Bees in Your Bonnet and Not In Your Boat - Between last year and this, bees have overrun our boats. The three suggested remedies are:

• (by far the best … but I can’t find it) – Crystals of Formaldehyde marketed under the name of De-Gas. If you find this anywhere, let me know. 
• Ammonia – put it in an opened jar or pail exposing a large surface area in both lazarettes, the main salon and V-berth. Plug all vents and vacate the boat for at least 48 hours. 
• This method is by far the least obtrusive to your nose, but takes a lot longer to react. Use it the same way you did with ammonia, but instead, fill the jars with Clorox.

The first method is considered best, because if it is used over the winter it is also a great mold inhibiter AND seems to have a lingering effect to repel insects inside the boat for most of the summer. But people with sensitive noses might have a problem with it the first few weeks of the spring while the boat is airing out.

Trailer Ain’t Trash! - Now that your boat is off your trailer … the time is right. The darn thing never gives you trouble unless it’s 2:00 AM and you’re in Egypt. You know what I mean!!! These are the list of items you should check:

Bearings:

• Check your bearings under the full load of the boat. Drive 5 -10 miles and immediately get out and check the bearings for heat. A little warmth is not bad. Anything else is suspect, especially if they are too hot to touch. 
• Another method is noise. Have someone listen while walking beside the trailer while the trailer is moving at a crawl. 
• Another method, not as good as the above, is jacking the tire up, listening for noise and shaking the wheel to see if there is any play in the bearings. 
• These bearings are the ones that will give you the most trouble and replacing them is easy when done as PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE rather than when the bearings give out on a road trip (cause they usually take other parts with them).

Lights:

The constant trouble with boat trailers is always the lights. The only successful permanent solution I have found, regardless of advertising on the expensive lights is … KEEP THEM OUT OF THE WATER! This is not impossible to do, but requires a little more fabrication than some people are willing to do.

Mount the lights on top of the guide-ons. Make sure the guide-ons are at least 3 – 4 feet above the gunnels while the boat is on the trailer in order to accommodate the shallow ramp angle of Alum Creek. If you need an inexpensive example, look at the ACSA chase boat trailer in Dimarchi’s lot and the Hunter 26 factory trailers (but they are not tall enough for use in Alum Creek – they should be extended).

Brakes:

Over time and submersion the brakes always give out on boat trailers.

• Solution #1 – On electric brakes, clean the brake assembly and replace the magnets on both sides every 3 – 5 years.
• Solution #2 – The only other method of insuring brake performance over time would be to convert to hydraulic brakes. Make sure the master cylinder and hydraulic fluid fill cap does not leak water into the hydraulic system when submerged. Paint: With the boat in the water, it would be a good time to paint the trailer and replace any reflectors that are broken. A cold galvanized paint is the best. Rustoleum Aluminum is the second best. (Both these paints have metal particles in them and seem to last longer.) Don’t forget to brush the rust out of the coupler before painting or it might be hard to get it on the ball.

Power Washing Alternatives - We still need suggestions about power washing alternatives for our fleet at the end of the year. The Executive Committee is brainstorming the issue and has come up with nothing yet. We need suggestions. Call me.

New Stuff - No one has found a source for “Pure Strength” window cleaner by Rustoleum yet. Call me if you do.

HISTORICAL INFO - If you have any articles of historic interest, please send them to me. I’m particularly interested in past commodores’ pictures and articles. ALSO, please get all your 2004 pictures to Brian Ross so that we can archive them.

— Regards from Lake Muckey-Wuckie