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I agree, put them on the house bank. Anything that isn't powered through the engine key switches shouldn't be on the start batteries. Basically, it should be impossible to accidentally drain the start batteries.

I haven't gone LFP yet for the house, but in the current setup I haven't provided a way for the house bank to charge the start batteries. The start batteries get charged when the engines are running and also via a 120v charger if the generator is running or the boat is on shore power...

Standard Horizon's price is generally lower and I like their gear as far as usability, the remote mics, etc. However, I remember a recent discussion over on CF where there was some thought that the receivers in the Icom radios might be slightly better, at least for the higher end units from...

If it's a known water source like some drips from a chain locker or stuffing box, a little water isn't necessarily abnormal. I generally work to minimize it, but as long as water isn't excessive and it's from a known and non-problematic source, I don't worry too much. If I don't know where...

I agree that headroom might be the biggest challenge. My own boat ticks many of the boxes except for gas engines and headroom (6'3" on the centerline, just over 6' at the edges, 6' through doorways). The aft cabin has a king and a good example is under $75k though.

If you want a really unnerving sound from a Velvet Drive, wait until the day you hear someone put one in gear with the engine idle set too low or an engine that's idling too rough. The rattling noise from the damper plate in that situation will have you wondering if your shaft is rattling...

I'd expect the clunk is coming from either the reduction unit on the trans or the damper plate when it encounters a sudden change in load while the blades flip to the correct position. A single clunk on shifting at idle power is unlikely to be harmful, just annoying.

I don't keep our lights on the dinghy all the time for that reason. Most of the time they're dis-mounted and stored in a cabinet on deck on the boat. If we're taking the dinghy out at night or might be out near dusk or other times when we'd need the lights then I either put them in their...

I was mostly wanting to make sure that there wasn't a detail I was missing, being the non-professional in the room. Having the book in front of me is one thing, but knowing that I've actually interpreted it correctly is important.

Yup, I saw that one. It's all around AND sidelights though. No allowance for only displaying an all around white with nothing else.

I don't see an exception for that in the inland rules. International mentions that under 7 meters and 7 kts you can have an all around white per rule 23(d)(ii). I don't see a corresponding rule at all for inland, only rule 23(c) stating that for under 12 meters you can have an all around white...

I thought the all around white was only allowed if the dinghy isn't capable of exceeding 7 kts? Otherwise you need an all around white + side lights. Side lights and stern light only (with no forward facing white) wouldn't be valid for a powered dinghy, as that would indicate that you're under...

If the gearbox is operating normally and the auto prop is working and in good condition, I'd just leave it alone. The clunk from the blades changing position isn't harmful or abnormal if everything else checks out. It's just something to live with.

If it hasn't always steamed then it's an indication that something in the exhaust is getting hotter than normal likely due to restricted water flow or uneven water flow through the exhaust mixer. Some systems are prone to showing steam, especially in cool, damp weather. But an increase in...

A tricolor is not a complete set of dinghy lights. You need a bi color on the bow and then an all around white. We have a battery operated set we use, can't remember the brand.

Lock View and Andrews Trucking Limited have both brought quite a few boats in and out of our marina with seemingly good results. The marina owner has used ATL to ship his own boat and has been happy.

Lead acid batteries also perform better at high temps. But the lifespan gets significantly shorter.

As an interesting note, running harder doesn't necessarily lead to higher engine room temps. My engine room temps actually drop a couple of degrees up on plane as the engines are pulling significantly more air though the space (and they draw from up high as well). Temp rise after shutdown is a...

It drives me crazy how the selling point for so many boats is based on how many people it can sleep. In my mind, I don't care how many spots there are for people to sleep as I can guarantee I'd never actually want that many people on board overnight. A lot of 3 stateroom boats might be better...

I can see that happening if the depth is really close to the alarm threshold. Mine has enough hysteresis that I haven't run into it though, most places where I'm in a continuous alarm condition are more like a foot below alarm depth rather than an inch, so it doesn't re-gain enough depth to...

The Lowrance MFD currently at my helm handles the alarm nicely. When it triggers it pops up a message on the screen and beeps. Once you tap the button to acknowledge, it silences and just keeps a little blinking reminder in the corner of the screen until the alarm condition clears (which...

4 blades aren't automatically better. If the boat doesn't need the extra blade area available with 4 blade designs (in other words prop diameter isn't limiting) then a 3 blade is likely to be slightly more efficient, although if it's a high blade area 3 blade design vs a 4 blade with higher...

I wouldn't worry about trying to data log the rolling. Timing it manually is plenty accurate for this purpose. Just get the boat rolling, then time how long it takes to get from the peak of the roll in one direction to the other side and back to peak in the first direction. The actual amount...

I'm thinking if it's mostly pulled in by hand and the winch is only used to snug things up it should be manageable to tail it and keep things from tangling. In that situation you're probably only winching in a few feet of line.

I can't imagine the self tailing feature working with flat webbing. Using that on any kind of winch may be a challenge, but it's likely possible if you don't try to use the self tailer for that purpose.