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Can't advise, relative to your boat, but I can tell you what we take into account and what we've done about it. Not all about locking, per se, but some applies... as it also would to securing for storms. Our boat's beam at stern is smaller than beam at mid-ship, so if we dock side-to and with...

There's enclosed, and then there's enclosed. The hard enclosure as on a Maritimo would likely be more securely closed, but then that's probably a lot of weight, up high. We have the next step down from that, a hardtop and then full see-through curtains all round. Since it's a greenhouse, it...

Good points. The high water issue extends to other coastal States, not just FL, GA, SC, etc. Even here where we are, there's already a remediation project underway, since the Annapolis City Dock area routinely floods even with heavy rain. (For those who might be interested: Homepage 2024 -...

Barrier protection sounds nifty. But... Major hurdle is about exit strategy. Times a bazillion individuals who might want one. X bought a house on a barrier island. Fulfilled a lifelong dream. Can X find and afford a Plan B? Sell to somebody else? (Now they have the same problem.) Walk...

Lots of zen involved. "Condition" applies to the whole boat: hull, individual systems, etc. And there can be cases where an '83 boat might have had various systems already replaced/updated, whereas a 2004 boat might be on the verge of everything crapping out. Or there can also be cases where...

In that case... we eventually went with a Vulcan 40... compromise of weight, size, what will fit/ride on our davit, windlass power, etc. With a Mantus Anchor Guard, to keep the fluke tip from digging into the stainless catch plate on our bow. Barely fits. And I couldn't lift it if the...

If you haven't already, see anchor test videos by Steve Goodwin, S/V Panope, on YouTube. His #131 (IIRC) has some comparison charts, toward the end, or he may have something newer by now too. His tests likely won't include anchors large enough for your requirements, but the shape-to-effect...

Didn't mean to imply I was "claiming" anything. I'm just familiar enough with the Fed budget process to know that annual funding eventually made available by Congress is usually much lower (best case) than what it would take to do the jobs as tasked. More normally, way lower. I could easily...

Yeah... and often the budgeting process is a serious underlying hurdle. Probably not dissimilar from the Fed budget process, which I'm more familiar with: Start the build process three-ish years early (with estimates of future requirements and their costs), refine in year -2, refine again in...

Might depend on size of charters. Boat chartered for 6 pax or under can be (usually are) uninspected. And then if inspected, that's about safety features... and may or may not have addressed issues new users may want to focus on. -Chris

Fair enough. But many don't have powered winches, though... and in any case, messing with sail trim -- in addition to just steering -- hits my "too much work" button. And work, to me, is a cost factor. :) -Chris

Polyform A5s are very heavy, almost 20-lbs, and a 27" diameter. We have one, wifey can't move it. A4s, 20.5" diameter, under 10 lbs, are more easily managed... if that size will work for your boat. -Chris

The "cost" of sailing -- I mean with mast, sails, rigging, sheets, etc. -- should also include the physical effort necessary to make the boat go where you want it. I count our time and effort as important factors, lower being better. Power = turn the key(s), drive the boat. Sail = turn the...

Maybe these? https://www.dcbattery.com/deka_8a4d.html If so, Deka says deep cycle 4Ds. Reasonable cranking amps anyway, though, so should be decent for starting. -Chris

Seems that would have been a reasonable installation option from the git-go. And then it may give you useful test info. After you measure current voltage drop (sorry for that pun!) make the switch and consider results... and measure again, etc. Could well be best solution is battery right...

Thanks, Hippo. Much easier to read. So I did! :) -Chris

Dock neighbors repowered their gas 35 Bertram with Cummins 6BTAs, worked well. But... it cost them about $100K to do it (including replacing a gas genset with diesel) and the boat's total value didn't really increase much at all, maybe $10K. Give that some thought... And it might lead you to...

I'm still reasonably confident... that something else on the boat will break, without regard to routine maintenance and our relatively aggressive service schedule. -Chris

Example: In our case, the boat builder dual-purposed both of our start banks, so each runs approx. half of the house. And then I dual-purposed our thruster bank, so it now services the inverter we installed. So the starting and thruster loads are the constraints we're faced with. (I didn't...

Only just now saw a note about these elsewhere. Looks like characteristics similar to what Firefly advertised: https://www.trojanbattery.com/technology/trojan-aes-batteries Premium competition for Odyssey (now including Northstar) and Lifeline (and maybe Full River?). I haven't been able to...

Yeah, John H. has praised their Spade forever. OTOH, they've also posted about some failures other folks have had -- mostly about galvanizing but also including once where a shank apparently returned to the mother ship without it's fluke -- and those reports kinda put me off. When we were...

Shouldn't be much different than any other boat of similar length, weight, and windage. Make-up of your holding ground probably more of a factor than boat design. Anyway, check Steve Goodwin's (S/V Panope) anchor test videos on YouTube. IIRC, his #131 has a decent comparison chart toward the...

Acquaintances started out participating in "Mother Goose" (kind of) charters in the PNW somewhere. Lead boat shows everyone the ropes... and the route... chickling boats follow along and learn how it all works... Without (yet) incurring all the on-going costs that come with a boat you own...

:) And he eschews spaced paragraphs, too. Something to do with vision, eyeglasses, etc., but I usually can't read all the way through the swimming type of a Hippo Homily. -Chris

The 10" version seems nifty, so far, so thanks for the tip. Got one, and I'm in the process of reloading, too. My intent is to use the small bag to carry job-specific tools to a given project... partly with things almost always necessary (portable light, multi-bit screwdriver, 3/8" socket...