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Text and photos © 2021 Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc. Photo Essay: Steering Steering, it’s one of the primary systems you simply can’t do without, along...

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: Below the Waterline Welded Stainless Steel; Does it Make Sense? I’ve written about stainless steel; its strengths and weaknesses, on many occasions, in the...

Hi Steve, You often see shore cords in the water for a few feet between the pedestal and the boat.  Sometimes it is difficult...

Photo Essay: Steering Components Steering falls into what I call one of the three critical systems, along with propulsion and raw water plumbing/watertight integrity.  On...

Photo Essay: Stainless Washer in Current Path This is a phenomenon I encounter often, and while it’s anecdotal, occurrences seem to be on the rise. ...

Photo Essay: Lifeline Corrosion While plastic coated wire lifelines are a ubiquitous aspect of small boat safety, they aren’t without their shortcomings.  Long ago, while...

Photo Essay: Closed Cooling System Hose Failure While both must be reliable and robust, hoses used for conveying coolant (often incorrectly referred to as anti-freeze)...

Steve, Congratulations on your latest professional move.  It leaves me a bit disappointed with PassageMaker in not supporting your independent writing. I have a Holland 38...

Photo Essay: Not a Cord Grip These are small, inexpensive, and readily available parts, and they are critically important; without them the worst-case result can...