Boat Parts and Accessories Professionals Share the Secrets to Keeping Your Crew Happy

Your Boat Parts and Accessories Experts Never Underestimate Crew Safety and Comfort

Stainless Marine your boat parts and accessories analysts would like to share with you these topics we thought would be of interest to you this month regarding the secrets to keep your crew happy.

Your boat parts and accessories professoinals know that putting the safety of your crew and vessel first is the essence of good seamanship. The good seaman embraces practice, review and the willingness to learn in order to maintain a high safety standard. Safety is paramount. 

Capt. âSpeedalongâ Smith: This skipper grabs the wheel, grabs the control, assumes a widespread stance and never makes a move without looking first. He knows every navigation aid and every light pattern and can even visualize the ocean in his vicinity with an imaginary overlay of latitude/longitude lines. Capt. Speedalong's flaw? He goes too fast.

It's not that he rushes into head seas at full throttle. Capt. Speedalong simply forgets that he is standing, and well-braced, with his hands on that wheel. Meanwhile, his crew is getting jostled as beverages splash out of cans.

Rule to Remember: Your fun boat accessories specialists know that the skipper and the boat can always take more punishment than the crew.

Capt. Gale Force: This skipper forgets to inform her crew of what is occurring or, rather, what is about to happen. And she also forgets she is at least twice as secure physically as her crew. 

Had she let the crew know she'd be throttling back in a moment to transit a bridge, maybe Uncle Henry wouldn't have chosen that moment to head for the head – before stumbling forward and bruising his thigh. 

Rule to Remember: Let the crew know what you know.

Capt. Noah Chance: This skipper believes in making a plan and sticking to it. Though Capt. Noah has more salt running through his veins than the contestants at a pretzel-eating contest, he often makes his crew uncomfortable because he never has a plan B.

Like the time he scheduled a little fun fishing for his old college buddies. The day dawned bright as 4-foot swells rolled relentlessly across the sea. It was nothing to Noah, but his crew proved one needn't always buy chum.

Rule to Remember: Always have, and be prepared to execute, a plan B.

Quick Tip: Your cheap boat motor parts analysts say to keep a spare sweatshirt, sun hat, jacket and sunglasses stowed aboard for crew who show up dressed for land.

You just can't see it. There's something wrong with your boat, but you can't put your finger on what it is. She runs great. She's seaworthy and safe. And there's nowhere you'd rather be than your perch at the helm.

But at anchor or in a slip, it's another story for you and your crew. Where the family feels refreshed and rejuvenated underway, you all seem to get tired and worn out the longer you stay on board. But don't give up the ship! Some subtle fixes can make extended cruising more enjoyable. 

Breathing Room

Ever put on a sweater on a sunny, hot July day? That means you know the difference between air conditioning and ventilation. There's a reason the system, and indeed an entire industry, is nicknamed HVAC, and if you skip the V for ventilation you may be missing the whole point. âYour boat engine parts experts understand that ventilation is the paramount part of that HVAC equation,â says Dave Gerr, naval architect and professor at Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology.

Your Boat Parts and Accessories Specialists Will Give You All the Help You Need

You can find more information as well as get assistance on boat engine parts and on the secrets to keeping your crew happy at Stainless Marine.

Back to that cardigan you just buttoned up, you've got your air conditioning blasting because, well, it's hot out. But you're not  always more comfortable because of the temperature, it's often actually because the plenums are moving the air.

Your boating supplies experts know that some boats, of course, need a little help moving air through, particularly if you're anchored out of the wind. In that instance a fan may be just the ticket.We look at the CFM (or cubic feet per minute) which is the air

Keeping the air moving when you're not on your boat lets you start from a better place each time you step aboard. 

Lighten Up

Toning down the light that streams into the saloon through the windows is one thing, but you also may enjoy having more hands-on control of onboard lighting after the sun goes down. There's never been a better time for this with the advent of LEDs suitable for refit.

âThe simplest thing would be to add dimmers,â says Kinder Woodcock, project manager for IMTRA. âUnlike the early days of LEDs for illumination, most LED lights available today can be controlled by dimmers, and that adds a whole new dimension.â

But dimming ain't what it used to be. It's better. âIt was an interesting selling point in the past for us that our LED lights could dim up and down without changing the color,â Woodcock says. 

âWith an incandescent or halogen, you don't just lower the light level when you are dimming,â he continued. âYou're changing the color (or the Kelvin temperature) of the light. The filament is actually turning a different color as the light level decreases, similar to what happens when the sun goes down. So whether you're aware of it or not, we are accustomed to our lights turning more yellow as they were dimmed.â 

The Fabric of Life

You may have been on boats where the furniture is designed to fit a certain space or meet some requirement other than user relaxation and enjoyment. The comfort of onboard furniture starts with the cloth used to cover seating surfaces, armrests, and pillows.

An interior designer can help source furniture and soft goods, but just considering the way you think about your boat's outfitting is a good step towards improving the situation on board.

But welcoming guests aboard is more than just offering them soft cushions and comfortable chairs, it's also about setting a mood, a tone that relaxes everyone-and it has to come from the host, the boat's owner.

Take these factors into account when you consider refitting your interior and everyone onboard will feel safe and comfortable. And there will be nowhere else they'd rather be.

So don't forget these helpful pointers when keeping your crew happy and safe. 1) The skipper and the boat can always take more punishment than the crew;  2) let the crew know what you know;  and 3) always have, and be ready to execute, a Plan B.

Stainless Marine always has more information on boat parts and accessories, boat engine parts, performance marine parts, and on the secrets to keeping your crew happy.

via How to Keep Your Crew Comfortable and Safe

via How to Enhance the Comfort On Your Boat