New York State Canal System New York State Canal System
Canal System that shaped a nation.
www.canals.ny.gov
and then hold the carpet in place while it
sets. You’ll need help. I personally haven’t
used a hot-glue gun, but the principle
seems good, and people with lots of experience in boat work have reported using it for
a number of similar applications.
If there’s a lot of sticky glue on both
surfaces now, you may want to replace the
carpet and remove the glue from the underside of the cabin top before you proceed.
What you’d use to remove it would depend
on what the glue is. Things to try are alcohol or acetone, but always with plenty of
ventilation. These also are often flammable
and/or explosive, so heed the warnings.
The best solution may be to remove
the carpet altogether, clean up the ceiling,
and simply paint it. There are also other
materials that you may wish to investigate.
For example, we recently covered part of the
interior of our boat with sheets of Komatex.
See my article at www.BoatUS.com/cruising/
tomneale/ previousarticle.asp?bid=2793.
Information on sprays and hot glues can be
found, for example, at: www.trk.com/pdf/
Adhesives_Aerosols.pdf, and www.trk.com/
pdf/Adhesives_HotMeltSticks.pdf.
HALON?
I have a 1987 Bayliner with a halon fire suppression system. I don’t want to change over
to the new system. What can I do to keep from
installing a new replacement system?
Perry Bivins
Hampton, VA
JOHN ADEY: The EPA has banned the
manufacture of halon but not the use of
it. If the cylinder weight is correct and an
inspection shows the hardware to be in
good condition, then you’re fine keeping it
on your boat. The USCG has pulled approval on new systems with recycled halon,
but since they don’t require an automatic,
clean-agent system on recreational boats,
you can satisfy USCG requirements by having aboard the required portable extinguishers. Most manufacturers will suggest that
you switch to a new FM200 system, as the
halon system is probably 20 years old, but
it remains legal with the halon cylinder(s).
I’ve also heard of halon recyclers. Check out
www.halon.org. My understanding is that
there is halon available, and if you can find a
dealer to do it, it’s perfectly legal to get your
system recharged.
