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They are not boats, only rides like at a fair! "As a former WDW Boat Captain I can answer this question for you. No special license is needed. Disney will train you and if you pass the assessment your good and they will certify you, now this are some serious training. Watercraft is the...

Admittedly I haven't been there in quite some time, but every boat ride I took when I was there, including this one, was on tracks like a train and towed by a cable like a Frisco cable car. No captain's license or inspection required by the USCG. Perhaps they are inspected and certified by the...

The number of times you will need the Fortress are so few that I'd (and I do) keep it disassembled in the Laz. Otherwise, you are going to have to hang it on the pulpit or store it so the flukes are vertical in the bow roller. No way a Rocna and any Danforth style anchor are going to sit in the...

Exactly what size line/chain can you carry on a 43' boat that will actually hold 60 odd thousand pounds with absolutely no resistance, never mind trying to drag your boat over whatever material you are grounded on? My 1/2" chain has a WWL of only 4500 pounds. Amsteel line may have the basic...

There are no full disclosure laws regarding the sale of boats as there are regarding houses. It is a BUYER BEWARE deal and don't expect anything more. Though I've owned somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 boats over my lifetime, I've never checked the engine build date against the hull build...

Kinda depends on the situation. Not everything on a boat goes according to plan, or haven't you noticed? Lines get loose, cables break; who knows? Again, in the end it is your responsibility to keep clear and getting angry when you have no idea what the other operator may be going through is...

As a former tug master, there are situations that require 100% of one's attention to navigate a tug and tow and should a pleasure craft find itself in an uncomfortable position in relationship to my actions, I must rely on his judgement and the ColRegs that he will keep clear and not require...

Every ship, tug and commercial craft I've ever operated or seen has and uses spotlights when needed. Fishing vessels are so lit up at night they throw a loom over the horizon. Many yachts and small pleasure craft have headlights under the bow or a searchlight on the cabin roof. The lighting on...

For years I have been trying to get enough boaters together to build 3 to 5 step side accommodation ladders at a reasonable price. It would require 10 orders to get them out (in alloy, possibly with teak steps) at around us$3500.00 plus shipping from Trinidad or Grenada. All I've found start at...

I think the answer is pretty simple. You will really regret not having at least a million CP hand held search light on your boat when you need one! :banghead:

Like you, I've been in this boating thing quite some time, but even though I once had a survey company of my own, I always have another surveyor aboard to do the "official" survey. I'll certainly survey the boat myself first, but I won't stop there. First off, a stranger has zero emotional...

I would have nothing to do with that broker or the boat. Chances are that is not a reputable broker and he has something to hide or cover up. Half of a commission is better than nothing, especially in today's market.

This is very common in steel boats but it is not free form art! You will need a naval architect to figure out exactly how much concrete ballast you are going to need and it's placement. Normally, in the past, the hull would be coated in a thick layer of tar to insure that water did not get...

A great deal of the time fishing folks, both commercial and pleasure, seem to think (mistakenly) that they are the only ones who should be on the water. From the absolutely incomprehensibly rude and arrogant lobster fishermen in NE, to the fishermen who clutter the Muskegon channel even when...

I'd guess it would depend on whether you were to purchase a twin screw boat or single, and whether it was equipped with a thruster. A single screw boat would often require the use of a spring line whereas a twin screw boat can pretty much be docked anywhere, anytime without problem. If your boat...

I was captain/engineer (yeah I was a 'deal' for the owners back then) of a large aluminum motorsailer some years ago. She wasn't a new boat, so I'm surprised I found the problem, but any oil leaking out of the 4 Jimmy diesels (2, 471 gensets and 2, 671 mains) was corroding wherever it dripped...

Thanks for the reply. As for 6-volt banks, I left the states with 6 Trojan 145's as my house bank, but we live in the Caribbean and they aren't easily replaced down here. A 4D is a drop-in and cheaper.

As Tim the tool man Taylor says, we need "[B]MORE POWER[B]! Last year we got an Engel freezer and smaller than usual 4d's (Colombian). The easy solution I see right now is to add the engine start battery to the house bank and get another battery for engine start. My question: Do you think a...

You can probably pick up a Northern Troller for under 40 grand that is every bit as good a sea boat and do the conversion to your dream custom yacht for another 100. 360 seems an incredibly high price for a 1980 wood boat, especially painted military grey! Also, consider that insurance on an...

If it was me, I would haul the boat, have the bottom done and make sure the engines and running gear was in perfect order. I much prefer the old Onans (I know where to get parts, etc), and any knowledgeable buyer would too, but leave that replacement choice to the new owner along with the...

A proper bilge coating paint should not absorb oils and discolor over time. Repainting is such a pain, why not do it right the first time?

I have literally hundreds and hundreds of movies on DVD (paid for) and since the newer computers are coming out w/o DVD drives, I'd love to get them on a hard drive, so I can watch them. Anybody have any idea of how I can do so at anything but 1 to 1 speed and some have copyright protection on...

A wire brush, some tape and couple of cans of green spray paint and I can make a pair of engines that aren't worth a penny look that good. Be very, very careful when buying a very inexpensive boat, especially a relatively cheap boat originally, these days after all the hurricanes we've had...

I've been operating diesel engines for more than 5 decades, from single cylinder air cooled portable ones to a few with single piston displacements larger than the cabin many on here sleep in. Never once ran any of them @ 35%. Heck, on many diesel engines, 35% just barely gets the oil and water...

I'm sorry, but I way disagree with Mr. Zimmerman. He is basically advising that one should have an engine 3 times larger than is necessary. As if one needs a car that must do 210 mph if one wishes to cruise at 70 mph! Preposterous! If you think about it, a genset often operates near full load...