back to index ofchapters1. Why is it important to study how to maintain marine equipment?
Ans. Knowing and understanding the materials that are used marinas, repairyards and at home, and the harmful effects they have, will influence everyonewho uses them and will create a generation of ocean users who have a soundenvironmental ethic. Studying equipment maintenance also teaches you pridein your work practices and how to get the most for your money.
2. How does water affect materials used in the sea?
Ans.
· Dissolves soluable chemicals
· Swells wood as it is absorbed
· Shrinks wood as it dries out
· Corrodes metals
· Causes osmosis in fibreglass
3. What effect does oxygen have on materials used in the sea?
Ans.
· Causes oxidation of chemicals in the materials
· Causes rusting of iron and corrosion of other metals
· Plastics may go brittle as they oxidise
· Colours fade as they oxidise
4. What effect does salt have on materials used in the sea?
Ans.
· Dry salt crystals are abrasive and will damage soft metals,valve seats, O-rings, seals and any precision instruments
· Salt solutions will accelerate metal corrosion
· Salt solutions eill allow galvanic or electrolytic erosion tooccur between two different metals
5. Why do metals corrode faster in sea water than in a desert?
Ans.
· Water and oxygen are required for metals to corrode
· Salt accelerates the oxidation by continually removing the oxidecoat
· Water is not found in deserts, and without it, rusting, or metaloxidation, will only occur at a very slow rate.
6. What type of living things are likely to attach themselves to boatswhile at sea?
Ans.
· Any organisms that are in a very close vicinity of you, mainlymicroscopic plankton
· Airborn bacteria and fungi may also attach themselves once youget out of the water.
7. Why is most equipment stored out of sunlight?
Ans.
· Sunlight has the capability of causing chemical reactions
· These reactions change chemicals and may lead to breakdown ofmaterials or spoilage of food. For this reason, many food or drink itemsare stored in dark coloured bottles, white plastic containers or steel oraluminium cans.
8. What should you do with your marine equipment as soon as you finishusing it?
Ans.
· Wash it in fresh water
· Allow it to dry
· Store it in a cool place, away from light
9. Why isn't it a good idea to put your swimmers or wet shirt in theclothes dryer or iron them?
Ans.
· These items are usually made of nylon and lycra combination.Both these materials often melt in the high temperatures found in clothesdriers.
10. Why is it a bad idea to put your swimsuit or lycra shirt on the fueltank in your boat?
Ans.
· Many synthetic fibres are dissolved by sovents. Petrol may dissolvesome of the fibres in these garments.
11. Why is it necessary to check inside your snorkel immediately beforeusing it?
Ans.
· When using a snorkel, you bypass the body's natural filter -the nose. You are breathing straight from the snorkel into you trachea andif there is anything in your snorkel, it will be breathed straight intoyour throat. People have died from inhaling hairy-grubs from snorkels.
12. Why hang up your wetsuit rather than putting it away folded?
Ans.
· Wetsuits tend to take on folds - permentantly, especially iffolded when wet
· Hanging it up, helps the wetsuit maintain it's original shape
13. How does salt affect aluminium and how can it be protected?
Ans.
· Salt removes the stable oxide coat from aluminium, allowingmore oxygen to attack the metal underneath.
· Salt actually accelerates the oxidation of aluminium.
· Aluminium can be painted to protect the oxide coat from thechloride ions in salt.
· If painting or other measures (e.g. application of X-trol) arenot taken, the boat should be washed immediately with fresh water to removesalt.
14. Why should sinkers not be left in aluminium boats?
Ans.
· electrolytic corrosion will occur between the lead and the aluminium,with any salt water remaining in the boat acting as the salt bridge.
· This will result in a hole being formed in the aluminium asit gives us it's electrons to the lead salts
15. Why paint boats?
Ans.
· The paint covers the oxide coat, stopping it from being strippedoff by the salt water
· The oxide coat, in turn, protects the aluminium.
· Painting will protect aluminium boats from corrosion.
(Note : Special paints must be used)
On wooden boats?
· Paint forms and impermeable layer (one that will not let inwater) over the wood.
· It also forms a barrier against organisms entering the woodfibres
16. What repair instructions would you give to your mate who has justput the following in his aluminium dinghy:
a. a large dent
b. a 2 mm hole
c. a 10 cm diameter hole
d. a 2 cm tear
Ans. a. a large dent
· Take a substantial piece of wood and a rubber mallet
· Hold the piece of wood on the outside of the boat, and withthe rubber mallet, gradually tap the dent out, working from the outside,into the middle of it.
Ans b. a 2mm hole
· Select a pot-rivet with a diameter greater then 2mm and theappropriate drill
· Drill the hole to the size of the rivet
· Place the pot-rivet in the hole with the head on the outsideof the boat and fix in with a pot-riviter.
Ans c. a 10cm diameter hole
· This will require professional attention
· Take your boat to an expert, who can weld your boat with eithera mig or a tig welder. They will cut a patch and weld it in the hole.
Ans d. a 2 cm tear
· There are two ways.
· The least expensive, but less effective way is to carefullytap the tear flush using a steel dolly and a hammer (be careful not to overworkthe aluminium), then epoxy glue over it
· The best way to do it is to have it professionally repaired,unless you are skilled enough to use a soft ally rod to weld it yourself.Otherwise a professional can use his welder to tig up the tear
17. Why is it necessary to flush an outboard motor with fresh water afteruse?
Ans.
· Outboard motor pump salt water up throught he leg into the motorto cool it down.
· The parts where the water is pumped are made of alloy and willhence corrode if the salt water is not flushed out.
· If this water is not flushed out, the motor will corrode, causingthe water jacket to clog. The motor will overheat and seize.
· This is very costly to have repaired.
18. How can you stop the water pump impeller from binding during longstorage periods?
Ans.
· If your motor is going to be stored for a long period of time,your local outboard supplier can sell you a compund to place in the flushingwater that will stop the impeller from binding to the sides of the pumpwhile being stored.
· As often as it states in the owner's handbook of your motor.
· The replacement schedule will depend on the motor, the typeof spark plug it uses, and the amount of use of the motor.
19. Why is it a bad idea to leave surfboards in a vehicle?
Ans.
· The inside of vehicles become very hot when sitting in the sun.
· Surfboards can damaged by these excessively high temperatures
20. What are the effects of heat and light on surf boards?
Ans.
· Sunlight causes resins to become yellow and quite often brittle
· The ultra violet radiation in sunlight may cause the foam toshrink, and the heat may cause the shape of the board to deform
21. Why is it a bad idea to plug a ding in a surfboard with wax to stopwater getting in
Ans.
· The ding in your surfboard must be repaired properly eventually.To do this, fibre glass must be used. That glass must be capable of stickingto the existing glass. If you place wax in the hole, any remaining wax leftin the hole when you go to repair it, will not allow the new fibre glassto stick to the old.
· You may think you can remove all the wax, but it only take afew molecules of wax to prevent the new fibre glass to stick.
22. How can you look after your stormwater system when repairing yourmarine equipment?
Ans.
· Use containers to collect waste and put them out with rubbish.
· Use up all materials on the job.
· make a bund wall to stop wash off materials entering the system.
1. Why did the sailors on wooden ships have to scrub the decks? How didthey stop the water entering between the planks?
Suggestion.
Go visit a boat yard and ask the person in charge. Find a parent whois a boat builder. See your library
2. The majority of metal ships are made of steel. Use your library andthe Internet to research the methods used to protect steel ships from corrosion.
Suggestion.
See your library
3. Try to find out what the galvanic series is, and how it is appliedto construction and maintenance of metal boats.
Suggestion.
See your chemistry teacher. Look up a science book index.
4. Use your resources to find out as much as you can about the worm thathas plagued wooden boats for centuries. What type of animal is it and canit be controlled?
Suggestion.
Go visit a boat yard and ask the person in charge. Find a parent whois a boat builder. See your library
5. What is osmosis? How can it affect fibreglass craft in water?
Suggestion.
Go visit a boat yard and ask the person in charge. Find a parent whois a boat builder. See your library
6. Find out how often spark plugs need to be replaced on a small outboardmotor?
Suggestion.
· As often as it states in the owner's handbook of your motor.
· The replacement schedule will depend on the motor, the typeof spark plug it uses, and the amount of use of the motor.
1. expensive
2. oxygen
3. metal oxide
4. pits
5. synthetic
6. sunlight
7. living things
8. hooks, swivels and lures
9. pitting
10. resin
11. deform
12. toxic pollutants
13. stormwater