Article by Capt. Steve Katz
Spring... get ready!
Welcome to the 2018 Coastal Fisherman “Ship to Shore” column. We will start off this column just as you should start off your season, by reviewing and preparing for the fishing season ahead.
One look around the roads, marina and waterways it is easy to see the signals that the winter has passed. Boats are being uncovered and being trailered back to their summer locations and some are even back in the water. This time of the year is also a good time to conduct some boat maintenance.
With limited fishing options a warm day can provide the opportunity to hang out at the boat and get some work done.
After this winter’s record breaking cold weather, some extra checks are needed before heading out to sea. Always at the top of the list are the boat’s batteries. Partially charged batteries can easily freeze, leading to permanent damage. A fully charged battery at rest should indicate 12.65 volts. Anything less is a concern and should be investigated. A slow trickle charge using an automatic battery charger is the best way to re-charge a battery. If you are having a battery problem, a professional test should be conducted, such as a traditional load test or modern conductance test. A load test places a pre-determined fixed amperage load on a battery and the voltage is monitored to be sure it doesn’t drop too low at the rated capacity. This type of test creates heat at the tester and could produce a spark, so this test should be conducted out of the boat. A conductance test is often available at battery retailers at no charge. This is a quick test that reports the capacity in cold cranking amps (CCA) or similar rating and often gives a status of the batteries health. If you think you have a faulty battery, it should be replaced, allowing a trouble free summer.
If you need a new battery, what type is best? Cranking batteries are made to supply a lot of power in a short burst (to start an engine). Deep cycle batteries are designed to supply moderate power for a long duration (to supply electronics). Unlike starting batteries, deep cycle batteries can withstand the effects of continual deep discharge and still be recharged. If you have a newer outboard powered boat, many of the engine manufacturers have minimum specifications on the type and capacity of the battery required for acceptable operation of the engine. If you have a Sportfish that has larger 4D or 8D batteries, they can be replaced with a few smaller batteries in parallel, making installation and removal much easier while maintaining capacity.
Marine battery group size is one of many specifications found on boat batteries. The group size is simply the physical dimensions of the battery housing as set by the BCI (Battery Council International). If needed it may be possible to upgrade to a slightly larger, higher capacity battery that will still fit in your boats battery box. Consult a BCI group size battery chart to find the appropriate size battery.
Another critical area to be checked this spring are the bilge pumps, especially after the below freezing temperatures this winter. Each bilge pump should be checked for operation on manual mode, automatic mode and also check the discharge hoses to be sure the hoses and fittings have not cracked. Just the other day I was working on a boat that had a cracked bilge pump discharge hose. The split in the hose was not visible but when the pump ran the bilge water leaked back into another bilge area. It turned out that there was a low spot in the hose that held water and the water froze over the winter and cracked the discharge hose.
Moving up to the helm and your navigation electronics, now is a good time to connect and power up each piece of equipment. Note - CHIRP fishfinders/sonar transducers should not be powered on while out of the water since they can overheat. Turn on your VHF radio, conduct a radio check, listen to the marine weather and be sure all functions are operating properly and that your transmission and reception are loud and clear. Check the GPS signal reception on your chart plotter and navigation equipment. Also review your built-in or add-on electronic charts.
Check your waypoints to confirm that all of your data still there from last year. Operate the radar briefly, confirming the system is picking up and displaying targets as expected and that they are plotted on the screen in the proper orientation.
Since last season, most of the marine electronics manufacturers have released updated software for many types of hardware. While it’s not always mandatory to update your equipment’s software, you should ask a marine electronics technician to check for and install software updates as necessary. If you have added a new component to an integrated electronic system, a software update is often mandatory for proper functionality.
This is a great time of the season to install a new transducer or replace your old one if your boat is still out of the water. Transom mount, thru-hull or in-hull, there are many transducers that can improve your existing sonar. The CHIRP transducer is a popular upgrade, with many different styles available, such as tilted element thru-hull for smaller and mid-size boats and pocket mount for larger boats. If adding a CHIRP transducer, the fishfinder/sonar unit needs to be CHIRP compatible to get the full advantage of CHIRP technology. If you don’t have a CHIRP system, often you can operate a CHIRP transducer in single frequency mode using your non-CHIRP fishfinder. This way when you upgrade the fishfinder system, your transducer will be ready and you won’t need to take the boat back out of the water mid-season.
In the upcoming weeks I will review some of the new products introduced during this winter’s boat show circuit.
On a side note, my thoughts and prayers are with the Jones family. Tom Jones, a.k.a “Kingbone”, owner of the “Kingfisher” passed away last week and will be missed by all who knew him.
Captain Steve Katz is the owner of Steve’s Marine Service and holds NMEA, AMEI and NMEA2000 certificates along with ABYC Master Technician certification and factory training from many manufacturers.