Changing weather is one of the things most boaters and their crews fear most. Usually it is not deadly, but it can be downright scary when a pleasant day of boating turns ugly. Knowing the basics can help you interpret the weather, plan a trip, and make a good decision about traveling on your vessel. This course will take you through the basics of how to understand the information available and how to combine it with tide and current information to determine the sea conditions. The class will provide you with many resources and examples of how we’ve planned and enjoyed our time on the water. They say timing is everything, and a few hours difference with the change of current can make all difference in the world. We will use a checklist approach where you can create your own system to create an understanding of the weather that fits your vessel and crew.

Cruisers College will take you through the ins and outs of your outboard engine during this 1 day class. Nearly every cruising boat has an outboard powered dinghy, and many fishing/cruising vessels are utilizing these reliable machines for propulsion as well. These motors have been around for a long time and are very dependable if maintained properly. Ethanol in our fuel systems is creating more and more problems for outboard engines. This course will cover the basics for all outboard engines, and will have break out labs all day to practice and build your new skills.

Sample of topics covered:

• Oil Changes
• Fuel care and handling
• Lower unit testing
• Water pump impeller replacement
• Electrical systems
• Routine Maintenance & Tune up
• Winterization

After this course, you will understand how to take proper care of your engine and keep it starting easily.

We’ve been receiving many requests about plumbing, so join us for our first-ever course dedicated to this topic. Spend the day at the Marine Technology Center, where you’ll receive traditional education and practical hands-on practice in the lab. We will start with general knowledge and installations, including tanks. There are many different types of plumbing fittings that a boat owner should be familiar with, including their various types, styles, and applications. We will also cover the different hoses and their specific uses. Once the system is installed, we will discuss pumps and how to move fluids around. Marine sanitation is a key topic onboard most cruising vessels—always an interesting subject. The last hour of the day will be spent discussing reverse osmosis water-making equipment, which many cruisers are curious about and wonder if it’s a good fit for them. In the labs, we’ll conduct several identification exercises with fittings and hoses. There will be demonstrations on tools of the trade, good practices, multiple ways to connect PEX tubing, and more.

This two-day seminar covers all things electrical on your cruising vessel. Through a blend of lecture and hands-on practice you will learn basic electrical system design, installation, troubleshooting, and maintenance. We’ll cover safety, specialized tool use, industry best practices, and more.

Self-sufficiency at sea is truly the key to successful cruising. The more you can fix on your boat yourself, the longer you’re likely to stay out cruising. If you are a cruiser who wants to gain proficiency in troubleshooting, maintaining, and upgrading your marine electrical systems in accordance with ABYC standards, then this is the workshop for you. Sail and powerboat cruisers alike will gain essential knowledge and skills that will pay dividends for years to come.

Through a blend of lecture and hands-on practice you will learn basic electrical system design, installation, troubleshooting, and maintenance. We’ll cover safety, specialized tool use, industry best practices, and more. You will learn how to identify boat electrical components, practice making seaworthy wire terminations, correctly install DC equipment, and how to use a multimeter to save yourself hours of frustration trying to track down “boat gremlins”. Your learning and skill development will culminate with the design, building, and testing of a basic electrical system of your own at the renowned Marine Technology Center lab.

This is an introductory workshop that will prioritize safety, hands-on, applied learning. We welcome learners of all skill levels, especially if you have never picked up a tool or played with a battery before!

You will learn how to:

• Apply basic electrical fundamentals including Ohm’s Law and the Power Equations
• Recognize the differences between series and parallel circuits
• Draw circuit diagrams using basic electrical symbols
• Calculate wire size based on ampacity and voltage drop
• Select appropriate overcurrent protection size, type, and installation location
• Properly route wiring and install strain relief and chafe protection
• Apply recommended color coding for DC and AC wiring on boats

You will get to practice:

• Properly installing the components of a basic DC electrical circuit
• Drawing and working from basic circuit diagrams
• Performing basic DC electrical circuit safety checks
• Applying ABYC standards to evaluate and build circuits
• Choosing and using a variety of specialized electrical tools
• Conducting essential electrical troubleshooting with a multimeter
• Identifying and testing different types of fuses
• Building battery cables
• Testing battery voltages and recognizing their importance
• Building and testing battery banks in parallel and series

Cruisers College will offer a full weekend course about your diesel propulsion engine. Having your Diesel engine fail while underway can ruin your day. Worse, it could put you and your crew in a dangerous position. In general, marine diesel engines are incredibly reliable. They seem just to need, air, fuel, and water for cooling. You could add electrical power for starting, and you have covered the range of needs for a diesel engine. Most engine problems are due to fuel issues or keeping the engine cool. Using the Marine Tech Centers diesel engine lab, we will work with live diesel engines running where you can walk around the engine and see the different systems. You can look at the injectors and even learn to bleed the engine before starting.

Sample of topics covered:

• Annual and Regular Maintenance:
• Changing the oil and oil filters
• Changing Fuel filters
• Overheating can kill a diesel engine. Make sure your cooling system is maintained regular to avoid overheating and costly repairs.
• There is no warning for salt water incursion in your transmission cooling system. Gear coolers should be inspected it annually and replace or cleaned every 5 years
• Impellers should be inspected annually and replaced every 1-2 years depending on use
• Replacing hoses and belts every five years

Learn how to troubleshoot:

• Electrical systems on your engine for starting or charging.
• Vacuum gauge installation in your fuel system after the primary fuel filter to tell you if the system has a blockage or if the primary filter is dirty from bad fuel or a problem in the tank.

This is one of our most popular courses.. After this weekend course you will have a good understanding of how your diesel engine works and the basic areas for good maintenance and troubleshooting. We have expanded this course to provide more hands-on training utilizing our amazing lab full of parts, training aides, and running diesel engines.

Matt Mardesich is the primary propulsion instructor at Skagit Valley College. Matt has been around the water all his life and still does some commercial fishing when not teaching at the technical school. Matt is an ABYC certified Master Technician and holds certifications in Gasoline/Diesel engines and electrical. Some of the many topics he has done include: diesel engines, gasoline engines, outboard motors, and hydraulics.

In this hands-on workshop for women only, Julie will teach you how to troubleshoot and wire like a pro! If you are a female boater or cruiser who wants to gain proficiency in electrical troubleshooting and wiring, then this is the workshop for you. Sail and powerboat cruisers alike will gain essential knowledge and skills that will pay dividends for years to come. You’ll learn how to identify vessel wiring components, practice making seaworthy wire terminations, and how to correctly use a multimeter. This is an introductory workshop that will prioritize safety and hands-on learning. We welcome learners of all skill levels, especially if you have never picked up a tool or played with a battery before!

In this class you will learn how to:

• Identify the components of a basic DC electrical circuit
• Perform basic electrical circuit safety checks
• Choose and use a variety of electrical tools
• Conduct essential electrical troubleshooting with a multimeter
• Identify and test different types of fuses
• Identify key differences between marine and terrestrial wire and wiring practices

You’ll also get to:

• Try different types of electrical tools
• Start building your cruising toolkit
• Practice using different types of multimeters to learn your favorite
• Practice installing different wire terminations
• Test battery voltages and learn their importance

Speed a weekend learning about your boats diesel engine. A class, by Margaret, designed and taught just for women. Cruisers college will help you understand your diesel engine, the equipment you rely on when out exploring on your boat, and common trouble-shooting techniques for the cruising woman.

For both sailors and powerboaters! This class won’t make you a diesel mechanic. But it will give you basic knowledge of, and hands-on experience with, the engine and related systems needed for cruising in locally. This course reviews many of the things you need to know about your diesel engine and the important trouble-shooting techniques for when things don’t go as planned. This class will review marine diesel and drive train systems that are both the most likely to cause problems as well as being the easiest to fix (or prevent failing). You’ll discover there’s a lot you can do for your engine and drive train that doesn’t require lots of strength or using expensive tools. Attendees will receive example checklists and tool lists to tailor for their own vessels.

Sample of topics covered:

• Safety around engine systems

• How to avoid causing problems by the way you drive and manage your boat

• How to perform daily engine checks, using a sample checklist

• Tools and supplies for daily engine checks and basic repairs

• Basic electrical troubleshooting using a multi-meter

• Replacing raw water impellers

• Checking and changing fuel filters

• When your engine fails: basic diagnostics

This two-day workshop combines the Mahina Offshore Cruising Seminar (180 presented since 1976 to 12,000 sailors) with Skagit Valley College’s Cruisers College top hands-on classes including marine diesel engines and systems, marine electrical systems, plus sail repair, canvas making, sewing and line splicing. Included in the seminar cost of $595 per single or $995 per couple is one copy of the Offshore Cruising Companion, the 260-page textbook which retails for $60. 

This two-day seminar covers all the information you need to plan and prepare to cruise the Inside Passage to Southeast Alaska; including sights, activities, and destinations throughout Northern British Columbia, as well as Southeast Alaska. For this popular seminar, we have 5 instructors over the 2-day course, sharing decades of knowledge covering this extensive territory. This is a magical trip, and we want to help you plan the trip of a lifetime.