Ask Steve – October 2014
Hi Steve, You often see shore cords in the water for a few feet between the pedestal and the boat. Sometimes it is difficult...
March 2016 Newsletter
Photo Essay
Life Cell, a Better Ditch Kit
Ditch bags are an invaluable accessory no blue water passagemaking vessel should be without. They are also nothing...
April 2018 Newsletter
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...
Ask Steve – December 2014
Hi Steve, I will try to be as concise as possible. I have a 1997 32' Nordic Tug, Invictus. I moor my boat year round in...
Ask Steve – May 2015
The Q&A posed below is in reference to a previous post to the Marine Systems Excellence E-zine, The Good Samaritan at Sea, published April...
March 2018 Newsletter
Due to Steve’s travel schedule, the Photo Essay will be a month off. Please look for its return in April.
Ask Steve
Steve, I have a question...
July 2025 Newsletter – Risers and Siphon-Breaks
Photo Essay: The Perils of an Unvented Loop
Vented loops, also known as anti-siphon valves or siphon-breaks, have served mariners for many years. Their mission...
June 2021 Newsletter “AC Ground Wire Sizing”
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...
February 2018 Newsletter
Text and photos copyright © 2018 Steve D’Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc.
Photo Essay: Check Valves
Check valves are ubiquitous; they are used in everything from fuel systems...
September 2018 Newsletter – Means of Reboarding
Photo Essay: Means of Reboarding
“If you fall overboard, there’s no way to re-board the vessel without assistance”. I uttered those words just last week,...




