A program of preventive maintenance for your engine can help ensure trouble-free boating. Inboard engines and sterndrives have similar maintenance programs. Regular pre-start checklists, like those used by airline pilots, serve as useful reminders. In addition, you should plan to give your engine a thorough once-over examination every few weeks to check items that aren’t part of the pre-start list. Read the rest of this entry »
Smooth motorcycle operation of the throttle goes hand in hand with smooth motorcycle clutch control and machine appreciation. Harsh motorcycle acceleration can cause motorcycle wheelspin or wheelies; great for posers and fly boys, but bad for professional and caring motorcyclists, and bad for the general image of motorcycling.
Excessive use of the motorcycle throttle, when not absolutely necessary, is also very expensive. The cost of motorcycle fuel is always rising, so the less you open the throttle the better for your pocket. Read the rest of this entry »
Aboard a small powerboat, the most likely problems you’ll encounter will involve the engine. While it seems foolish, your first checkpoint should be the fuel tank to make sure that you actually have fuel. Don’t rely on the gas gauge. It may be wrong. Tap the tank or rock the boat to see if you hear fuel sloshing in the tank. If you do have sufficient fuel, try some of the other steps suggested below. Read the rest of this entry »
Never fill a stove when it is hot, with a cigarette or fire alight nearby, or inside a tent. Use a small plastic funnel to avoid spillage and mop up any liquid at once. Be fire-conscious.
All good stoves should have a windshield, which helps to prevent the stove flaring in the wind, especially when first lit.
The range of stoves is, by now, vast. Any good outdoor shop should be able to show you half a dozen or so, and having decided on the amount of cooking you intend to do, and the most suitable fuel, you should be able to find a suitable stove.
Good stoves are not cheap, but always buy a reliable model from a proven manufacturer. A petrol, or any pressure stove, must be safe, and this is not the area to tolerate cheap goods or shoddy workmanship. Read the rest of this entry »
Many competent cooks quail at the idea of cooking on a single-burner stove. It is true that a meal on the hill can be plagued by wind, rain and the eager arrival of a variety of hungry insects, but as with most outdoor activities, much misery can be avoided by good organization and pre-planning.
The first point which has to be decided is exactly how much cooking you are going to do. For many outdoor activities, cooking is unnecessary and you can manage perfectly well with a vacuum flask of hot soup and a packet of sandwiches. If you do intend to cook, you need to calculate how much and at what times of the year, for this could well affect the fuel you use, and therefore the stove you buy. Read the rest of this entry »
