem: I couldn’t get at the
gelcoat around and within
the raised letters and logo.
I’m worried that if I try to
remove the letters, I won’t
get them back on straight,
or even worse, I’ll break
them. Do you have any tips
for polishing around raised
logos? Thanks.
Martin Dressler
Via email

A: Get some plain white
cotton gloves and use

them to apply and remove
compound and wax in
tight spots. Dremel, Fein,
and other rotary and
vibrating tools can accept
polishing attachments.
You can also make a
single- use tool by cutting
up a wool polishing bonnet
and using contact adhesive
to adhere patches to the
end of wooden paddles or
sticks. You can also glue
patches onto dowels and
chuck them into a drill.

ASK THE DOCTOR
Send questions to Mick
with your name and
address to: boatdr@boat
ingmag.com or The Boat
Doctor, Boating, 460 N.
Orlando Ave., Suite 200,
Winter Park, FL 32789. PH

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BLOCKED
Q: Dear Doc, can I use
cinder blocks with wood
on top to support my boat
for bottom painting?
Seth Roth
Great Neck, New York

A: Make sure you use
cement block, not cinder
block. The terms are often
used interchangeably, but
cinder block is crumbly
and not suitable. Proper
cribbing or boat stands
are other viable alterna-
tives. Be sure to support
the keel as well as the bow
and transom. Be careful.

Q:


A:


PLAY BALL!


Dear Boat Doctor, I own an outboard-powered bowrider. I carry spare fi lters,
oil and tools aboard my boat. Should I carry a spare fuel primer bulb as well?
Matt Ciborowski
Via email

It’s not a bad idea. The little plastic check valve inside the primer bulb can
go bad and stop fuel from fl owing. If you squeeze the bulb and it doesn’t get
hard, and no leak or any bad connections are found, and it’s not a carbureted
engine with stuck needle valves, then a busted primer-bulb nonreturn valve
is the likely culprit. Make sure you match the diameter of the fuel line to the
diameter of the barbs on the spare you buy. Always install the primer bulb with
the imprinted arrow pointing toward the engine.
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