Recent content by FF

"I carried one for a few years and discovered I never used it." For folks that do not require air cond 24/7 this is common. The multiple battery power tools take care of most on board tasks .

"In reading all these posts I have come to one conclusion. It's all about revenue for the shareholders." As it is supposed to be.

Eutetic in one compartment it is always difficult not to freeze the milk. The hassle is the plate must be at least 5f deg below the fluids freezing temp to solidly freeze the plate. A lower temp will freeze the plate a bit quicker. Our solution was an Igloo to hold the stuff we didn't want...

WOW! This thread has so many opinions its like watching HOUSE on TV!

Nice pump , have it fixed rather than purchasing a new lesser pump.

"And then a signal amplifier can sometimes help a bit, too." WE have found a signal amplifier is critical to having a large number of channels to select from. 12V TV are common in RV , as are signal amplifiers 12v powered.

Assuming your new purchase boat has a new zero time gen set , it might help wanabee folks to know the total cost of operating it till shot and then replacing it. Assume oil changes , filters, winterizing ? all by Da Book. The true total hourly cost of operating might be a help, to new folks .

The best oil change is done after a long run with the oil and engine still hot. Oil normally contains detergents which can lift stuck crud that is too fine for filters to grab that is wise to remove from the engine. Do changes hot and there will seldom be crud inside the valve covers .

"If I have to yell at somebody on the dock to "grab this rope and loop it around that thing next to your foot" - I'll handle the landing myself, thank you." The hassle is the fellow on the dock will usually belay it to the cleat instantly , a short stop most times.

"We are on the fence about trailering - it would require a much larger, heavy duty truck ($$$) than our Tacoma and traffic sucks in Seattle". For the adventurous there is a workaround. A tractor from an 18 wheeler that has living quarters attached can be registered as a motor home. The...

With the advances in electric meters that can keep track of use and report totals to the office , I think "free" dock electric will be history, even for transients.

Many helm wheels have a tapered bore that matches the taper of the steering shaft,or pump.. A good taper grabs very well, usually the key is a method of aligning the wheel with the steering, and as a bit of safety. Sounds like either the wheel was forced beyond rational which may have damaged...

"Don’t want to blindly order same if I can make an improvement." Define "improvement".

If the hull bottom is single skin of glass , inside works ok. A cored bottom l does not work well with most setups. Having the range to go over 300FT depth with a recording unit allows contour navigation a fine get home system , just in case .

As was noted , in many cases "trawler " defines the deck and pilot house . You should consider looking at older sport fish boats. They are fuelish , designed to operate at speed , and actually built for ocean use. Which can not be said of most stock "trawlers" or motor yachts. SF...