Onboard Alarms – Part I
Text and Photos By Steve D'Antonio
Copyright April 2014 Onboard "alarms"fall into a variety of categories and levels of criticality. The alarm panels shown here monitor...
Editorial: Visiting the USS SAGINAW’s Gig- Feature: Buying a Metal Boat
From the Masthead
Visiting the USS SAGINAW’s Gig In late 2022 I had an opportunity to achieve a long-held ambition, to see the famed gig belonging...
June 2025 Newsletter – Fan Belt Shedding
Photo Essay: Fan Belt Shedding
Fan belts fulfill a vital role for engines; they transfer energy from the crankshaft pulley to other vital components and...
October 2024 Newsletter – Shaft Coupling Fasteners
Photo Essay: Shaft Coupling Fasteners
The average small vessel may have anywhere from hundreds to several thousand, fasteners aboard, used in everything from joinerwork to...
December 2019 Newsletter
Text and photos © 2019 Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc.
Photo Essay: Refrigeration Maintenance
While it’s all too easy to take it for granted, I never cease...
Closed Crankcase Ventilation: What is it and what purpose does it serve?
Text and photos by Steve D'Antonio
Copyright December 2013 Fifteen or more years ago this is what commonly passed for a crankcase ventilation "system". The orange juice...
Photo Essay – January 2015
Is your Belt the Right Size
Photo and text by Steve D'Antonio Copyright 2015 SDMC, Inc. The belts used to turn various engine accessories- raw water pumps,...
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...
October 2023 Newsletter: Prop Shaft Taper
Photo Essay: Prop Shaft Taper
The engagement between a propeller and a propeller shaft is among the most important of interfaces aboard your vessel. Most...
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...








