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ap pene EB st &S -- bird Products Corp. of Miami. (while carrying four passengers). PREPARE FOR SAFE, RESPONSIBLE BOATING Mainienance Of Fiberglass Boats While fibreglass boats are relatively maintenance free, a certain amount of care and know-how is nevertheless neces- sary if your boat is to give you lasting service. Your new fibreglass boat may have a good protective film of wax left over from the moulding Process. However, if you wish to preserve the finish of your boat and make it easier to clean, a good wax job is ad- visable. Almost any type of automobile wax will do the job and you will find new boat waxes designed specifically. for fibreglass at your Marine dealers. Sunlight and long-term = ex- posure to the elements will dull the original finish of your boat. If you have an older fibreglass boat that is starting to lose its gloss, new cleaners and polishes have been developed to help re- store the color and finish. You will find that after using one of these cleaners a new protective eoating of wax is advisable. For general cleaning of scuff marks, etc., during the season, you will find that many kitchen cleaners of the abrasive type will do a good job. For deep down dirt and grease try using ene of the soap or detergent im- Pregnated scouring pads avail- able at your grocers. Deep surface scratches and gouges can be repaired by re- working the whole effected area with an auto body rubbing com- pound followed by a buffing and polishing. A deep gouge is best filled with a colored resin paste pro- vided by the manufacturer and if the color is not badly faded the patch may be very accept- able once it is rubbed and buff- ed to match the surrounding fin- ish. You may find that your local Marine dealer may be able to help you in matching the color. Small hairline cracks on an older hull are nothing to be alarmed about. This is usually only a surface condition and does not affect the reinforced laminate of the hull, If this con- dition is in a small area only it is advisable to leave it alone, as the tiny cracks will not take and hold putty unless they are opened up with a cut made by a file or grinder. If these cracks extend over the complete hull and you find the appearance def- initely objectionable the only answer is a complete re-sur- facing. This can be done by yourself but it would be advis- able to talk it over with an authority. As your boat gets older, you may find that the finish cannot be brought back to its original State with cleaners. For appear- ance sake, you may wish to paint the hull. The best paints for adhesion and gloss are the polyurethanes and the. more re- cent epoxy-acrylic types. The acrylic additive lessens the chakling factor of the earlier epoxy paints. Aside from this dulling aspect the standard The short days and nights of winter are over. The Boat Shows have come and gone. The period of dreaming and planning is at an end. Spring is with us again and the waters of the earth are be- ginning to soak up. the warmth of the sun. To the many of us who have previously experienced the pleasures of boating it is a time to throw off the tarps and begin what is one of the great joys of this sport, the preparation of the old boat for the coming season. To the uninitiated onlooker it would appear that the average boat owner is a veritable slave to his sport, but the back-breaking job of fitting out the boat for a new season is truly a la- bour of love. From the minute he steps into the old coveralls smelling of turpentine and caulking com- epoxy paints adhere well to the fibreglass and are extremely hard While fibreglass hulls have 2 greater resistance to Marine growth than wood or metal, you will find that even in fresh water a bottom paint may be necessary. A. word of caution. While most types of bottom paint can be applied to a glass hull, proper adhesion requires extreme care in the preparation of the surface. Most Marine bot- tom paints require the use of special primer when applying the paint to a glass hull. Follow the instructions on the label, ex- plicitly. Prior to applying any finish be sure to give the hull a the long boating. good roughening up with a me- dium grit paper. If your glass boat has a paint covering that must be removed prior to refinishing, use extreme caution with paint removers. It is a good idea to experiment on a small area and see what takes place before going ahead with the complete job, as some types of paint remover will soften 'he outer coating of resin. The paint remover should 'be left on no longer than necessary to do the job. It should then be wiped away and the surface neutral- ized by flushing with water preferably from a hose. If you should wish to attach accessories te the fibreglass CHEYENNE -- This spacious craft has been dubbed the "Cheyenne" by its manufacturer, Thunder- It's capable of more than 34 mph with this MerCruiser 140 stern drive pound, impregnated with last year's paint and oil, he is transformed in- to a being apart. He becomes a stranger to his wife and family and blithering idiot to his friends and acquaintances who seem to expect rational behavior from a man whose mind is filled with nothing but shaft logs and bearings, epoxys-polyura- thanes, engine controls and steering gears and the many other foibles of this world's greatest pasttime. to the novice, the man who has pur- chased a new boat or a used boat, be it ever so rotten, it is a time of anticipation and breath-taking new experiences. This section is designed to pro- vide useful information on 'the care and maintenance of your boat and to promote safer, more responsible hull, begin with the proper tools, You will need a hacksaw, metal files and hardened drills for the holes. Screws cannot be used im fibreglass. The best method of mounting a fixture is by through-bolting it with good sized back up washers. An alten native if through-bolting is im- practical is to use epoxy cement to mount a wooden pad te the fibreglass shell and then screw fasten the accessory to the wood block. If properly maintained and cared for, your fibreglass hull can be expected to give you ex- cellent service for years te come Hull Repairs At Sea The evening is peaceful and calm. The silence and tranquil- ity of the lake is broken only by the steady throb of the engine. You take a long drag on your pipe and settle back in the helmsman's seat to relax and enjoy this tremendous peace that can be found only on the water. The shore in this area is quite deserted. The trees and hills form beautiful silhouetted patterns against the twilight sky. Maintaining this pleasant cruising speed you should arrive at the other end of the lake and home in approximately an hour- and-a-half. In an instant the tranquility is shattered by a screeching, grinding thud in the bowels of the boat. You are thrown against the wheel and coaming as the boat rolls up on one side, coming almost to a stop by Plunging on with a final twang and thud from the transom that causes the boat to shudder vio- lently. And then the deathly stillness. You realize now that in the semi-darkness, lost in reverie as you were, you failed to see one of the unlighted buoys that mark the many rocks in the area. You grab the flashlight and duck into the cabin, everything seems all right until you lift the floor boards. There it is, water, rising fairly fast. You control your panic and try to find the hole. As there is no visible pune- ture, you begin to search with your hand and find that one of the planks is buckled up under- neath a permanent locker instal- lation, too awkward to reach from the inside of the boat. Then the awful realization hits you. The boat was just put into commission last weekend. The flares, the life raft, everything is back in the cottage. You have been meaning te stow them on board, but this was to be just a Saturday afternoon run up the lake, no danger, and you had intended to be back before dark. Your familiarity of the area dis- pelled any thought of trouble such as this. Fortunately the life jackets were aboard from last year, but they haven't been checked. If you're lucky you will get out of this one with your life. An accident such as this could happen te you. Don't put to sea > without being prepared for such an eventuality. Make sure your life saving equipment is on board and in good condition. Cheek your flares, and if you have a ship- to-shore radio, make sure it is in working order. Even in a situ- ation such as this, simple re- pairs at sea can -be effective, but it requires planning and foresight to have the tools and equipment available to do such a job in time. A list of tools to be kept on board should include: 1. Three sizes of Robinson head screw-drivers to fit any square headed screw on board. 2. At least two slot head screw-drivers, one small, one large. 3. One pair of diagonal cutting pliers. 4. One adjustable wrench. 5. One spark plug wrench. 6. A small Backsaw. 7. A wrecking bar. 8. Emery cloth and waterproof garnet paper. 9. Small wrenches for points. 10. A good knife. This is a minimum tool kit and should include any other special tools necessary to effect minor engine repairs. Never operate your boat with- out.a good hand bilge pump that will move at least ten gallons per minute. Electric _ bilge pumps are ideal for clearing the bilge when you have power, but in an emergency such as this the power may not be available. Though hull fittings are a weakness in any boat and should be carefully inspected prior to launching. In the event of the failure of any of these hull open- ings you should have at hand wooden plugs, already made up, of the proper size that can be driven into the openings should a seacock or hose break. You will find that your local hard- ware store or Woolworth's car- ries a variety of sizes of ther- mos bottle corks which may de the job perfectly. In an accident such as de- scribed above, where the hole in the hull is inaccessible from the inside, it is possible to effect an emergency repair, even if the hole should be close to the keel. To do this job, make up a length of canvas approximately four feet wide and eight feet long. Hem the edges to give them body and place a brass grommet at each corner. Using a rope splice or a bowline knot, fasten a length of rope through each grommet, To plug the hole in the bottom, carry the piece of canvas to the bow and grasp- ing the ropes on each side of the canvas let it pass under the bow of the boat like a sling, work this aft until the canvas is over the hole. The pressure of water on the bottom of the boat will force the canvas into the hole. Tie the ropes across the deck to hold the canvas in place on the bottom and vou will find you have a very effective plug that should at least keep you afloat until you get to shore or assistance can arrive. Never put to sea without aux- iliary power. In a small boat, one or two paddles can be used effectively, however, in a larger boat it would be better to install emergency oar locks and carry a set of long oars. Remember, in any emergency, time is of the essence, there- fore, it is only by forethought that you can be equipped to meet the emergency when it arises. Emergency repairs call for a little commonsense. based on a practical knowledge ef your boat and its construction. Although boat hooks are not required equipment, they are well worth their inexpensive cost, say the Mercury boating authorities. They are invaluable in mooring and can be used te retrieve objects "over the side"'. Merc's Dyna-Float, aireraft-type suspension system eeps vibration from passing through the clamp ckets to the boat. And to top it off, the new Meres have an elastically lated steering arm to prevent sound from traveling t through the steering mechanism to the boat. es, the new Meres are 50% quieter but it couldn't ve been done with an ordinary outboard. It had to rt with the engine: THE BOATING NOTES: Don't step on the gunwale (it's pronounced "gunnel" and it's the edge of your boat) -- step as nearly in the centre of the craft as possible. Step, don't jump, aboard and use your hands to steady yoursel. Never jet your hands come between the gunwale and the dock. To solve traction problems on a steep incline, the Mercury out- board experts succest attaching an additional trailer hitch to the front of your car. The trailer is then nosed into the water, with the car's wheels on higher, drier ground. If you ever have occasion to carry "paying guests" in your boat, the Mercury boating au- thorities caution that you are then operating your boat for hire and must have a. licence, It is awarded free of charge by the U.S. Coast Guard. Every small boat operator should be familiar with the "cleat hitch" and '"bowline" knots, say the Mercury boating authorities. The hitch is used to secure a boat to the common dock cleat. The bowline is the best for any situation where you need a loop in hte end of a line. but will not engine stops while in eperation starter doesn't turn starter turns engine doesn't starter engages, engine doesn't engine running, boat not moving engine turns out dirt or water in fuel start air vent clogged clogged fuel line or strainer loose fittings in fuel line vapor lock carburetor loose defective fuel pump wet ignition or plugs points burned, need adjustment defective ignition switch defective coil distributor rotor dirty-- wires loose check all of above plus-- engine overheated battery dead dirty connections low battery defective solenoid or button broken or jammed bendix drive poor ground bendix drive jammed turn hydraulic lock in cylinder low battery defective solenoid broken shear pin loose or damaged propellor shaft slipping oi] low in hydraulic gear The above check chart applies to inboard (gas and diesel) engines and outboard motors. FAILURE CHART of fuel -- «#+SO quiet, they sound =. like they're far behind your boat All of the 1965 Merces have been restyled and the higher horsepower models have a lower profile. New engineering, such as smoother-action gearshifts, water pumps with tremendous saltwater resistance, new reed valves, and redesigned cowls, drive shaft housings and exhaust systems make the 1965 Meres the newest roughness. @ Internal reed valves... sealed case to make them quiet. In-line 4- and 6-cylinder design with inherent ooth balance. Small bore and short stroke with smaller and hter pistons, connecting rods and wrist pins for wer disturbing forces. Offsei wrist pins that eliminate piston slap. Smaller parts with tighter fits throughout the engine. @ Power-Dome combustion chambers that "squish" the fuel-air mixture and smooth out combustion ® Fiex-plate fiywheels that reduce the norma! working noises of the crankshaft. ® Full-Jeweled construction throughout the engine. More power from SOUND engineering The silencing of the Merc is just part of the news for 1965. Mercury has a brand new 90 hp outboard... the Merc 900. The fuel economy of this powerful new Merc surpasses competitors' 90's and even competitors' 75 hp outboards. In power at the prop, it is second only to the 100 hp Mere 1000. And, of course, it has Mere's new silencing system. inside the crank- in outboarding. EW MERCS . 0% Sound engineering at. Mercury again brings you the highest horsepower, the widesi selection of power and the greatesi fuel economy... in outboards that are 50% quieter. You'll get more boating fun and even more RUN for your money with the 1965 Meres... 100, 90, 65, 50, 35, 20, 9.8, 6 and 3.9 horsepower. Pact. ee « ae camel JIIERLCURY Kiekhaefer Mercury of Cenade, Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada.