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Tony Athens has lots of free info on marine exhaust issues, and he calls many of these exhaust systems as installed by the boat builder as "doomed to fail" (it is only a matter of time). Even the best quality components will deteriorate over time (salt water and high temps are a "deadly mix")...

There is some good info on Tony Athens' website (sbmar.com) regarding why he prefers an oil pan heater over a traditional "block heater" (in the forums and under Tony's Tips). Most block heaters require much more power (eg. like 1200 - 1500 watts compared to 250 watts for the oil pan heater) and...

Derek, Good job! This illustrates why I opine about the need for "regular" full off engine servicing rather than the "Barnacle Buster" type of band-aid fix. Often there are anode pieces, impeller pieces, and other sea debris that can lead to a very costly engine overheat. By the time that the...

I see I am an hour late (as usual :)). I also recommend the Wolverine oil pan heater. The one I used on my Cummins 6BTA 330 HP engine was 250 watts. It kept the oil (and rest of the engine and ER) warm, and helped with cold starts, early oil flow (right after a cold start), and kept the ER warm...

As others have stated, you will be missed Dave. Thanks for all of your contributions and Good Luck on the path forward!!! Tom

+1 on Morad. I used 2 of them on my Tug with good success. Around here, you see Morads on most fish boats and other commercial types.

I used the setup I think you are describing. Splicing in a thimble (using an "eye" splice) into one end of 3 stand rope is fairly easy, and there are many sources of instructions on how to do this (for example UTube). I did mine myself. There is even an app called Grog knots that can show you...

I suggest contacting Dave Allen at Nordic Tugs. He will know or be able to find out.

Agree with both DavidM and OCDiver. Most stock (single engine) alternator setups are just basically "automotive" style, internally regulated "basic" alternators that are wired directly to the start battery and are intended to put back the small amount of electricity used to start the engine, and...

Congrats on the new "toy" Steve!!! FIRE, My 2 cents worth (and worth every penny you paid :)), is "value" is subjective. What I mean by that is, it is possible that prices may drop, availability may increase, and you MAY be able to look back and (for those reasons) "wish you had waited"...

I used a notebook laid out by system as well as the Excel spreadsheet developed by James Hamilton from his website: https://mvdirona.com/2015/03/maintenance-log/

From what i have learned from various well respected sources, I agree with Comodave!! Running at the dock before departing to "warm" the engine is not necessary and might only succeed in annoying other boaters docked nearby! The best warmup is under load at low rpm as in slowly exiting the...

Greg, Welcome aboard the TF!!!! And thanks for restarting this potentially "contentious" issue :) Olthers here have it right. It is a personal preference. No right or wrong (although in the future, under certain circumstances you may think you should have gone the other way) :) I prefer singles...

I also used the Vesper XB8000 WiFi successfully to connect 3 different IPads (sometimes all at the same time). One is an IPad mini with no cellular, and the other 2 are full sized IPads (one newer and the other older) that have celluar. I also connected a Windows laptop via hardwire. All worked...

Not related specifically to stabilizers, but I had a very bad experience at Seaview Boatyard (Bellingham but same company) and do not recommend them. Due to this experience, I question their honesty. Just my experience and fully realize others may have had differing experiences.

Freshwater flushing is a very good idea. It will help keep your raw water cooling side cleaner, less corrosive, and allow you to go longer between full servicing of the raw water side. I am not a fan of "descaling" (ie. using products like Barnacle Buster) as a substitute for proper and...

The first boat that I owned was a 37 foot sailboat. I had no "real" prior boating experience. I took several Power Squadron courses, and a full one week hands on boating course (staying on board our boat at anchor overnight) with just my wife and an instructor. Instruction took place underway...

Many NW boaters (BC and Wash) boat year round and therefore, do very little to "winterize", and few seem to have (big) problems. I did not use the boat during the winter, so in the interest of an abundance of caution, I did winterize in the following fashion: -installed an oil pan heater (150 W)...

OK, I'll bite. For me there is a list of things, and in no particular order the things I consider are: - recommendations from others or "reputation". - reliability. Does he/she show up when agreed. - wait time for sure. - willingness to "teach" as they work, and have me observe. - cost. Labour...

To the OP, Eric (Nomad Willy) has raised an important point about being overpropped and therefore potentially overloading your engine. It is less of an issue when the engine is operated at lower rpm (like half throttle), but still an issue. The only way I know of to test for this on these older...

"Service records, or lack thereof don't really mean anything." While I agree that service records are not the "be all to end all", I do feel that having access to good service records has value!! Therefore, I respectfully (in general) disagree with that statement. Having no service records or...

John, Having owned one of those engines, I concur with DavidM. I used to run (varying) between 1200 rpm and 1400 rpm achieving at fuel burn rate (averaged over several seasons and about 500-600 hours) of 2.0 gal/hr. I would change rpm every 20-30 minutes (between the 12-1400 rpm). Every 10 hours...

Being as you state you like computer logs over paper, have a look at James Hamilton's work for his vessel MV Dirona. https://mvdirona.com/2020/08/ships-log/ https://mvdirona.com/2015/03/maintenance-log/ He "shares" these for anyone to use. Personally, I just used a notebook for tracking...

"Chilli", I think your outlook here is sound. However, I for one, cannot understand when there is a complete lack of maintenance records! How does the current owner (seller) know when maintenance is required when they don't know when it was last performed?? I kept detailed service records if for...

Dave, Your boat, your engines, etc., so you decide. However, my free advice (worth every penny) is at least pull them (at least the part where the exhaust water is injected), and give them a thorough cleaning (eg. at the radiator shop) and inspection. As others have stated, including Steve D...