Recent content by Capt. Kirk

I do have a few more questions: What Charts do I need? I plan to buy the paper charts for the Trent Severn Waterway and the Richardson Chartbooks for Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Are there any other paper charts I'll need? I have a pair of Furuno Chartplotters on my boat and Navionics on my...

Another friend who is an experienced Great Lakes cruiser also recommended Petoskey and Harbor Springs as great towns to visit along with Leland and Charlevoix. He also recommended the anchorage at South Manitou Island as a great overnight stop in prevailing winds after spending some time at...

Thank you for all the great input. We did get to spend some time cruising the Thousand Islands last fall and it is a wonderful cruising ground. We also enjoyed tying up at and exploring Boldt Castle. I'd also highly recommend it. As much as we'd like to cruise Lake Superior, and don't mind long...

Like many other captains here, I strongly suggest adding an autopilot. You never have to use it. You will likely be amazed how often you'll chose to use it. Best of luck and happy cruising whatever you decide. Capt, Kirk

Hello Trawler Forum Cruisers, My wife, Sharon, and I are new to Great Lakes cruising and are in need of a lot of advice. We are looking for recommendations about "must see" destinations. We will also be looking for recommendations about where to establish a "home base" or home bases, where...

I can report she is now laying on her side at Gulf Marine Yachtworks in Ft. Myers Beach, FL. I saw her there yesterday and wondered what the backstory was. Very sad sight to see a great cruising boat laid up like that, but glad the crew is safe. Like many of the passes of SWFL, Captiva Pass...

It was someone in the office not a mecahnic, but still surprised they would say that if they really didn't know how this works. Thanks for the insight.

Sorry, but I'm confused. Are you suggesting I do all the following for my engine survey? Remove the injectors to check the compression? And then put them back in and "run the rack?" "Adjust the injectors so all are timed properly , so all the cylinders will do equal work? And adjust the...

I have an accepted off on a RPHMY with twin 550 HP DD 6V92s. With 550 HP, am I correct that they must be TAs? The current owner has had her for five years. He says he has run her at 8 to 10 knots, occasionally 20 knots. Of course, I don’t know the entire history of usage, so I plan to hire an...

I have received conflicting feedback on how to best run the 6V92s. Some people have said, “you can’t baby these girls, you got to run them on the pins.” I take it that means at higher RPMs. This is not my inclination. Others here have said: “That engine, when run hard, did not last very long...

Detroits mistake was in the sealants used to assemble the engine. Use DD stuff it will leak unless very fine workmanship was used. Clean surfaces and a torque wrench. Using OTS sealant was common for bus companies , that rebuilt their own engines. I don't really understand what this means...

This boat has Walker Airseps already, which will help minimize the mess in the engine room, although I’m hoping not to eat my lunch down there too often. It does look like it could use a good cleaning now. She also has dual Racors on both engines and single Racors on each genset, fuel...

I have made an offer on a boat powered with the original pair of 550 HP 6v92 Detroit Diesels. Both have been rebuilt in the last few years and they have all the documentation on the rebuilds. I wouldn't buy the boat if i thought I'd have to re-power her in the next 5 years. Please let me...

FYI - after spending an hour ofn the phoone with progressive they said, "sorry, we don't insure boats over 50 feet." I thank everyone for all the good feedback and will start making calls to some of the folks you've given me.

From what I gather finding a company to insure an older boat can be difficult. I am looking to buy a trawler or motor yacht in 45’ to 60’ range to cruise and live aboard six months a year. My budget has me looking at 20 to 40 year old models. I found a 50 plus footer that I’m very interested...