Q: I love my boat but hate to hitch it up to the car. I can never back up to the trailer - I always get to one side. Is there anything out there to make backing up easier?
- Phil Creamer, St. Louis, MO

A: You're not alone with this problem. Most people have trouble aligning their cars with a trailer tongue when backing. A couple of devices have been invented to solve this problem. They work, but only if you're reasonably good at getting the ball on the car somewhere close to the coupler on the trailer.

Tie Down Engineering has a product called a Ball's Eye Quick Hitch. It has two parts: a vertical rod that extends downward from the ball on the car hitch, and a swing-away Y-fork for the trailer. The manufacturer says you can miss by up to 7 inches either way, and the fork will automatically align the trailer to the car.

A less-complicated product is the Couple-Mate alignment tool. This device attaches to the car hitch just ahead of the ball. Its stainless-steel "wings" nudge the trailer tongue into alignment with the ball. The Couple-Mate is removable when not in use.

Both of these devices require that the trailer be equipped with a rolling swivel jack. The wheel of the jack should be turned so that the tongue can move sideways. Once the coupler is aligned over the ball, the jack is lowered to couple the trailer to the car.


Q: I have a "kicker" outboard for trolling. Twice last summer it quit running, and I had to have the carburetor cleaned and rebuilt. I even drained the portable tank and put in new gas. Now it's running rough again. What's the deal? I've never had trouble like this before.
- Tom Murphy, Lexington, KY

A: There's a spate of similar reports out there. The apparent cause is "varnish" washed off the walls of the plastic tank by ethanol mixed into the new blends of gasoline mandated by the federal government, although the jury is still out on the gasoline involvement, or it could be that the ethanol has dissolved deposits built up over time on the walls of plastic tanks. Once inside the carburetor, this gunk seems to come out of solution and clog up the smallest orifices and jets.

You can't buy gas that doesn't have ethanol. But eventually your tank walls should wash clean, and the problem should go away. In the meantime, consider adding an in-line fuel filter if your outboard isn't already equipped with one. Tempo and Sierra make filters that can be inserted in the rubber fuel line inside the engine shroud. Don't smoke while you follow the installation procedure outlined in the instructions that come with the filter. Check for fuel leaks before running the engine and periodically after that.


Q: My boat took on some water when the fitted top blew off one day. Water collected in the boat where it then froze. The middle storage area had life vests in it, and it's frozen solid. There's also a buildup of frozen water in the bow area. The boat is a Larson with the new VEC hull. There are no physical signs of damage at this point. Should I worry?
- Jeff Gardner, via e-mail

A: The new Larson VEC (Virtual Engineered Construction) is the focus of your concern, so first, check out the construction technique. VEC uses a closed mold to achieve an optimum resin-to-fiberglass ratio. The resulting laminate should be better able to stand up to ice in the bilge than the hull of an old-fashioned, hand-laid boat.

Water in a boat doesn't usually cause problems unless it has no room to expand as it freezes. Put a "lid" on it though, and the pressure of expanding ice is enough to do damage. This can happen when water freezes beneath a deck. If you don't see any bulging panels or broken internal supports, chances are no damage has been done.

The real problem comes with the arrival of warm weather. Bilge water is full of slime mold spores, so it can develop powerful odors, which gets pretty foul. Bail the water as soon as it gets soft enough to pick up with a sponge and bucket. Get the flooded areas as dry as you can. Getting things dry before the warm weather arrives is important. Expect residual moisture   in the boat to cause mildew problems. Take the PFDs and any other water-soaked items out of the boat. Don't replace them until they're dry. An easy way to kill mildew is to hang the PFDs on a clothesline in bright sunlight. The sun not only dries the fabric, but the ultraviolet light kills mildew.

After bailing, spray a mildew-preventive product on the fiberglass. Starbrite's Mildew Stain Remover, 3M Marine's Mildew Block and West Marine's Mold and Mildew cleaner are all excellent products for this purpose. A 10-percent solution of household bleach is also effective. Whenever using chemicals, always do a test in an inconspicuous location. Mildew killers (especially bleach) can damage fabrics and cause loss of color on other surfaces.

Don't button up the boat when you're done cleaning the bilge. High-volume air circulation is always the best way to prevent mildew growth. Leave hatches and cabinet doors slightly open to promote circulation.

You might want to consider installing a garboard drain plug. This is a bronze fitting with a removable plug for draining water out of the bilge during winter storage. A    garboard drain should be installed as close to the centerline   as possible in the lowest part of the bilge when the boat is   in winter storage. Most of the time this is in the bow.

The garboard drain plug is removed during the winter    so water from precipitation and condensation doesn't collect. Then the plug is replaced before launching to keep out the water that floats in your boat.


Q: Are spinner knobs legal on boats? I know they aren't legal on cars, but one would sure help me spin the wheel when I'm docking.
- Sandy Wilcox, Cleveland, OH


A: Yes, spinner knobs are legal on boats. And yes, they do help crank the wheel when docking. Also called "speed knobs" or "Barney knobs," they're rotating handles that attach to the outside rim of a steering wheel. Don't bother buying the cheap plastic knobs available at auto parts stores. The steel clamps rust quickly, and the knobs break after a year or two.

Tractor supply stores have heavy-duty knobs intended for farm machinery. These will outlast your boat but are suitable only for use on freshwater lakes or rivers. If you operate on salt water, consider one of Edson's PowerKnobs, which are designed for the marine environment.



Q: My runabout doesn't have valves on any of the water intakes. This worries me, and I would like to install valves. Can I just use the kind from a plumbing store, or do I need to spend the money for real seacocks? I boat on Lake Michigan.
- Tom Philmont, Chicago, IL

A: A true seacock is as different from a household valve as a diamond is from cut glass. But, there's more to the story. The seacock is just the valve. You also need to think about the through-hull mushroom or intake strainer and the hose barb tailpiece. All three must fit together for a safe installation.

In the United States, standard national pipe threads are either straight (NPS) or tapered (NPT). Tapered threads are always used on household fittings. After a few turns, the taper causes the thread to jam watertight. The outside threads on mushrooms are always NPS, as are threads inside the bottom of the seacock body. Since it's straight, the mushroom can be screwed deeply into the body of the seacock for a strong metal-to-metal connection. Tightening the mushroom until both the seacock body and the outer lip of the through-hull fitting are pulled tightly against the hull also makes a mechanically strong joint with the hull.

Seacocks have a flanged base, so they can be through-bolted into the hull for security. Bolting was absolutely necessary in a wooden hull, but it's often overlooked on fiberglass boats. Many seacocks intended only for fiberglass boats have no bolt holes. Through-bolting provides extra mechanical support, should the valve receive a blow from a heavy falling object.

Engine cooling water intakes should have external strainers. You can either purchase an integrated unit, or you can simply install a cast bronze strainer over an existing mushroom intake. Tailpieces screw into the top of the valve. Most have an integral barb for attaching rubber hose. You need to match the thread size of the tailpiece    to the seacock and the barb to the inside diameter of the hose. NPT threads are used on barbs for watertight connections.

Bronze is the traditional material for seacocks. Ordinary plastic plumbing valves are not adequate for use below the waterline. However, Forespar's Marelon valves and fittings are glass-reinforced for durability. They're both excellent choices for pleasure boats. In both bronze and Marelon, ball valves have replaced the troublesome tapered plug seacock.

All through-hull fittings should be bedded in a generous amount of polysulfide sealant. Silicone isn't recommended below the waterline. Lastly, don't forget  to double-clamp all hoses.


Send your BoatCraft Q&A questions to Dave Brown c/o Boating World, 2100 Powers Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30339. You can also e-mail your questions to editor@boatingworld.com. Due to the volume of inquiries he receives, Dave Brown will be unable to answer every question.