Dear Boat Doctor,
My wife and I just bought a 1970 Olson 38. It has been a great boat so far and we intend to do some long-term cruising on it. It is a good quality boat, in good shape, but it is 42-years-old and I am concerned about the condition of the rig. What should I inspect or replace to make sure it does its job?

Bruce Bishop
Wilmington, North Carolina

Dear Olson,
The Olson is a very nice boat, pretty and a good performer too. I am glad to see you want to take care of her. The rig should be thoroughly inspected, digging into the structure as needed.

I’d start with pulling the rig and inspecting everything up close. Start with the masthead and tangs, looking for any cracks or corrosion, I’d pull the throughbolts on the tangs and take a look at those, too. Look carefully at the maststep, it can corrode and degrade. The spreader tips are cast aluminum and they can corrode after years of interface with the stainless rigging.

The Olson used a wire main halyard and over the years the wire can chew up the sheaves. Be aware of this, especially if you are considering switching to a rope halyard. If you are sticking with a wire halyard you should be able to file and polish the old sheaves. If you go with rope you are best off getting new sheaves, with the proper profile, fabricated in Delrin.

Down on deck, remove and inspect the chainplate as well as the cap shrouds, lowers and backstay. Polish up the old chainplates and inspect thoroughly in the area that passes through the deck, as this is a prime area for crevice corrosion. If you see anything that makes you nervous, please replace them. The boat uses simple strap-style chainplates; they are easy to work with and inexpensive to replace. When you reinstall the chainplates, new or old, thoroughly bed them in 3M 4000UV sealant.

Unless you know the history and quality of the wire, I would replace it all. Properly applied, good quality wire and swages will last five to eight years in an actively sailed boat in saltwater. When you spec out a replacement rig make sure everything fits properly, rather than taking the chance of duplicating someone else’s mistake. Any competent rigger should be able to help with this process.

In theory, the turnbuckles, could likely be used again, but I would vote for a redesign. I would use a swage stud on the wire and thread that directly into the turnbuckle body, and a toggle jaw on the bottom end of the turnbuckle directly to deck. This will be much cleaner, with only one clevis pin to worry about.

Dear Boat Doctor,
The head on our 2000 Jeanneau 40 has a slight odor. It’s nothing awful, but you can tell what room you are in with your eyes closed.  We have scrubbed everywhere we can reach. Every hose and fitting feels completely dry, likewise around the stainless holding tank.  Water is in the toilet bowl and shower drain creating an air seal. Our sniff searches have not lead to a particular area, yet the smell seems to come creeping back when the room is closed. How do we make it go away?

There is a shelf full of products made to go into a toilet or a holding tank. What do these do and are they necessary? I know some work by creating their own overpowering scent. We have not used these products in the past but we’ve never had an odor problem before.

Lynn Deedler
via e-mail

Dear Lynn,
A smelly head can be tough to live with, but there are a few things you can try to remedy the situation. Assuming your head equipment is functioning correctly, there are two smell sources you could be experiencing, the head discharge hose or foul flush water. Head discharge hoses tend to become saturated with sewage and begin to smell.

The best way to test if this is the case is to wipe down the hoses with a warm wet rag and then smell the rag. If the rag smells “heady” the hose is leaking odor. Your only choice is to replace the hose. Buy the best hose you can and be prepared to open your wallet because hose is expensive. Even the best hose will eventually become odor permeated, but you should get five or more years out of a top-quality hose. 
If your boat is in salt water, your flush water can begin to smell in the bowl, but this is more of a sulfury smell. The saltwater flush water that you draw into the boat can have organisms in it that can die and emit an odor. To combat this you can flush often to rinse out the stagnant water, do a final rinse and flush with the shower, or even replumb your head to use tank water.

There are many head chemicals on the market that contain chemicals to control odors, breakdown waste and tissue, and contain detergents to keep the hoses and tank clean.  Additionally a few companies make enzyme-based products that provide the same benefits in a more green way. I have had great luck over the years with the chemical-based solutions from Thetford (www.thetford.com, 800-543-1219).

Dear Boat Doctor,

My wife and I love to anchor while cruising the Great Lakes. My major concern is my batteries. After one or two nights on the hook, I hold my breath when starting my engine.

Is there a simple way to determine the amount of solar panels necessary to trickle charge two batteries hooked up with the one-two-both switch? And, is this procedure simple enough for a boat owner to accomplish or does it require a marine electrician?

Jerry Davis

Portage, Michigan

Dear Jerry,

Solar charging is a very viable option, even on the Great Lakes. You won’t get the output from panels that you’d get in the tropics, but they still work well.

The key to determining the capacity you need is based on your power usage. The amount of panels you can install is essentially limited by your mounting space and budget. You can’t really have too much panel capacity, and every little bit helps.

Start by estimating your power usage. You can build a simple balance sheet listing the current that each device draws (in amps) and how long you intend to run it (in hours). Multiply these numbers together to get an amp-hour total per device. For example a one-amp load running for four hours, yields a four amp-hour draw. The total of all your devices will determine your total draw.

You may want to consider swapping out some incandescent bulbs for LED replacements, which draw a fraction of the amps that incandescent bulbs do. The bulbs will snap right in and the cost is less than $20 each.

A typical 75-watt panel will supply about 6 amps of power under ideal conditions. Because you’re not in the tropics, I would derate the panel about 25% and estimate maybe six hours a day of peak charging time. Even at these conservative rates a single panel can still put 20 to 30 amp-hours back into your battery bank.

I also strongly recommend that you isolate your batteries into a house bank and comparatively smaller engine battery. Arranged this way you can drain your house bank to zero and still be able to start your engine. This may just entail a simple rewire or maybe adding a small engine start battery. Once you separate your banks you’ll need a way to combine them for charging but this is relatively simple too. I have helped several boat owners make a change like this and the stress level reduction is dramatic. You may want to consult an electrician for some consulting but the overall job is fairly straightforward.

Adding a panel, reducing your usage as much as you can, and improving the configuration of your banks will allow you many stress-free days at anchor.

Dear Boat Doctor,
I own a 1989 Marshall 22 catboat. My diesel tank is leaking and I need to replace it. Do you have any advice on how to remove and replace the tank?
Jesse
via sailingmagazine.net

Dear Jesse,
Marshall Marine (508-994-0414, www.marshallcat.com) is the best source of information on the boat, and they are still in business in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
The fuel tank is in bottom of the forward starboard cockpit locker, it can be removed without cutting anything. The tank is strapped to one of the hull stringers. Of course, the tank needs to be emptied first. Then remove the hoses attached to the tank: the large fill hose, the feed to the engine, return line and vent line.

Marshall Marine is the best source for a new tank. The company tries to keep a new tank in stock at all times, but worst case it could be several weeks to have one fabricated. The cost is approximately $700. Good luck and have a great time with that modern classic.