Preparing a Boat for Spring Launch

If you are like many boat owners, you took your boat out of the water during the winter months.  Sometimes storage fees are less than moorage fees and a boat can usually be better protected from winter weather "on the hard" than if it is left in the water.  Many kinds of maintenance, repairs, and upgrades are easier perform ''on the hard'' too.  If your boat is left in the water many but not all of the steps below will be applicable.  Boats left in the water may also need to have the hull inspected and perhaps cleaned of unwanted hitchhikers and algae which will require some diving under the boat unless it is hauled out.

The first step is usually unwrapping or uncovering the boat.  Many boats hauled out are shrink wrapped for the winter.  Others may simply be covered with a tarp or a boat cover. Boats left in the water may be protected with a boat cover or a tarp.  In any case the first step in getting a boat to use it to uncover it.  Once the covering is removed inspect the surface for any damage or moisture that may have gotten through or accumulated underneath the covering.  High humidity, often associated with areas where boats are found, can contribute to condensation inside waterproof covers.  Boats covered with a tarp will sometimes get damaged by the tarp rubbing against projecting surfaces.  Mark and note any damages so you can repair them before putting your boat in the water.  If you used a tarp to cover your boat, inspect it for wear and tear and make any needed repairs before putting it in storage so it will be ready to use again next year.  If it is worn or damaged beyond repair, discard it and buy a new one for next year.

Next up is a thorough cleaning.  Even though your boat has been protected from most environmental elements it will still need to be cleaned, inside and out, before you use it.  A good washing is all that is usually needed for the exterior.   A good coat of wax on the clean boat will help keep it looking nicer longer and provide some protection for the gelcoat or paint.    Don't wax the non-skid portions of the deck!  The interior will benefit from sweeping floors, vacuuming cushions, wiping down and sanitizing all hard surfaces, and cleaning cabinets, counters, appliances and plumbing fixtures.  If you see streaks or other signs of leakage on the ceiling or inside of the hull, make note of them so you can mediate the problem before it causes any more damage.  Spring cleaning is sometimes a good opportunity to repaint any areas that need it or you want to change for cosmetic or decorative reasons.  And don't forget the bottom!  Hopefully you cleaned the bottom while it was still damp when you took it out of the water last fall.  Now is a good time to make sure it is clean and check to see if it needs to be repainted.   If the old paint is badly worn or damaged it should definitely be repainted.  Always use a high quality bottom paint for underwater surfaces.  Bottom paint is engineered to help keep the hull clean.  A clean hull is a significant factor in performance, letting the boat to slip through the water uninhibited by junk stuck to the hull and allowing it to respond as best it can to the helm.  Speaking of the helm, don't forget to clean the rudder and lubricate any hinge points or other moving parts.

If you repaint the bottom, be sure to clean and sand it thoroughly and follow the paint manufacturer's recommendations for surface preparation.  If your boat is on a trailer or on stands in a boat yard there will be portions of the hull you cannot access.  For best results you need to lift and reposition the boat so you can prep and paint everything.  If that isn't possible, prep and paint all the areas you have access to.   Use an edge guard to paint as close as possible to the bunk boards or pads.  An old slat from a Venetian blind or a 6" or 8" sheetrock knife makes a pretty good make-shift edge guard to keep paint off the carpet on the bunk board.   Trailered boats often sit slightly differently on the bunk boards each time they are loaded so you may be able to gain at least partial access to the covered areas the next time you pull the boat out of the water.  When you repaint the bottom you should also consider painting the rudder and the propeller with bottom paint.  And don't forget the centerboard on sailboats that have them.

Any motor on a boat will need to be serviced according to the manufacturer's schedule and recommendations.  Typical pre-launch maintenance includes an oil change , checking air and fuel filters. and inspecting, lubricating and adjusting control cables and levers.   Old fuel should be drained and properly disposed of and the tanks filled with new fuel.  If you have trouble starting the engine after storage it will probably require the carburetor to be cleaned.  Old fuel, especially modern fuels with methanol added, deteriorate in just a few months leaving behind nasty deposits that can clog the jets and even gum up the float and foul fuel lines.  The E85 fuel sold for automobiles in many places is NOT recommended for outboard motors.

Anchors and rodes should be inventoried and inspected.  Both should be clean and have no visible signs of damage or excessive wear.  Both should be properly stowed without tangles where they can be easily accessed when needed.  A little surface rust is normal but you may want to clean it off and coat the metal parts with a little bit of oil to minimize them rusting again.

Dock lines and spring lines should also be checked.  Worn or damaged lines should be replaced.   If the ends are fraying, reset them.  Nylon lines can usually be melted to manage lose fibers.  Other lines may require wrapping with string or tape or heat-shrink tubing.  While you're at it, check your fenders, including the ropes that attach them, to be sure they will be suitable for another season of protecting your boat from the dock.  Frayed or damaged lines may fail leaving your boat to bang against the dock or break free and float away.  Remember, if your boat gets loose and causes damage to other boats or even the dock, you can be held financially responsible!

Tools, supplies, and provisions need to inventoried.  Worn. damaged, or missing tools should be replaced.  Used up, clogged, expired or missing supplies also need to be replaced.  Provisions (basic non-perishable food and hygiene supplies and medications and first aid supplies) also need be brought up to date.  Make sure your bilge pumps (electric and/or manual) are working properly.  This is also a good time to make sure everything is stowed properly where you know where it is and can get it when you need it.

If yours is a sailboat you will need to inspect the standing rigging.  That includes masts, booms, spars, stays, and shrouds.  Adjust as necessary and replace any frayed or damaged components.   Make sure all the mounting hardware is secure.   Also unfold and inspect the sails and check all the lines (halyards, sheets on the sails, docking lines, etc).  Check the winches and make sure all the cleats are secure to the deck.  Repair or replace any damaged or missing items.  Don't forget to check things like sail and tiller covers.  Inventory and inspect sail ties.  Repair or replace any damaged sail ties.

All safety items should be inventoried and inspected.  That would include navigation lights, life vests, throwable floation devices, and signaling devices (lights, flares, horns, flags, whistles and "day shapes").  Larger boats may have a dingy or life raft that needs to be inspected to be sure it is serviceable and correctly stocked.

If you have removed any components for winter storage (sails, rudder, cushions, dingy, etc) put them back onboard where they need to be.   For boats with cabins, check the berths to make sure the mattresses and cushions aren't damp or moldy and make sure you have clean, correct bedding on board.

If you have onboard plumbing, inspect all the tanks and visible lines and devices for leaks.  If necessary, sanitize and fill your fresh water tank and make sure waste holding tanks have the proper chemicals.  This applies to porta-pottys as well as permanent facilities.

Spring pre-launch is also a good time to install any new accessories you may want or need.  If the non-skid portions of the deck are worn it might also be a good time to repaint them with a good non-skid paint.  Doing so will make your boat safer and give it a fresh, almost new look.  Be sure to take care of any other damage to the deck or hull.

If your boat is on a trailer, you will want to check the tires and service the wheel bearings.  You will also want to check the wiring and lights and inspect the hitch and safety chains.  Then make sure the boat is properly secured to the trailer before attempting to move it. 

Non-perishable provisions should be inventoried and restocked as necessary.  You will want to wait until each trip to stock perishable supplies.

Ready for launch!

Fiberglass Repairs for RVs and Boats

Many of our RVs and boats have a lot of fiberglass components.  Fiberglass is quite durable, fairly resilient, and not too difficult to repair.  Interestingly enough, fiberglass will often resist impacts that would leave dents in metal components, sparing us some of what could be costly cosmetic repairs.  When fiberglass is damaged though, it takes special treatment to effect proper repairs.  You can get it done a professional body shops but if you are fairly handy you may be able to make many repairs yourself, unless you have an expensive vehicle that warrants the cost of professional repair.  Some big components (like front or rear caps on RVs) are sometimes damaged beyond repair and may have to be completely replaced but cracks and holes in the fiberglass paneling of RVs or fiberglass decks and hulls of boats can often lend themselves to DIY repairs. 

The plastic components of many OHVs don't lend themselves well to being repaired.  Mostly they should be replaced and are usually fairly easy to replace and not TOO expensive.  Side-by-sides however often have larger, more expensive components you might want to try to repair but they too usually have to be replaced to get a like-new appearance.

Fiberglass resin is also used to repair damage to metal body panels on cars and trucks.  It is used about the same way as you would use it on fiberglass.  Before Bondo and similar fiberglass repair materials, body repairmen used lead to fill and smooth welded repairs.  Lead makes a good fairly permanent repair but it requires a lot more time, equipment, and skill than fiberglass resin and presents a certain health risk so it has fallen out of normal use today.

Bondo is probably the best known of the fiberglass repair products.  It is used to repair dents in metal body parts on vehicles as well as on fiberglass.  Bondo is reasonably priced and fairly easy to work with.  It can be used by itself to fill small holes or with fiberglass cloth for larger repairs.  Ambient temperatures need to be above 40F for it to work properly.  When you buy Bondo it usually comes in a can with  plastic top that covers a tube of hardener.  Pay close attention to the instructions for how much hardener to use and how to mix it.  As I recall a general rule is to use about a 1" strip of hardener squeezed from the tube for about a golf-ball sized glob of filler.   If you don't use enough hardener, it will be slow to setup or may never set up; if you use too much, it will harden too quickly, before you can spread it properly.  Don't mix up more material than you can use in just a few minutes or it will harden before you can use it.

Repairs on RVs and above water repairs on boats can usually be done in situ, where ever the unit is normally kept.  Repairs below the waterline will usually require hauling the boat out of the water before repairs can be attempted.  Because of the criticality of repairs below the waterline you will want to take extra care or have them done by a professional.  A mistake in an above water repair could be embarrassing,  unsightly, or even costly.  A poor repair below the waterline could end up sinking your boat!

Doing fiberglass repairs is fairly safe but there are some requirements for personal protective equipment and procedures.   You should always wear a face mask or respirator when working with fiberglass resin and when sanding cured repairs.  Latex or rubber gloves are advised when mixing and using resin and when painting to avoid contaminating and injuring your skin.

Always check for structural damage before beginning repairs.  Many times cosmetic damage is he result of or part of structural damage beneath the surface.  Fiberglass boats usually have a wooden core between two layers of fiberglass that makes up the hull and bulkheads.  This wooden core can be compromised if water leaks in anywhere around hardware that penetrates the fiberglass, weakening and causing it to fail.  Repairing or replace rotted core is a difficult and expensive process but simply patching the fiberglass over a damaged core is a sure recipe for failure!  Impact damage that crushes fiberglass on boat and RVs can often damage structural members inside.  RVs usually have wooden (or sometimes metal) framing, kind of like a house.  If any of these framing member have been damaged you will need to open things enough to repair the structural damage before repairing the skin.

As with most tasks, preparation is a large part of making successful repairs.  When repairing fiberglass you may need to cut away damaged portions so they don't weaken the repair.   Broken, cracked, or otherwise damaged material should be removed so it doesn't weaken the repair.  Often you will want to drill a small hole at the end of crack to prevent it from continuing to extend into previously undamaged material.   It is also essential to thoroughly clean the surfaces around the repair where the Bondo will be applied to blend the patch into the surrounding surface.  Sometimes you may need a backing plate inside the component to be repaired to give a solid base upon which to construct the repair.  Backing plates may be temporary (long enough to make the repair) or permanent (part of the repair).  Check any structural components within the repair and fix any damage before repairing the covering.  For large holes spread a layer of mixed filler, then cover it with a piece of fiberglass cloth cut to fit over the hole.  Then cover the fiberglass with more filler,  tapering it toward the edges. For deep holes or dents you may have to apply multiple layers of patching. Really large holes may require the addition of patch panels.  Repeat as necessary to make it level with the surrounding area.  Eventually you will sand the cured repair until it blends smoothly into the surrounding surface.  I usually do initial shaping using a body file, then #60 sandpaper followed by successively finer grades of sandpaper down to at least #200 or #220 before applying primer.   If you are working with a deep dent it may take several layers of resin and fiberglass to build it back up to where it needs to be.  Be sure the let each layer dry according to the manufacturer's instructions but don't let them over-dry.  You want multiple layers to bond seamlessly with each other.  While it might be tempting to just fill up the hole all at one time that can prevent the bottom part from curing properly, leaving it somewhat soft and weakening the repair.

Once the application has cured (Bondo is usually dry in 10-15 minutes) you will need to file or sand it to remove any imperfections and blend the repair smoothly into the surrounding surfaces.  For best results you should then apply a finishing paste.  It is similar to the material used to build up the patch but is made of finer material to produce a smoother final surface.  Allow the finishing paste to dry and cure according the manufacturer's instructions, then sand it again until everything is really smooth.   The first step is usually using a body file or another coarse file to knock down any high spots.  Once you have things generally level, initial rough sanding may be done with coarse (#60 or #80) sandpaper.  Then used increasingly fine sandpaper (#100, #120, # 150, #220, #200 etc) until it is completely smooth.  Final sanding is often done with #400  or even #600 wet and dry paper.  If you are working with a long stand fiber repair product like Evercoat Kitty Hair and even for heavy Bondo repairs, you will most likely need to initially shape the repair with a body file or wood rasps and files to knock down the high spots before sanding.  I have found it typically takes 2 or 3 applications of Bondo and/or finishing paste to properly fill holes and return the surface to its proper shape.  Be sure to plan for that and allow enough time for multiple applications, with plenty of sanding and shaping between coats.  If you can see or especially if you can feel any edge or discrepancy in the surface of the repair it must be corrected before it is painted or it is going to look really bad.

Next apply a good coat of primer over the repaired area.  This is a step that is often ignored by amateurs, usually yielding poor results.  Primer is designed to bond tightly to the surface and to bond tightly to the finish layer of paint.  Top coats are designed to give a good final appearance and seal the surface but they aren't designed to bond tightly to bare surfaces.  Let the primer dry as needed.  To achieve the smoothest, shiniest results you should sand the primer with #400 wet and dry sandpaper before applying the top coat.  Read the directions on the primer can to see if you need more than one coat.  For best results, sand between each coat.  Some finish coats may claim they can be used without primer and those might work.  However, you will usually get more permanent and better looking results using a real primer first.  If you still see or feel any edges after priming, you may have to go back and redo some of the repair work again to make it smooth so it looks good.  A good repair will be invisible once the final coat is on.

Apply the topcoat according to the manufacturer's instructions.  You may want to apply multiple coats for maximum beauty and performance, possibly sanding with #400 or #600 wet and dry sandpaper between coats.  Do not sand after the final top coat!  

Inspect your repairs after the final topcoat has dried.  Sometimes you will find minor flaws in your repair that don't show up until then.   Tiny differences in texture might not show up until after the finish coat as cured.   If you do spot them, let the paint cure completely, then sand the offending spots down again until the flaws disappear and refinish the area with primer and topcoat again.  Sometimes it takes several interations to make repairs invisible but the results are well worth the extra effort.  It recently took at least 4 passes for me to get satisfactory results after repairing a few simple chips in the bow of my sailboat.  Some of those passes required going all the way back to redoing the Bondo!

I recently came across another product that claims to be stronger and more waterproof than Bondo.  It also contains long strands of fiberglass within the resin so it doesn't require fiberglass cloth for some of the smaller applications.  It is called Evercoat Kitty Hair.  It is a little more expensive than Bondo but not needing fiberglass cloth for smaller repairs and the additional strength and waterproofing may make it well worth the extra investment.  It is a lot faster than cutting fiberglass cloth to fill large holes (up to about the size of an egg -- holes bigger than that require additional repair with appropriate sheeting material and fiberglass cloth).

I have had a chance to try out Kitty Hair and it did a wonderful job of filling an egg-sized dent in the bow of my fiberglass sailboat.  I did discover that it is a little harder to smooth out than ordinary Bondo and I ended up using Bondo as the final coat before finishing paste, primer and paint.  Kitty Hair certainly worked well to build up a sturdy filler, much easier than repeatedly cutting graduated pieces of fiberglass cloth to fill in the hole.  I will still used ordinary Bondo for shallow scratches where the long strand fibers in Kitty Hair would be overkill and would be difficult to smooth out.  As mentioned above, I used rasps and files for the initial shaping followed by #60, #80, #100, #150, and #220 sanding before applying the primer.  The best file for this is called a body file and is specifically designed for working fiberglass fillers.    Body files are flat files with wide curved grooves that smooth scrape away high spots on fiberglass filler.  However, lacking a body file, you can usually get the job done with ordinary wood rasps and files if you are careful how you use them!  Be especially careful if you use a wood rasp.  The rough, sharp teeth can make deep gouges in the filler and you will have to fill them in and start over!

There are a lot of good videos on Youtube for both vehicle and vessel fiberglass repairs.  It would be well worth your time to view a few of these before embarking on your first attempt.   With a little patience and practice you can make a lot of repairs yourself, saving both time and money.

Many fiberglass boats (and RVs) have a gelcoat finish.  Repairing the gelcoat takes special gelcoat compound along with rather tedious preparation and application.  Sometimes you can use Topside paint to cover the repair if  you can match the color closely to the gelcoat.  It is difficult if not impossible to blend the paint into gelcoat for a seamless repair.  For that you need matching gelcoat.   If you opt to paint it instead, it might be best to mask off an appropriate section do be repainted.  If you still don't like the way it looks you might try applying some kind of decorative design to disguise the repair rather than trying to blend it it.  The design might involve vinyl decals or paint.  I used the masking technique when I had to repair a ding in the bow of our sailboat, painting the whole bow from deck to waterline for about 8".  The painted area is detectable up close but does not stand out and is WAY better than the original damage!  For best results get a gelcoat repair kit to match the finish on your vessel or vehicle.  In the long run it will be well worth the extra cost and extra effort.  Here is a Youtube video on gelcoat repair.

Rainy days?  Can't work outside?  Might still be able to get some things done.  A lot of fine sanding, like between coats of paint, are done using #400 wet-and-dry sandpaper and sanding wet.  So even if the surface is wet you can sand it.  You probably don't want to be standing out in a pouring rain.  That would be uncomfortable and it might be too much water even for wet sanding, but you might still be able to make some progress on a project without having to wait for another sunny day.  I did indeed take advantage of a couple of rainy days to do the wet sanding between top coats when I repaired the bow of my sailboat. Having to work on rainy days is pretty much a given here in Oregon!  My dad used to say there were only 3 seasons in Oregon:  Spring, Summer, and Rain -- and it rained in the Spring and the Summer!

Patch it up!

Weather Watches, Advisories, and Warnings for Campers and Boaters

The US Weather Service issues several levels of alerts.   They may include watches, advisories, and warnings.  While many people think they are all just different names the same kind of event, each term has a specific meaning.  Watches mean conditions are right for the stated event to occur so keep watch.  A watch may be upgraded to an advisory when the probability of the event happening reaches or exceeds 80%.  A warning means the event is imminent or is happening.  For example, a tornado watch says conditions are right for tornadoes to form.  A warning means a tornado has actually been spotted in the vicinity.  You might compare the three levels of weather alerts to the three levels of evacuation notice:  1:  Get Ready, 2:  Get Set, 3:  GO!  In both situations the first level tells you to be extra alert to the conditions around you, the second level says you need to begin taking appropriate actions because the threat is more likely, and the third tells you something bad is happening NOW!

The stated mission of the National Weather Service is "Provide weather, water, and climate data, forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy."  Although the mission does not specifically address the needs of campers and other outdoor enthusiasts (hopefully we do count under "life and property" and might be part of the national economy), their forecasts can be of great use to us -- if we understand and pay attention to the alerts!

Campers and other outdoor enthusiasts should know the meaning of these weather terms so they can take appropriate actions to ensure their safety.  Each type of alert has a specific meaning that you can use to prioritize your response.  All of them mean keep an eye on the weather!  Read more to see how close an eye you need to keep depending on the type of alert.

Weather Watch.  If you hear of a weather watch in the region near where you are camping, keep an eye on the sky, check radio forecasts regularly, and begin to make preparations in case you must evacuate.  A watch means conditions are right for the forecast to happen.  Start making plans and preparations for what to do it if/when it happens.

Weather Advisory.  If you get an advisory, you should immediately start preparing to evacuate or secure your camp site against impending weather problems.   An advisory means the probability of the event happening has reached about 80% or more.  At this point you want to be prepared to take shelter or get the heck out of there on a moment's notice.

Weather Warning.  If you hear a warning you should take immediate steps to either evacuate or secure your camp site.  A warning means the predicted event is imminent or has actually been seen.  This is when folks in tornado country head to their storm cellars.   A weather warning is similar to a Level 3 Evacuation notice.   Be ready to take action NOW!

You may get weather alerts on your phone or other personal electronic device, via radio (local stations or NOAA weather stations). be informed by a ranger, other law enforcement, or other local residents, or read about it in the newspaper or on your computer.  It is always a good idea to check weather for your destination and your route before leaving home.  Then, monitor radio stations en route and in camp and periodically check your cell phone if you have cell coverage in camp.  The more warning you have of an impending weather problem the better prepared you can be.   Good preparation can prevent damage in injuries while lack of preparation or poor preparation often leads to severe personal injuries and expensive damage to property.

It would not be prudent to go camping or boating if severe weather is expected where you are going.  Almost all trips can be rescheduled to a safer time.  Severe weather problems can quickly take the fun out of any outing and could turn one into a medical or financial disaster.  We once took a dirt biking trip to the Mojave Desert over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Weather was normal when we left home and in several years of our annual "Turkey In The Dirt" outings we had never encountered any unacceptable weather.  However, by the time we reached the dirt road turn off to our destination (about 150 miles from home) it had begun to snow and there was already 6-8 inches of snow on the dirt road.  Knowing the difficult, hilly terrain and rough condition of the dirt road to the camp site we wisely decided to reroute to a different venue that didn't involve such extensive off road travel.  By the time we reached our alternate destination the snow had slowed down and there was only 2-3 inches on the ground in our new location -- and our camp site was only a few dozen yards off the main road on solid, flat, hard-packed sand.  This was before we had weather on our cell phones and even before I bought a NOAA weather radio.  In fact, that trip was a contributing factor in acquiring a NOAA radio.

Keep a weather eye.  This saying, popularized on pirate movies, basically means stay alert while going about your normal business.  Wise sailors kept a "weather eye" on the sky so they didn't encounter surprise storms.  Still pretty good advice for anyone involved in outdoor recreational activities.   Even if you have good electronic forecasts it is still essential to keep an eye on the sky.  The sky above you is going to tell you a lot more about what is happening or going to happen than any weather report!

I subscribe to an emergency email service that delivers National Weather Service Alerts for my county.   It is a good way to stay up to date on potential weather problems that might affect us.  However, it is county-wide and our county extends literally from the mountains to the sea so we get storm warnings for surf advisories even though we are in the mountains about 1300 feet above sea level.  You can sign up at emergencyemail.org.

Most published or broadcast weather predictions are for rather large, general areas.   Even many "local weather"reports tend be be regional in nature.  Local weather can be significantly affected by mountains and bodies of water.  Since both mountains and bodies of water are typical destinations for campers and other outdoor recreationalists, we are likely to be affected by very local weather patterns that might not be reflected in general forecasts.  Consult a seasoned local expert for the best idea of what to expect where you are at any given time.  Rangers, law enforcement officers, fire departments, and even owners of retail business, farms and ranches, can often be a good source of what to expect from the local weather.

Watch out!

General Camp Site Lighting (Again)

Camp site versus camp lighting.  Camp site lighting refers to the need for general lighting to illuminate a large part of a camp site, usually for group activities.  Camp Lighting would include the needs of individuals while camping, to work in a tent or at a picnic table or move about safely at night.  Individual camp lighting needs are usually adequately met via flashlights or lanterns.  General camp site lighting often requires more robust sources of light with wider areas of coverage.

Do you  really need extra lighting at a camp site?  Very often moonlight or the campfire provides enough light for most activities and lends a nice ambiance to the evening.  Artificial light might be needed for tasks that require detailed work, like food preparation or reading or games, or OHV repairs, but it can also interfere with other activities and impair your night vision unnecessarily.  Bright lights kind of destroy the normal ambiance of a campfire.  I have seen camp sites lit up like a major sports stadium.  Never did find out why they thought they needed that much light.  Auxiliary camp site lighting is definitely optional and you should exercise discretion when using it.  That being said, what are your options for lighting a camp site when needed?

Many times all you need is gas or battery powered lantern on your picnic table.  Camp site lighting usually involves illuminating larger areas for group activity.    You might use several strategically placed lanterns to provide general illumination.  That can be very helpful on dark desert nights.   A lantern  hanger can raise lanterns to expand the area of coverage.  Some lantern hangers clamp to picnic tables, some wrap around trees, some stand in or on the ground.   If I need to light up the whole camp site for general activities I have a 500 watt halogen light I can run off my RV generator.  It mounts to my RV ladder on an extendable stand that lets me put it high above the 11' roof of my RV, giving me coverage over a huge area if needed.  There have been very few times I have needed that much light in camp.  I also have a bright scene light from a salvaged ambulance on the back of my motorcycle trailer to illuminate the area for nighttime OHV repairs.  I also have one on the passenger side of the trailer but I avoid using it because it usually shines onto the common shared area of our campsite towards the campfire and I don't want to spoil the ambiance for everyone else just so I can work on my bike.

There are many ways to light a camp site.   A long standing traditional camp site light is the lantern, a kerosene lantern or a Coleman lantern.  Having a lantern hanger on a tree or RV or a lantern pole can give you more choices for where to use it.  For general camp site illumination you may need several powerful lanterns strategically placed around the are where activities will take place.  Many RVs have camp site lighting.  The porch light standard on most RVs provides some illumination.  Others have more comprehensive flood lights that can really light things up.   I have a scene light from a retired ambulance I use to light up the area beside my motorcycle trailer for after dark repairs.  There may be other specialized lighting needs.  For example,  I use a set of strobe lights on the roof of my motorcycle trailer to identify our camp to late night arrivals.  I have seen strobes built for the top of flag poles for similar purposes.  I also adapted flood lights from a retired ambulance as outdoor work lights on my motorcycle trailer.

Campfires are often enough to light up a camp site for most activities.   More light might be needed for food preparation and sometimes even for eating, but you don't want TOO MUCH light.  Excessive light spoils the mood and destroys your night vision.  You might need a lot of light for nighttime group activities but normally you should limit the amount of light pollution.  We get enough of of that in town!  It is usually really nice to enjoy the starry skies when we are camping.

Modern LED lanterns offer some nice options to gas and liquid fueled lanterns.  They are bright, efficient, and easy to use.  Some even have remote controls so you can turn them on and off and adjust the level from quite a distance away.  Some are have built in solar chargers so all you have to do to keep them charged is leave them out in the sun during the daylight hours.  LED lantern are usually cool to the touch so they are safer in tents and under awnings and canopies.  They are also quiet.  People are sometimes bothered by the hiss of white gas lanterns.  Old style incandescent lights and lanterns were about 90% efficient as heaters and about 10% efficient as lights.  LED lanterns produce almost no heat and the batteries and bulbs last a long time.  LED bulbs are usually rated at tens of thousands of hours.  Battery life depends on the total power being used and the quality of the batteries.  I once left an LED lantern with 17 LEDs on in my barn overnight.  It was powered by 4 really cheap "D" cell batteries.  The lantern continued to function perfectly for more than a year without changing the batteries!  An incandescent lantern would have completely drained the batteries before morning the night it was left on.

If you have generator or another 120 volt AC source of electricity you can use high-powered halogen flood lights to illuminate large group functions.  I rigged a light stand with a 500 watt halogen flood light that attached to the ladder of my Class A RV for use when we needed broad camp site coverage at night.   With the light about 6' above the roof of my tall RV it did a really good job lighting up pretty much the whole group area.   I just plug it into a convenient outdoor outlet on the back of my RV.  You can find a variety of halogen work lights at your local home center.  They usually have tripod stands that fold up nicely to make transporting them to camp easy and keep them steady in use.   You would normally want to use them on the ground but if you REALLY needed broader coverage you might set them on top of an RV.  I would suggest strapping them down to the luggage rack to prevent an errant breeze from blowing them off the roof.  One of my RVs came factory equipped with a pair of high-powered 120 volt flood lights on the passenger side.  I added 55 watt halogen driving light bulbs to each fixture so I could also run them on 12 volts without needing to run the generator.

Tiki torches are a fun and popular option.  Fueled with citronella oil they will also help keep insects at bay.  Tiki torches are easy inexpensive, easy to transport, and kind of romantic and festive.   And they usually contribute to a nice ambiance rather than wiping it out.  You will need to make sure the fuel containing bases are empty or are stored upright to avoid fuel spills in transport.   Some bases are metal cans with screw-on lids.  That type can help prevent spills en route.  Look for the ones with the caps tied onto the cans with a little chain so they don't get lost so easily.  You can also use citronella in kerosene lanterns and lamps on or around your picnic table.

Old fashioned torches were used to light dark spaces for thousands of years.  You seldom see any used today but in a pinch you could make your own.  You would need a handle, some kind of wick, and fuel.  A sturdy stick makes a good handle.  Cloth or fabric, especially cotton makes a pretty good wick.  In a more primitive environment you might use dry moss or shredded bark as wicking.  Oil was the traditional fuel for torches:  whale oil, animal fat, or petroleum,  Refined fuels, like gasoline, usually burn to hot and too fast.  Vegetable oils, butter, animal fat, and tree sap, are other possible natural fuels for torches.  Torches usually produce a lot of smoke so you want to avoid using them in enclosed spaces or where the prevailing breeze will blow the smoke toward you or your companions or into your tent or camper.  Torchlight is usually flickering so it isn't the best choice for lighting up detailed tasks or reading or medical emergencies.  Always use extra caution when using torches as the very hot, open flame can easily ignite any combustible material it may come in contact with.

Candles are good and even romantic for table lighting but usually don't put out enough light for area lighting -- unless you have a  whole LOT of very BIG candles!  I once saw some large candles on sticks to shove into the ground to provide pathway or area lighting almost as bright as tiki torches but haven't been able to find a current source to buy them now.  They might have been custom or artisan made.

Handheld flashlights are handy for illuminating your path or looking into dark cabinets or for specific tasks but are not particularly good for general illumination.  You might attach your flashlight or personal headlight to an empty milk jug to use it for general lighting for a limited area.

Glow sticks won't provide much in the way of area lighting but they can be useful in marking trails or flagging obstacles such as guy ropes and pegs on tents an awnings.   We sometimes used them to mark the signs we put up on the road to help late comers find our dirt bike camp at night in the desert until kids from a neighboring camp kept stealing them!   Coating one with chain lube seemed to dampen their enthusiasm for theft a little.   Once advantage to glow sticks is that they usually don't put out enough light to destroy your night vision -- or the ambiance around a campfire.

Light up!

Preventive Maintenance for Campers, RVers, and Boaters

 

Maintenance is usually defined as routine servicing or repair of equipment or units as need to keep them operating correctly.  Way too often we wait to perform maintenance until something has gone wrong, like doing an oil change when the oil light comes on or checking the radiator when the engine starts to over heat.  Too many times maintenance is ignored until the lack of it precipitates necessary repairs.

Preventive Maintenance (PM) is a predetermined program to keep machinery and equipment in optimal operating condition.  Changing the oil on your car on a regular schedule is a form of preventive maintenance.  All too often maintenance is put off until something fails and has to be repaired.  A good preventive maintenance schedule can often avoid expensive repairs. It also keeps machinery working better.  For example, cleaning or changing the air filter on internal combustion engines helps them run better and regular lubrication keeps things rolling smoothly and avoids premature wear on moving parts.

Preventative Maintenance is standard procedure on critical machines and equipment worldwide.  Aircraft have a very strict schedule for required preventative maintenance.  Same with trains, city buses, school buses, and hospital equipment.  Many of these are even set by law to ensure public safety.  Although you may not be bound by law to perform preventative maintenance on YOUR personal equipment, you may be under an obligation to do so to maintain warranties.  Even if your vehicles and other equipment is out of warranty you should still adhere to the prescribed maintenance schedule to ensure optimal performance and avoid unnecessary and often expensive repairs.

Preventive Maintenance for new vehicles, vessels, and other mechanical equipment is usually described in the owner's manual.  Often you must show proof of performing required preventive maintenance before any warranty will be honored.  Preventive maintenance usually includes inspecting or changing lubricants and filters but may also include adjustments and inspections of parts that wear down in normal use, such as brake pads and shoes.  Lacking an owner's manual for your vehicle or boat, contact a qualified dealer or mechanic or another owner of s similar piece of equipment to learn what they do.  If all else fails, try to find a maintenance schedule for a similar piece of equipment, perhaps a different brand to form the basis for creating your own maintenance schedule.  Typical preventative maintenance on any piece of machinery or equipment involves regular lubrication of moving parts, regular inspection and/or adjustment of specific items, inspecting all safety features to ensure they are working properly, inspection and if needed, replacement of air and fuel filters, belts and hoses, and general cleaning.

Anything with an engine (RV, OHV, boat) will require regular attention to oil changes, and oil, fuel, and air filters.   While many maintenance schedules specify miles or hours of use to define the frequency of maintenance, there are also time intervals.  Lacking an owner's manual, you should change oil, oil filter, air and fuel filters on most engines at least once a year.  That would apply to RVs, tow vehicles, OHVs, boats, outboard motors, generators and things like gasoline powered power washers.  Two good times to do this is when preparing equipment for winter storage or when getting it out of storage and ready to use again.  Some people like to do both, as lubrication can break down when a piece of equipment is in storage for several months.

Preventive Maintenance on non-mechanical gear is also usually described in the original owner's manual or instruction sheet.   Maintenance of tents usually includes cleaning and also inspecting and repairing poles, tie downs, zippers, and stakes.  Over time you may need to replenish the waterproofing via a spray or liquid waterproofing product.  Sleeping bags should be regularly aired out and occasionally dry cleaned.  Back packs and pack frames should be inspected to ensure straps and buckles are safe and functioning properly, any fasteners are secure, and snaps and zippers are in good shape.

Preventive Maintenance on camp stoves and lanterns mostly consists of regular cleaning and sometimes servicing of pump gaskets on liquid fuel devices.  Replacing the mantles on lanterns might be considered maintenance but is more appropriately part of the normal operations as they usually need to be replaced at the beginning of each use.  Likewise with fueling liquid fuel appliances but regular cleaning of the fuel tanks and servicing pump gaskets might be part of the preventative maintenance.  The generators on liquid fuel appliances usually don't have any preventative maintenance procedures but may need to be replaced when they age out and fail.

Preventative Maintenance may also be applied to clothing, such as hiking gear and OHV riding gear.  Proper cleaning after each use will extend the life of most articles.  Dirt and grime can cause accelerated wear and any kind of chemical contamination might compromise the integrity of the fabric.  Items should be regularly inspected for any tears, loose, or damaged fasteners (buttons, snaps, zippers, cords, etc.).  Some items, such as boots, may require special cleaners and/or polishes.  Hiking and riding boots often benefit from a waterproofing treatment as well.  I also like to use SC-1 Detail Spray on the plastic and leather parts of my dirt bike riding boots.  It gives them a nice shine and helps keep dirt and grime from sticking.

Camping tools like hatchets, axes, and shovels will also benefit from regular Preventative Maintenance.   All three should be checked often to ensure the handles are not coming loose and are safe to use.  Regular sharpening is also a basic requirement.  Metal tools or metal parts of tools should be given a light coating of oil when in storage to prevent rust.  Linseed oil can also be used on wooden handles to keep them smooth and prevent splinters.  Cracked or broken handles should be replaced.

Camp furniture should be regularly inspected to ensure all joints operate smoothly, that legs haven't lost their foot caps, and that any damage gets repaired.  Awnings should always be stored clean and dry.  Camp chairs will usually benefit from regular cleaning and sometimes need a drop or two of oil or dry lubricant at the pivot points.

Each RV or camping appliance will have its own preventative maintenance schedule and requirements.  It is important to know and follow those procedures to ensure proper operation of your appliances.  Many times an appliance failure can be traced directly to failure to perform required maintenance, and that can be a frustrating and expensive proposition.  This applies to stoves, refrigerators, water heaters, water pumps, furnaces, ice makers, and any other devices you may have onboard your RV or in your camping kit.  Even ice chests need regular cleaning and might sometimes required repair to prevent moisture for intruding into and defeating the insulation.  Broken or damaged hinges and latches should be repaired or replaced.

Lacking a prescribed maintenance schedule it is a good idea to perform preventive maintenance at least once a year.   Good times to do that are when you put things away for the winter and when you get them out again in the spring for the next season's use.  Doing them at the end of the season helps ensure things are clean and dry for proper storage and gives you time to acquire parts or replacements before the next season.  Checking or re-checking everything each spring ensures things are in good condition for to be used in the new season.  If  you do PM when putting things into storage they should be good to go when you get them out again next season, but always look them over.  Sometimes pests or other unfavorable conditions may introduce problems in storage.  Looking everything over when getting things out of storage can catch both things that crept in during storage and anything you might have accidentally missed when putting them away.

Even your body will benefit from good preventative maintenance.  Many medical insurance plans require you to have an annual "wellness check".  Many times this may uncover a developing problem BEFORE it becomes serious or life threatening.  We all know that insurance companies are most interested in their own bottom lines so offering free wellness checks is one way they avoid paying for costly treatment by detecting and correcting problems early.  The fact that you avoid unpleasant and painful disabilities is a nice side effect!  You could consider your regular exercise program a form of preventative maintenance.  Personally I follow the 5BX program developed for the Canadian Air Force and adapted by the U.S. Air Force.  It takes only 11 minutes a day and requires no special equipment..  I am pleased that at 76  years old I maintain an exercise program intended for 49 year olds!  Same with maintaining a good sleep schedule and proper diet.   Consistently getting the right amount of sleep is critical for maintaining optimum physical and mental condition and performance.   Pre-hydrating before strenuous activities, especially in hot weather, is another good preventative maintenance for your body.  Proper warm ups before beginning any strenuous activity is also helpful in preventing injuries and enhancing the enjoyment of your experience,

Do not delay PM!

How To Restore Teak Trim on a Boat

Teak trim is an important part of the beauty of many boats, especially sailboats.  Teak is quite durable but over time it may fade to a dull, concrete gray color and dry out and develop cracks, especially if not properly maintained.  Fortunately, faded teak can usually be salvaged and restored to very near its original beauty.  It just takes a little time, patience, elbow grease -- and oxalic acid.  Here is a photo showing two pieces (the companionway slides) from my 50 year old sailboat.  The one on the left is what it looked like when we got the boat; the one on the right is after cleaning it with oxalic acid.  What a difference!  And the cleaning took only minutes!

To restore teak trim it is best to first remove it from the boat.  Usually the time it takes to remove it is less than the time it would take to mask off the surrounding areas and the results will be much better.  With the wood off you it is much easier to clean, bleach, sand, and refinish each piece.  Be sure to keep track of the fasteners.  Sometimes you will find different length fasteners used in different places on the same piece of trim. Putting them back in the right places can be critical.  Using a short fastener where a long one is needed will weaken the connection.  Trying to use a long fastener where a short one came out may let it poke through, damaging other surfaces or equipment.  It may seem overkill, but if there are differences, it is a good idea to number them and the corresponding places the go as you remove them.  For better performance as well as a better looking finsihed product, clean the old hardware to remove dirt and corrosion.  If any are stripped. broken, or badly corroded, get new stainless steel or brass hardware to replace them.  The new hardware will be much easier to install, will be safer and more secure, and will give you many years of good service.  Using damaged hardware can yield unsightly and unsafe results and might cause expensive damage.  Brass is typically needed in underwater applications and either brass or stainless steel should work find above the waterline where most of your teak bright work will be.

If you have large areas of teak decking or other places where removal isn't practical, mask off any adjacent surfaces to protect them from damage from cleaners, solvents, sanding, and new finishes.   Blue painters tape (or the green ''frog'' tape) and plastic drop cloths or newspaper should be sufficient.

Teak trim usually needs a good cleaning as the first step in restoration.  A solution of TSP is often recommended for removing dirt and grime.  If the teak is badly faded, use oxalic acid to bring it back to near its original color.  I couldn't believe how well it worked on the teak trim from our 50 year old Venture 24!  It started out concrete grey and cleaned up to a nice, natural teak color.  Use a stiff brush to get into any grooves and crevices in the wood.   I used a 4" plastic scrub brush.  You don't want to use a steel brush because you don't want to make new gouges in the wood, only clean out dirt in existing grooves and scratches.  When you are finished rinse and wipe of any excess cleaner and let it dry thoroughly.  Next you will most likely want to bleach out and deep clean the faded surface using oxalic acid.   Oxalic acid usually comes in a powder or granular form.  Follow the directions on the container to mix it with water for use  Brush the solution on the teak, working it well into crevices  You should quickly see faded, grey surfaces returning to their natural teak color.  If at first you don't get good results right away you may need to repeat the process, perhaps using a stronger concentration of oxalic acid.  Once your teak is clean (it will actually look like teak again!), rinse and dry it.  Then sand it lightly to smooth the surface and prepare it for the final restoration steps.  If there are any major cracks or any holes that won't be used for installation, fill them with wood putty and stain it to match the wood.  An alternative to wood putty is to use sawdust or sanding dust from the piece your are repairing mixed with wood glue to fill holes.

Once your teak has been cleaned and restored using oxalic acid and dried, rub it down with teak oil.  Be generous as you apply it and rub it in well.   Let the teak oil soak in for a few hours until it is no longer wet to the touch, perhaps even overnight.  Then give it a light sanding with fine sandpaper and wipe it down with a tack cloth before applying your finish coat.  Teak oil will give it a deep, rich tone and help protect it from the elements.

Apply a finish coat of clear varnish or clear polyurethane.  I prefer to use spar varnish.  It has been proven through centuries of use on wooden boats and yields a rich, shiny finish.  Polyurethane, a modern replacement, is usually less expensive but will probably yield good results, at least for a time.  I recently read that varnish may chip or chalk over time and polyurethane will retain its deep shine longer so I may be switching to polyurethane and in fact am trying it out on some teak handrails now.   For best results and a deeper shine you should apply two or more coats with light sanding with 400 grit wet and dry sandpaper between coats.  Some experts recommend as many as 6-8 coats!  Do not sand after the final coat!  Handrails and toe rails that get a lot of use are strong candidates for multiple coats of varnish to protect them against wear and exposing the wood to the elements.  Same with teak decking in high traffic areas.  The recommendations I've found online suggest 6-8 coats of varnish or polyurethane for teak but I find most people usually only use 2-3 coats.  Give yourself plenty of time since it will take several hours for each coat to dry before you can apply the next coat.   There is some support for the idea of "hot coating", e.g., applying a second coat while the first one is still tacky to enhance bonding of the two coats.  Everything I've read says never do more than two layers at a time when hot coating.  You don't need to and probably can't sand between coats when hot coating.  Letting each coat dry enough to be sanded between coats ultimately should yield the deepest, smoothest, shiniest finish.  I have found I usually get a nice, deep shine with just 3 or 4 coats of clear finish, but it may not stand the test of time as well as the recommended 6-8 coats, especially in high traffic areas.  While many products will be dry to the touch in 2-3 hours,  I have found letting it dry overnight gives the best results when sanding between coats.  Sanding too soon will dull the finish and gum the sandpaper as it digs into soft material under the dry top layer.

Finally re-install each piece in its original position, using new stainless steel hardware as necessary.  If you reuse the original hardware clean the thoroughly and make sure it isn't damaged.   Tighten securely but don't over tighten.  If you refinished pieces in place, remove the masking around them.  Then sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor, including the compliments from fellow boaters as well as how nice it looks to you!

If your hand rails are too badly damaged to be restored you can buy replacements.  They come in sizes from 1 loop to about 6 loops.   If your boat doesn't have hand rails you can install them fairly easily.  I would measure the length of the area where I want the rails and order the size and/or number of new teak rails I need to cover it.  When they arrive I would take them inside the cabin and mark the ceiling in the center of each place the rail will contact the deck.   Choose stainless steel screws long enough to pass through the mounting surface and about 3/4""to 1" into the base of the rail.  Then drill holes through the mounting surface just large enough to accommodate the the stainless steel screws you will use to install the teak.    You might also want to drill small pilot holes in the handrail to make installing the screws easier and prevent splitting.  Most of the hand rails I've seen are attached using wood screws from the bottom but there could be models that have bolts pre-installed in each base.  The procedure is still basically the same.  You could mark and drill the holes from the outside but I prefer starting inside in case there is a light fixture or some other obstacle I might drill through from the outside.  Of coarse you need to make sure the entire space they will occupy on the outside is also clear.  You will want to put a durable finish on your new handrails before installing them.  I like spar varnish for its rich, deep finish and a long (hundreds of years) history of use on wooden boats.  You might want handrails inside the cabin for added stability when moving around when the boat is in motion.  Another common place to add hand holds is near any stairs or steps.  I added a single loop teak hand rail to the end of my companionway slide to make it easier to grab and pull it closed.  When installing the hardware make sure it is secure but don't over tighten it, which could risk stripping or damaging the wooden rail.  Always use correct sized washers and/or backing plates to prevent the screws from pulling through the mounting surface.  You might use finish washers with pad head or recessed head screws for a more finished look.  For added backing, use a fender washer sized to fit the screw.  Fender washers can be used alone or under finish washers.  If you plan to use fender washers without finish washers used round headed screws instead of recessed heads.

Large pieces of teak, such as hatchboards, sometimes swell or warp due to damp weather or high humidity.  Swelling can usually be corrected by letting the boards dry thoroughly.  You can sometimes correct the warping by laying the boards on a hard, flat surface, placing another flat straight panel on top and adding 50-100 lbs of weight.  Leave the weight in places for several days.  It might help if the boards are kept someplace with fairly high humidity at first.  If that isn't possible, try wrapping the boards in a damp towel before stacking the weights.  Take the boards out and check to see if there has been any improvement every day or so.  If using a towel and it has dried out,  re-dampen it when you re-stack the weights to further straighten the boards.  If you can't get them to straighten out you might be able to plane them to improve appearance and fit -- if you have the right equipment and skills to do the planing.  If you have to plane or sand them, be sure to refinish them for both aesthetics and to seal the wood against more moisture.   Maintaining a good top coat will help prevent moisture from them from swelling or causing other damage.  If there are signs of the varnish or clearcoat wearing away, refinish them as soon as practical to prevent additional damage.

Hatchboards and sliding hatches often begin to stick after a few years of use.  Sometimes it is because the boards have warped or swollen.  Sometimes the sliding surfaces have become worn.  If the surface is worn you may be able to install some UHMW or HDPE tape over the damaged surface to restore smooth operation.  Swollen batch boards need to be dried.  If they still bind try sanding down the edges until they fit into the slot again.  Be sure to refinish them after sanding.  A proper waterproof finish will look good, reduce friction, and reduce water absorption to prevent further sticking.  Pay special attention to the edges where moisture is most likely to seep in and cause problems.  I had some hatchboards made of a masonite like paneling material and in order to restore the mating edges I had to soak them with varnish to stiffen the fuzzy, mushy edges, then file and re-varnish them for both appearance and so they will slide better and be more resistant to moisture in the future.

Teak hatchboards can be very expensive to replace if they are warped or damaged beyond repair.  A good modern alternative is make hatchboards out of marine grade starboard, an HDPE plastic material.  It looks good, needs no varnish and won't warp.  Teak hatchboards are usually notched to fit into the slides.  You can usually use starboard about the same thickness as the notch so you don't have to notch it.  If the starboard is too thick for the slides you may have to notch it or replace the slides with formed aluminum channels.  If your boat has 2 or 3 piece hatchboards you an either replace them a single piece of starboard or cut the starboard to match the original pieces.  A single piece might be too heavy or too awkward so you may have to cut it to match the originals.  If you choose to cut it horizontally, I suggest cutting it at 45 degree angle with the high side inside and the low side outside so water running down it won't go inside.  Starboard usually doesn't need to be painted and in fact painting it might not even work.   Manufacturers discourage painting starboard.  Try to choose a color that works for your boat when you buy the starboard.  There aren't a lot of colors to choose from so just pick the one you like best or best matches the color scheme on your boat.  White is usually a safe bet in almost any situation.  The hatchboards on our 1985 Macgregor 25 were recently replaced when we bought the boat.  The previous owner had purchased hatchboards made of pre-finished pressed hardboard (similar to Masonite).  They are light weight and easy to handle and look good but they absorb moisture and swell.  After one season I filed and sanded the swollen edges, then refinished the boards with clear polyurethane, apply extra to the exposed edges to minimize moisture intrusion in the hardboard.

Don't freak out, teak out!

First Aid for Campers, Boaters, and Outdoor Recreation

First aid is mentioned over and over in various articles in the blog.   It is a basic skill everyone who participates in outdoor recreation should have.  I would even go so far as to say no one should ever venture out into remote outdoor recreational activities without at least basic first aid knowledge, skills, and supplies.  Anytime you are going to be any significant distance from immediate medical assistance you should be prepared to administer first aid.  If you participate in high-risk activities, such as dirt biking, mountain biking, or rock climbing, you should seek advanced first aid training to be prepared for the kinds of injuries you and your companions may encounter.  As a minimum that should include knowledge of how to control bleeding and how to splint broken bones.  Also when and how to move an injured patient.

Because many of our outdoor activities take us to remote places it may take some time for EMS help to arrive.  We need to be prepared to take care of ourselves and our associates until professional help reaches us.  In many remote locations that could take hours!  Here is a link to my post on Getting Emergency Medical Services When Camping for more information on preparing to obtain EMS services in remote locations.

To some extent it is assumed that most people have a pretty good idea of what "first aid" means.  However, individual perceptions seem to vary quite a bit.  There are at least two recognized levels of first aid:  basic and advanced.  As a volunteer firefighter and EMR I have had the chance to learn and use both basic and advanced first aid and have found the skills as useful in camp and out on the trails as they are on a fire department call.  I have splinted broken bones, dressed wounds and abrasions, and prepared patients for transport to the emergency room on several occasions while dirt biking.  I even spent about an hour removing cactus spines from a rider's arm using the needle-nose pliers from my tool kit.  Not exactly life-saving, but certainly necessary.

The basic definition of first aid is:   help given to a sick or injured person until full medical treatment is available.  Sometimes first aid is all that is needed and full medical help is not required, such as dealing with minor cuts and scrapes or a common cold.  More advanced first aid may be required to assist someone with more serious, even life threatening injuries or illnesses, pending full medical support.  In times like this first aid will almost always make the patient more comfortable and reduce the chance of additional complications.  In some cases first aid can be life saving, such as performing CPR, stemming arterial bleeding, warming a hypothermic (frozen) patient, or cooling a hyperthermic (heat stroke) patient.

Basic first aid skills are important for just about everybody.  You are likely to use them at home as well as during outdoor recreational activities.  Getting and maintaining good first aid skills is especially useful for outdoor enthusiasts who are likely to find themselves in remote locations where access to medical assistance is limited.  At home you can probably ask a neighbor for help if you encounter a problem you can't handle or, in more severe situations you can call "911".  Sometimes you can call "911" when you are camping, but often the remoteness of camping, boating, RV, and OHV activities is out of cell phone range.  Even if you can make the call, it will probably take some time before any Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel can reach you and you will be the only one who can help the patient(s) until they arrive.  What you do during that time can sometimes save their lives!  I once read that "You are the only first responder you can really count on."  Know your best options for getting help where ever you go.  There were signs scattered over the area we often went dirt biking near California City giving the local police department number.  In talking with police we learned that 911 calls went to a state police office hundreds of miles away and often took extra time getting routed to a local response team while calling the local number got you connected to a local agency right away and significantly reduced response time.  Reduced response time will always mean less suffering for your patients and can literally mean the difference between life and death in life-threating situations.

Advanced first aid skills may be needed to tend to severe injuries in remote areas while you wait for EMS folks to arrive.  Advanced skills can often reduce the suffering and prevent secondary injuries.  In some cases advanced first aid may even be lifesaving!  You should seriously consider getting advanced first aid training if you are involved in any kind of vigorous activities that can lead to serious injuries, such as rock climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking, riding OHVs, and riding horses.  Knowing how and when to perform CPR, how and when to control bleeding, and how to splint broken bones are among the fundamental advanced first aid skills that may be needed during outdoor recreational pursuits.  Knowing when and how to move an injured patient can be critical.  Basically, only move an injured patient if they are in an unsafe situation.  If you must move someone, be sure to stabilize their spine including the cervical spine neck) and splinting or otherwise securing broken limbs before moving them.  Then move them very carefully.   Being able to deal with heat and cold related injuries like hypothermia and heat stroke can be life-saving skills.  Hypothermia is fairly common in winter activities but can also occur in relatively warm environments when the patient is in wet clothing. Whenever you are dealing with a victim of a serious impact (vehicle accident or fall) always check for ABC.  That's Airway, Breathing, and Circulation.  Airway means making sure their throat is clear so they can breath.  Breathing means listening or feeling the breath from their nose and mouth and/or watching their chest rise and fall.  Circulation means looking for any obvious signs of bleeding and checking the extremities to make sure blood is reaching them.  To check circulation, pinch fingernails and toenails and watch for the color to return.  Color should return in 1-2 seconds.  If it doesn't, something is affecting blood flow.  It might be a severed or pinched blood vessel that must be taken care of to avoid loss of the affected area.

There are many good books that provide instructions for basic first aid.  There are even some for advanced first aid.  However, having a hands on course will make you much better prepared.  You can usually find local first aid classes offered by the Red Cross or by your local fire department.  They are usually inexpensive or often even free!  Many fire departments now offer Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) training that includes  emergency medical triage and light search and rescue in addition to first aid and fire suppression.  Reading a good first aid book is a good start and keeping them handy for future reference is a good idea.  Getting hands on training is critical to actually being able to perform the required duties in an emergency situation.

Basic first aid will usually be enough to take care of splinters and minor cuts and scrapes but you might need advanced first aid to handle life threatening injuries. Knowing how to control bleeding could save someone's life.  Being able to splint a broken bone will almost always make a patient more comfortable and reduce their suffering as well as preventing secondary injuries.

When looking for a first aid course or book, here are some of the primary treatments you should look for in any basic first aid instruction for the following issues:

• Minor cuts and scrapes
• Blisters
• Insect bites
• Heat cramps
• Sprains 
• Minor illnesses (e.g., colds etc)
  

 As you learn more or if you are regularly involved in high-risk outdoor adventures such as dirt biking, mountain biking, or rock climbing, you should look for advanced first aid training that covers these situations:

• Controlling bleeding
• Splinting broken bones
• Recognizing strokes and symptoms of head injuries
• Heat Stroke (Hyperthermia)
  
• Hypothermia
  

It is always a good idea to maintain CPR certification.  You never know when someone is going to have a heart attack or suffer some injury that causes heart problems.   Drowning victims often need CPR.   CPR certification is usually good for 2 years before it needs to be renewed and you should faithfully get your renewals.  Not only will you refresh your memory you will usually learn new techniques or practices that have been developed as CPR continues to evolve.  The best way to get CPR certification is to take a formal training class from the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.  Click on the links provided to find a course near you.   You can also find  online CPR classes, but they will obviously lack the hands-on practice you get from an instructor.

Proper first aid training will also give you the ability to better access whether more advanced medical treatment is necessary and how urgent it might be.  You probably don't need to call "911"or rush a patient to the ER for a sprain but they might need advanced treatment urgently for a broken bone.  Compound fractures (those in which the broken bone penetrates the skin) are more serious than simple fractures, which can be very painful and debilitating but not as subject to infection or bleeding.  Being able to discern the difference between a suspected appendicitis and an ordinary tummy ache or indigestion would help you decide what to do to ensure your patient gets proper care without an unnecessary trip to the ER, which in itself can be traumatic and expensive.

Basic first aid courses usually don't take very long, typically just a few hours.  Expect to invest a little more time to gain advanced first aid skills.  You will find it to be a good investment.  Even if you never have to use it, knowing you could if you had to can give you a lot of peace of mind.  Your confidence in your skills will be a significant factor in calming down any person you may have the opportunity to assist.  Police and fire fighters are usually certified as Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs) and that would be a good level to shoot for.  That may take 40 hours or so of training.  More advanced training is required for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Paramedics.  While having that level of training would never hurt, obtaining it can be time consuming and expensive and is probably more than you would need or ever use in normal outdoor recreational activities.  If you have the time, money, and inclination, by all means get as much training as you can!  In addition to my EMR certification I completed a course in Advanced Wilderness Life Support that gave me skills I might need during remote outdoor activities or during a wide scale natural or man-made disaster.

If you venture into the wild or want to prepare for a long term disaster situation you might want to look into natural remedies.  My favorite is an easy one:  willow bark (or poplar or aspen bark) can be used as a substitute for aspirin.  It contains salicylic acid, which is similar to acetylsalicylic acid, which is the chemical name for aspirin.  Aspirin is actually a synthetic version of salicylic acid.  Other "back yard" or natural sources of medicine abound.  Seek out information about what useful remedies can be found where you live or play.

First aid training is not a one time thing.  You will learn that certifications have an expiration date.  There are two very good reasons for that.  First of all, you need to reaffirm your knowledge of many first aid skills on a regular basis.  Most people don't use their first aid skills frequently and will need regular refreshers to maintain proficiency.  Secondly, medical science continues to make advances and new or better techniques often become available.  When I was growing up I was taught a technique for treating snake bikes than involved making an "X" shaped incision over the bite and sucking out the venom.  Modern medical protocol says not to do that, but to just elevate the bite if possible and seek professional medical help as soon as possible.  Working with outdated protocols could significantly limit the level of help you could give and might even have liability issues.  Plan on scheduling yourself to get updated training at least every couple of years at the very least.  The more frequently, the better!

As you learn more about first aid you will also learn more about the equipment and supplies you need to provide appropriate treatment.   Training and supplies go hand in hand.  Neither is of much use without the other.  You could have a fully equipped mobile emergency room and it wouldn't do you any good unless you knew how to use the equipment and supplies.  You could be a fully qualified paramedic but your options for helping someone would be limited by the availability of proper equipment and supplies.  If you do reach EMT or higher training levels you will probably purchase your own personal emergency medical kit you can take with you where ever you go and that would ensure you could  always use your training to best advantage and provide the best possible care for your patients.  Minimum first aid supplies for everyone should include dressings, bandages, splints, and antiseptics.  I like to include some basic OTC pain relievers, but be aware that there are times you should NOT give pain relievers.  It is usually a good idea to give a person experiencing a heart attack about 325 mg of aspirin (4 children's tablets or one adult tablet) unless they have ulcers or are allergic to aspirin.  Do not give anyone any medication they are allergic to.  Be sure to ask them, if they are conscious, or ask a family member or friend.  Never attempt to administer any kind of oral medication or even water to an unconscious person.

In addition to the knowledge and the physical skills and equipment and supplies needed to perform first aid, you need to be psychologically prepared.  Fortunately, unless you work in an emergency room, you probably aren't exposed to a lot of injured persons.  Most of  us are not used to seeing injuries to human bodies and many people have strong negative reactions to the sight of blood or deformed body parts.  To be effective in providing first aid you must be prepared to accept the injuries and proceed to take the appropriate actions, regardless of how gruesome or frightening they may be.  You need to remain calm and present a confident and positive attitude in order to provide proper care for your patient(s).   I, for one, have never been particularly bothered by the sight of blood, but twice I have nearly passed out viewing close relatives being given injections of anti-pain meds to repair their injuries.  I don't mind getting shots myself, but for some reason watching the needles being poked into my sister and my son made me light headed!  Since becoming a volunteer firefighter I have forced myself to watch our EMTs introducing IVs and watching the techs draw my own blood for lab work to mitigate my reaction.  Any sign of panic or unusual excitement by an emergency responder can introduce a negative affect on your patients.  Try to remain calm and confident in all you do and never attempt anything that is beyond your training and skills.

A very important psychological aspect to giving first aid is to be confident in your own abilities.  Patients can see and/or sense if you are apprehensive and that is NOT a good thing!  Your patients need to feel secure in what you are doing and that means YOU must be secure in what you are doing.  That is one of the reasons keeping your first aid training up to date is critical.  When you are faced with an emergency, let your training guide you and accept your role as provider and your patients will accept you -- and benefit from your treatment.  In C.E.R.T. training were taught to approach potential patients using the following statement/question:  "Hi, I am (name).  I am medically trained.  Is it OK for me to help you."  Saying you are medically trained does not mean you are a doctor or a nurse but you should only use the phrase if you are in fact at least trained in first aid.  Of course all of our C.E.R.T. people were properly trained in first aid.

If your patient in conscious you should get their permission to treat them before you start any treatment beyond a visual inspection.  As mentioned above, in our C.E.R.T. classes we were taught to say something like, Ï am (your name), and I am medically trained.  Is it OK if I treat your injuries?"  Of course you should only say you are medically trained if you have in fact been trained.  The training we got in C.E.R.T. and most basic and advanced first aid certifications would allow you to say you are medically trained.  You shouldn't claim to be a doctor or nurse or other medical professional unless you are currently licensed as such.   If you are working on a family member or someone you know well you probably don't need to mention your medical training, but it is a comfort and will be of value to strangers to know that you know what you are doing.  Most people who have been injured are going to grateful for any assistance and will agree to treatment.  If they do not agree, you should not touch them.  However, if you observe life threatening situations (arterial bleeding or they are in a situation that places them in danger of life-threatening injuries) you should advise them of the situation and the risks and attempt to convince them to accept your help.  If they continue to refuse you may eventually be able to treat them under the concept of "implied consent" after they have passed out.  The law recognizes implied consent for an unconscious person since most normal people would consent to treatment for life-threatening injuries if they were able to do so, even if they had previously refused treatment.  Of course it is better to begin treatment as soon as possible as in some life-threatening situations, seconds count!

What are your risks in providing first aid?  Some people are reluctant to get involved in helping an injured person for fear of legal repercussions.  Pretty much all states have "Good Samaritan" laws that protect people who come to the aid of injured parties.  That being said, you do have an obligation to act appropriately and within the scope of your training.  If you attempt something you have not been trained to do you could be held liable but you should be OK, for example, performing CPR if you have been trained in CPR and your certification is current.  Personally I would not hesitate to assist to the best of my ability.  I would rather have to justify my actions than live with my inactions if my help might have saved a life!  Of course you can be held liable if you attempt to provide treatment for a patient who has refused treatment and is still conscious or if you attempt procedures that are beyond your training.  I have heard of highly trained military corpsmen being prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license when they used their very good and appropriate medical skills to assist accident victims because they were not licensed EMTs in that jurisdiction!  BTW, that was a jurisdictional problem, not a medical  or even ethical issue!  So, always work within your certified skills and the legal scope of practice your training allows.  As a volunteer firefighter and EMR I have to keep up with and limit my actions to the scope of practice for EMRs here in Oregon, which tells us exactly what we can and cannot do.   Note:  there are sometimes exceptions when you may be asked by a higher trained medical professional to perform a task under their direction, but never try anything outside your training without authorization by a qualified provider.

Know what you can do and do it!