Ask Steve

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...

Text and photos © 2020 Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc. Photo Essay: Means of Escape The recent fire and resulting fatalities aboard the dive boat Conception,...

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: Leakage Current It’s an insidious, and frequently misunderstood, phenomenon; AC power leaking into water, creating an electric field around the vessel.  Under the...

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...

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...

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...

  Text and photos copyright © SDMC, Inc. 2016 Ask Steve: May 2015 Good day Steve! I have a question that your readers and I would benefit from, your...

Photo Essay: Fuel Filter "Seaweed" Primary fuel filters are the first line of defense against a range of contaminants including sediment, asphaltene, and water.  Most...

Hello Steve, We are in the planning stages for our next sail boat. It will be a new off-shore mono haul, 54-60 LOA (Oyster /...