TBPNews #31 - December 14, 2002
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In this issue: 
1) Happy Holidays!
2) General Motors partners with APBA
3) Harsen Smith of Chris-Craft family dies
4) Mercury's all-new "Project X" 
5) Discount on 'Family & Performance Boats' magazine
6) 'The Elements of Boat Strength' book deal
7) FEATURE ARTICLE: Winterizing Your Engine; Outboards
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1) Happy Holidays!
We'd like to wish all of our TBPNews subscribers, and all the visitors to the AeroMarine Research website a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season.  We are proud to have published twenty newsletters during 2002, to over 2000 TBPNews subscribers!  Please keep your suggestions coming in, and we will do our best to address the issues and technical subjects that our readership is most interested in. Thankyou again for your support.
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2) General Motors partners with APBA

A long-term partnership was signed between General Motors and the American Power Boat Association (APBA) and announced at the World Championships by Bob Lutz, vice-chairman of GM.
Under the new partnership with GM, APBA will be extending the Vortec engines from the Super Vee series to both the Factory classes and Super Cat Lt series, according to the association. 
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3) Harsen Smith of Chris-Craft family dies

Harsen Smith, who ran the Chris-Craft boat operation through the post-World War II boating boom, has died at the age of 94.  Smith died Saturday, Dec. 7, 2002 in Fort Lauderdale. As chairman of the board, Smith shepherded the nations oldest boat company during the period when recreational boating enjoyed its biggest expansion. His grandfather, Christopher Columbus Smith, founded the company in 1874, and Smith had been associated with it since boyhood.  Smith appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1959 as the man who perhaps more than any other put the U.S. family afloat. The magazine credited him with changing boating from a rich mans sport into a recreational pastime within reach of the average family.  Smith formally joined Chris-Craft in 1928 and gradually took control of the firm from his father, Jay Smith.  He left the company in 1960 when it was sold. The Sarasota, Fla.-based boatbuilding company now is owned by British investor Stephen Julius, who acquired it from Irwin Jacobs Genmar Holdings Inc. just weeks after Jacobs bought it as part of the Outboard Marine Corp. bankruptcy proceedings.
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4) Mercury's all-new "Project X" 
Mercury Marine has introduced an all-new outboard engine, code named "Project X." While company representatives have remained silent about this revolutionary powerplant, BoatTEST recently saw this new 4-stroke, 250 horsepower engine in action at the Mercury dealer meeting.   Mercury demonstrated Project X as a single-engine setup on a Triton bass boat and as a twin-engine installation on a Boston Whaler. Our initial tests show the engine is so quiet you can hardly hear it running at idle, and it is sure to shatter the commonly held notion that 4-strokes are slow out of the hole. It took just 1.5 seconds to plane off on the Triton and less than 4 seconds on the Whaler.   The engine, appropriate for both fresh- and saltwater applications, appears to be almost shake-free, with no noticeable smoke upon start-up or acceleration. Torque was also impressive in the midrange, unlike many 4-strokes in the past. While Mercury would not confirm an official release date for the new engine, it is sure to cause big waves in the industry.	
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5) DISCOUNT on 'Family & Performance Boat' Magazine!  

We have obtained great deals on Powerboat magazine subscriptions.  This month we have a great deal on the popular 'Family & Performance Boat' magazine.  We have also learned that John Tiger is back writing for F&PB, as the Outboard Tech expert.  The magazine showcases sport and performance boats in ways never before seen, and provides performance enhancement solutions to better meet the power and handling demand of today's more knowledgeable enthusiast.  You can receive a 25% discount for a full-year subscription for only $26.99.  (Hardcover: 352 pages ; 9.52 x 7.59inches,  Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; ISBN: 0070231591)

Check out your favorites at: http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/boating%20magazines%20discounts.html
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6) High Performance POWERBOAT Books - 'The Elements of Boat Strength' 

We have obtained great deals on Powerboating design and history books.
http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/boating%20magazines%20discounts.html
The Elements of Boat Strength: For Builders, Designers, and Owners by Dave Gerr. Certain books, because of their thoroughness, tend to become industry standards; such is the case with Dave Gerr's latest reference volume, The Elements of Boat Strength. The book details construction methods and recommended scantling dimensions for fiberglass, wood, aluminum, steel, and composite hulls". Regular price is $34.95; we have it for only $24.47 (30% savings!) 

http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/boating%20books%20discounts.html

7)Feature Article - Winterizing Your Engine: Outboards

When the temperature falls below freezing, if there is water inside your engine or gearcase, the result can be a cracked block or housing and a repair bill that runs into the thousands. It is easy enough to prevent this unhappy circumstance by putting your boat's engine to bed properly at the end of the boating season. 

Rust - Allowing corrosion to flourish during the off-season is less dramatic but equally destructive. Corrosion can establish a foothold on idle components, so liberal use of corrosion inhibitors--both internal and external--is a second guiding principle for winterizing. 

Checklist - I am big on checklists, so I suggest you prepare one.  As with laying-up your boat for the season, it is essential not to miss a step. If your owner's manual includes winterizing instructions, that is the procedure you should follow. In the absence of manufacturer's instructions, here are two generic checklists for engine winterizing, one for outboards and one for inboards. Some steps on these lists may not apply to your particular engine. 

The only major items you will need, other than your engine's normal lubricants are an aerosol can of fogging oil, a fuel stabilizer (gasoline engines) or a fuel biocide (diesel engines), and, for inboards, a gallon or two of non-toxic propylene glycol antifreeze. 

For Outboards... 
- Freshwater flush - Use a flushing attachment, or run the outboard in a tank filled with clean water. 
- Empty fuel lines and carburetors - While the engine is still running, disconnect the fuel line from the engine. When the engine dies, the fuel delivery components will be empty, preventing gums from forming in the stagnant gasoline and clogging lines and jets or injectors. 
- Fog the carburetor intake(s) - Before the engine runs out of fuel, spray fogging oil into the carburetor(s). Fogging oil is an anticorrosive that will protect the internal surfaces of the carburetor and the cylinders. Typically the engine will run rough just before it runs out of fuel. As that happens, give the carburetor(s) a heavier shot of fogging oil to make sure internal surfaces are fully coated. 
- Drain cooling passages - Disconnect the flush attachment or remove the motor from the flush tank, With the motor upright, let all water drain out of the pick-up. Open drain plugs (if any--see your owner's manual) to empty the powerhead and intermediate housing. Crank the motor a couple of times by hand or "bump" it with the starter to empty the water pump. If the motor will be exposed to freezing conditions, it is essential that no water remains inside. 
- Fog the cylinders - Remove the spark plugs and spray fogging oil into the holes to coat the interior surfaces of the cylinders. Rotate the flywheel a few turns to spread the oil on the cylinder walls. While the plugs are out is the time to check them and regap or replace as required. Reinstall the spark plugs. 
- Lubricate linkages and the electric starter drive mechanism - Clean all pivots and visible gears and protect them for the winter with oil or grease, as specified in your owner's manual. 
Drain and refill gearcase. Use lubricant specified in your owner's manual. 
- Fill oil tank - This will prevent condensation from forming inside the tank. 
- Touch up damaged paint - Mist-coat powerhead with an anticorrosion spray
- Drain fuel tank and supply lines - Starting your engine in the spring with old gasoline is an invitation to problems. Manage the last few weeks of your boating season to leave your fuel tank(s) close to empty, then drain the fuel that remains. Use it in your snow blower or burn it in your car, but leave gasoline tanks and lines empty. 
- Stabilize the fuel - Some boaters prefer to store the tanks full to minimize the potential for condensation. I find a cupful of water in the tank in the spring a lot smaller problem than 50 gallons of bad gasoline, but if you want to leave the tank full, pour in an appropriate amount of gasoline stabilizer to combat the formation of passage-clogging gums. 
- Clean and liberally lubricate propeller shaft - The off season is the perfect time to have your prop(s) serviced. If the engine will be stored on the boat, take the prop(s) home to discourage theft. 
- Store upright - Laying the engine down risks water draining where it shouldn't. An engine stand is easy enough to cobble together. 

Ok...next week we'll discuss Inboards.
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Happy Holidays!

See you next time!

/Jimboat