BoatHowTo https://boathowto.com/ Expert Knowledge for Your Boat Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:27:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://boathowto.com/wp-content/uploads/icon512-1.png BoatHowTo https://boathowto.com/ 32 32 Marine Diesel Engines: Flexible Shaft Couplings and the Grounding Question https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/marine-diesel-engines-flexible-shaft-couplings-and-the-grounding-question/ https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/marine-diesel-engines-flexible-shaft-couplings-and-the-grounding-question/#respond Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:44:39 +0000 https://boathowto.com/?p=510392 This is a question that comes up more often than you might expect, and it touches on two things that matter enormously on a boat: corrosion protection and electrical grounding. The question is a simple one on the surface — if I install a synthetic flexible coupling between my transmission and my propeller shaft, have […]

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]]> https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/marine-diesel-engines-flexible-shaft-couplings-and-the-grounding-question/feed/ 0 Is Your Galvanic Isolator Actually Fail Safe? Here’s What You Need to Check https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/is-your-galvanic-isolator-actually-fail-safe-heres-what-you-need-to-check/ https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/is-your-galvanic-isolator-actually-fail-safe-heres-what-you-need-to-check/#respond Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:44:33 +0000 https://boathowto.com/?p=510398 One of the questions I get asked fairly often concerns galvanic isolators — those small but important devices that sit in the safety grounding connection between your boat and the shore power system. Specifically, people want to know whether their galvanic isolator is fail safe. It is a question worth taking seriously, because the answer […]

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]]> https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/is-your-galvanic-isolator-actually-fail-safe-heres-what-you-need-to-check/feed/ 0 Understanding Marine Corrosion Protection: Are Your Zinc Anodes Working Correctly? https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/understanding-marine-corrosion-protection-are-your-zinc-anodes-working-correctly/ https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/understanding-marine-corrosion-protection-are-your-zinc-anodes-working-correctly/#respond Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:44:28 +0000 https://boathowto.com/?p=510404 A question that comes up with surprising regularity among sailors is whether their sacrificial anodes are doing their job correctly — and whether the rate at which those anodes are being consumed is normal. It is a question worth taking seriously, because the answer tells you a great deal about what is actually happening beneath […]

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]]> https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/understanding-marine-corrosion-protection-are-your-zinc-anodes-working-correctly/feed/ 0 Why Positive Side Switching Is Required on Boats — And Why the Automotive Comparison Doesn’t Hold https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/why-positive-side-switching-is-required-on-boats-and-why-the-automotive-comparison-doesnt-hold/ https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/why-positive-side-switching-is-required-on-boats-and-why-the-automotive-comparison-doesnt-hold/#respond Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:44:21 +0000 https://boathowto.com/?p=510409 A question came in recently that I suspect many people have wondered about, particularly those who have spent time working on cars before turning their attention to boats. In the automotive world, some manufacturers place switches on the negative side of a circuit — after the load — as a way of reducing arcing and […]

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]]> https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/why-positive-side-switching-is-required-on-boats-and-why-the-automotive-comparison-doesnt-hold/feed/ 0 Marine Diesel Engines: Why Aluminium Anodes on an Aluminium Sail Drive? https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/marine-diesel-engines-why-aluminium-anodes-on-an-aluminium-sail-drive/ https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/marine-diesel-engines-why-aluminium-anodes-on-an-aluminium-sail-drive/#respond Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:44:14 +0000 https://boathowto.com/?p=510386 It is one of those questions that sounds almost contradictory the first time you hear it. Why would you protect an aluminium sail drive leg with an aluminium anode? Isn't the whole point of a sacrificial anode that it corrodes instead of your boat? The answer comes down to metallurgy, galvanic chemistry, and a few […]

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]]> https://boathowto.com/ask-the-expert/marine-diesel-engines-why-aluminium-anodes-on-an-aluminium-sail-drive/feed/ 0 Interview by Sailing Zingaro https://boathowto.com/talks_interviews/interview-by-sailing-zingaro/ https://boathowto.com/talks_interviews/interview-by-sailing-zingaro/#respond Sat, 28 Feb 2026 09:48:54 +0000 https://boathowto.com/?p=509176 The post Interview by Sailing Zingaro appeared first on BoatHowTo.

]]> https://boathowto.com/talks_interviews/interview-by-sailing-zingaro/feed/ 0 Discount Codes for BoatHowTo Courses https://boathowto.com/misc/discount-codes-for-boathowto-courses/ https://boathowto.com/misc/discount-codes-for-boathowto-courses/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2025 17:14:13 +0000 https://boathowto.com/?p=508026 You may have ended up on this page because you searched online for a discount code for our courses. Maybe it’s Black Friday coming up or some other occasion where you expect to get things for cheaper. We hate to disappoint you, but we don’t do discounts at BoatHowTo. This may not be the smartest […]

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]]> https://boathowto.com/misc/discount-codes-for-boathowto-courses/feed/ 4 In-Person Seminars with Nigel Calder https://boathowto.com/news-updates/2024-in-person-seminars-with-nigel-calder/ https://boathowto.com/news-updates/2024-in-person-seminars-with-nigel-calder/#comments Sun, 30 Jun 2024 10:51:00 +0000 https://boathowto.com/?p=506062 If you want to complement your Marine Electrical online education with hands-on training,  Nigel is organizing a second in-person training event in Maine in 2024, following the success of fully booked event in April. Seminar Dates:October 29th & 30thin Portland, ME For Details & Registration, Click Here. See the press release below: A Deep Dive […]

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]]> https://boathowto.com/news-updates/2024-in-person-seminars-with-nigel-calder/feed/ 1 Online Classes with American Sailing Association https://boathowto.com/news-updates/online-classes-with-american-sailing-association/ https://boathowto.com/news-updates/online-classes-with-american-sailing-association/#respond Mon, 11 Mar 2024 11:00:50 +0000 https://boathowto.com/?p=506448 Save the date! Nigel and Jan will teach two two-part online classes with the American Sailing Association (ASA). The first class on March 12 and 14 will be on TROUBLE FREE & OPTIMIZED ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS. The second class on DIESEL ENGINE FUNDAMENTALS will take place on April 9th and 23rd. If you can’t participate live, […]

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]]> https://boathowto.com/news-updates/online-classes-with-american-sailing-association/feed/ 0 Acorn to Arabella – Figuring out Corrosion Issues https://boathowto.com/talks_interviews/acorn-to-arabella-figuring-out-corrosion-issues/ https://boathowto.com/talks_interviews/acorn-to-arabella-figuring-out-corrosion-issues/#respond Sat, 02 Dec 2023 14:04:50 +0000 https://boathowto.com/?p=506019 Watch BoatHowTo expert Nigel Calder figure out why Arabella’s zincs are eaten up so quickly. If you want to learn more this topic, check out our module on galvanic and stray current corrosion, which is part of our Advanced Marine Electrics program. Watch BoatHowTo expert Nigel Calder figure out why Arabella’s zincs are eaten up […]

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