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Some incredible adventures and projects listed here. You guys rock! I've got 2 of my brothers visiting from Canada, and we'll be doing a 6 week cruise. Depending on the weather, we'll be exploring St Vincent Gulf, Kangaroo Island, Spencer Gulf, & St Joseph Bank Islands. I'm really looking...

As mentioned in post #2, sometimes opening an equalizing valve makes the list worse. Take notice of where all your tanks are. I keep my all my equalizing valves shut, and manage the boat level by alternating water tanks which are further off the centreline. They have the biggest affect on...

I love a good, strong cup of coffee (or three) every morning. I don't care for drip type coffee or Nespresso type. A good stainless steel french press is all I use for coffee either at home or on the boat. Water is heated on my metho stove, which also serves as my toaster. My wife & I...

I look at the cost of diesel fuel a bit differently. I am always amazed at how inexpensive fuel (gasoline, diesel, petrol) is, once you consider it has taken hundreds of millions of years to produce the raw product. Then it has to be extracted from up to 10,000 feet under the ground. Then it...

My 10 foot Zodiac with a little 3hp 2 stoke suit me well, but everyone has their own preference. I like it because it's a lightweight package that I can lift on the cabin roof when needed, but can still carry four in calm water. I wouldn't recommend towing an inflatable dinghy unless you...

I love my boat's canoe stern and big rudder which handles beautifully in following seas. My favourite upgrade would be adding solar and a bigger AGM battery bank to make the boat self sufficient for electrical power without the need for dock charging or a generator.

In theory, having all the tanks equalized should keep the boat level, although in real life this doesn't always happen. As mvweebles mentioned, if something else causes causes the boat to list then the fuel will flow to the lowest tank making the list worse. The initial list may be caused by...

Nice job. Kind of like a beautifully restored classic car. A great hobby for a restoration guy and fun for shows, but tough to maintain if actually used regularly.

I certainly wouldn't rely on a zip tie to secure my anchor; although my main anchor doesn't have a trip mode. Luckily, it is very rare to have an anchor stuck on bottom around here. Last week I thought it may be hung up, but the the anchor had just dug itself in very deep due to the 30-40...

The noise often is from the gearbox, but but a good damper plate can reduce or eliminate the rattle. Mine does until the bushes wear out. I'm still searching for the the root cause of the problem.

You can buy a bushing kit for the polyurethane type damper plates for about $50. Easy to replace on the Centa brand damper plates. Pulling the transmission can be a pain in the butt. Before you start, pick up a couple 4" long bolts the same diameter & thread as the bolts holding the gearbox...

Building an integral tank tank has several advantages. It uses all the available space efficiently. One side is done for you already. (the hull) It adds a degree of safety if that part of the hull is ever holed. You'll only get salt water in your water tank, rather than sinking your boat.

I prefer to have each bilge pump fused and connected to a 3 way switch, for manual, off, and auto. (as psneeld suggests) This is the switch I have mounted at the helm for each bilge pump...

My little 3hp two stroke Mercury has been very dependable. I chose it because of simplicity, not brand. It was a good choice. The only issue I've had in 7 years was after it got dumped in the surf. I didn't rinse it well enough and it developed a bit of corrosion on the coil wiring...

Everyone has differing needs. I like to keep it simple. I have a single 250 watt solar panel, a 480Ah AGM house bank and a 120A alternator. My only electricity uses are a fridge and freezer, lights, fans and a few minor accessories. Solar keeps the battery fully charged all but a few days...

As mentioned, house batteries should be deep cycle type which should have an amp/hour rating. Starting batteries have a CCA rating. There are also dual purpose batteries which have would have both ratings. It sounds as your batteries may be starting batteries which aren't designed to be...

I built mine with 3/8" marine ply with 2x2" hardwood edging. A couple coats of epoxy before painting. Rather than the bimini frame, I just used two straight 1" stainless posts for support, which is much more solid for walking on.

From the Govt of Canada website: Fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents and French citizens and permanent residents of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (SPM) are eligible to enter Canada by boat for discretionary purposes and can come on land, anchor, moor, or come alongside another...

Slowly getting more development in this area. It still isn't cost effective, if you only count the dollars, but good to see electric boating progressing. Here's one that caught my eye. https://yachthub.com/list/boats-for-sale/used/power-boats/custom-62-pod-cat/265483

I'm fairly happy with the Magma flopper stopper. One unit on the outrigger reduced my roll at anchor significantly. Without the outrigger the reduction is much less. I had the same issue with the hinges as Chip. One of the spot welds on the hinges gave way so I drilled six holes and...

If they are AGM batteries, there are no levels or liquid to check specific gravity. Either they have a shorted cell or the battery charger is out of control to produce high levels of CO. Ideally, you should have a temperature sensor on tour battery which will reduce the charging when this...

Everyone has there own thoughts on this topic. I just use fill my tanks with Adelaide tap water then use it for showers, washing and drinking. I try to use up each tank completely every month at least, before refilling. No filters, bleaches or other treatment. If I want bottled water I fill...

Some boats list more readily than others. A narrow boat with a rounded hull shape (like a canoe) will list with a relatively small imbalance, whereas a wide hard chined boat (shaped more like a box) will require a big imbalance to make the boat list noticeably. btw - This doesn't mean that...

The photo isn't very clear. You may have to follow each of the lines and draw up and post a schematic showing each line and valve.

I have yet to find the limit for when to call in a professional. I did do it once (replaced standing rigging) but only because of my time constraints. So far I've managed to all regular maintenance as well as replacing the following gear: engine, gearbox, prop, fuel tanks, holding tank...