SEWING ON BOATS

SEWING ON BOATS:

PHIFERTEX BRINGS ON THE SHADE &

TAKES DOWN THE TEMPERATURE

Phifertex is a versatile woven shade cloth.

By Nicole Smith on SV MAISON DE SANTร‰

Phifertex is a very effective for use on the inside of your boat and the outside. We have large dual pane glass windows in our salon which are great for seeing outside while cooking/eating/hanging out inside but they get hot and radiate lots of heat inside the boat.ย  I did not want to have to install snaps on the outside of our boat for Phifertex shades but wanted the UV protection, shade, and cooling effects.ย  So, I made individual shades for each of our 9 windows and they are great! Itโ€™s hard to see in the pictures but with the shade itโ€™s 82 degrees with the heat gun. Without the shade it shows 135 degrees! Of course there is some variance in degrees depending on where you point the gun on the window but wow, do these help (for reference itโ€™s 9am with sun beaming on these windows).ย I used Velcro at the corners to keep in place and for some of the shades used coated flexible garden wire sewn inside the outside trim so it keeps it shape and doesnโ€™t droop down. An added bonus is that they provide decent shade like a curtain but we can still enjoy our views. I hope others might find this useful ๐Ÿ˜€

Itโ€™s a hot sunny morning in Panama ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฆ.

The left window with the new shade and the right window without a shade
Heat gun reads 82 degrees Fahrenheit with the new window shade.
Heat Gun reads 135 degrees Fahrenheit without any window shade.

SY MAISON DE SANTร‰ ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Nicole & Keenan - ย Cal 46'

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR RECENT UPGRADE THAT KEEPS YOUR BOAT COOLER IN HOT PLACES!


SAFETY: THE DREADED DIESEL BUG

THE DREADED DIESEL BUG

Fear not! The dreaded diesel bug can be remedied.

ABOUT THEย DIESELย BUGย 

Usually, fuel can stay in a usable condition under storage for up to a year, after which it may begin to develop sediments.ย  Vessel in the the tropics are wise check any stored diesel before putting it into action.ย  Fuel in tanks deteriorates over time as it reacts with the oxygen in the air.ย  Water in a fuel tank harbors bacteria and fungi that feed on diesel.

Water can form in fuel tanks due to condensation from the tank heating and cooling over a 24 hour period.ย  This creates the perfect petri dish for bacteria and fungi.ย  One of the most common microorganisms that can grow under these circumstances is the dieselย bug.ย  The diesel bug deteriorates your fuel and creates a sludge capable of damaging your engine.

Once you get underway the sediments slosh around and the fuel pickup hose quickly gets clogged. The bug clogs the fuel system.

The diesel bug clogs the fuel system

ACTUAL CAUSES

  • ย  ย  Humidity in the air
  • ย  ย  Fuel tank condensation
  • ย  ย  Fuel tank insulation
  • ย  ย  Air leak on seals on fuel tank filler cap inc damaged o-rings
  • ย  ย  Poor fuel station storage quality
  • ย  ย  Low volume of sales at fuel station
Avoid buying fuel that has been stored in tanks for too long.

REMEDIES

Once you have theย bugย ...

1) Separate the water from theย diesel

2) Shock and kill theย dieselย bugย withย biocides

3) Remove sediments from the bottom of your tank

A biocide will quickly and effectively kill the problem

ย 
To Prevent theย bug

1) Fill the tank

2) Use a fuel filter to take on fuel from the pump

3) Use Enzymes to prevent theย bugย from forming in the first place

*For ongoing maintenance. Fuel Doctor, Soltron and Star Tron have result oriented enzyme formulations.

A full rundown on tests and solution lives here >>


Privacy Preference Center