EDITORIAL

Congratulations Captain, you have assumed a new and vital role. You now are the equivalent of a City Manager. You are responsible for the water works, the sewer company, the garbage company, the power plant. the security system, the finance office and all other departments. However, you have two additional responsibilities no city manager has, since cities seldom wander nor do they sink; you are responsible for navigation and keeping your vessel afloat!

Therefore, in keeping with the gravity of your high office, I suggest the following. Immediately upon taking delivery of your new pride and joy, you should physically and personally go through every maintenance and adjustment procedure on your vessel. It matters little if it is a new boat or a well used one, or any description in-between. It doesn't matter if all the maintenance or outfitting items are alleged to have been done just prior to your acquisition; to really get to know your latest love and be in control of any boat related situation I suggest the following set of procedures.

DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED! You need to know everything about your boat before you shove off. It is simpler to learn and correct deficiencies at the dealer or your own turf then it is to do it ad hoc, possible under adverse conditions. "Know Before You GO!"

1. Organize all your instruction manuals and ships papers.

Use your favorite method of organization. Some people use alphabetized expansion folders, some use three-ring binders. Whatever you prefer, get it and get every piece of documentation that goes with each piece of equipment on board. Make sure you have a piece of paper that covers every single item on your boat. Make sure you have factory operating instructions for every system and appliance. My personal system is to use three-ring binders with plastic document covers.

2. Create a ships log. A ships Log is a legal document.

3. Create a maintenance log.

A good maintenance log will detail every item on the vessel in need of routine maintenance. It will display the type, amount and frequency of change of every lubricant in every situation. It will allow you to easily monitor the service provided each item on board. Maintenance logs cover not only engines, transmissions, cutless bearings, stuffing boxes, steering cables, refrigeration and other major systems but should cover every other piece of equipment on your vessel. A good maintenance log will list the name of the item, serial number, date of purchase, period of service required, date of last service and a remarks column that handles special circumstances.

4. Organize and retain all of your receipts, especially important if you are going foreign. It is not unusual to be asked to prove that something is really yours.

5. Create an inventory.

6. Create an inventory copy kept ashore.

7. Purchase spare parts and expendables.

8. Take each manual for each maintenance item and actually go through the procedure.

9. Create a maintenance calendar and a legal documents calendar. Like it or not, ships run on paper and the following is a partial list.

Passport

Registration (state if required)

Documentation (USCG if required)

Insurance, vessel, dinghy, other

Dinghy reg.

Dinghy motor reg.

HAM license (reciprocals)

FCC radio operators license

Drivers license

10. Create a floor plan and storage allocation chart for your vessel

Vacuum your bilge

Check all your seacocks, know where they are. Make sure YOU can operate them.

This is a critical issue. So many times seacocks are frozen, this should show up under survey, but it happens in new boats also. You should actually operate them so you know exactly where they are, which direction they turn and if there are any peculiarities or difficulties with the location. This also gives you the opportunity to smooth out any rough edges left in construction, vacuum any dirt or debris and attach a wooden plug of the appropriate size at the site.

Change a bulb in your navigation lights.

This may seem simplistic but you ought to have actually experienced it, know for certain you have the right tools to do it, before you need to do it in the dark under adverse conditions.

. Make a list of must have spares, like filters, bulbs, fuses

Don=t leave the dock without proper spares. You just never know and once you are away from the dock, no matter how short the journey, you are on your own. (You would not be the first person to get a costly ticket from the marine patrol because your navigation lights weren't working and you did not have a spare bulb.)

.Check your tools, make sure you have a proper wrench for every contingency

Never mind how fancy the tools are, do you have a wrench for every nut? a screwdriver blade for every type screw? Do you need special pullers or alignment tools? Do you need a special tool to remove oil filters or water filters? Did you read through the manuals looking for odd & unusual requirements? How about the tools for your deck fittings, windlass, hatches, antenna mounts, etc.

Check out by operating all your deck gear, lubricate your winches and windlass

Inspect every shackle, turnbuckle or other joint for proper pins and safety wire cotter keys or split rings. Climb the mast. Get used to it now, before you need to do it in an emergency.

By the time you finish with this procedure you will have an intimate knowledge of every inch of your boat. You will find that not only does it build your confidence but will build the confidence of all those who will be sailing with you.