Good Stuff for your Boat ! This page is in the works and I intend to feature products I believe in. I accept no commissions and do not ask for reciprocal links. You won't find any floating drink holders, lighthouse lamps or crusty ol' cap'n shaped nut crackers, just useful products that do what they say.
CORROSION-X
My outboard motor had been on my dinghy for eleven years, including two years in salt water. For the last two years I've been trying to undo the bolts, I tried all the available anti-corrosion and penetrating oil products, heat and 36" extensions on my wrench.... no luck. I got a bottle Corrosion X from a marine mechanic yesterday and squirted on a couple of drops. I didn't believe it would work because it looked so thick, not at all like a penetrating oil. This morning these horribly corroded bolts came undone like they were new. I will never be without this product on my boat again.
Mold Removal
I was put on to these two products by Dusty Miller of "Dusty Miller Boat Handling School". He did give me a free sample put I receive no remuneration for showing these or any other products. The Mold Control kills mold and the Eco-Wash removes the mold stain that I could never remove with anything but sand paper. Most boats I survey have mold to some degree and aside from the health issues it is as ugly as a pug and may be a deal breaker for some people. At the moment they are available at Masons Chandlery in Port Credit but should soon be turning up in other marine and RV outlets. Below right shows a piece of moldy white canvas before and after cleaning with Eco-Wash.
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Magnetic Mechanic ®

This clever and inexpensive product was just patented by a buddy of mine and I have them on my boat. The information below is from a flyer he sent. Designed to enhance the performance and increase the life of your engine. Easily attached to the end of your oil filter by a strong high quality magnet, the unit magnetizes the end and as oil passes through the filter any fine ferrous metal filings from the engine will be attracted to and will adhere to the inside of the filter canister where the magnet makes contact. Performance and lifespan will be enhanced by reducing the amount of metal filings passing through the engine. Of course you could just stick a magnet on the end of your filter but I am very fussy about how my engine room looks and can't stand jury-rigged stuff Cost avoidance - Extends the life of your engine. Cost effective - Inexpensive and reusable. Durable - Withstands high and low temperatures. Simple - Easy to install, no assembly required. Versatile - Oil or hydraulic fluid, all sizes. TAFCAN Consulting Ltd. (905) 334-3771 e-mail : tafcan@cogeco.ca	Just slip one of these onto the bottom of your oil filter
	Inside of filter case after using Magnetic Mechanic shows sludge with trapped metal filings.
FLOW DECTECTOR
This one is really cool..... I put one of these raw water flow detectors on my last boat and it more than paid for itself the very next day when my raw water intake hose let go. This item goes in-line in your water intake line between your strainer and raw water pump. The butterfly valve shown in the lower picture is forced open as water is drawn through. If water ceases to flow even for an instant, the valve closes sending a signal to an alarm of your choice. Many engines are already fitted with an overheat alarm but by the time that goes off you can bet your impeller is already fried and serious mechanical failure is close behind. They come in different sizes from about $50 - $100.00 and before my shrink wrap comes off there will be one on both the engine and genny on our new boat. www.aqualarm.net
BATTERY MONITOR
This is actually a line of products from Xantrex and there are several models with various bells and whistles. The one shown here can be had for about $200 and is pretty easy to install if you can read the manual. When we cruise south for the winter we can't afford to stay in marinas so we spend eight or nine months on the hook and battery management becomes a critical issue. These little units provide a raft of information about the current and future condition of your batteries. I consider one of these a necessity for anything more than a weekend cruise. LED display shows numeric read out of volts, amps, amp-hours being consumed and amp hours remaining at the current discharge rate - Easy to read multi-color LED bar graph - Historical data such as deepest and average discharge, charge efficiency and works with any battery type - Includes DC shunt and low battery alarm. www.xantrex.com
FIRE PORT

If you do not have an automatic fire suppression system in your engine compartment you should have one of these. Most fires start in the engine compartment and the last thing you want to do is open the hatch and feed oxygen to the fire. This simple ring with a scored plastic window is mounted in an engine compartment bulkhead and allows you to break the window as you force the extinguisher hose into the compartment without exposing you to the fire. this also minimizes the oxygen going into the compartment (a good thing). As fire extinguishers must be vertical to fully discharge, this port must be placed high enough to permit that or buy extinguishers with a discharge hose. Remember, your life is worth more than your boat so if you can't extinguish the fire very quickly .... get off the boat ! If you have to abandon ship while she is at the dock, do not cast her off, cast off the neighbouring boats. A few scratches are better than setting the whole marina afire with a drifting fireball. About $12.00 at www.westmarine.com
If you come across any useful products like these drop me a line so I can add them to this page.
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Captain Wallace Gouk AMS® Marine Surveyor Port Credit Marine Surveys
Captain Wallace Gouk AMS®, Survey reports accepted world wide by all financial and insurance institutions for sail and power boats servicing Ontario east, west, south and beyond including Niagara-on-the-Lake, St. Catharines, Grimsby, 50 Point, Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Bronte, Port Credit, Mississauga, Toronto, Oshawa, Pickering, Port Hope, Coburg, Newcastle, Kingston, Brockville, Penetanguishene, Midland, Barrie and Keswick. I have also worked in New York State, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia, Florida and the Bahamas.