Q:I'm building a trailer to haul my boat to and from the lake each year. The next step will be putting lights on it. What's legally required?
- Jim Donovan, Washington C.H., OH

A:All trailers must have left and right tail lights, stop lights, and rear turn signal lights. They also need red and yellow side marker lights, and a license plate light. The tail, stop and turn signal functions are usually built into a multipurpose fixture. The license plate light may be built into the fixture intended for mounting on the left side of the trailer.

Yellow side marker lights are mounted at the front, often on the tongue. Red side marker lights are installed near the rear of the trailer. Marker lights must face straight to the side of the trailer so they can be seen by cars approaching at an intersection. Many multifunction fixtures have side marker lights in addition. The marker lights must come on when the tail lights are illuminated.
All trailers should have red and yellow side reflectors in addition to the marker lights. Red reflectors should be installed on the rear of the trailer to indicate its maximum width.

If your trailer is over 80 inches wide, you also need to add a rear identification light on the centerline. This is a fixture with three bulbs showing three separate red lights. If your trailer is more than 30 feet long, additional side marker lights are also required.

Installing all of the required lights puts quite a load on your tow vehicle's electrical system if you use old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. You can avoid problems by starting out with all LED trailer lights. These are a bit more expensive, but they draw a fraction of the current as old bulbs. LEDs have about 30 times the life of regular filament bulbs and won't blow out if you submerge them while they're hot.

There's a color code to trailer light wiring: white is ground, brown is tail and marker lights, green is right turn, and yellow is left turn.



Q:We're new to boating. My wife wants life jackets that give the best protection for our kids, but they want one of those colorful life vests with cartoon characters. She says we should buy the more expensive Type I life preservers. Which is right for the kids?
- Stan Korniki, Jellico, KY

A:The best life jacket is the one that your kid is wearing. The most expensive flotation device is worthless if it's stuffed in a locker when a victim falls overboard. So, the number-one piece of advice is to buy personal flotation devices (PFDs) that your kids will wear all the time. The only caveat is that whatever they're wearing must be U.S. Coast Guard-approved.

PFDs are divided into "Types" based upon the amount of buoyancy and sea conditions they are expected to encounter. Type I life vests provide the most protection, but they're generally bulky, uncomfortable and expensive. They're intended primarily for use on commercial vessels and by any type of boat heading well offshore.

Because of the discomfort factor associated with many Type I life vests, I'd recommend an alternate PFD for your kids. Type II devices are a good option, intended to make wearing a PFD more palatable. They have reduced buoyancy but are designed to be more comfortable to wear. These devices aren't intended for offshore passages or for commercial vessels.

Buying PFDs should be an event for your children. Take them to the store and let them choose from among those that fit. Even more important than the U.S. Coast Guard type of PFD is how well it fits the child. Read the booklet attached to the device for information on fitting a PFD, or ask one of the clerks in the store that sells them.

You'll buy several different PFDs for each child as they grow up. Because growth spurts are unpredictable, it's probably best to purchase your children's PFDs at the start of each season, rather than six or eight months in advance.



Q:Last year, I changed the color of the bottom paint on my boat. I used one of the new pastel colors over a standard epoxy undercoat. The paint worked pretty well, but the color is dull and splotchy. Is this the paint's fault, or did I do something wrong?
- Arnie Timms, Chicago, IL

A: You probably did the work correctly, and it's unlikely there was anything wrong with the paint. The problem is that pastel colors never "hide" whatever color they go over as well as darker colors do. You may have applied the pastel over a previous coat of dark paint or used one of the dark gray primers. No matter how carefully you applied the lighter-colored paint, there were variations in the thickness of the wet film. As the light-colored paint dried, the thin areas allowed some of the primer to show through as dark splotches.

Even the best bottom paint job looks good only on the day you launch the boat. After that, the normal wear and tear of life afloat quickly causes that "new paint" look to start fading. If it were mine, I wouldn't worry too much about the slightly imperfect color of the bottom paint, as long as it's well adhered and prevents fouling. If you topcoat with the same pastel color this year, the result should look pretty good.

However, if you can't stand the way it looks, the best thing to do is remove as much of the old paint as possible before applying a white undercoat. Pettit has introduced Vivid White Epoxy Primer for this purpose. Other paint companies have similar products. Apply one or more coats of the white primer until the color of the bottom is uniform. Then, put on the pastel bottom paint.
Deciding how much paint to buy for a powerboat bottom can be problematic. According to Pettit Paint, one way to get a good "ballpark" estimate is to multiply the boat's length times its width. Then, multiply that result by a factor of 0.01133. The result approximates the number of quarts of paint you should purchase.

Although Arnie's question is specifically about bottom paint, the same advice about applying a uniform coat of white primer applies to topside enamels as well. This is particularly true of bright reds, yellows, blues and greens that need the white substrate to really "pop" in sunlight.



Q:I'm planning to sell my old boat by myself. It's a 1983 fiberglass 23-footer with an outdrive. Is there anything I can do to make people more interested in buying it? What gives a boat what they call "curb appeal" in a house?
- Dave Kilbeck, Evangeline, LA

A:Nothing makes a boat look older than a dull gel coat. "Fluffing and buffing" is the quickest way to attract buyers' eyes. Spend a few hours using a finish-restoring chemical and a buffing machine. Don't worry about getting rid of every little discoloration or knick. Just try to give the boat its original, shiny appearance.

Use a top-quality vinyl cleaner to spiff up the upholstery. Get out the ground-in dirt using a soft toothbrush. Scrub any deck carpeting. In the cabin, use an odor-killing spray liberally. Get a spray that really kills odors (check pet stores) instead of just masking them.You'll be amazed at how much more attractive your boat will be.

Badly faded, scratched or deterior-ated tape strips should be replaced. Chances are, the engine air vents on the side of the hull are faded, cracked or broken as well. A broken vent attracts the eye like a missing tooth in an otherwise pretty smile. Replacement vents are relatively inexpensive.

Take a good look at your outdrive lower unit. No matter the quality of the inner workings, buyers will judge it by outward appearance. A touch of factory-match spray paint goes a long way toward making your boat more desirable. The engine and outdrive should be in good running condition. You might as well fix things now. Most buyers will avoid a boat with problems. And, an interested buyer will deduct the cost of repairs from your asking price. So, you either fix it now or pay for fixing it with a smaller selling price.

In particular, buyers know that the "boots" (exhaust bellows), which keep water out around the outdrive lower unit, are almost always in need of replacement. It can be a real deal maker to be able to point to a new set of boots when you're showing the boat.

Finally, paint the bottom of your boat. A brand new coat of bottom paint is important when selling a boat that's on land. The first thing people see is the bottom, and that's the one place they can easily reach out to touch. New bottom paint gives the impression the boat is well-maintained.

For additional information, see the February 2007 "Hands-On" article ("Preparing To Sell"). It gives practical advice on making the right decisions before selling your boat.



Q:I have a new boat, and I guess I'm sort of a fanatic about keeping it clean. Every once in a while, a little water collects in the bottom under the seats. I can reach down to sponge it out, but it takes a long time, and my arm barely fits. Is there a better solution to my problem?
- Sam Henderson, Athens, GA

A:If you really want to get the water out, try using a wet/dry vacuum. Suck the water out like you would dust and dirt. Be sure to remove the paper filter from the vacuum before starting. Then, leave the access port open while the boat is in storage so there's maximum flow of air. The vacuum will take out most of the water, and what little remains will evaporate.