Take a Look for yourself!

This is due, in no small part, to its simplicity of design and ease of use. The boat was designed to be operated by a single-user, but most can accommodate up to three people.

The Sunfish is often the sailboat of choice used to teach beginning sailing. The Sunfish has become such a mainstay of American sailing that the boat was inducted into the American Sailboat Hall of Fame in 1995. Because of its prolific use, there are quite a few used Sunfish boats to be had online through various auction sites. But, what do you look for when buying a used Sunfish? How do you know if you’re getting a good deal on a quality boat?

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Boaters make the best renters

If you had a $55,000 vehicle, wouldn’t you be willing to pay to make sure
that it stayed safe and secure? Boat owners have already spent a lot of money on their hobby, and they’ll pay well and on time to store their boat somewhere good. If you can offer them peace of mind, then chances are they’ll be with you for a long, long time.

Give them what they need and what they want

Security and protection are two big issues with storing high-dollar vehicles
like boats. If they keep their boat in front of their house or in their
driveway, it’ll be subject to wind, rain, hail and sun damage. But with a steel
or metal self-storage building, their boat investment will be well-protected
from Mother Nature.

Look in to getting a number of security measures like keypads, cameras and
maybe even a security guard or two. Let your customers know that you take the
safety of their property just as seriously as they do.

Even better, offer them other amenities they can’t get at home or at the
docks. Cleaning services and easy hook-up will mean that your clients can spend
less time on boat maintenance and more time having fun in the sun. Emphasize the
fact that there will be little convenience lost by using a boat storage
facility.

Look for partners

If you’ve got a boat storage facility, what better way to get clients than to
turn to boat dealers? Partner up with a local dealership, and you can offer
their customers discounts on storage at your facility. It could land you a whole
slew of new clients. Just make sure you pair up with a reputable dealer that
treats its clients right.

Boost your business with boat storage

There are already millions of boats in the United States, and thus millions
of people looking for boat storage. With boat storage, you can expand your
business and help to ease the storage problems of boat owners in your area in
one fell swoop.

In a conventional marine diesel engine the power is produced by hot compressed air igniting fuel sprayed under very high pressure into the cylinder head. A marine diesel engine does not use a carburetor to mix fuel and air or spark plugs to ignite the mixture. Instead it employs the pistons to compress the air to 3000 kPa which causes it to become extremely hot and the fuel is ignited as soon as it is injected into the cylinder.

Some marine diesel engines are fitted with a heater plug in the inlet manifold or a glow plug in the pre-combustion chamber of each cylinder to provide additional heat to the combustion air during starting.

Diesel engines are heavier and slower revving than petrol engines but they are also more reliable because they do not rely on external carburetion or an electrical spark for ignition.

Newer engines use an electronic fuel injection system whereby fuel and air are mixed more thoroughly in the pre-combustion chamber before entering the cylinder. This system maximizes power and fuel economy and is also less polluting.

Every boater should have an understanding of how their engine works so let’s start by explaining the mechanical cycles.

Most reciprocating piston internal combustion engines work on one of two mechanical cycles-either the four-stroke cycle or the two-stroke cycle. These cycles designate, in correct sequence, the mechanical actions by which the fuel and air gain access to the engine cylinder, the gas pressure - due to combustion - is converted to power and, finally, the burnt gas is expelled from the engine cylinder.

The Basic Four-Stroke Diesel Engine

From its name, it is obvious there are four strokes in one complete engine cycle. A stroke is the movement of the piston through the full length of the cylinder and - since one such movement causes the crankshaft to rotate half a turn - it follows that there are two crankshaft revolutions in one complete engine cycle.

The four strokes in the order they occur are:

1. Inlet stroke. With the inlet valve open and the exhaust valve closed, the piston moves from top dead center (TDC) to bottom dead center (BDC), creating a low-pressure area in the cylinder. Clean, filtered air rushes through the open inlet valve to relieve this low-pressure area, and the cylinder fills with air.

2. Compression stroke. With both valves closed, the piston moves from BDC to TDC, compressing the air. During this stroke the air becomes heated to a temperature sufficiently high to ignite the fuel.

3. Power stroke. At approximately TDC, the fuel is injected, or sprayed, into the hot, compressed air, where it ignites, burns and expands. Both valves remain closed, and the pressure acts on the piston crown, forcing it down the cylinder from TDC to BDC.

4. Exhaust stroke. At approximately BDC the exhaust valve opens and the piston starts to move from BDC to TDC, driving the burnt gas out of the cylinder through the open exhaust valve.

The Two-Stroke Diesel Engine

The two-stroke engine uses two piston strokes to complete one power stroke and, therefore, fire twice as often as a four-stroke engine. A two-stroke engine is smaller and simpler with fewer moving parts. A two-stroke engine has the potential to produce twice as much power as a four-stroke engine of the same size, however, because of the extra fitting required in a two-stroke diesel engine, for example blowers and governors, they become more expensive to produce. There has been a shift towards four stroke diesel engines which have become more efficient and smaller.

Protect Your Marine Diesel Engine

Protect your engine by avoiding long periods (more than 10 minutes) of idling in a “no-load” situation. This is often done to charge batteries or cool refrigeration but if done repeatedly it will glaze the bores of the engine and cause premature engine failure. If the vessel is in a berth the engine can be put in gear to create load at idle.

All boat owners should have an understanding of basic marine diesel engine maintenance to keep themselves and their families safe on the water.

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boat, boating, yacht, sail

Getting your boat from one great boating location to another requires the use of a very seldomly thought of utilitarian device called a boat trailer. Selecting one that suits both your needs and your boat is sometimes a difficult decision - not all trailers created equal.

In simple terms a boat trailer is a frame with wheels that is designed to transport your boat across land behind a vehicle. But in actuality there are many more factors to consider when looking for the right trailer for your boat and boating habits.

Different Types of Boat Trailers

It is always a good idea to find out a little about the different types of boat trailers and then to undertake some research on the one that you think will best suit your needs. Just like boats, trailers come in many different shapes and sizes, from super deluxe race boat trailers with chrome mag wheels and all of the options - to very simplistic utilitarian models with no bells or whistles. Most boaters shoot for something in between.

There are two main types of powerboat trailers - bunk style slide-ons and roller trailers. Sailboats require special trailers because it has a deep keel and a high winch stand. These trailers are usually custom made for each sailboat. Powerboat trailers can be adjusted to fit your boat when the right model is purchased.

Have a budget in mind and an idea of what works and what doesn’t work for your boat, before you actually go out ready to buy. One of the first things to consider when you are choosing your trailer is the size of your boat. Before making your first call, know the dry and loaded weight of the boat, the beam and the length. Then read the trailer manufacturer’s label, usually found on the toungue of any trailer to see what the maximum weight and size the trailer can accomodate is before you buy.

Boat trailer purchases decisions involve making sure you select adequate features.

Decide early which type of construction your require, aluminum or galvanized steel. Aluminum will last much longer, especially in a salt water environment, but may be overkill for a fresh water boating area.

Types of lighting (LED or Incandescent) are a factor to consider and are required by law. The lights, bearings and axle need to be water tight as they will be submerged when the boat is launched. Some trailers will have a frame-mounted spare tire. Spring type, torsion or leaf will also be a consideration, along with a fresh water flushing system for the brakes.

Mechanical boat trailers require the use of a manual or electric winch to get the boat from the water on to the trailer. Slide on trailers make it very simple to just drive the boat up upon the trailer, this feature makes loading and unloading much easier.

Some trailers will have electronic brakes and others have surge brakes others have no brakes at all. For larger boats, or if you plan on a lot of travel with your boat, good quality brakes are a very good investment. In a salt water environment, stainless steel disc brakes are the best choice.

The best advise we can give the trailer shopper is to ask questions at the local boat ramps. Observe what manufacturers trailers are most commonly used by the local guides and avid fishermen. These people use their boats and trailers more than the average boater and the best quality trailer is a necessity for them.

In our area of Florida, the most commonly found trailers are not even a national brand name. But these Aluminum Slide-On trailers are the easiest to use and best trailers most local boaters have ever used. This may be true in your area of the country. Just look around, you will see them being pulled out of the water at boat ramps every day.

The lowly trailer - a not commonly thought of or appreciated necessity of boating.

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Lets take a look at the basic information any captain will require before purchasing a pair of Boating Binoculars.

New models are always being introduced by manufacturers such as Steiner, Nikon, Navy One, Bushnell, Tasco and dozens of others…

Binoculars in general are designed for many uses, in marine applications our focus will be on the best features to select for navigation. Binoculars on small vessels primary task is to help us as navigators to see objects such as navigation markers and buoys, sandbars and rocks, other approaching vessels and landmarks.

Many optical dealers and other stores specializing or including binoculars in their inventory specialize in binoculars used for many tasks such as birding, hunting and astronomy. These types of binoculars are too powerful for the marine environment.

Marine binoculars are usually designed to take into account the fact that small boats are not stable. When you are tossing about at sea or even tipping a bit on a lake, a high powered set of binoculars (over 10x) intended for astronomy or birding would be overkill and trying to focus on any object with these types of binoculars would be nearly impossible.

7 x 50 is the Standard power of marine binoculars. The number 7 indicated the magnification - 7 times what the human eye can see. The number 50 is the diameter of the objective lens (the larger lenses at the opposite end to the eyepiece) measured in millimeters. This determines how much light it can gather for effective viewing. The larger the lens (higher number) allows a greater amount of light to pass through giving a brighter image. Larger objective lenses will give you the greater amounts of light but result in heavier and larger Binoculars.

These standard specifications are generally accepted as the best combination for small boat binoculars. Large vessels sometimes use 10x power binoculars to see at greater distances but for our purposes 7 x 50 is the best choice.

How do Binoculars Work?

Binoculars work like two telescopes mounted side by side. At the front of each telescope is an objective or a field lens. This gathers light from the object you are looking at. The larger the field lens, the more light gathering capability the binoculars will have. This is important for night navigation. Be sure to select binoculars which work well at night because that is when you will appreciate them the most.

After the light passes through the objective lens it light travels down the tube, and through a lens in the eyepieces, magnifying the image even further. If the binoculars are of a high quality there may be more lenses within the tube called elements. These additional lenses will work to your advantage in refining the image and gathering the most light possible. More elements equals better binoculars at a higher cost to you…Weigh your options but binoculars are not generally something you want to be too frugal about when considering a purchase.

Binoculars are built around a frame that houses the two telescopes and are generally hinged to allow for adjustment for each person.

Some binoculars are permafocus and never need adjustment. While others have a focusing wheel in the center to allow for manual focusing and a greater degree of fine tuning for sharper images. These are the types of binoculars most boaters are more accustomed to using.

The best binoculars have separate focusing capability for each eyepiece (known as Diopter Control) which allows for fine tuning the focus for each eye. When you have the diopters adjusted for your eyes no further focus adjustment is required. This is the best type of binoculars for use by serious captains. Let the crew use a set of center focus binoculars and you keep your diopters set for your eyes for when you need them the most.

Zoom?
Some captains choose zoom binoculars as the primary set for their vessel. This type can be adjusted to give you varying ranges of magnification. For example, a binocular that is listed as 7-21×40mm means the zoom portion is capable of viewing at 7x power minimum and can be adjusted up to 21x power and the 40mm would be the objective lens size. Remember that magnifications over 10x - 12 x are very difficult to hand-hold. In which case, a sturdy tripod is highly recommended.

Zoom binoculars are better left in the hunting camp or bird watching bag. Whenever a fine piece of optics is designed to do all things for all situations, compromises are always made. In general, zoom binoculars are more cheaply made, have a higher chance of becoming fogged up in bad weather and are more of a marketing gimmick than a useful tool on a boat.

Prism Types

Prisms are used to condense the viewed image for maximum magnification in a short space. Prisms recreate an image of the original that is much purer than any image you would get from multiple lenses.

There are two kinds of prisms used in binoculars: roof prisms and Porro prisms. You can tell which type of prism is used from the shape of the binoculars.

Porro prisms Binoculars are distinguishable by the narrower eye piece than the objective lens. The resulting jog in the light path being deflected through 180 degrees twice by the two prisms in the housing.

Roof prisms are indicated by the two straight tubes making them more compact and easier to hold. The Porro prism rendered better contrast and was still favored by purists for a long time after the advent of the roof prism but new technology of roof prisms has improved greatly, which makes newer models a better value.

The BAK-4 prism is made of a high quality glass and produces sharp images and good edge to edge sharpness. Generally, higher quality binoculars will use BAK-4 prisms in the construction process. Phase coated prisms take it one step further, the coating process enhances the resolution and contrast of images coming through the binocular and are generally applied only on more expensive binoculars.

Points to consider when buying Binoculars

Fit; Try them on and make sue they fit your grip and fit your face comfortably. Try them out in daylight and at night if relevant.

Coatings, if you look at the water surface, you will notice the glare of the sun shining on it. Lens coatings remove glare and allow more light to enter the optics. The more coatings a pair of Binoculars have the more expensive they are. Cheaper Binoculars do not have the coatings as better models and this can account for the wild variation in prices.

Focusing; which type of focusing is best for you? Center Focus with a wheel. The center wheel focuses at the same time for your eye, or can they compensate for unequal vision. This is by means of a dioptric correction through the adjustment of one eyepiece, usually the right-hand eyepiece.

Size and weight; do you want a pair that can fit in a pocket? Then the Roof Prism choice is more likely to work.

Do you need a compass? Binoculars are more expensive with a bearing compass but there are benefits such as easy position fixes. Try compass position relative to your grip.

Are they waterproof, do they have Flotation straps, which are very handy if they are dropped overboard?

Price & Summar
y

Price is not the over-riding factor when choosing good binoculars. While you do not need to buy the most expensive brands you should purchase binoculars based upon the necessity they represent. When you are navigating your vessel, at night, with the lives of your family and / or guests at stake, do you really want to place your trust and make split second decisions based upon information you gain via cheap optics? Comfort, light transfer, clear optics and reliability are the primary factors you should use to judge your binocular buying decisions, not name brand, fancy features like zoom capabilities, compasses or internal lighting.

Choose the most reliable, brightest and best protected binoculars you can find. You will not be disappointed.

By: Scott Pooler
Portions of this article Sourced: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Hobson

Buying a repossessed or foreclosed boat a good move for your budget?

Perhaps you, like so many people out there, have a real yen to get out on the open water in a boat that you yourself own. You may be a little bit dismayed, however by the amount of money it takes to buy a boat in the first place.

Maintenance and docking fees do add up, but for most people, the main stumbling block in buying a boat is getting the capital in the first place. One thing that many people are unaware of, however, is the fact that boats can be acquired and acquired quite cheaply if you take a look at places that will sell these boats.

The first thing that you need to be aware of is that getting a boat does not mean that it has been refurbished or in some other way redone. The only thing that “repossessed” means is that at some point in time, the boat was taken by authorities. Why it was taken can cover a wide variety of reasons. The boat might have been put up for collateral as a loan that was then collected by the bank, or it might be repossessed by financing agency when the dues were not paid in a timely fashion. More rarely, a boat might have been abandoned.

One of the advantages to purchasing a boat in this fashion is that the seller is not necessarily interested in making the money that the boat is worth, the way that a normal owner would be. Essentially, the financier or the bank is looking to get back the money that they themselves lost and they might not be interested in making much more than that. If the original owner had already put down 20% of the money before the boat was repossessed, the lending organization will primarily be interested in recouping the remaining 80%. Seeing as the bank is often interested in getting rid of property as soon as possible, you might be able to get a great boat for 80% of the money that it’s worth, and usually even less!

There are many different avenues whereby you can acquire a boat. Banks and financiers will often hold auctions and these might be your best bet. Less frequently, police auctions will also have boats available. Check your online listings to see what is available, but if you travel far afield, remember to think about how to factor in transportation. As with any other large purchase, be cautious.

Don’t purchase anything sight unseen and be sure that you look for things like oil spills and other tell-tale signs of expensive damage. Most boats are sold “as is” so always be alert. Remember that the condition of the engine is of great importance because this will be one of the most pricey things to fix.

If you are in a position where you want a boat, but are unsure about the initial lay out of money, take a look and see what you can find when it comes to repossessed boats!

See more great photos, articles, recommendations, links and more about repossessed boats by visiting: http://www.repossessed-boats-for-sale-information.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Blake_Allen

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