Search results

I had the same problem. My relief valve was discharging into the bilge. One I was sure it was the source I replaced it. They get old and tired and start to dscharge at, in my case, at a lower temperature. The marine releif valves have hotter set points then the ones for domestic use. I believe...

My wife makes us fender covers out of polar fleece. They are very kind to the boat with the added advantage of camouflaging stains on otherwise serviceable fenders. As they fade or wear she makes another set. We select fun patterns as the mood strikes. She has received many positive comments...

I installed an Octopus pump on our last sailboat. It was an adjustable model. I set the response time as suggested. That worked great for what we needed. It was not too difficult to reset if we found the response too slow or fast. I thought the Octopus pump was one of the best things we added to...

The $ value for boat is what a bargain hunter like me would pay at the it is placed on the market. In the mean time the value in my mind is higher. When we placed our previous boat on the market it was priced a few thousand lower than the 2 others of the same make and model. After many months...

I agree on using an anti-seize product. I would not use bronze fasteners is the tank is aluminum.

The last time I strpped our boats bottom I used the yards set up. Through experimentation they detrmined the best results were a combination of a Festool sander and a Fein vacuum. The thing that really seemed to make acdifference was a cyclone dust separator mounted on a five gallon bucket...

Have looked into drives for sailboats? Most sailboats with wheels are cable and chain. PYI has several Jeffa drives that might work. There are also others. Most can be adapted to the existing tillar arm. Some have sproket drives.

On the auto pilot question it could depend on the type of steering. Mechanical maybe, hydraulic maybe not. With hydraulic steering rudder feedback may be necessary as the relationship of the wheel to the rudder drifts over time. I suggest talking to Raymarine to find out. When we went from...

It is a strange situation concerning the pump out service grants. We make use of it when needed. A portion of our moorage fees are also donated to Terry and Sons. I would gladly pay a per use fee for the service. The bigger issue is the contradiction between the states fervent stand on...

Here is a little more information. When not used for a period of time and it is cold outside, the "pilot button" is pushed to engage the autopilot the indicator lights come on, however when the button is released the lights go out and the autopilot is not engaged. After the 35 minute warm up...

Thanks for the many good suggestions. I will pass these on and see if more symptoms can be provided.

A good friend has a Nordic Tug with a ComNav 1420 autopilot. When the weather is warm or if it has been used in the last day or two the autopilot functions when turned on. If it is cold out, it consistently takes 30-35 minutes after turning on to function. He has contacted ComNav service and...

I have a pair im my Canoe Cove 42. After 3 years of ownership they have been trouble free. Both are at the 4000 hour mark. I'm pleased at the economy. We are experiencing 3.4 gallons per hour all up running at 1600 rpm. This includes some furnace and generator use. They start instantly and...

I have a 10ft hypolon. I wish I had purchased a brand with more beam. The west marine is a bit skinny. Also with a 10hp it is hard to get on plane with one person. It is very nose up with engine at the lowest angle possible. When it finally levels out it it is ok but very twitchy. I added a...

I had the same situation when I installed a Raritan Marine Elegance. I found that SharkBite makes a press on coupling with one end sized for polybutylene and the other for 1/2 pex. Two years later and no issues with the connection.

I just helped a friend whonhad just installed a Balmar alternatorcon alternator on a Volvo diesel in his sailboat. A relay like that is required to get the charging light on the instrument panel to turn off when the alternatorcis charging. In his case the signal voltage with the new alternator...

I have a Canoe Cove with 8.2s. Those were not my first choice but after a couple of years I have no complaints. Running at 1600 rpm I'm using about 3.5 gallons per hour for both. We are approaching 4000 hours on the engines with no indication of major problems. The one thing to watch is...

If the anchorage is crowded I just deal with it as long as there is no danger of having someone swing into us. Otherwise bagpipes can be effective even if you do know how go play them!

Is this a situation where you could negotiate with the yard on the repairs? If they are able to do the work perhaps a 50% discount to you? Or 50/50 on a contractor? This would most likely be the cheapest and friendliest way to get your boat repaired.

Mister Paddler, As your story winds out it seems that the order of events goes like this. 1. You made an offer on a boat and it was accepted. 2. You then submitted additional requirements the owner instructed the broker to reject. 3. You teed off on the broker for not submitting them when the...

I have known the brokers a Port Gardner for several years and have sold a boat through them. I was very happy with the way things were represented as I wanted to make sure any prospective buyers had an accurate sense of the condition of my boat. I made it clear I also would reject any offer that...

Racing sailboats to Hawaii in the Victoria to Maui race we found a couple of things on lighting at night. First was our binnacle compass was had a tactical card with red and green sectors with white numbers. With red lights the numbers in the red sectors disappeared. The solution was to use blue...

I also heard the Pan broadcast. I agree that a genrral location would be helpful. It might just be my ears but USCG sector Puget Sound thinks that talking super fast is important. I find it hard to understand what they are saying. The Canadian CG talks just a bit slower. They come across...

I don't know about solutions that involve raps but I have replaced a couple of difficult hose runs from deck fills. I have found that pulling the deck fill out of the hose can make a significant difference in making the job possible. After the new hose is in place the last step is to reinstall...

I mask around everything 1/8 to 3/16 away from the base of the fitting. I have a waste container at hand, a putty knife to scoop up the squeezed out caulk and lots of rags and paper towels.. When all that is readybthen its time to goo and fasten. The excess caulk sqeezes out, the putty knife...