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  1. S

    Wiring a new UP/DOWN switch.

    Greatly appreciated. Thank you.
  2. S

    Wiring a new UP/DOWN switch.

    Lugs on the new switch are labeled 3 & 4 on both sides. Does this change your thinking?
  3. S

    Wiring a new UP/DOWN switch.

    The up/down switch for my 120v dinghy hoist is assumed to be original equipment -- vintage 1988. Recently it began sticking occasionally while in the UP position. Not good. Afraid to try one of the ten-dollar switches available on Ebay, I ordered a new Square-D switch. Wrongly thought it...
  4. S

    Adding Ballast

    I moved my house battery bank from port side to starboard. Now nicely balanced.
  5. S

    Ocean Alexander 423

    I have a single 3208 that I generally run at 1200 rpm. That gives me six to seven knots with a burn rate of about two gallons per hour.
  6. S

    Happy wife happy life? Hmmm

    I'm 92ish. Lost my wife there years ago. Loved her deeply. Miss her terribly. If I didn't have a boat to mess around on and cruise from time to time, I'd go nuts.
  7. S

    The Dinghy dilemma

    Hey, Slow Hand... Could you elaborate on your techniques and quick release hold-downs?
  8. S

    Vinyl paint

    How about Clorox? I had scrubbed the dickens out of my chairs with negative results. They were accumulating a gray/black stain over the white. My daughter suggested Clorox. I purchased a bottle, reduced 1 part Clorox with 10 parts water and applied with a small spray bottle. The results...
  9. S

    Wire butt splice

    Ordinarily, I use crimp connectors. But for the really small wires, the soldered connectors are great. I use a heat gun to melt the solder.
  10. S

    Anchor chain piling up blocking winch

    I did the same as jgwinks... cut the bottom out of the chain locker. The chain now drops several feet into a compartment beneath the v-berth. Works great.
  11. S

    Thinking of Downsizing, Options?

    In my situation, I went from a 44' sail to a 34' trawler... too old to any longer handle the big sails. I singlehand 99% of the time. Have no bow thruster. Do have a single 375hp Cat engine that I usually run at 1200 rpm for a speed of roughly 7 knots. Fuel burn: 2 gph. Stardust, a Wilbur...
  12. S

    Tipping Tips...

    I make a point of having a bow line available but not within reach of a dock attendant. As you mentioned, they'll screw things up every time.
  13. S

    Bilge pump float switch

    They may be bullet proof but they don't work in fresh (rain) water.
  14. S

    Cat 3208 stays running

    My boat has a Cat 3208 and I've occasionally encountered the same problem... turn the key off and the engine continues to run. In my case the problem was a sticky solenoid. I now keep a spare aboard but disassembling and cleaning the solenoid is not a big deal. In my situation, cleaning was...
  15. S

    Getting off dock against the wind in a Camano

    No fenders. No spring line. My rub rail is in contact with a piling. My bow pulpit is between pilings and swings over the dock a little but the only contact is between the rub rail and a piling. The important thing is to turn your wheel all the way to port or starboard, in my case to...
  16. S

    Getting off dock against the wind in a Camano

    My boat is on a side-tie with the next slip forward being at right angles and the stern of my neighbor overhangs my slip. Consequently, I use a bow-in, stern-out maneuver with every departure. I no longer use a spring line... having a single engine, I turn my helm full rudder to bring my bow...
  17. S

    Crossing the Columbia river bar

    No drogue & avoid ebb tides in any but calm conditions.
  18. S

    Chasing air in fuel line two years

    My experience was similar to Wayne's. Replacing the ball valves located at each tank finally resolved my air leak problem. Good luck.
  19. S

    Happy and sad

    For this old guy, this has been an immensely interesting and enlightening discussion. My only connection with the medical profession has been as a recipient of my doctor's services. And how those services have changed. And not for the better. I've used the same family doctor for generations...
  20. S

    Shackle to anchor connection video

    A high-speed wind shift may be rare but it happens. Some years ago I anchored in a cove near the western shore of the Sea of Cortez. Conditions were light and the wind was directly off the shore. I was sailing a forty-four foot boat and using a Fortress FX37 anchor with ⅝" nylon rode. While...
  21. S

    Terrible smelly exhaust.. just awful

    I have the same engine, a single with about 3000 hours, and normally cruise at 1200rpm, occasionally running up to 1500. It smokes a bit the first few minutes after starting; then clears up and runs clean. The exhaust has the normal smell of any diesel trawler but no unusual stink. Hope...
  22. S

    How often do you need your lower helm?

    Except when in the very nastiest of nasty weather, I'm always on the flybridge.
  23. S

    Historic registration

    Thank you, Donna. I've located the form provided on the internet, filled it out and will head to the tag office tomorrow.
  24. S

    Bow Thruster vs Stern Thruster

    Working below decks yesterday, I looked out a port when hearing the sound of a nearby thruster. An approximately 45 foot sailboat, a contemporary design, was approaching the T-head on the dock opposite where I was tied up. Conditions were benign. Hardly a breeze and no current. After a great...
  25. S

    Use of searchlights at night

    Concerns about night blindness have always led me to avoid the use of a spotlight (or any but nav lights) when underway at night. The exception has been to have a man on the bow with a handheld spotlight to assist in picking out the markers when approaching or entering an inlet. Having the...
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