June 2026 Newsletter – Avoiding Heat Shrink Butt Splice Woes
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...
December 2024 Newsletter – Fixed Fire Extinguisher Manual Discharge
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...
Ask Steve
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...
Charging Start Batteries and Battery Testing
Steve, I have a 26' center console, 2 jet skis, a 13' whaler and the 58. Additionally I have two hoists that are battery powered with solar chargers. Basically,...
August 2023 Newsletter: Livewell Pump Installation
Photo Essay: Livewell Pump Installation
Raw water plumbing fittings, particularly those below the waterline, must be rugged and reliable. ABYC Standards dictate that, “A seacock...
May 2017 Newsletter
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...
April 2016 Newsletter
Text and photos copyright © SDMC, Inc. 2016
Photo Essay While it may be cliché, the first words that come to mind when I see this image...
February 2025 Newsletter – Plumbing Bonding Technique
Photo Essay: Plumbing Bonding Technique
As I carry out inspections, one of the issues I frequently encounter involves bonding or grounding (there is a difference,...
August 2019 Newsletter
Text and photos © 2019 Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc. Ask Steve
Hello Steve, During the last haul out period, we dealt with a number of issues...
June 2017 Newsletter
Text and photos by Steve D’Antonio Copyright © 2017
Photo Essay: Battery Lugs
Reliably connecting batteries to their associated cables sounds easy. In practice, however, it can be fraught...







