Blog | Marine Special Products

Luck at Sea – How to stack the deck in your favor

April 29, 2016 By EJ Vongher

With National Safe Boating Week just around the corner and the climate here in southern New England finally making the turn to boating weather, now is as good a time as any to spend a moment on boating safety.

Given the unpredictable and powerful nature of the ocean, it’s little wonder that ancient mariners and their contemporary counterparts put so much thought into improving their fortunes at sea. As superstitious as anyone who gives over control to the unknown, some of the things they did (and still do today) are curious to say the least. Never boarding left foot first? Placing a silver coin beneath the mast? How many of these superstitions do you know? Take our quiz to gauge your knowledge.

One old adage we know to be absolutely true when it comes to safety at sea is that fortune favors the prepared. So if you want to stack the deck in your favor when it comes to the fortunes of you, your crew and your vessel while boating ,we strongly suggest you consider taking a safe boating course. Depending upon where you live, you can learn more about courses available in Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island.

The Hartford Boat Show – a sure-fire cure for Amarinus Extremus

January 27, 2016 By EJ Vongher

While the weather has been a little more forgiving so far this winter, that doesn’t change the fact that most of us have been on the hard for a month or two now. If you are like the majority of your fellow boaters, you are currently at maximum risk for Amarinus Extremus. It’s a term we at Marine Special Products Group have coined for the collection of symptoms one displays after an extended period away from boating. If not managed, it can become serious.

As a public service to our fellow mariners, we offer up some timely tips to stave off the confusing and sometimes comical behaviors one adopts when afflicted with this dreaded disease (have you ever seen someone toss a spring line as they pull their car up to a gas pump? Not pretty).

Management tip #1 – get up to the Connecticut Marine Trades Association Hartford Boat Show. Beginning today, Jan 28th and running through Sunday the 31st, it’s a great opportunity to put you and your crew into the boating mindset. Learn more here: http://hartfordboatshow.com/

Management tip #2 – stop by our booth (S13) and talk about Marine Systems Upgrades. It might not be the right time for a completely-new Marine Sanitation System, brand new Boat AC or the next generation Navigation System, but you could enhance your comfort and convenience by upgrading an aspect of your existing system. Learn more at our Systems Upgrade page.

Management tip #3 – win tickets to see the new movie The Finest Hours. Based upon a real-life US Coast Guard operation in the early 50s, the film showcases the bravery that typifies our Coasties in the face of an angry, treacherous mid-winter Northern Atlantic. Stop by our booth to register. If you can’t make it to the show, send us an email with your name, phone number, email address and the make/model of your boat (we promise not to share your information with anyone!)

Amarinus Extremus is real, and it can be debilitating (visualize yourself trying to shovel your driveway with a boat hook). But together, we can beat it. Join us at the Hartford Boat Show and join the battle.

Late Season Maintenance Considerations

August 26, 2015 By EJ Vongher

It’s mid-August afternoon, the mercury is skyrocketing and all you can think about is stepping off the dock onto your boat and spending the next week cruising along the coast of The Long Island Sound. You’re set to shove off in the morning when your out-of-town crew will turn up but for now, you’re looking forward to an evening of air-conditioned bliss at the marina where you’ll plot your course for the next week.

When you arrive at the dock, things suddenly start to unravel. You immediately notice your boat AC isn’t working – perhaps the timer failed? As you step aboard, the normally welcoming aroma of your vessel has turned decidedly funky. The icing on the cake? When you go to raise your yard mechanic on the VHF, you realize it’s on the fritz as well. The triple whammy – no AC, a smelly boat and no radio. Dramatic? Yes. But not improbable. Two months into the boating season and your vessel has no doubt seen some heavy use so if maintenance or usage issues are going to crop up, now is as good (or rather, bad?) a time as any.

The first thing to note is that we here at Marine Special Products Group are on call for emergency repairs. Call DG on 1 (860) 718-0100. Related – we are experts in Marine Sanitation, Marine Air Conditioning and Marine Electronics so we will be able to diagnose your problem and come up with a plan.

If you are concerned about the viability of these critical systems prior to a lengthy cruise (or a lengthy visit from some out of town guests), we’d be happy to come inspect them for you and provide recommendations on their upkeep and preservation. While we do ask for a nominal inspection charge, it’s definitely in the ounce-of-prevention camp. Another thing to consider are these mid-season maintenance suggestions which might help get an older or stressed system through the season:

Boat AC

Let’s start with the easiest one first; a common cause of overworked or overloaded boat air conditioning systems (and boat refrigeration systems, for that matter), is dirty or clogged air return filters. If you often have a pet aboard your vessel, the buildup of dust and hair can cause clogs. Other causes include docking your boat in more urban environments, construction going on in your marina or, not surprisingly, just you and your family being aboard as the average human being sheds more than eight pounds of dead skin annually! Given all these sources for dust, you can save yourself a major headache with a relative easy inspection and an almost as easy replacement, if warranted.

Most boat air conditioning manufacturers recommend that you chemically de-scale the condensing coil every 24 months so if you don’t recall when you did this last, you should probably look into it. In addition to avoiding breakdowns, a properly-descaled system will run more efficiently saving you power and money.

Another concern is water buildup in the condensation pans caused by condensation drain blockages, potentially resulting in flooding of floors and lockers and, consequently, mold or mildew buildup (and the associated odors). To avoid these costly and unpleasant possibilities, make sure the condensate pans are draining properly.

Marine Sanitation

While we work on a wide variety of marine sanitation systems, our comments here focus on Vacuflush systems which are as desirable for odor abatement as they are delicate. An overarching thought on marine sanitation systems: think of maintaining them in the very same way you treat your engine – monitor its performance closely and service it regularly.

Regarding maintenance, we’ll start with another easy one. When you are topsides, does your nose readily make you aware that a crew member has used the head? If this is the case, you very well may need to replace your holding tank vent filter. It stops odors from escaping through the holding tank vent and it is recommended to replace it annually.

Another area of concern are the duckbill valves in the vacuum generator. Most people don’t service these and just run them until they fail. When that failure happens is key though, isn’t it? The manufacturers recommend these be replaced every other boating season so if you haven’t done that, it’s something you should strongly consider.

Finally, if you are sensing any deficiency in vacuum pressure or seeing water or sewage leakage at the head, it may be time to replace your flush ball assembly or the teflon bowl seal. The manufacturer recommendation on this is to replace these parts every three-to-five years, depending upon conditions and use. A failure here in the wrong circumstances can really foul up a passage or a holiday weekend.

Electronics upgrades

In addition, now is a good time to think about mid-season software and firmware upgrades for navigational electronics. Having the most current software and electronic chart data for your marine electronics can increase safety, ease of use and functionality.

Changes to chart information, GPS satellite constellations, tide and current data, and system reliability can affect the navigation system’s ability to safely guide you to your destination. Manufacturers of marine electronics are constantly making improvements to the user interface and experience. Frequently, software updates offer dramatic changes to the way you interact with your system.

New features are what it is all about. Over the past few years, software updates have unlocked on-screen control of autopilots, marine stereo systems, thermal cameras and electronic switching of devices, as well as networking of previously stand alone systems. We are well-versed in the latest Marine Electronics updates – let us review your system and see what enhancements can be made to your current setup to optimize your safety and enjoyment.

Finally, as we move into that tail end of the boating season, don’t forget to start thinking about both decommissioning as well as boat projects you’d like to tackle in the off-season. We’ll follow up with another post soon about our winter labor discounts.

This season’s new electronics: seeing is believing

April 28, 2015 By EJ Vongher

Spring. That time of year when a boater’s attention happily shifts from months-long concerns about torn shrink wrap and frozen engine block to visions of serene anchorages, picturesque sunsets or landing a trophy striped bass. This spring, some of the new boating electronics can help you experience those visions in vivid and breakthrough ways.

One of the most exciting technologies out there is the new Garmin Panoptix All-Seeing sonar. Introduced in February of this year, this new sonar technology allows boaters to see all around their boats in real time. You can see what’s below you on each side of your vessel as well as forward and aft at any moment, even while you are stationary.

Garmin Marine Sales Director David Dunn describes it this way, “We at Garmin have changed the way you use sonar – this is all new sonar, you’ve never seen anything like this before. This is multi-beam technology with phased ray. We can actually steer our beam; can you imagine chasing bait and steering your transducer toward the bait so you can see where the bait ball is instead of actually having to drive over it and chase them all morning. Saves fuel, saves time – catch more fish.”

Some of the images Garmin has released to demonstrate the Panoptix All-Seeing sonar are pretty impressive. We’ve always been impressed with the ease-of-use and vivid imagery which seem to go hand-in-hand with Garmin products and the interface and optics with the Panoptix system definitely do not disappoint.

For fishermen, the Panoptix system will certainly be a boon to increasing their catch. The forward transducer provides two impressive views, showing the bottom plus fish and bait swimming in the water column in front of your boat – in real time. You can even see your lure as you reel it in. It will also show 3D views of fish and structure in front of your boat.

Another new and noteworthy introduction from Garmin this season is the GPSMAP 7600 series chartplotter/sonar combos. These systems are designed specifically for boaters demanding high performance, ease of operation and multiple feature integration.

Each product in the 7600 line possesses built-in sonar capabilities build around 1 kW dual CHIRP sonar, some seriously sophisticated sonar technology in its own right, but are also compatible with the Panoptix All-Seeing sonar described above.

Another whizzy aspect of the GPSMAP 7600 series is the Garmin Helm app feature, which allows you to view and control your chartplotter from a smartphone or tablet, allowing better situational awareness. Cooler still is that you can even record a movie of your chartplotter screen to share with friends and family.

But the real “why didn’t someone think of this before” feature is the enhanced SOS Button functionality on some of the 7600 units. If a Garmin VHF radio is connected via NMEA 2000, the SOS button on the GPSMAP 7608 takes you to a list of distress categories such as fire, aground, man overboard, etc. For example, in a sinking situation, the radio would send a DSC distress message with the specific code for sinking, which is something few people know how to do with their DSC radio even in calm circumstances. Possibly more valuable is the displayed script of the proper things to say once the radio goes from DSC to audio mode. If a Garmin AIS is on the network even your boat’s name and call sign will be filled in, and there other screens available to help you manage a problem.

If you are interested in a Boat Electronics consultation, either drop us a line or give us a call on 1 (860) 718-0100. Thank you.

How to beat boat odor

March 8, 2015 By EJ Vongher

Ooooh that smell. Can’t you smell that smell. The smell of death surrounds you. If you are a boater of a certain age, those words might warmly conjure up a band of Southern rock and rollers. However, if you are a boater with an acute or lingering moldy, musty odor, an altogether different and far from positive image comes to mind: a smell like death which, if not treated properly, can be the end of comfort and enjoyment aboard your boat.

Many boaters take boat odors for granted; they are something you put up with, will quickly abate when you are underway or in a wind-swept anchorage or marina or can be temporarily eliminated with deodorizers, air fresheners or a bit of elbow grease and a strong cleaner. However, persistent or chronic boat odors often indicate more pernicious factors may be at play.

One primary source of on-going “old boat smell” lies literally at the bottom of every boat – the bilge. As the lowest point in the interior of any vessel, it serves as a catchall for all manner of fluids, food particles and everyday dust and dirt. However, its location below the floorboards can make it difficult, if not impossible to clean and, especially problematic for mold, bacteria and fungus build-up, to keep dry.

Here at Marine Special Products Group, we have entered into a partnership with Florida-base Arid Bilge Systems to install and service their patented Dry Bilge Machine. Their system uses microprocessor technology, along with small-diameter lengths of plastic tubing and a variety of ultra sensitive pickups, to periodically, automatically, and thoroughly drain all water from one or more bilge compartments. This system works to remove the remaining fluids which your bilge pumps fail to remove, leaving the bilge bone-dry and therefore starving mold, bacteria and fungus of a key element they need to grow: moisture.

Another root cause of “old boat smell” is the quality of the actual air in the boat itself. For most recreational boaters, the plain fact is that their boats don’t get used that often and keeping a large space closed for a week or two creates a perfect storm for the spread of mold, mildew, and other airborne threats to a person’s respiratory system and overall health.

This is where our expertise in Marine Air Conditioning can help with boat odors. Boat AC does more than just cool the air in a stateroom or saloon; it also conditions the air by drying and filtering it, which keeps the onboard environment less damp and free from airborne particles. In situations where air quality is questionable, we often recommend a solution such as Dometic Marine’s (www.dometic.com) Breathe Easy Portable Air Purifier or In-Duct Air Purifiers.

A compact Breathe Easy portable unit can reduce airborne odors from mildew, food, tobacco, and other sources via its Photocatalytic Nano-Mesh technology with ultraviolet light. Technically speaking, the UV light bulb in the purifier activates a titanium-diode catalyst on the surface of the mesh which absorbs pollutants and odors, allowing clean air to return to the cabin. The Breathe Easy In-Duct model uses the same technology but is installed in-line in air conditioning duct hoses.

If you are contending with that smell, that old boat smell, we have a variety of solutions to help eliminate the source of noxious odors. Drop us a line and we’d appreciate the opportunity to come by your vessel and help you once again breathe in the fresh, salty smell that boating is meant to represent.

Our winter discount is the cure for Amarinus Extremus

December 22, 2014 By EJ Vongher

The cause of Amarinus Extremus?

For many boaters in the northeast, the time from mid-December to mid-March brings on some level of amarinus extremus. An affliction whose milder characteristics include the unwarranted application of suntan lotion, donning of topsiders to shovel the drive and the re-emergence of small plastic floating objects in the bath, amarinus extremus left unchecked can result in some serious consequences. Last season, for example, a more severe case resulted in a boater installing bow thrusters on his Chevy Suburban.

This condition can be treated if caught early; the installation of masthead tri-lights atop a Christmas tree is a warning sign. When you see this happening, re-immerse the boater in some form of boating activity immediately. Many initial treatments involve gingerbeer, usually with rum. Treatments sho Screen Shot 2014-12-22 at 11.57.30 AM uld include hands-on boating projects; here is a list of some quickies published by Boating Magazine five years ago which have broad application today.

However, these are band aids. The only real cure is action involving the boater’s vessel. Here, we can help. What better way to engage with your boat during the frigid winter months than to let us upgrade or repair the systems within your vessel? New AC sure would be nice, right? OK – bad example when the mercury is plummeting. How about a new heating system? What about dry bilge systems? We’ve recently partnered with Arid Bilge to install systems that will have the bottom of your boat feeling like the Sahara.

We know how important getting projects like these underway can be to curing Mal de Tierra so right now through February 28, 2015, we are offering a 25% reduction in our normal labor rates. So give us a call or drop us an email; we’ll do our part to stem this scourge of the non-seas!

Fall Decommissioning: an ounce of prevention or a ton of cure.

September 26, 2014 By EJ Vongher

“I’m winterizing the boat this weekend.” Are there words an avid boater ever says with less enthusiasm? Their very nature indicates the end of the boating season here in New England, a return to wearing socks and sweaters, and the fear that said winterization will not go off without a hitch. This might explain why so many boat insurance companies put out fairly detailed guides dedicated to vessel decommissioning; as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Personally, I hate to see bad fortune fall upon anyone. But professionally, my business reaps great rewards from bungled decommissionings. During this boating season alone I’ve repaired or replaced numerous marine air conditioning units which were perfectly serviceable at the end of last summer. Exhibit number one are the burst coils on this unit whose owner assured me he had winterized it to the manufacturer specifications.

Burst coils due to improper winterization

Compressed air did not remove all the water from the coil, and the rupture that resulted led to a catastrophic failure of the entire system. Water expands when it freezes, and the copper is simply not strong enough to withstand the pressure. Few of us are.

That said, I’d much prefer to earn my living helping boaters improve their overall boating experience – specifying and installing systems for climate control, marine sanitation, moisture abatement or entertainment and navigational electronics, rather than fixing problems that didn’t have to happen. Therefore, unless you’ve spent some time drawing a paycheck from a marina, I strongly encourage you to leave the winterization process to the professionals.

When you place your winterization in the hands of marinas or boatyards like Mystic Shipyard, Noank Village, Oak Leaf Marina, Palmer Point or Petzold’s, you are assured the job is handled properly and you needn’t worry when the mercury drops below freezing for weeks at a time. And, if you place any stock in the Farmer’s Almanac, this coming winter is supposed to be quite cold.

If you need a recommendation on a good marina partner to perform your winterization, please don’t hesitate to email me.

USGC seeks input on modernizing maritime navigation

July 16, 2014 By D.G. Fitton

Do you have thoughts on how maritime navigation can be improved? The US Coast Guard is right now seeking input. Here is a link to their survey on this issue which impacts commercial and recreational boaters alike.

Boat AC – dealing with an HPF code

July 15, 2014 By D.G. Fitton

You and your lady are meant to take a cruise across the Sound for a well-deserved, overdue getaway weekend. You’ve spent the last two days geting the boat wife-ready and now, after an unanticipated delay at the office, you are on your way to the marina. Your wife is already there by now so you give her a call to let her know you are on the way.

“I’m hot,” you happily hear her say. “I know you are, baby and I can’t wait to shove off,” you cheerily reply. “No, I’m hot. As in the air conditioning on your damn boat isn’t working and I’m not going anywhere.”

Thinking quickly, you pull into the nearest florist and grab whatever bouquet is readily available. You then high-tail it to the marina so you can get this situation sorted. Upon arrival, a quick visual inspection verifies what you feared: your wife is hot. “I think that stifling air below has re-awakened that smell from last summer,” she says as things are going from bad to worse. You hand your wife the bouquet, which gets you half a smile and you pour her a weak gin and tonic (no need to fuel this fire), eliciting another quarter smile. “I’ll get this fixed” you confidentially offer up as you head below to see what’s what.

Armed with your smartphone and a super-human drive to get the Boat AC working, you make a cursory examination of the air conditioning controls and discover the dreaded HPF code – a High Pressure Fault. For the uninitiated, a high pressure fault typically indicates a problem with water flow. Your Google search tells you to check and make sure water is flowing out of the system. Easy, peasy, right? You turn the system on, head topsides, and immediately lose the additional quarter of a smile by instinctively patting your wife on the head as you go forward to inspect the cooling water exit.

As you move forward, you hear the trickle indicating water is flowing out, and a visual inspection validates this. However, rate of flow could be the issue so research the proper flow-rate for your unit (the average is about 3.5 gallons per minute) and then use a measured container and stopwatch or watch sweep hand to make sure you the flow is within the proper parameter (this would also be a good time to make sure the water is devoid of any debris or coloration; it should be clear). If the flow isn’t adequate, you need to start checking on things which might be impacting flow. Make sure the seacock for the sea-water intake thru-hull is fully open, clear the sea-water intake strainer of any debris.

If this doesn’t resolve your HPF issue, there may be a problem with your pump. Before you start pulling it apart (and giving up any hope for that Long Island weekend), you might try backflushing the system to eliminate any air or debris which is preventing the pump from being fully primed. You’d be surprised at the amount of clogging just a season’s worth of sediment or contaminants can create. To perform the backflush, you simply put your dock hose in the output and turn it on. Depending upon your dock situation, falling overboard during this procedure may get at least that quarter smile back you lost with the head pat.

If after trying these trouble-shooting steps you still have an HPF code, there may be some other aspects of your system that need to be addressed. Because of the variety of possible causes, it very well may be time to call someone like me. I do make emergency visits and my number is 1 (860) 718-0100; don’t hesitate to call.

Welcome to our website

May 16, 2014 By D.G. Fitton

Greetings! Thanks for stopping by our website.

I am DG Fitton and Marine Special Products Group, LLC is my company. While many people and organizations have helped me shape it over the years, and I rely on vendors for the products and technical assistance as well as my talented employees, when you have dealings with MSPG you are dealing with me.

Therefore, you’re going to see a quite a bit of me in this new website of ours: my background, my knowledge of marine systems, my sense of humor (this is about boating, not brain surgery!) and my professionalism. But you’ll also see a lot of you in the new site because without our loyal customers, we wouldn’t have survived for the last eight years.

We re-launched this site for a few reasons. First, I wanted customers and prospects to get the full picture on what we do here at Marine Special Products Group, LLC. Many of our customers know us from what we have done for them specifically, which usually is limited to one of the three areas in which we specialize: boat AC/heating, marine sanitation and navigation or entertainment electronics. But more often than not, I’ll bump into a previous customer while working on someone else’s boat only to hear “I didn’t know you did that.” So this new website will help customers and prospects alike to learn about what we do.

Secondly, in the more than two decades I’ve been working on recreational and commercial boating systems, I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly (sometimes the very, very ugly!). I’ve developed a body of knowledge that I’d like to share with my boating friends. An example is my Spring Commissioning blogpost, which was developed from a marine system’s perspective; not too many of these re-commissioning checklists include thoughts on mud wasps and mice in refrigerator coils. If you’re interested in this type of information, bookmark my blog or subscribe to my RSS feed.

Finally, like most who read this, I was bitten early on by the boating bug and have remained addicted to all things nautical: the boating lifestyle, humor, noteworthy tidbits, helpful hints, etc. This site will be a place for me to share some of the interesting, educational and (more often than not) funny stuff I find out there on the Internet that relates to boating. Again, this will flow from our blog so stay connected to that if you enjoy this sort of content.

So again, thanks for stopping by. If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, email me directly. I’d love to hear your feedback.

Happy boating,

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