Steve's Marine Service Blog

Generally, anything that uses water for cooling or carries water for use on board, needs to be winterized. Fall is also the perfect time to do your annual oil change and transmission fluid, or lower-unit gear-lube change on your engines. Make sure your to-do list includes: Oil change and cylinder fogging for engines and generators.

• Lower-unit gear-lube change for outboards or sterndrives.
• Topping off the fuel tank, adding stabilizer or biocides as needed.
• Draining or flushing/filling any raw-water cooling systems with nontoxic antifreeze. Don't forget the air-conditioning system.
• Water system winterization, which can be draining or flushing or filling, depending on your preference. This includes tanks, heads, pumps, shower sumps, sinks, and even seacocks, if the hose runs don't drain entirely.
• Inspection of anodes and running gear.
• Washing the exterior of the boat to remove salt and dirt, and getting the cockpit or other exterior drains cleared.
• Make sure batteries are fully charged, or better yet, remove them where they can be stored indoors and given a booster charge from time to time to keep them topped up.

Ask us about our service specials and storage options

With the boating season winding down, now is a good time to schedule maintenance for your boat! Steve’s’ Marine specializes in offering full service for all boats…not just “big boats”. As a Volvo Penta Authorized Service & Sales Center we’ve got all of your service and parts needs covered.

Call us for special Fall Service and winter storage deals.

Reach us at (631) 264-1600 to make a parts inquiry, schedule a service appointment or request a quote for service.

Mention this blog post and we’ll discount your service for being a loyal Steve’s Marine Customer.

Not just a warehouse, Steve’s Marine technicians have the ability to install any part that the you need and is available for sale. Steve’s Marine’s complete service center specializes in routine maintenance, outdrive repair and engine service, custom rigging and installations, and engine rebuilds. Over 40 years of experience in the high performance marine industry affords Steve’s Marine a wealth of product and technical knowledge to benefit our customers. Steve’s Marine also has the ability to innovate new products due to a need arising in the marketplace or for a unique solution for almost any application.

What Systems Need To Be Addressed?

Generally, anything that uses water for cooling or carries water for use on board, needs to be winterized. Fall is also the perfect time to do your annual oil change and transmission fluid, or lower-unit gear-lube change on your engines. Make sure your to-do list includes: Oil change and cylinder fogging for engines and generators.

• Lower-unit gear-lube change for outboards or sterndrives.
• Topping off the fuel tank, adding stabilizer or biocides as needed.
• Draining or flushing/filling any raw-water cooling systems with nontoxic antifreeze. Don't forget the air-conditioning system.
• Water system winterization, which can be draining or flushing or filling, depending on your preference. This includes tanks, heads, pumps, shower sumps, sinks, and even seacocks, if the hose runs don't drain entirely.
• Inspection of anodes and running gear.
• Washing the exterior of the boat to remove salt and dirt, and getting the cockpit or other exterior drains cleared.
• Make sure batteries are fully charged, or better yet, remove them where they can be stored indoors and given a booster charge from time to time to keep them topped up.

Ask us about our service specials and storage options

When is Fall 2017?

Fall 2017 starts on Friday, September 22, 2017

What is Fall?

Fall, usually called autumn outside of North America, is one of the four seasons that make up the year. It is the intervening period between the warmest time of the year, summer, and the coldest time of the year, winter.

Astronomical fall vs. meteorological fall

There are various ways to define the start and end dates of fall. The two most commonly used ones are based on the astronomical calendar and the meteorological calendar. Astronomical and meteorological fall start and end on different dates.

Astronomical fall

In the astronomical calendar the start and end dates of fall are based on the changing position of Earth in relation to the sun and the resulting solar events of equinoxes and solstices. In the Northern Hemisphere summer ends and fall starts at the moment of the September equinox, which occurs every year on September 22 or 23. Fall ends and winter starts at the moment of the December solstice, which occurs every year between December 20 and December 23. In the Southern Hemisphere fall lasts from the March equinox (March 19 to 21) to the June solstice (June 20 to 22).

The start and end dates for fall given on this page are the dates of astronomical fall in the Northern Hemisphere and are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). While fall starts and ends at the same moment in time all over the Northern Hemisphere, the date and local time differ from place to place depending on the year and a location's time zone. For locations that are ahead of UTC (further east) it may fall on the day after, and for locations that are behind UTC (further west) it may fall on the day before. To find out the exact date and time of fall 2017 in your area use this seasons calculator.

Meteorological fall

Meteorologists, on the other hand, define seasons based on climatic conditions and the annual temperature cycle. It is important for them to be able to compare the same period of time in different years. The length of the astronomical seasons varies between 89 and 93 days, while the length of the meteorological seasons is less variable and is fixed at 90 days for winter in a non-leap year (91 days in a leap year), 92 days for spring and summer, and 91 days for fall. While the exact definition of a season's timing and length can differ in different areas based on local conditions, in most of the Northern Hemisphere meteorological fall is generally defined as the three months of September, October and November, with the season starting on September 1 and ending on November 30.

There is no "official rule" which definition of fall to use, and different countries adhere to different conventions. Most of North America and Europe use astronomical fall, while Australia and New Zealand use meteorological fall (however, as these countries are in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposed and fall there lasts from March to May). In other cultures, eg. in the traditional Chinese calendar and in Celtic traditions, the September equinox is considered to be roughly the middle of fall.

Today marks the day Fort Ticonderoga opened in upstate New York.

According to Wikipedia, Fort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain, in northern New York, in the United States. It was constructed by Canadian-born French military engineer Michel Chartier de Lotbinière, Marquis de Lotbinière between October 1755 and 1757, during the action in the "North American theater" of the Seven Years' War, often referred to in the US as the French and Indian War. The fort was of strategic importance during the 18th-century colonial conflicts between Great Britain and France, and again played an important role during the American Revolutionary War.

The site controlled a river portage alongside the mouth of the rapids-infested La Chute River, in the 3.5 miles (5.6 km) between Lake Champlain and Lake George, and was strategically placed in conflicts over trade routes between the British-controlled Hudson River Valley and the French-controlled Saint Lawrence River Valley.

The terrain amplified the importance of the site. Both lakes were long and narrow and oriented north–south, as were the many ridge lines of the Appalachian Mountains extending as far south as Georgia, creating the near-impassable mountainous terrains to the east and west of the Great Appalachian Valley that the site commanded.

The name "Ticonderoga" comes from the Iroquois word tekontaró:ken, meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways".[3]

During the 1758 Battle of Carillon, 4,000 French defenders were able to repel an attack by 16,000 British troops near the fort. In 1759, the British returned and drove a token French garrison from the fort. During the American Revolutionary War, the fort again saw action in May 1775 when the Green Mountain Boys and other state militia under the command of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured it from the British in a surprise attack. Cannons captured were transported to Boston where their deployment forced the British to abandon the city in March 1776. The Americans held the fort until June 1777, when British forces under General John Burgoyne occupied high ground above it and threatened the Continental Army troops, leading them to withdraw from the fort and its surrounding defenses. The only direct attack on the fort took place in September 1777, when John Brown led 500 Americans in an unsuccessful attempt to capture the fort from about 100 British defenders.

The British abandoned the fort after the failure of the Saratoga campaign, and it ceased to be of military value after 1781. It fell into ruin, leading people to strip it of some of its usable stone, metal, and woodwork. In the 19th century, it became a stop on tourist routes of the area. Early in the 20th century, its private owners restored the fort. A foundation now operates the fort as a tourist attraction, museum, and research center

Members of the BoatUS Catastrophe team estimated that as many as 50% of the boats damaged during Hurricane Fran could have been saved by using better docklines: lines that were longer, larger, arranged better, and/or protected against chafing. If you decide to leave your boat at a dock, you'll need to devise a docking plan that is liable to be far different than your normal docking arrangement. By the time preparations are completed, your boat should resemble a spider suspended in the center of a large web. This web will allow the boat to rise on the surge, be bounced around by the storm, and still remain in position.

Take a look at your boat slip and its relation to the rest of the harbor. For most boats you'll want to arrange the bow toward open water or, lacking that, toward the least protected direction. This reduces windage. Next, look for trees, pilings, and dock cleats-anything sturdy-that could be used for securing docklines. With most docking arrangements, lines will have to be fairly taut if the boat is going to be kept away from pilings. The key to your docking arrangement is to use long lines, the longer the better, to accommodate the surge. (A good rule of thumb: storm docklines should be at least as long as the boat itself.) You will probably want to use other boat owners' pilings (and vice versa), which calls for a great deal of planning and cooperation with slip neighbors and marina management.

Lines should also be a larger diameter to resist chafe and excessive stretching. On most boats you should use 1/2" line for boats up to 25', 5/8" line for boats 25' to 34', and 3/4" to 1" lines for larger boats. Chafe protectors (see "Critical Points") must be on any portion of the line that could be chafed by chocks, pulpits, pilings, etc.

To secure lines to hard-to-reach outer pilings, put the eye on the piling so that lines can be adjusted from the boat. For other lines, put the eye on the boat to allow for final adjustment from the dock.

For those affected by these wild storms, some safety tips .....

Generator Safety Tips

• Use proper care. Proper ventilation is critical to reducing the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator’s engine exhaust. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a common, serious danger that can cause death if generators are used improperly; this is particularly true when the fuel is not burned completely.
• Placement is key. Never use generators indoors or outside near windows, vents, or air intakes that could allow CO to come indoors.
• Keep other items clear. Maintain plenty of air flow space around the generator.
• Pay attention. Get fresh air immediately if you begin to feel sick, dizzy or light-headed or experience flu-like symptoms.
• Buy CO detector. Because CO is invisible and odorless, it makes sense to buy a CO detector (similar to or sometimes combined in a smoke detector) to warn of rising CO levels.
• “Ground” your generator. Carefully follow all instructions on properly “grounding” the generator.
• Keep the generator dry. Short circuits may occur in wet conditions, which can cause a generator fire. If needed, place the generator under an open canopy–type structure.
• Be prepared. Always keep a fully charged fire extinguisher nearby.
• Leave it to the professionals. To avoid electric shock or electrocution, do not try to fix or otherwise work on a generator.
• Organize your cords. Keep cords out of the way to avoid injury, but keep them in plain view to keep track of cord damage (such as fraying or cuts) that could cause a fire.
• Do not “back feed” power. Do not plug the generator into a wall outlet. Back feeding will put you and others, including utility line workers, at serious risk because the utility transformer can increase low voltage from the generator to thousands of volts.
• Know local laws. Some states have laws making the generator owner responsible for taking steps to make sure that the generator’s electricity cannot feed back into power lines; additionally, owners of commercial, industrial, or residential generators must notify the local utility of their locations.
• Don’t touch. It’s hot. The exterior portions of a generator, even if operated for only a short period of time, can become hot. Avoid touching the generator without protective gear and keep debris clear to avoid a fire.