Ask Steve

Steve: I am doing a major refit of a 1986 Trawler. I've done some of the big stuff, such as a new electrical panel, all...

Please note, our first two questions are in regard to a previous Photo Essay. Steve, I agree with your advice for grounding electronic equipment, but no...

From the Masthead Let me begin by apologizing to Marine Systems Excellence readers for our hiatus.  As most boat owners, and virtually anyone who is...

Photo Essay: Emergency Tiller Use During a recent vessel inspection, I asked the owner of the vessel if he’d ever tested the emergency manual tiller,...

Photo Essay: Fixed Fire Extinguisher Manual Discharge Fixed engine room firefighting systems are an invaluable safety option for virtually every inboard powered vessel.  These familiar...

Photo Essay: Stainless Steel Raw Water Plumbing Stainless steel is undoubtedly the most commonly used boat building hardware alloy, and with good reason... it’s durable,...

Text and photos © 2019 Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc. From the Masthead Regular readers may have noticed that the format of the Marine Systems Excellence...

                Photo Essay: Fan Belt Shedding Fan belts fulfill a vital role for engines; they transfer energy from the crankshaft pulley to other vital components and...

  Photo Essay: Steering Component Inspection Text and photos by Steve D’Antonio Copyright © 2017 Steering represents one of the most important systems aboard, at least equal to propulsion, electrical and...

Photo Essay: Hull to Deck Joint Few boat building interfaces are as important as the one that occurs between the hull and deck.  The loads...