Ask Steve

Photo Essay: The Misplaced Washer Text and photos © 2020 Steve D’Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc. It’s a truism, of which even the most technically challenged is...

Photo Essay: Steering Gear Wear Steering gear falls into the category of a ‘key system’.  Without it you are not only dead in the water,...

Photo Essay: Battery Installation   It’s an all-too-common occurrence; while conducting an inspection I reach the area where batteries (often for starting but occasionally house as...

Text and photos © 2021 Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc. Photo Essay: Vented Loop Remote Drains Vented loops, sometimes called anti-siphon valves or siphon breaks, are...

Photo Essay: Avoiding Heat Shrink Butt Splice Woes Butt splices are ubiquitous, the average 50-foot vessel contains scores, perhaps even a hundred or more of...

Photo Essay: The Perils of Double Grounding It is ubiquitous, various disparate onboard equipment, to which green bonding wires are attached.  While not necessarily providing...

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...

Copyright © 2016 Ask Steve: July 2016 Steve, I just bought an Ocean Alexander 42 Sedan with CAT 3208s in it.  They do not have air cleaner filters, just...

Copyright © 2014 SDMC Inc.   Steve, I have read your articles in Cruising World for years and have found them very informative. Recently I notice that the...

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,...