Well, I promised this blog post all the way back in 2017 when I posted about Marine VHF, but am just now getting around to writing it.  It’s time to revisit radios and discuss one of the most useful features most users don’t know about, Digital Selective Calling (DSC).

Modern-day marine VHF radios offer not only basic transmit and receive capabilities. Permanently mounted marine VHF radios on seagoing vessels are required to have Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and new VHF radios, even recreational models, are now required to include DSC features.  DSC allows mariners to instantly send an automatically formatted distress alert to the Coast Guard or other rescue authority anywhere in the world.  DSC also allows mariners to initiate or receive distress, urgency, safety, and routine radiotelephone calls to or from any similarly equipped vessel or shore station, without requiring either party to be near a radio loudspeaker.  I like to think of DSC like text messaging on your cell phone; you can send short text messages between VHFs, including requests for voice communication with a specified channel indicated.  DSC transmits this data over VHF Channel 70.

If you have a VHF radio, you likely have DSC included on your radio, but you have to make sure everything is set up in order for it to function correctly.  Firstly, it is important that you register with the USCG to get a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) Number and properly enter it into your DSC equipped radio.  Registering is relatively.  When I registered Serenity, I used SeaTow, which has a free registration system on their website, but there are a host of other options, like the US Power Squadron, BoatUS (there is a fee unless you are a member), and a few of others.  Generally, you will need to provide pertinent information regarding the vessel (e.g. LOA, color, HIN, Name, Home Port, etc.) and contact information for the owner of the vessel.  This information gets entered into the USCG database and they assign it an MMSI number, which is then provided to you and is forever associated with that vessel.

Once you receive the MMSI number, you can program it into your VHF, which is usually a very straight forward process that is outlined in your owner’s manual.  This number acts as your address for DSC and will be transmitted with every DSC message you send.  This is also how you would send a message to a specific vessel, but more on that later.  Before we get into the more fun aspects of DSC, we should probably make sure that the distress function is working.  Having the MMSI issued and programed into the VHF is a good start; now, if you pushed the distress button, instead of a blank message, it would transmit your MMSI number, which would tell the USCG the name of your vessel, associated information, and the contact information for the owner.  However, there’s other information that might be nice to include…like where you are.

Your VHF can automatically include this information if it is connected to a GPS receiver.  Many newer VHFs will actually have a GPS receiver built into the unit and will automatically include location information in your DCS messages, that means your set up is pretty much done, but if you have a unit without an integrated GPS you have a little wiring to do.  The data standard for most electronics is NMEA 0813 or the newer standard of NMEA 2000; you just have to read the owner’s manuals for your particular GPS receiver and VHF.  It will likely be a two wire connection between the VHF and GPS, but while you're at it, you might want to connect the NMEA out from the VHF to the Chartplotter as well.  If the GPS receiver is on, this will automatically provide your position, with a timestamp, to any distress message you send and, with the DSC talking to the Plotter, it will allow positions in DSC Distress messages to be displayed on your Chartplotter automatically.  For that reason, it is a good idea to make a habit of turning on your GPS receiver or Chartplotter whenever either VHF radio is on, in order to provide this data stream; if the VHF is not receiving this data, you will probably be getting an alarm every few minutes anyway.

So, now we have our MMSI number and GPS data in our VHF, which means your DSC messages will now include who you are, where you are, and when the message was sent.  We’re ready to start sending some messages.  Every VHF will likely have a slightly different interface, so I’m not going to get into the gritty details of operations, but stay at a relatively high level overview on given operations.
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Distress Messages.  Sending a Distress Message is probably the most important feature of DSC.  While it is advisable to transmit the most detailed distress message possible, I think it’s unlikely that you’ll want to try to enter the nature of the distress, number of people on board, etc. when it’s all hitting the fan.  When you’re in the thick of it, you’ll probably be happy to just send a quick message with vessel information a position.  That’s pretty simple with your DSC equipped VHF, now that it’s set up:

1. Ensure that the GPS Chart Plotter is on, if possible, so that up to date position information will be transmitted.
2. Press and hold the DISTRESS button for 5-seconds to initiate transmission.
3. The Radio will transmit a DSC Distress Message containing your MMSI number, which is registered to the vessel and your position with a time stamp.  Any radio receiving this DSC Distress Message will automatically switch to VHF Channel 16 awaiting a voice Mayday Call.
4. Transmission will take less than a second, then the radio will wait for a response for 3.5-minutes, and, if not acknowledged it will repeat the process until an acknowledgement is received or it is canceled.  In general, only the USCG should Acknowledge a DSC Distress Message.

General Messages.  Now we get to the fun part, sending messages to your friends.  One of the drawbacks to VHF communication is that it’s a party line and you never know who might be listening in on your conversation.  Let me tell you that standing watches on the bridge of a ship at anchor, I would listen excitedly to any interesting conversations.  Someone would call someone else on VHF channel 16 or 13, both of which we monitored at all times, and then suggest a new channel to continue their conversation on.  Without fail, I would change over to that channel as well, just to see what they were saying (note that the definition of interesting changes when you’re stuck on the bridge for 4-hours without much in the way of entertainment).

This becomes problematic when you want to discuss something that you don’t necessarily want everyone listening in to, like where the prime beaching spot you just found is, or the location of your super-secret fishing hole.  With DSC, you now have an option that won’t advertise your conversation to everyone that might be listening in on Channel 16.

If you know the MMSI number of the station you want to communicate with, you can send a DSC message directly to them and no one else.  You also have the option of creating a group of several MMSI numbers and sending messages to only that group, or sending to All Stations for a general information broadcast.  These all have their uses, but I think for the average user being able to send to one station is probably the most useful feature.

The survey launches on Rainier used to make use of this function fairly often.  When 2 or 3 launches were working in close proximity to one another, they would often want to raft up together for lunch.  It gave them a chance to BS with the other launch crews, trade lunch items, and generally relax.  However, it  wasn’t a practice they wanted to advertise to the FOO (Field Operations Officer) or CO (Commanding Officer).  The FOO had two radios in his office and was always listening to the channels the launches were required to monitor, so it was tough to sneak one past him (it was me), but the more radio savvy on the crew began using DSC to clandestinely contact the other launches and arrange a meet-up for lunch.

When you initiate a DSC message, you will be able to input the MMSI number of the station you wish to reach, or select it from a stored list.  You then should be prompted to enter the VHF voice channel you want to begin voice communications on, if you want to talk, but you could also enter a purely text based message (e.g. “Meet for lunch at Camp Coogan Bay?”).  A station receiving a DSC call can respond via a text based message, or they can Acknowledge the call and their radio will automatically tune to the specified VHF voice channel.  The sending unit will automatically shift to the specified VHF voice channel once it receives the Acknowledgement and the two stations may begin conversing over that VHF voice channel and no one else is any the wiser.

If anyone is looking to give it a try, you can always send the Serenity a message; if I’m aboard I’ll be sure to reply…maybe even meet up for lunch.  Our MMSI number is 338154427.  Until next time, here’s wishing you fair winds and following seas.

It was the summer before my senior year of college and I had convinced my parents to take a July trip to Powell, kind of as a last hurrah before I moved away and began my career.  There were about 10 of us, including a couple of my friends from college.  We had found an idyllic beaching spot for our 46-ft rental boat; a well-protected little cove off of Halls Bay, just south of where the cut to Bullfrog would have been at higher water levels, with a nice sandy beach, steep hills on three sides, and closed off from the main bay so that there wasn’t a large fetch anywhere to be found. It was hard to imagine a better, more secure beach and after digging in our two anchors, the last thing I was concerned about was getting blown off the beach.

​Fast forward a few nights, to a crystal clear, calm night on Powell with no sign of trouble in the air.  As normal, we were all camped out on the upper deck of the houseboat watching the stars as we drifted off to sleep.  The evening had been perfectly calm, but in minutes our tranquil night turned in to pandemonium as what I would describe as a williwaw swept down off the steep hillside on our port bow.  I didn’t have a anemometer, and even if I had I wouldn’t have been looking at it, but I venture a guess at 40-mph winds buffeting the houseboat and quickly shoving the bow off the beach.  The bow began quickly drifting down wind to starboard, pulling the starboard anchor line sideways and dislodging that anchor.  All this happened before anyone was able to get off the top deck and down to the controls.

Luckily, the port anchor held strong, leaving the houseboat steam downwind from the aft port cleat that was secured to that one anchor.  Eventually, we were able to get the engines fired up and, pivoting off that port anchor point, align the houseboat around perpendicular to the beach again to drive it back onto the shore; holding it in place until the wind subsided about 20-minutes later.
 
It never fails, no matter how securely anchored I think the boat is or how protected the beach, the wind will come up and works its magic…usually at the worst possible time, when everyone is trying to get some sleep.  When you’re caught in this situation, reacting correctly can be the difference from a major headache and total catastrophe.  Last September there was a significant wind event across the lake that caused huge amounts of damage, included flipping a large houseboat onto its side down on the southern end of the lake.

Safely anchoring the houseboat is extremely important for your safety, the safety of the boat, and your piece of mind during a particularly bad storm.  Winds on Lake Powell can exceed 50-mph and you should be prepared to deal with these conditions, which often arise in the middle of the night.  By selecting the best available beach, properly preparing your anchors, and being ready to react to high wind conditions, you will be able to ride out the storm.
 
The flat side of the houseboat acts much like a sail and wind force on the houseboat can be enormous.  Heavy winds can dislodge even well set anchors and you must be vigilant in keeping the boat secure and being ready to respond to high winds.  The wind force exerted on the houseboat can be calculated with the equation below.  The Drag Coefficient for a flat plate is 1.17, the approximate area of the side of the houseboat is 1,000-ft2, and the density of dry air is approximately 0.074887-lbs(mass)/ft3.  To complete the calculation, you must divide the result by 32.174 (gravitational acceleration) to convert pounds mass into pounds of force.  The table below is provided as a quick reference.

As you can see from the table above, you’re dealing with huge forces here. 

Site Selection
Selecting the location of beaching the houseboat is critical and is one of the largest factors in how secure the boat will be during your week.  Ideally, you should select a site with the following characteristics, but likely you will have to make some trade-offs.

1. Steep Slope.  A beach with a steep slope offers several advantages.  It allows you to keep the stern in deep water to protect the outdrives from grounding and allow for swimming off the back of the boat.  Additionally, this steep slope prevents the houseboat from riding up the beach as much when it is pushed by waves or wind and as the water level of the lake changes, you will find that you do not need to reposition the houseboat as often.
2. Deep Sand.  A sandy beach with few rocks is best for bringing the houseboat and other small boats onto; this will minimize hull damage and will also provide you with the best beach experience.  Sand should be at least 2-ft deep for the Danforth Anchors to hold properly.
3. Protected.  Finding a beach that is protected from the predominant wind direction and from waves is important.  A beach that is exposed to the main channel will see lots of wake and wave action.  Additionally, the larger the fetch (the distance over the water that the wind can blow in a single direction) the larger the waves will be.  Try to find a cove or canyon that has good wind breaks and does not expose you to large open areas of water.
4. Features.  A beach with prominent features, such as large boulders or rock outcroppings, provides you with the opportunity to tie the boat off to these features instead of digging in the anchors.  Just be sure that the features are substantial enough to provide good holding power for your anchor lines.

Prior to leaving the dock with the houseboat, I like to identify one or more areas for out anchor site and then dispatch a scouting boat to go recon those areas and locate a suitable anchoring site.  Ideally, this boat will be equipped with VHF radios for communications and a handheld GPS to provide an exact position of the site.  Generally, I send a minimum of 4 people in the scout boat so that they can act as your anchor party and prepare the beach prior to the houseboat’s arrival.  The scout boat crew will need to evaluate the beach and plan for the anchoring of the houseboat

Site Preparation
Once the prefect anchor site is identified the work begins.  Hopefully, the anchor party will be able to have the beach ready by the time the houseboat gets there (so I don’t have to do as much work).  This includes doing all of the following:

1. Check the water for obstructions (rocks, submerged trees, debris, etc.) that might damage the houseboat.  If possible, you can mark these dangers with small line and a float (empty bottles work well).
2. Identify where the houseboat should beach and how it will approach.  It’s a good idea to mark where the bow of the houseboat will go, maybe with a cooler or other conspicuous object; this way you can radio the houseboat to aim for that marking when making their approach.  Additionally, you may set a second mark further up the beach to create a range for the houseboat to line up on that puts it in the correct orientation on the beach.
3. Layout the anchoring plan for when the houseboat arrives; based on where the bow of the boat will be, you can step off about the length of the houseboat to either side and that is where the outermost anchors should be placed.  A about 10-ft in from those sites for the secondary anchors. If using the Danforth Anchors, dig holes for the flukes of the anchors in these locations and
4. Set up a beaching and anchoring area for the small craft.

 
Anchoring
The scout boat crew should have identified any possible obstructions or dangers prior to the houseboats arrival, but you should always post a lookout on the bow of the boat to watch for potential dangers in the water as you approach the anchor site.  Houseboat should not be towing any small craft when beaching; send all small craft ahead to the beach and secure them out of the way from anchoring operations.  Maneuver into the beach as perpendicularly to the shoreline as possible, driving into the beach at clutch ahead or slower, by taking the engines in and out of gear to keep a bare steerageway.

Once the hull of the houseboat glides up onto the beach, increase your throttle to drive the hull up onto the beach and hold it there until anchoring is complete.  With the houseboat now beached and all the preparations completed, anchoring should go smoothly.

On Serenity and houseboats over 50-ft long, a minimum of two anchor points should be used on each side of the houseboat; smaller boats can get by with only one anchor on each side, but more anchoring points never hurt.  Regardless of what anchors are used, they should be positioned so that the anchor lines are at approximately 45-deg angle to the boat.  Anchor line length should be minimized; in the case of nylon lines, the more line you have the more it will stretch.  Other new synthetic fibers, like Vectran or Spectra, have virtually no stretch and will behave similarly to steel cable, which is great, but I’ve found that they don’t hold up in the UV exposure they see in Powell.

​Setting Your Anchors
Danforth anchors are the primary means for anchoring on sandy beaches.  If properly set, the Danforth anchor will provide an exceptionally sturdy anchoring point.  The anchor should be set in at least 2-ft of sand.  If the sand is shallower than 2-ft over rock ledge underneath, as a strain is taken on the anchor the flukes will dig down and hit the rock surface.  The rock will prevent the anchor from digging further and, as more load is put on the anchor, it will cause the flukes to flatten out and cause the anchor to lose hold on the beach.

The anchor should be placed in wet, well packed sand near the water.  Wet sand is much more stable and provides considerably more holding power for the anchor than dry loose sand.

​In order to set a Danforth anchor you can either fully burry the anchor, but there is an easier way.  You’ll still need to dig a hole, but there is no need to completely bury the anchor; you can set it using power from the houseboat.

1. Dig a hole that is wider than the stock of the anchor and deep enough to allow the flukes to open all the way with the shank of the anchor level with the beach surface.
2. Attached the anchor to the houseboat with the anchor line.
3. Turn the helm hard towards the anchor(s) you are setting and slowly increase the throttle to swing the stern away from the anchors and provide a pull on the anchor lines.
4. Keep weight on the crown or stocks of the anchor to prevent it from tipping forward and help it dig itself down into the beach.
5. NEVER use a sledgehammer to set a Danforth Anchor; you will likely damage the crown of the anchor and may cause an anchor failure.
6. Fill in the hole over the top of the now buried anchor.
7. Once all anchors are firmly set you may tighten up the anchor lines and secure.

Drive anchors are essentially large stakes that are driven into the ground using a sledge hammer.  They are not as solid an anchor as a properly installed Danforth Anchor, but if used correctly can be an effective anchoring system.  They can be useful in situations where the sand is less than 2-ft deep, but at least 1.5-ft deep.
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Drive anchors should always be set in multiples, at least 2-3 in a line with the anchor line.  Angle the Drive Anchors at between 20- to 30-deg away from the houseboat and back tie the first drive anchor to the next, and so on.  Once all drive anchors have been driven and back tied, you may tighten up the anchor lines and secure.

Large boulders or rock outcroppings can be the most effective anchors; just be sure that they feature you are tying off to is substantial enough to hold the houseboat in a strong wind.  In this case, you simply loop a nylon lifting strap around the feature and connect it to itself with a shackle, to which you can then connect the anchor line.  Once all anchors lines are attached you may tighten up the anchor lines and secure.

Once you have your anchoring points secured, it’s time to tighten up the anchor lines and secure.  There are a few approaches that you can take in taking the slack out of your anchor lines.

1. You can pull the line tight on the cleats on the back deck and make them off when they are as tight as you can pull them.  While this is sufficient for low stretch lines, like Vectran and Spectra, this will leave a lot of slack in the Nylon lines.
2. You can tie a loop in the line using a Figure-8 on a Bight or the Figure-9 Loop Knot and then use a movers knot to put tension on the line.  Loop the line through the shackle on the anchor and back to the loop you tied and then pull tension on it and tie off using a few half hitches.
   
3. The most effective method, and the one that I use, is to utilize the houseboat to put tension on the lines by doing the following:
   1. Swing the stern towards the Port set of anchor points by turning the helm to the right.
   2. Allow the stern to swing about one boat width to the Port. 
   3. Tighten up the lines on the Port anchors.
   4. Swing the stern away from the Port anchors and towards the Starboard anchors by turning the helm to the left.
   5. Us the throttle to stretch the lines and power the stern towards the Starboard anchors.
   6. Tighten up the lines on the Starboard anchors.
   7. Bring the helm to amidships and take the engines out of gear; the houseboat should come to rest in position with equal tension on all lines.

Water Level Changes
Depending on the time of year the lake level will either be rising or falling and you must keep track of the stage of the lake level to ensure the houseboat doesn’t become permanently grounded or float free.  Be sure to check with the marina prior to getting underway to see what the lake level has been doing; they should be able to give you a pretty good idea of whether the lake is rising or falling and how fast.  In May and June the lake can be rising by as much as 1-foot per day.  If the lake level is rising, you will need to drive the houseboat onto the beach and tighten up your anchor lines.  If the anchors are buried near the water level, which is good practice, you may have to move them up the beach as well.

​If the lake level is falling, you will need to back the houseboat off the beach and let out your anchor lines.  Failure to back the boat off with a falling lake level could result in sinking the stern of the houseboat if the boat is beached on a sufficiently steep slope, which is good practice.  As the lake level drops, the buoyant force of the hull will no longer be supporting the boat, but it will instead be resting on the seafloor.  If the angle of the beach is steep enough, such that the boat lying on the bottom would have the stern submerged, then the stern will submerge as there is not enough buoyant force to keep it afloat.

Regardless of what the lake level is doing, you should check your anchor lines every morning and evening to see if they are slack or taught; and then make the necessary adjustments to keep the houseboat properly beached.

So, what happens with the wind comes up?  Even with well-set anchors, an extreme wind event can still pose a danger to the security of the houseboat and you must be prepared to deal with a worst case scenario; being blown off the beach.  If the wind comes up and you are noticing heavy strain on your anchor lines you should start main engines and maneuver to reduce the load on your lines.

Turn the helm away from wind in order to push the stern into the wind and take strain off the anchor lines.  Power forward onto beach and increase throttle until tension on the windward anchor lines begins to slack.  Balance the throttles to maintain line tension: if the lee side anchor lines begin to go slack, you apply more power; if the windward side anchor lines begin to go slack, you reduce power.  You just have to continue playing this game until the wind dies down.

​Until next time, here’s wishing you fair winds and following seas.

​At the zoo there was a monkey island surrounded by what was essentially a moat.  The island had a lighthouse on it and in the moat along the shore of the island there was a concrete sculpture of a wrecked boat, broken in half.  As early as three years old, I remember thinking about how cool it would be if I could somehow put it back together and have my own kid sized boat.  I guess I’ve been dreaming of having my own boat for as long as I can remember; I always saw old broken down wrecks (be it a rotted out old wooden runabout or the rusted remains of an old shrimping boat on the Florida coast) as an opportunity to rebuild them to their former glory…I hadn’t yet learned how to calculate return on investment.

I did just that with my deck boat in high school, but after I spent some time on the water I started to dream bigger; I wanted a yacht (a 58-ft Hatteras Long Range Cruiser, in case anyone wants to get me an early Christmas present), but I could never make buying such a large vessel make financial sense.  It didn’t keep me from dreaming about rebuilding my perfect boat and all the features that I would want on it.  Fast forward to early 2015 when I found myself the proud new owner of Serenity and I finally had my opportunity to build the perfect boat.  Granted, some features you’d want on a transatlantic yacht don’t make as much sense on a houseboat on Lake Powell (Radar, Autopilot, EPIRBS, SSB radios, AIS, ECS, Gyro-compass, etc.), but plenty do and I had other features based on my houseboating experiences on Lake Powell that I wanted to incorporate as well.  I’m going to highlight all the “bells and whistles” that I added to the boat that I think separate her from other houseboats.

Flooring.  What, floor coverings don’t sound like a feature you’d daydream about?  I think that the right floor coverings are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also offer longevity and improved livability on the houseboat.  As such, I took a lot of time making sure that I chose the right ones.

​I’ve already sung the praises of the Lonseal teak and holly flooring in my previous post on the interior, but I’ve got to bring it up again.  This vinyl flooring that emulates a teak and holly sole ticks all the boxes for me; it looks good, it’s durable, and it doesn’t require maintenance.  You can easily point out that material and installation costs exceed that of carpet, but given the fact that this should have a much greater life (hopefully never needing replaced) and isn’t going to get stained or trap the sand and dirt, I think the extra cost is justified.  It is a commercial grade sheet vinyl, which is a waterproof barrier, has a long wear life, and is UV stable to prevent fading.  The only thing you should ever have to do to keep this floor looking great is sweep and mop, which will be of great benefit in keeping the sand that will inevitably be tracked aboard in check.

I did opt for carpet in the staterooms due to both the lower cost and the installation difficulties with the stairs.  I like the feel of carpet in a bedroom, and, while I prefer hardwoods or tile throughout a house, I usually go with carpet in bedrooms as well.  In order to get the best life out of the carpet, I purchased a short pile Stainmaster carpet that I hope will hold up for many years.
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On the exterior decks I went with a marine carpeting, but decided on a darker tan color instead of the traditional dark gray that you see on most boats.  The reason for the dark tan was twofold, I figured it would be cooler on the feet and I thought that the sand that was tracked aboard would blend in with the brown tone better than a gray.  Getting a quote for installation of $6000 for the front and back deck nudged me in the direction of installing the exterior carpeting myself.  After a solid week worth of work, I understand why they charge so much for installation.  Never the less, it came out well and I added features like the tan plastic stair caps to improve wear and longevity of the carpet (seems that the first place to wear out on carpet is always the nose of the stair treads).

Safety Equipment.  Every houseboat has the basic, required safety items; fire extinguishers, Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs), throw-able flotation, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, etc.  Of course, Serenity has a full complement of all those items, but, as someone that has gone to sea and had safety drilled into me, I went above and beyond when it came to safety equipment.  I was always fond of the USCG motto of Semper Paratus, meaning always ready; it was much better than the NOAA Corps motto, which as near as I could tell was Semper Confusa (in basic training I was told that NOAA was an acronym for No Organization At All and my career seemed to reinforce that).  I hope never to be caught wanting when it comes to vital equipment that might save a life; just like the boy scouts, always be prepared.

The number one fear of most mariners is fire.  Fire aboard a vessel is truly terrifying, especially a ship sailing in the frigid waters of Alaska; there is no fire department to call, you and your fellow crewmates are the only ones that can battle the blaze, and if you fail the only escape is the unforgiving ocean.  I’ve gone through basic and advanced firefighting training twice; even with turnout gear and an SCBA (Self-Contained breathing Apparatus), getting near a raging fire was no fun.  So, while I equipped the boat with 5 fire extinguishers, I was looking for better alternatives to battle a blaze.

​The engine compartment was already protected by a fixed HALON system, which should knock down a fire in that space in short order.  It is a HALON 1301 Flooding System that is automatically actuated when temperatures in the Engine Compartment reach 175-deg F.  HALON is a firefighting agent that attacks the fire by inhibiting the chemical reaction itself.  It is very safe for human exposure and it is extremely effective at quickly knocking down a fire while leaving no residue.  Unfortunately, it is a CFC and was linked to ozone layer depletion; as a result, production was ceased in 1994, but there are sufficient reserves to last well into the future for applications where HALON is necessary.  I'm very happy to have it protecting Serenity's engine compartment.

​At the suggestion of my firefighter brother, I installed an automatic fire suppression system over the range called the “StoveTop FireStop,” which is a fixed Sodium Bicarbonate Dumping System.  This system is automatically actuated when flames reach the device and ignite a fuse.  The fuse triggers canisters of Sodium Bicarbonate, which are dumped onto the range to extinguish the fire by smothering; when sodium bicarbonate is heated it releases carbon dioxide gas, which deprives the fire of oxygen.
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My brother also pointed me in the direction of a new sort of extinguisher, the Elide Fire Ball.  The Serenity is now equipped with 2 Elide Fire Balls, which act as fixed automatic fire suppression systems in the main salon above the electrical panel and in the aft stateroom.  These Fire Balls can also be taken down and thrown into a space to combat a fire without having to make entry or attack the fire directly.  They are a hollow polystyrene ball containing monoammonium phosphate dry chemical surrounding a small explosive charge.  Flames will ignite a fuse, which will set off the explosive charge and distribute the firefighting agent evenly throughout the space.

Medical emergencies, like fire, pose a unique hazard in a location as remote as Lake Powell.  Minor and major medical problems can arise at any time and having someone on board with at least basic first aid and CPR knowledge could be the difference between life and death.  I went through over a month of training (most of which I have forgotten; I don’t think anyone wants me giving them stitches or administering an IV) to receive my MPIC (Medical Person In Charge) certification and I wanted to be sure that I had all the required emergency medical equipment available if I would ever need it.  The Serenity is equipped with a very extensive Medical Kit that will provide equipment for even advanced responders; from a Cervical Collar to stethoscope to SAM splints to Aspirin.  I had to restrain myself from buying a back board and AED, but at some point I had to admit that the expenditure exceeded the likelihood of ever using the equipment.  Either way, someone that is trained in emergency medicine should find everything they need for basic EMT level care in the utility closet.
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All the emergency equipment in the world isn’t worth a tinker’s dam if you don’t know how to use it and haven’t thought about how to react in an emergency.  On board ships we had binders of Standard Operating Procedures and Emergency Procedures that we had to learn inside and out to get qualified as bridge watch standers.  Similarly, I have taken great care in creating SOPs and Emergency Procedures for the Serenity.  They detail the equipment aboard and how to use it with clear and concise explanations.  This sort of information is invaluable and, likely to the consternation of some of the new owners, it is required reading prior to being authorized use of the boat.  As part of our rules, the owner also has to conduct a safety briefing prior to departing the slip, to make sure that everyone aboard knows the key safety elements aboard the boat.  Safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Navigation Equipment. I’m a self-admitted navigation nerd, having spent countless hours on the bridge of a ship navigating through the inside passage to and back from Alaska, and I had to reign myself in so that I didn’t overdo the navigation equipment on Serenity.  Realistically, there is very little navigation wise that you need on Lake Powell other than local knowledge, but there are a few things that can definitely make your life easier.
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I of course purchased a suite of charts for the Serenity, including the Fish-n-Map charts of the north and south lake, the Stan Jones map that I framed on the wall for quick reference, and Navionics Western Lake electronic chart package, which includes a very detailed electronic chart of Lake Powell.  The electronic charts display well on the new Lowrance Elite 7 chart plotter and echosounder (that’s the hydrographer’s way of saying depth finder), which also gives you a wealth of information about water depth and temperature.  I mounted the chart plotter at the upper helm, since that is where I would be driving once in open water, where the chart plotter would be most useful.  While I would never want to navigate the lake at night (it’s specifically prohibited by our insurance), this would give me far more confidence in doing so.

Navigating in open water is relatively easy, but maneuvering in tight quarters can be a nerve rattling experience.  As such, I focused on adding anything that could make the process a little easier.  I had to replace the rudder angle indicators, which are extremely helpful in close quarters.  It’s a nightmare trying to maneuver that houseboat in tight spaces when you have to guess at where your engines are pointed.
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After pulling into the slip for the first time, I realized that the view behind the houseboat from the lower helm was limited, to say the least.  Having someone on the back deck as a lookout works, but I thought it would be much easier if you could see for yourself.  I installed a rear view camera to give the driver a clear view of what is behind the boat.  We’ll also be installing rear view mirrors on both sides soon to increase visibility further.

Luxuries.  Now, if I had my way I’d have a much simpler houseboat, maybe an aluminum pontoon boat about 50-ft or less in length with a swamp cooler and camper appliances; something that would be inexpensive to operate and be a little bare bones.  When I think about going to Lake Powell I don’t think about creature comforts, but I’m married now and apparently if I want my wife to come with me to the lake, I need a few luxuries.  I also figured that some memorable features would make shares easier to sell.  I went higher end on most things, like soft close doors and drawers on the cabinets and stainless steel appliances, but also added a few cool extras.

• Wash Down Shower.  I added a front wash down shower at the bow, so that you can rinse off your feet when you come off the beach.

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• Satellite Television.  I had visions of coming down to the boat in the Fall and watching football, but to do that I would need television.  Luckily, I have Dish Network as my provider and they offer a few fairly low cost mobile systems, including the Dish Winegard Pathway X1 that I installed and added to my account for just $7/month.  Couple that with an entertainment system, which includes a 40-in LED HD TV, Blueray player, and Raspberry Pi set up to emulate all the old Nintendo consoles, and even the biggest couch potatoes entertainment needs should be satisfied.
• Mist Cooling.  While sitting at an outdoor lounge in Vegas, I took note of the water misting system that was installed above my head and how effectively they were knocking down the otherwise oppressive heat.  Installing the mist system was relatively easy, just tapping the water line that was already run up to the bow.  Now my wife and I can sit on the front deck and drink a smart cocktail in a cool misting.

Utility Closet.  No matter how well maintained, mechanical problems are going to pop up and usually at the most inopportune time.  For me there’s nothing more frustrating that having a problem that I am more than capable of fixing, but not having the right tools to do the job.  As a result I wanted to be sure that I had a very complete tool set aboard the Serenity and decided to make better use of the closet that formerly housed a washer and dryer.  I bought a rolling tool chest to put in the closet, added a shelf above it, and then began putting together all the tools that I thought I might need; a battery charger, wrench set, socket set, screw drivers, pliers, knives, hacksaw, duck tape, electrical kit (strippers, testers, wire, connectors, electrical tape, etc.), small compressor, shop vacuum, drill, impact driver, and enumerable other tools.  I also have a fairly large stockpile of spare parts.  With this set-up I hope that someone that is reasonably mechanically inclined will be able to tackle most minor issues that could pop up and, at the very least, get things cobbled together enough to work in the short term.

As I’ve said, the work on a boat is never finished, but this post pretty much wraps up the ongoing series on the refit of the Serenity.  I’m sure I will have many projects on the Serenity to write about in the future (winterizing the boat, the installation of the water slide, replacing the canvas, etc.), so stay tuned.
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Until next time, here’s wishing you fair winds and following seas.

​When I was sailing on the NOAA Ship Rainier, we had no shortage of open houses and tours for everyone from Congressional staffers to local kindergarten classes.  Giving tours of the ship, I got sick of drawing the analogy that the ship was “like a small floating city and was completely self-sufficient; producing its own power and fresh water, and treating its own sewage.”  Never the less, it’s true and is equally true, though on a smaller scale, on a houseboat like Serenity.  I’ve already address the electrical systems, so, as you may have guessed, this post is going to detail the plumbing systems.

While the ship had water makers that turned sea water into fresh through evaporation and had a full MSD (Marine Sanitation Device) system that treated our waste water for discharge into the ocean, houseboats usually have far simpler systems.  Generally you will find tanks on either end; potable water tanks to carry your fresh water supply and black-/gray-water holding tanks to carry waste until it can be pumped out.

​There are some houseboats that have water makers (usually reverse osmosis), but a majority are like Serenity and just have potable water tanks for your drinking water supply.  The Serenity is somewhat unique in her fresh water configuration; supposedly the original owner liked to take long, fresh water showers and ordered it from Sumerset with five 80-gallon fresh water tanks, for a total of 400-gallons of potable water.  The tanks are interconnected to act as one tank; connected via the fill lines and vent lines at the top and the supply lines to the pump at the bottom.  With so much potable water, they made the unusual decision to not have a lake water system.  Every other houseboat that I have experience with has a separate system run to the sinks and shower that is supplied by drawing water directly from the lake.  That way you can use the lake water for all your non-potable applications and conserve the potable water.  Aside from the fact that you are pumping your water from these tanks, the houseboat’s water supply lines are virtually identical to those you would find in a home…or more precisely, a mobile home.

All the piping on the houseboat was gray polybutylene (PB), which was widely used in stick built homes, but was even more common in the mobile home industry.  For anyone that knows plumbing, they’re probably cringing right now.  PB was the precursor to the PEX lines that are commonly seen today, but was plagued with installation problems, connector failures, material degradation, and other issues leading to catastrophic failure.  It was manufactured from the 1970s through the mid-90s, but was phased out amid lawsuits regarding homes damaged by water leaks and the rewriting of plumbing codes to eliminate its use.  There are any number of problems, particularly with early installations.  Issues mainly had to do with the fittings (the acetyl plastic and aluminum crimp fittings were the most common source of failure), but also due to micro-fractures in the pipes that resulted from excessive UV exposure or chemicals in the water.  Many would have gone the route of completely re-piping, but unlike a house, I think that replacing the pipes as needed is more reasonable.

Luckily, the fittings on Serenity were all compression fittings, which did not display the same issues found in the crimp fittings and have proven reliable.  The PB piping itself has also held up very well and shows no sign of deterioration (inside or outside the pipe).  In a house, if a PB pipe failed, you would likely be looking at tens of thousands of dollars of damage; you might not be home when the leak occurred and thousands of gallons of water could be unleashed into your home, damaging drywall, dropping ceilings, and doing other major damage.  Unlike a house, the houseboat’s water system should only be pressurized when someone is aboard, so a catastrophic failure should be noticed, and the water would drain relatively harmlessly into the bilge, where it could be pumped out without causing nearly as much damage as in a house.

If the pipes were in good condition, I left them as they were.  However, anywhere that I needed to do plumbing work, I swapped them out for PEX lines, using the specialized crimp adapter to convert from PB to PEX.  As future work is done, I expect all the PB pipes will be swapped out to PEX eventually.  We will just need to monitor the system to make sure it doesn’t have any issues.

​​The system itself is fairly simple.  As illustrated below, there is a fill point on the starboard side of the houseboat, which will pressurize the potable water system or will fill the five potable water tanks if you open the valve inside the hatch just aft of the helm station.  Once the tanks are filled, you can pressurize the potable water system with the pump, which needed replaced with all the other electronic components.  In pervious boats and my parent’s campers I was accustomed to the buzzing rattle of the pump, but to my pleasant surprise, the pump I put on Serenity (a SHURflo 12-V, 3-GPM, 55-psi self-priming diaphragm pump) is virtually silent.  From the salon, directly over where the pump is mounted, you hear nothing when it is running and you get a consistent, steady stream of water from any of the taps.

​When utilizing the on board water supply, the water is pumped through a UV filtration system before it ends up at the faucet.  The UV filtration system, “The Water Fixer,” was installed prior to my taking ownership of the boat, but I did get the fun of completely rebuilding it.  I purchased new filter housings, new ballast and electronics, new bulb, new quartz tube, and rebuilt the stainless steel housing for the UV tube.  There is a two stage particulate filtration (standard mesh filter and charcoal filter) before the water passes through the UV chamber, where any living microorganisms that managed to make it through the filters should meet their fate.  The water aboard Serenity should taste as fresh as if it had come from a mountain spring.

From the filter, the water goes to the individual fixtures as the cold water supply and also runs to the hot-water heater.  The water heater, of course, needed to be replaced; I went with a 10-gallon Reliance 120-V hot-water heater that was a pretty straight forward swap out.  Then the hot water is run to the individual fixtures, just like in a house.  As shown in the above diagram.

As far as waste water, Serenity is old enough that she was built with no gray water tanks and instead discharges gray water from the sinks and shower directly overboard.  Other than plumbing in the new sink drains, the gray-water discharge didn’t need any work.  The drain from the shower and sinks just run via standard PVC drain pipes to a stand pipe towards the stern and is discharged overboard.  Serenity does have three 80-galon holding tanks for black-water from the two marine heads.
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It is a mystery to me, with all the room in this hull to position the holding tanks, why they didn’t do drop heads.  Drop heads are far cheaper and simpler with less likelihood of failure, but instead they have two marine heads.  The heads are Raritan Atlantes 12-V macerating heads, which I got to rebuild (no end to the fun of fixing up this houseboat).  I contacted Raritan Engineering and got all the replacement parts to upgrade them to the current models (A8), which basically replaced all the internal components on the porcelain bowls.

Each head has an electrical switch attached to the flush handle; that switch actuates either the macerator pump that removes water and other…waste…from the bowl and pumps it to the holding tanks, or the supply pump that feeds water into the bowl.  While I did say earlier that the Serenity did not have a lake water system, I suppose that statement isn’t strictly true as both heads have dedicate supply pumps that draw lake water from seacocks.  These are the only points, aside from engine cooling water, where Serenity pulls lake water aboard.

I’m glad that I didn’t have to deal with multiple lake water systems, mainly due to my concern with the Quagga mussels that have recently been moving into the north end of Lake Powell.  However, this still leaves me to worry about the potential damage they might do the black-water system and I have spent far too much time researching potential solutions.  I haven’t found anything definitive on whether these mussels will cause problems in the black-water system, but it stands to reason that since they are a concern in waste water treatment plants that you might see similar issues in your houseboat’s black-water system.  I considered several different options for preventing this theoretical damage and have found that there is a dearth of information on actual implications of these invasive mussels on boat systems and on appropriate and effective countermeasures.

Chlorine and other chemical sterilization is proven to kill the mussel veligers.  However, like most houseboats, Serenity is using an enzyme based toilet treatment and chlorine would kill off those desirable enzymes.  Additionally, adding chemicals to the toilet to kill off the veligers wouldn’t really protect the pump or supply lines.  If chemically killing the critters wasn’t an option, then I thought the next logical method would be to irradiate them.

Serenity already has the UV filtration set up on the potable water, and I didn’t think it would be too difficult to add a UV sterilization chamber onto each of the supply lines, which would have no impact on flow rate.  UV Sterilizers use short wavelength UV light to kill microorganisms on a genetic level; damaging their DNA so that they cannot perform basic, vital cellular functions.  I just wasn’t sure that this would be completely effective on the mussel veligers.

I only found one study on the efficacy of UV light at killing Quagga mussel veligers (note the link to the study now just redirects to the home page of the Aquatic Invasive Species Network, it appears they have taken down the study).  This report looked at the effectiveness of single and multiple treatments though a UV sterilizer at killing Quagga mussel veligers.  I didn’t think the conclusions were well supported by the data (they advocated multiple treatments with the UV sterilizer, even though after 96-hours 1-treatment has greater than 90% mortality rate, which was statistically the same as the multiple treatment runs) and I would have liked to have seen more definitive testing (they only looked at the mobility of the veligers in the sample up to 96-hours after treatment to determine mortality; I would have liked to have placed the samples into an ideal growth environment to see if any of the UV treated veliger samples would produce mussels) and a larger sample size (if I recall correctly, they only ran one sample for each treatment level).   I briefly toyed with the idea of getting some water with veligers from Lake Powell and conducting my own experiments, but decided that 1) that would be a lot of work and 2) I’m pretty sure that knowingly transporting an invasive species across stateliness is probably against the law.  I didn’t have my definitive answer, but I thought that it looked good and was about to start calling UV sterilizer manufacturers.

Before I got to that, I posed the question on the Wayne’s Words Message board, figuring that I couldn’t have been the first person to deal with this issue.  No one had considered this for combating potential mussel infestation, but UV sterilizers and filtration systems weren’t a foreign concept (mostly on potable water systems).  One member had an issue with sediment getting picked up into his black-water system and had success with a standard canister filter system on the lake pick-ups.  I had dismissed a traditional filter because I was worried about providing sufficient flow rate to the heads, which require at least 3-GPM, but he said he was using 5-micron filters in his system and had no such issues.  In fact, he only changed the filter once a year.  It may not be as high tech as irradiating the little buggers with UV light, but it should be completely effective (a 5-micron filter isn’t going to let any of the 70-micron or larger veligers through) and it was much cheaper.  I decided to go ahead with installing high flow rate filtration systems.

I purchase two 10-in filter canisters with 5-micron filters (rated at 5-GPM), which should have no issues removing the veligers.  I’m hopeful that we will see similar results and not need to change the filters until the beginning of next year.  Thus far, it seems to be working great with plenty of flow rate to both heads.  It gives me one less thing to worry about; now I just wish there were a way to protect the engine cooling systems.
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Until next time, here’s wishing you fair winds and following seas.

One note of caution before I begin, in case you don’t remember the song from Louie the Lighting Bug, electricity is dangerous.  While the 12-V DC system most likely won’t electrocute you (12-V isn’t high enough to overcome the relatively high contact resistance of the human body…I feel a tangent coming on and I haven’t even started the post yet) it can pose a variety of other dangers (high current can arc and cause fires or burns, and under the right circumstances lead acid batteries can explode).  The 120-V/240-V AC system is a very real threat of electrocution (potentially fatal) and also has the risk of being the source of a fire.  So, if you’re not comfortable working on your electrical systems, don’t; but you can still enjoy reading about them.
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I don’t know how I was so deluded that I let my dad convince me that the electronics on Serenity would be fine, but somehow I had this vision of just getting new batteries and having everything fire right up and work like a charm.  I mean, nothing was powered when it went under water, it was only under for a couple days, and then it dried out in one of the most arid places in the world; sticking your cell phone in a bag of rice works, and what is the Great Basin Desert, if not a giant bag of rice. Well my giant houseboat shaped cell phone did not come back to life after drying out.  As a rule, every piece of electronic equipment that was underwater needed to be replaced.

​Now, I could go on and list every component that was replaced, but that doesn’t make for a very exciting blog…unless you like lists.  Suffice to say that we did end up replacing everything; from the outlets and switches on the 120-V system to the 12-V gauges and switches on the lower helm.  There were a couple notable exceptions.  The chest freezer on the front deck kicked on and froze my ice packs in a hurry; I kept it and assumed that when it did fail it would only be a couple hundred dollars to replace.  The bilge blower worked, but had a new feature in a horrible squalling noise that let you know when it was on; you’d never forget to turn it off, but I eventually decided to replace it with a slightly quieter model.  That’s it, literally every other electronic component was replaced with new.

Instead of just listing the trials and tribulations of installing new electronics, I was thinking I would discuss the electrical systems aboard the houseboat in a more general way.  Many people approach electrical work with trepidation and view the electrical systems on their houseboats as almost mystical in nature.  I’m not going to advocate that a novice take on rewiring their home (see warning above), but I would say that a basic working knowledge of how your electrical systems work and confidence enough to troubleshoot minor problems might be a good place to start; ideally your electrical problem solving will extend beyond cycling the power (that’s a more technical way of saying "turning it off and on again"), though in some cases that does the trick.
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I had a lot of experience working with “system integration” on NOAA’s survey launches (getting the half million dollar sonar to talk with the quarter million dollar DGPS/Inertial navigation unit).  I was up to my eyeballs in wiring diagrams, baud rates, NMEA strings, power requirements, and the like; most of which I have completely forgotten, but the experience was invaluable in tackling this project on the houseboat and keeping things in perspective and organized.

I’ll break the Serenity’s electrical system down into 3 sub-systems; the DC house system, the AC house system, and the engine system.  Each of those sub-systems could then be broken down further into more sub-systems, and so on until you got to individual components.  Looking at it this way makes what could be a complex and overwhelming project (i.e. rebuilding the entire electrical system) seem far more manageable.  You just have to tackle one sub-system at a time until you get the whole working.

The three main sub-systems were easily separated and were, for the most part, standalone systems and would function completely independently from one another.  The first one that I wanted to get working was the 12-V engine systems, which are the critical systems to run the boat that can be seen as analogous to the systems you have in your car.  These are common to a 14-ft runabout or a 65-ft houseboat.  The navigation lights, the instrument clusters, the bilge blower, the engine’s electrical controls, etc.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to address most of these components until the new engines were installed and the wiring harnesses were in place, which seemed to keep getting put off.  So, I ended up finishing up the other two systems first.

The DC house system, often referred to as the 12-V system, is relatively simple, especially if you break it down to its basic components.  I think most of us probably learned about electricity in elementary school by connecting the positive and negative sides of a battery to the appropriate terminals on a light bulb, maybe even throwing in a switch, which demonstrates a basic DC electrical circuit.  That is all that the 12-V system is on the boat, a DC circuit that just has a few more parts.  You have a bank of 12-V batteries (in our case two sealed lead acid deep cycle 200-Ah batteries) that feed a distribution panel (i.e. the breaker panel) and then power any 12-V components.  Primarily on the Serenity, these were the 12-V lights, but also include radios, water pumps, and a few other 12-V components.

The two batteries are wired in parallel (i.e. negatives-to-negative and positive to positive) so that they supply 12-V, but output Amperage is doubled.  The positive lead is then protected by a circuit breaker (in our case a 100-A breaker).  I will note that this could be fused protection, but I prefer to use breakers whenever possible.  If you trip a breaker, say by accidentally shorting the positive and negative connections on a 50-A breaker (not that I have ever done this), then it’s only a matter of resetting the breaker; if you blow a fuse, you will quickly discover that nowhere within 50-miles of Bullfrog has a 100-A replacement fuse and the only way to restore power is to bypass the fuse protection or improvise your own “fuse” (say a piece of 12-ga wire).  From the 100-A breaker our supply line ran to three 50-A breakers in the engine compartment, which in turn fed the two marine heads (each head was on its own 50-A breaker) and the main DC breaker panel.   Power is then run through appropriately sized breakers on the panel to feed those circuits.

At each step away from the batteries, we move to a smaller breaker (e.g. 100-A to 50-A to 10-A or 20-A at the panel) and smaller wire size.  You just need to be sure that your wire is appropriately sized for the amperage and the length of the run, which can quickly be determined by consulting the chart below (courtesy of Blue Sea Systems, which has a great article on selecting appropriate wire size here).  Then you just need to make sure you have breaker (or fuse) protection for that run of wire.  The supply line is connected, often through a switch, to your component (light, pump, radio, etc.) and the negative is connected back to the battery, often through a bus bar, to complete the circuit.

Aside from the above, the AC system is wired much the same as the DC system, running from the main distribution system (i.e. breaker panel) to all the individual circuits, just like your home electrical system.  On the panel of Serenity you have three banks of breakers; the two outer columns are 120-V breakers and the center column are all the 240-V breakers.  The obvious difference between your average house and the houseboat is that the houseboat has three options for the power supply.  The entire panel can be run by either connecting to shore power (e.g. the power grid) or the onboard 12.5-KW genset; or, a subset of specific systems can be run by the inverter.
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The inverter and its dedicated bank of six 6-V 370-Ah batteries, of course, needed to be replaced.  The batteries are in a separate compartment at the bow of the boat and are wired in series to create a 12-V bank (i.e. two 6-V are wired in series to provide 12-V and then each set is wired together in parallel to triple the amperage rating).  The inverter is set up to provide power to the refrigerator and the entertainment center, as well as a few other minor items on those circuits.  It is also supplied through the power panel to act as a 150-A charger when there is shore or generator power to recharge the batteries.  I have a control panel for the inverter mounted by the main electrical panel, but it operates automatically in most situations.  If the breaker is on and there is power available, it will automatically go into a charging cycle and, when the batteries are fully charge, will then shift to a maintenance charge.  When power is lost, it will automatically shift to inverting after a few minutes.  The one thing that has been necessary to fiddle with on the control panel is adjusting the charge rate, especially if you want to operate another heavy load like the range, microwave, or HVAC systems.  I found 70% seems to work pretty well, but haven’t tried operating another big load and the 150-A charger at the same time on generator yet; it might mean lowering that charge rate even more so as not to put too much load on the generator.

Finally, we come to the engine electrical systems…but, just like me, I think you’re going to have to wait.  As I said above, these systems are largely the same from a 14-ft runabout to a 65-ft houseboat and I think I would do them more justice by devoting a full blog post to them in my series on the refit of my Lone Star Malibu.
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Until next time, here’s wishing you fair winds and following seas.

Now, for an unprecedented second posting in a month, mostly because I think there was already too much information crammed into the Marine VHF post and this is so closely related to it.  If you haven’t already, scroll down and read the Marine VHF post just before this one.
 
There’s a lot of technical stuff about electromagnetism and such that goes into antenna performance.  However, the two main determining factors in range are antenna height (it is pretty much a line of sight system, but you can often get transmissions over and around features since an antenna "sees" differently than the human eye) and the transmit power. Marine VHF is limited to 25-Watts of transmit power, but some channels with special uses are limited to 5-Watts (like VHF Channel 13, intended for maneuvering communication from bridge-to-bridge on larger ships, since ships communicating on it should by definition be in visual sight of one another).  Most fixed mount Marine VHF radios will be capable of transmitting at 25-Watts, but handheld radios probably have a maximum transmit power of 3-Watts on all channels.  So, aside from portable verses fixed mount, there’s not much difference in range based on transmit power between radios and focus then goes to making sure your antenna is as high as possible to improve its line of “sight.”  Of course there are other factors to consider, which brings us to the third factor in antenna performance, antenna length.  Many will tell you that the longer an antenna the better the reception, but I don’t really see this component factoring into maximum range nearly as much as power and antenna height; it does have an effect though.
 
Antenna length is a factor of wavelength (Marine VHF operates in the range between 156.025Mhz to 157.425Mhz and is often referred to as the 2-meter band, since that's roughly the average wavelength in that band), and VHF antennas are usually 1/4, 1/2, or 5/8 of that wavelength. The longer the antenna the better the range, at least theoretically, but that’s not the whole story.  You’re likely to find 3-ft, 4-ft, and 8-ft antennas; so, the question you’re probably asking is, why not just go with the 8-ft for the best range?

All other things being equal, the difference between a 3-ft antenna and an 8-ft antenna is the transmit and receive pattern (i.e. how the antenna "sees").  This is often referenced as dB of gain; the higher the number the better the range of the antenna, but I don’t think that accurately depicts what is going on.
 
You can picture the transmit/receive pattern extending out from the center of the antenna and rotated around the antenna in a uniform toroid or "donut" like shape.  If you view a cross-section of the transmit/receive pattern, you would see what I would refer to as a lobe (my background is more in acoustics for sonars and my terminology may not always be accurate, but it translates to electromagnetic transmissions as well).  As you make the antenna longer, the transmit/receive pattern will become narrower and more focused; in effect you are putting more power into a narrower area, producing longer range, like the beam of a spot light as opposed to a flood light.  The lobe of a shorter antenna would be more diffuse and broader with a shorter maximum range (like a flood light), while a longer antenna would have a narrower pattern with greater overall range (like a spot light).  Please excuse my rudimentary Paint diagram, but the blue lobe depicts that of a 3-ft antenna and the green lobe depicts that of an 8-ft antenna.

​The increased range with the more focused pattern is great, but it can present an issue on Lake Powell and actually adversely affect the range.  Diffuse patterns like the 3-ft antenna can overlap and "see" over obstructions, like canyon walls; the narrower pattern of the longer antenna may not "see" over the obstruction.  The area inside that lobe is not only the area that the antenna can transmit its signal, but it is also the only area where it will detect another transmitted signals.  Your antenna doesn’t have to “see” the other antenna to communicate with it, their transmit/receive lobes just have to overlap.  Again, please excuse the crude Paint illustration.

The other issue with longer antennas are that on smaller boats that pitch and roll a lot, the lobe will move up and down and not point perfectly horizontal, which can mean that you do not get steady reception with other stations.  A shorter antenna's broader lobe isn't as critical to keep level since its wider pattern covers the area even when the boat is heeled or pitching.  Also, 8-ft antennas are more prone to damage and can be difficult to mount on a smaller boat.  On a houseboat, an 8-ft antenna is feasible, but on a smaller boat I would opt for a shorter 4-ft antenna or even the 3-ft antenna.
 
Additionally, it’s important to note that the physical length of an antenna may not be the antenna length.  For example, the 8-ft fiberglass antenna you buy might actually house two 4-ft antennas stacked atop one another.  This is done to get benefits of what I would refer to as beam forming to improve performance of the antenna, but I'm not sure I fully grasp how they are "beam forming" and I'm feeling too lazy to do the research on it right now (could show up in a future blog post).
 
The point I'm trying to make is that the 8-ft antenna probably won't have a very noticeable difference in performance over the 3-ft antenna.  I would even venture to say that the 3-ft antenna might give you better range since the lobes are wider and should allow you to transmit over obstructions.  I’m not advocating getting the cheapest antenna you can source, you still want to get a good quality antenna, I’m just saying that length shouldn’t be a driving factor in performance.  It’s more important to find an antenna that fits your application well; the benefits of an antenna that is too tall to get into your covered slip won’t outweigh the likelihood of knocking that antenna off when you forget to lower it before docking.
 
Until next time, here’s wishing you fair winds and following seas.

“Breaker 1-9, this here’s the Rubber Duck, do ya’ got a copy on me Pig Pen, Come on?”  I thought I’d start off this blog with a hip, pop-culture reference…from a C.W. McCall song about trucking…released in the 1970s…  Yeah, maybe I need to reconsider my hip, pop-culture street cred?
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Most boaters are familiar, at least in passing, with the VHF Marine Radio.  It is a vital piece of equipment found on all commercial vessels and most large pleasure craft, like houseboats.  It is somewhat rarer to see it on smaller runabouts, ski boats, and PWCs; but I would hope that if they are traveling outside the range of immediate assistance, that they are carrying a handheld VHF Radio.  I personally would never consider leaving the dock without this critical piece of safety equipment, especially somewhere like Lake Powell where cell phone coverage and other communications are unreliable at best.

I’m always surprised, but I’ve spoken with many houseboaters that consider it extraneous; one gentleman told me that he didn’t even know if his worked as he’d never used it before.  They are always somewhat surprised, or maybe just annoyed, when I start extoling the virtues of having and knowing how to properly use your VHF.  I thought I might put fingers to keys in an attempt to spread the good word via this blog.  I’ve seen people approach the VHF with anything from fear and trepidation to reckless abandon; ideally you’ll fall somewhere in between.

I’ve had countless hours communicating on the VHF as I stood watch on the ship, I went through untold hours of training that involved simulating bridge-to-bridge communication, I completed the GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety Systems) course which came with an FCC license, and I even briefly had my own call sign assigned to me (WZ2583, which corresponded to the Field Operations Officer on the NOAA Ship Rainier).  However, I still get a little bit nervous every time I go to key the mike on my VHF; there’s a little part of me that flashes back to being that Ensign on the bridge with a death grip on the mike worrying that I would say something dumb and make a fool of myself…broadcasting my error to every mariner in a 10-mile radius.  As with anything, it gets easier with repetition, but it’s still a good idea to think over what you’re going to say before you key that mike, you don’t want to make the mistake of being too casual; there are rules in the land of the FCC.

I’m not going to go into great detail about the underlying theory of VHF Radios or how they function.  I could bore you to death by talking about how VHF stands for Very High Frequency and operates in a frequency range between 156.000-MHz and 162.025-MHz, but my wife insists that’s not the best way to write a blog…or as she put it, “a blog that people actually want to read.”  There are three things that I think are worth mentioning though and because I’m a nerd I’m going to go into detail, but feel free to skip it and just look at the bold statement for the takeaway:

1. Your VHF operates in two modes, US and International.  If you’re operating on Lake Powell or other US waters, you want to be in US mode.  This will make a difference in how your VHF receives and transmits on several channels.  Each channel on your VHF corresponds to a specific frequency.  Most are simplex, which means they transmit and receive on the same frequency (e.g. Channel 16 is 156.800-MHz), but some channels are designated as duplex, which means they transmit on one frequency and receive on a different frequency (e.g. Channel 20 transmits on 157.000-MHz and receives on 161.600-MHz on a vessel, the opposite for a land station).  Well the US and International conventions are different and some channels that are designation as simplex in the US are duplex when you’re in international mode, which can cause a real problem if you’re trying to communicate with someone in the opposite mode on one of those channels. 
2. Your maximum range on your VHF can be nominally estimated to be about 5-miles, but it can be adversely affected by obstructions like canyon walls.  Your VHF has a high and low power transmit (between 1- and 25-Watts).  Some radios will allow you to select the transmit power, particularly commercial models, but many set the power automatically based on what channel you are on and its intended use (e.g. Channel 13 for bridge-to-bridge communication should always be low power and Channel 16 for distress and hailing is always high power).  Your range is far more dependent on the height of your antenna, since VHF is limited to line of sight (antennas do “see” differently that your eyes though…I’m tempted to go off on a tangent, but this post is long enough as it is, so maybe an unprecedented addendum post later this month will be added).  This means the higher your antenna, the greater distance you will be able to transmit and receive.  Antennas on tall towers can have ranges of tens of miles, but the realistic reliable range on your houseboat dealing with Lake Powell’s topographic limitations is 5-miles and it is less for a handheld unit (both because of limited power and the height of the antenna in a small boat).
3. Your antenna needs to be vertical in order to receive and transmit properly and mounted as high as possible to increase range.  This isn’t usually an issue on fixed systems, but there are enough that have antennas that fold down for storage that this could be an issue.  I’ve had the experience of not understanding why the ship couldn’t read me in the small boat only to discover that I forgot to raise the antenna.  Without getting too into electro-magnetism, let me just say that if you could see the transmission from an antenna you would note that it is not uniform, but instead has what I'd refer to as lobes.  For a vertical antenna like our VHF antennas, most of the power from the transmission spreads out from the sides like a donut with very little to no power going directly up or down.  This pattern is also true for receiving, as the antenna picks up signals in the lobes very well, but tends to miss signals outside those lobes.  So keep your lobes horizontal by keeping your antenna vertical.

I should also mention Digital Selective Calling, or DSC, but I’m going to focus on VHF voice communications in this post and DSC is deserving of its own blog post as I couldn’t hope to do it justice without going off on a huge tangent (what’s new?).  Instead, I will simply acknowledge it as part of your VHF that you’re probably not using to full potential.  Stay tuned for an exciting future DSC post.

So what more could you possibly need to know about your VHF Radio?  Lots, but I’ll limit it to some things to avoid on the radio and radio etiquette for routine calls.

So let me start by saying that the VHF Marine Radio does indeed have a set of rules and failure to follow these rules can get you into trouble with the FCC and other federal authorities (USCG, NPS, etc.), but the real thing to be concerned about is that when you don’t follow correct radio etiquette I, or someone like me, am probably listening…and silently judging.  So, here, in the order in which I thought of them, are my top five things to avoid with the VHF:

1. Don’t chit-chat on Channel 16.  NPS is pretty lax about this, but if you’ve ever boated in an area where the USCG is maintaining a radio watch then you’ve probably heard this before, “Stations conversing on Channel 16, this is United State Coast Guard Sector XYZ.  Channel 16 is for hailing and distress only, please move your conversation to a working channel, United State Coast Guard Sector XYZ, Out.”  If you don’t, they may not know who you are, they may not know where you are, but they have a particular set of skills and they will hunt you, and they will find you (Is that a little better for a pop-culture reference?).  Seriously, just establish communication on Channel 16 and then move to another channel to talk, that way you don’t clog up Channel 16 for everyone else that might want to call someone, or more importantly, might need to call for help.
2. Don’t leave your mike open or ramble during your transmission.  Have you ever been in a conversation with someone that just kept talking and wouldn’t let you get a word in edgewise?  Well, if that person is on the VHF, you literally can’t get a word in, because if they have their mike keyed they’re not going to hear you try to interrupt them.  While long rambling transmission should be avoided, the trouble usually arises when you accidentally sit on the transmit key in a bouncing boat.  To avoid this, make sure you put your mike or handheld radio somewhere it’s not likely to be inadvertently keyed.
3. Don’t use profanity.  This should go without saying, but know that this is an actual federal law and I feel like I should mention it.
4. Don’t use superfluous jargon, especially if you don’t understand it.  My opening to this post notwithstanding, CB lingo has no place on the VHF; so try to suppress all your 10-4s, what’s your 20s, come-ons, breaker-breakers, and the like.  There are terms specific to the VHF Marine Radio, which I’ll get to in the etiquette portion, but most are not required and if you’re unsure about using them, don’t.  I cringe every time I hear “over and out”; you can be “over” or you can be “out”, but you are never “over and out” at the same time.  If nothing else, just please stop saying that.
5. Don’t let your kids play with the VHF radio.  I could have also titled this “don’t make false distress calls,” but figure if you’re the type of person that thinks making a fake distress call is a good idea, you’re not really in my target audience.  You’re kids on the other hand, may not know any better and if left alone with a radio will probably reenact that famous scene of Matt Damon in Saving Private Ryan when the aliens are about to sink the Titanic where he screams, ”Mayday, Mayday, Mayday!” in to the radio.  I may have gotten my pop-culture references confused there, but, point being, movies do a great job of teaching kids that what you do with a radio is pick up the mike and scream Mayday into it.  The USCG must investigate every mayday call as if it were genuine, even if they’re reasonably certain that it was just your kids screwing around.  This results in millions of dollars of taxpayer money wasted every year on searches that aren’t necessary, but the consequences of not treating every mayday call as genuine are too grave.  Teach your kids to respect the VHF and don’t let them play with it (you could read them this blog post as a bedtime story…my wife says it puts her to sleep); if they do call mayday, do the right thing and call the authorities (USCG or NPS) back and let them know to disregard the call.

That’s a lot of don’ts, so now for some dos.  Your VHF is your link to the outside world; for this reason, I recommend keeping it on and monitoring Channel 16 at all times, but at a minimum you should be listening to it when you are underway.  The best tool in the world won’t do you any good switched off and sitting in the closet.  I guess that’s do number one, turn your radio on and use it.  Not only can it be a life line in times of emergency, it is extremely handy in everyday life.  You can tune to the weather bands for the regional forecast for the next few days, NPS makes general safety and informational broadcasts (like the pump out station at Bullfrog is closed), and you can call your small boat and ask them to pick up more beer on their way back from the marina.  Now, in the reverse order I thought of them, here are things you should know about using your radio:

1. Listen before you transmit.  Don’t just grab the mike and start talking, take the time to listen and make sure that you won’t be stepping on other stations that are already talking on the channel you’re using.  Wait until they are finished before you transmit.  This can sometimes be frustrating if the radio is particularly busy, but it does you no good to try to talk over them as neither one of you will be heard.
2. Channel 16 is for hailing and distress only.  Once you’ve established communications, immediately shift to a working channel to have your conversation.
3. Repeat important information (like the station you are calling) up to three times.  The purpose of this is to make sure that important information is understood, but more often than not, I hear even professional mariners rush through the three repeats in the time it would have taken to say it once clearly, which kind of defeats the purpose.  This isn’t a rule, but it is good practice, and if you are going to repeat it three times, you should make it understandable.
4. Give your name so the station you’re calling knows to whom to respond.  I can’t count the number of times that I’ve heard, “Bullfrog Boat Rentals, come in please.”  Come back to who?  Boat rentals has two options, respond to generic “station calling” or assume that your boat name is Come-in Please, which is kind of a crappy boat name.  In many cases the person on the other end of VHF isn’t very knowledgeable either and not knowing your name will result in confusion and they may just not respond.  Tell them who you are when you call them.
5. Use positive communication.  Exchanging information via VHF can be like a game of telephone and can lead to confusion; it’s a good practice to repeat what you think you heard back to the person communicating it, to make sure it’s actually what they meant.
6. Begin your call with the name of the station you’re calling followed by your name.  In general, both the name of the station you’re calling and your name can be repeated up to three times when establishing communications, but can then be reduced to once after you’ve established communications or dropped all together if there’s no other traffic.  You always lead with the station you’re calling and then tell them who is calling them (i.e. you).  For instance, if I were on Serenity and were calling the Dessert Island, it would go something like this; “Dessert Island, Dessert Island, Dessert Island.  This is Serenity on Channel 1-6.  Over.”
7. It’s good practice to state what channel you’re on since some vessels might be monitoring more than one channel, but not strictly necessary.
8. Now here comes the jargon.  Here is a list of some of the more common terms that you might find useful in communicating on the VHF.  For a complete list of term, you can consult the US Coast Guard Raidiotelephone Handbook.

• Broken and/or Unreadable – Used to indicate that you were unable to make out what was said because the transmission was garbled.
• Go Ahead – Used at the end of transmission to indicate that you have finished speaking and are awaiting further communication, particularly after having just been called.
• Out – Used at the end of your transmission to indicate you have completed communications and do not expect a response.
• Over – Used at the end of your transmission to indicate you have finished speaking and are awaiting a response.
• Rodger – Used to communicate that you heard and understood their transmission; it is often good practice to repeat what you thought you heard to make sure it is accurate.
• Shifting – Used to indicate that you are changing channels, usually to continue communications with another station on that channel.
• Station Calling – Used in place of a station name when someone calls you, but you were not able to understand their name.  A generic term used to indicate the station trying to get ahold of you.
• Stepped On – Used to indicate that multiple stations transmitted at once and transmission was garbled.

So that’s all well and good, but how would a standard VHF exchange go?  Here’s an example.
ON CHANNEL 16:

Serenity:  “Duck, Duck, Duck.  This is Serenity, Serenity, Serenity on Channel 1-6.  Over.”
Duck:  “Station Calling, this is Duck.  Go Ahead.”
S: “Duck, this is Serenity.  Want to shift to Channel 6-9?  Over.”
D:  “Serenity, Duck.  Copy shifting to channel 6-9.  Out”
CHANNEL 69 (designated for non-commercial traffic)
S:  “Duck, Duck, Duck.  This is Serenity on Channel 6-9.  Over.”
D:  “Serenity, Duck.  Go Ahead.”
S:  “Duck, Serenity.  We are critically low on cheesy-poofs.  Can you pick some up at Halls on the way back? Over.”
D:  “Serenity, Duck.  Rodger, we’ll get cheesy-poofs on our way back.  Did you see that awesome post about the VHF Marine Radio on The Captain’s Blog?  Over.”
S:  “Duck, Serenity.  I’m reading it right now; thought I would take a little afternoon siesta.  Over.”
D:  “Serenity, Duck.  Sounds good; see you in about 30-minutes. Over.”
S:  “Duck, Serenity.  Copy, see you in 30-mintues.  Serenity shifting back to channel 1-6.  Serenity, Out.”

You could have easily dispensed with all the “Duck, Serenity” and “Serenity, Duck”, but they were left in for example of formal communication.  Also, as I said earlier, the jargon isn’t strictly required, but you might find that used properly it can help smooth out communications.  For those of you waiting for a duck, duck, goose joke…sorry, that’s just beneath me.

Now go out there and use your VHF with renewed confidence and, “keep doin’ it to it, like Pruitt used to do it…to it…”  Ah, never mind the pop-culture references.  Until next time, here’s wishing you fair winds and following seas.

They say it’s what’s on the inside that counts and, in the Serenity’s case, she was as ugly on the inside as she was outside.  So we ripped out her guts and replaced them with new shiny guts. If nothing else, you will get a lesson in nautical terminology and will get an idea of what my first few weeks on a ship were like; “it’s not a door, it’s a hatchway FNG….there are no stairs on a ship, Butter Bars, they’re called ladder-ways…it’s a head, if you want to use the toilet, swim to shore.”  Ah, good times.

As you can see from the previous photos, the interior of Serenity needed some serious help.  It was a time-warp back to the mid-90s with its pickled oak, brass fixtures, and white appliances.  Oh yeah, and it was underwater for a few days and seemed a little worse for the wear.  I really was shocked by how much water damage there was and how much was not salvageable.  The finish on cabinets and walls was peeling, plywood paneling was delaminating and bowing, cabinets were literally coming apart at the seams, the doors were falling apart, and everything was coated in an oily, sandy grime.  It wasn’t a place that you wanted to spend a lot of time.  And did I mention the style was straight out of the mid-90s.  By the time we were done about the only thing that remained original were the overheads (that’s the ceiling for you lubberly types, on a ship a ceiling is something you stand on and the thing over your head is, well, an overhead).

​First came demolition.  We hauled off the water damaged furniture, broke out probably 500-pounds of granite tile countertops, demoed the cabinets, pulled up carpeting, took out the doors, removed damaged paneling, and got rid of the appliances.  Then we made our first tactical error; I had been thinking of keeping the tile in the galley (that’s kitchen), but my dad noted that they had installed it around the cabinets and that our new cabinets wouldn’t fit the holes.  He also pointed out that the tile didn’t really fit the planned new décor, which I agreed with and agreed to tearing it out.  About three days later we realized that someone was really good at laying tile; they had set down 1/8-in cement backer board with mastic, screwing it down every 6-in or so, and then put a generous amount of thinset down to lay the ceramic tile.  We had broken up all the tile with roto-hammers, but the backer board did not want to let go and we finally came to the realization that the only way we were going to get the floor out was to tear out and replace the plywood subfloor.   It took another couple days to clean up the edges enough to use our circular saw to cut out that section and pry it up.

We then replaced the flooring with exterior grade plywood, which was rather straight forward…except for actually selecting the plywood for use.  It is an interior area and for the most part is fastened to wood structure, but there are several aluminum deck beams that the decking material would be in contact with; why is this a problem you ask?  Believe it or not, the internet is on fire with debate about what wood products to use on aluminum boats, but I have yet to find any authoritative sources on the subject.  Without wading into the discussion too far myself, I think what I can take away from my hours of research is: (1) I should find a new hobby. (2) You should avoid using pressure treated lumber in contact with aluminum, because of the potential for increased corrosion in the aluminum due to the chemicals in the pressure treated lumber (I could elaborate, but...). (3) For areas that will not see excessive amounts of moisture, you can safely substitute exterior grade plywood for marine grade plywood; the chief difference is that that marine grade plywood should have no voids in the interior laminate layers to prevent trapped moisture from causing rot and it may have more layers.  Since this floor was interior, it was more than reasonable to just go with the exterior grade plywood.

With the easy part over, it was now time to put this mess back together.  We started out with repairing and replacing damaged paneling; luckily we only found slight surface mold on some of the panels, with some significant bowing and peeling of the veneer.  There were happily no signs of mold behind the panels that we removed and we gave everything a nice wash-down with Lysol.  Once the paneling and subfloors were done, we sanded everything down and were able to quickly move on to painting.  The original paneling was a pickled oak that was popular in the early 90s, but seemed a little dated.  I decided to go for a more classical yacht motif and paint the bulkheads (that’s walls) an antique white with plans for mahogany or teak (at least something that resembled one of those woods) trim throughout.  The paint went on smoothly; the trim on the other hand turned into I can't count how many days of endless fiddling with angles and lengths and trimming them…I really hate finish carpentry.

While I started out with delusions of saving the old cabinets, it didn’t take long on our first trip back down there to realize that they were completely water logged and well beyond saving.  The finish was peeling, most of the doors were warped, and a lot of the frames were starting to come apart.  I went with solid wood cabinets with boxes made out of plywood instead of particle board.  They might be slightly more expensive in the initial purchase price, but they are far more durable and will hold up in a marine environment much better in the long run.  I also opted for the soft close doors and drawers.  We hung the cabinets and installed new laminate countertops; I used laminate countertops for two reasons, (1) the extra weight of a solid surface countertop would have kept me up at night, and (2) there wasn’t a fabricator that I could find that would go down to Bullfrog to install a solid surface countertop.  Also, I should point out that I would normally wait to install cabinets until after the flooring was down, but in this case, with our time limited down in Bullfrog, I didn’t want it to hold up progress; we had contracted out the flooring and, as I discovered with everything I contracted out, things take a lot longer to get done down at Lake Powell.

​Long before I purchased this houseboat I had fallen in love with this vinyl flooring produced by Lonseal that mimics the look of teak and holly sole.  I love the look of teak and holly and nothing is more nautical than a cabin sole covered from stem to stern in teak and holly.  I was not as in love with the price, the installation, or the upkeep of traditional teak and holly flooring.  Luckily, several years ago they started producing exterior synthetic teak flooring (PlasTeak, NuTeak, and a variety of others) and a little more recently there were companies that began producing the vinyl sheet flooring that reproduced the look of teak and holly with all the benefits of a commercial vinyl floor.  The Lonseal isn’t cheap by any means (the 300-sqft I purchased was around $2500 and the adhesive added a couple hundred), but it is durable commercial grade vinyl.  The vinyl surface is designed for high traffic commercial area, completely waterproof, slip resistant, and UV stable; in short it should outlast the boat.  Without taking a long hard look at it, you also wouldn’t easily be able to pick it out from a real teak and holly flooring.  I opted to lay this vinyl flooring in the main salon (living room), galley (kitchen), and passageway (hallway, though that one should be obvious); not only does it look great, it also won’t trap sand that will inevitably be tracked aboard and cleans up easily with a broom and mop.  The heads (that’s restrooms) were tiled in a Stain-master “Luxury” vinyl tile, which went down over a latex primer on the plywood deck. I did contemplate installing real tile, but there is something that is just un-seamanlike about putting extra weight on a boat; I figured if the vinyl tile doesn’t hold up I can always replace it in the future.  The staterooms (that’s bedrooms) were finished off with Stain-master carpeting.  I contracted out the Lonseal and carpet installation, but tackled the heads on my own.

​The old hollow core doors were in sorry shape and clearly needed to be replaced.  I purchased traditional mahogany hollow core doors, stained and varnished them and then replaced the door hardware before hanging.  The fixtures throughout went brass; I know many will think that dated, but brass was and is common on vessels for its superior performance in a marine environment…I can recall many an anchor watches as a new ensign spent polishing all the brass work on the bridge.  Brass just fits with a traditional yacht décor.  The exception would be the galley where I went with a stainless steel sink, stainless steel appliances, stainless steel faucet, and oil rubbed bronze (black) door and drawer pulls for the cabinets throughout.  The last thing we had to do was to take a steam cleaner to the overhead to clean up some staining; then we just had to move in new furniture to complete my vision of a traditional yacht interior…if only doing it was as easy as writing about it.

​Until next time, here’s wishing you fair winds and following seas.

​The engine room, or compartment in this case, is the heart of a vessel; the literal motive force that moves the vessel through the water and provides power for necessities like Air Conditioning and Satellite TV (at least my wife insists these items are necessities, if she’s going to join me on a Powell vacation).  The Serenity was in desperate need of a heart transplant.  The engines and generator had, of course, been completely submerged, but we had been told that they had been pickled after the vessel was refloated.  However, there was no indication of how well they had been pickled and I got varying accounts from the guys at Dry Storage, the Insurance Company, and Executive Services.

If your engine goes under, there are several differently levels of pickling that can occur, and they range from completely ineffective window dressing to an ideal pickling that ensures the engine is turn-key ready.  Ideally, you would drain the oil, remove the water from the cylinders, fill it with oil, and fire it up to get the engine up to temperature; then you change the oil and fog the cylinders.  That engine should be none the worse off.  While they didn’t fire up the Serenity’s engines, it does seem like they did a decent job of pickling them, having at least fogged the cylinders, and the engines did turn freely.  However, I discovered that they had over 2500-hours on them and would need a fair bit of work to get running again.  While you can usually expect to get around 4000-hours out of these engines, I was a little worried about the reliability of these engines without knowing the service history and knowing the latter half of their life is likely more prone to mechanical failures.

​After going back and forth on whether to replace them or try to eke out their final 1500-hours, I finally decided to just bite the bullet and buy new engines.  My logic was, if I was looking to sell shares after getting the boat finished, it would be a much easier sell with brand new engines.  The Serenity was powered by twin 4-cylinder 3.0-L Mercruisers and I was able to purchase new GM Marine long blocks, along with new starts and alternators, from Michigan Motorz.  I had Offshore Marina pull the old engines out and drop the new long blocks into place, replacing the power couplers and boots along the way, but finished the dressing of the engines myself.  After a lot of fiddling by a bunch of part time mechanics (my dad, some friends, and me), we got both engines running smoothly…even if we did have to change the carburetors a couple times.  I’d decided to rebuild the carburetors, and let’s say I might have needed a little more practice (which I got) to hone my carb rebuilding skills.  I had contemplated going with EFI engines, but Michigan Motorz didn’t recommend it as they thought the carbureted engines were less prone to issues, easier to work on if there was a problem, and fuel savings would be minimal in the 3.0-L engines.

I think most good stories start out “on a dark and stormy night” and this is where the story of the Serenity, at least in her current form, begins.  It was indeed a dark and stormy night on the evening of 10-October-2014; a foul wind blew out of the Northeast, bringing with it destruction and roiling the waters of Bullfrog Bay into a tempest.  Serenity sat in her moorings at G-dock in Halls Crossing Marina, her name in stark contrast to the conditions around her.  The waves quickly overwhelmed the wave break and soon were crashing into and over the sterns of the houseboats in those unprotected end slips.  All shipped water over their transoms, but Serenity was crippled by two inoperative bilge pumps and rapidly succumbed to the weight of water in her bilges, sinking right there in her slip.  The storm and her sinking were chronicled here on Wayne’s Words Message Board, in this thread.