JULY 2016 BEACON

Rear Commodores Comments…

I am writing this article for the July Beacon and it is hard to believe July is here. We wait all winter for summer to arrive and then it goes by so fast. I hope all of you are taking advantage of our beautiful island and are enjoying the Club and friends who share your love for boating. The weather is starting to cooperate and our Fleet Captain, Glenn Nixon has some great Rendezvous planned. I want to continue to list some educational pieces of information that is useful for all of our boating members. This month I want to discuss “V-Belts” on your inboard engines. This is an excerpt from Boat US magazine’s April issue. V-Belts are one of those things in your engine compartment that seem to just soldier on forever – until they don’t. V- Belts drive raw-water pumps, alternators, power steering pumps and so on. Eventually, they age and get stiff and cracks form. Once that happens, it’s just a matter of time until they fail. A V-Belt on a 35-foot powerboat came apart as the boat was being run hard, which then caused the engine to overheat. The overheating caused the cooling system to spew coolant onto a hot manifold, which then ignited. (Coolant is made with a type of alcohol and can burn, given the right conditions.) Fortunately, the fire in the engine room was put out by the owner using a hand- held extinguisher before more serious damage was done. The life a V-Belt varies, but all of them should be checked at least every year, preferably at the beginning of the boating season. Look for excessively worn spots and cracks as you flex the belt, a sure sign the belt is overdue for replacement. R/C Randy Pagel