yottyboy

I'm in the don't wax camp, so no help here.

Boy it sure would be nice if there was something that you could add to water to make it into fuel. I think Grandpa Munster made something like that once. When in doubt have the tanks scrubbed.

Seems cool to me. Mixing powerboaters and blowboaters is bad news. Keep them separate.

Fishing tax money funded a sailboat marina facility at our local lake. This was part of the clean vessel act grant, and as such is supposed to be open to the public. This marina will not allow fishermen to dock to use the public restrooms. Please sign the petition below to help us right this wrong. http://www.gopetitio...um-creek-s.html They also use your tax money to fund gazillions of places you (as a private individual) cannot use. Being "open to the public" doesn't mean anybody can just waltz in like they own the place. Try doing that at an airport or FBI headquarters.

Aluminum prop will perform much better. You can find cheap serviceable props by the dozens on Ebay. I haven't bought a new one for a long long time.

I know this is an old thread, but my 2 cents: iPone and iPad navigation apps are great. Navionics in particular is quite spectacular and does way more than you need for average boating. That said, using an iPhone or even an iPad for navigating kinda sucks. They cannot be seen in bright daylight conditions. You know what I mean if you've ever tried to use your iPhone in direct sunlight. In the case of the iPhone, the screen is absurdly small for this task. Unless you have a mount for it, you have to use both hands to operate it so there's the obvious problem of not having one hand for the boat. These are not deal killers for using these devices, but something to be aware of.

OK well I nabbed a set of (starts with a "B" brand) tabs off FleaBay for (don't hate me) $35. These are used of course, but not much it seems. Very little sign of wear, just the usual dinginess that comes with age. They look like about early 90's vintage. The pump and housing are flawless, and the tabs have virtually no sign of even being in the water, let alone the expected 20 layers of paint. Other than just being old they are as new. Told you not to hate me. The odd thing is that this set has three rams on each tab. The tabs are only 9x18 so this seems like complete overkill. Are these some early version of racing tabs? I assume that I can get away with losing at least one ram on these when I get around to installing them. This came with the chrome 4 button switch and 30 feet of wire as well as all the plumbing. Any insight or advice greatly appreciated.

I'm no expert but if it were me I'd lean towards Cummins/Mercruiser Quantum series. If you can afford the Smartcraft electronic monitor/controls they are the shiz.

The major drawback to fiberglass is that there is very little control over the quality of the layup. I will grant that manufacturing techniques are improving, but those are available only in very expensive boats. Resin infusion being one of those. Most FRP boats are still made the same way they were decades ago. With plate alloy construction there is no deviation in the strength of the material...it is uniform throughout. Additionally the metal alloy's properties are pre engineered so that there is zero guesswork about how best to construct the hull. So many advantages. Other than not being shiny and white, which can be made to happen, there's no contest

While I am heartbroken to learn of this horrifying accident, I can't help but wonder what the whole story is. The fact that a collision occurred means that some one was where they should not have been. I gather that the boat with the boy was not moving while the other obviously was. Was it day or night? Was the stopped boat in the channel? What would have prevented the other boater from seeing this vessel in his path and not taking steps to avoid it? Just curious. Also, not defending his actions but the operator of the whaler may have been a little shaken up himself, and while not going to the hospital with the injured was skeevy, it may be that he was just not thinking straight under the stressful conditions. If I were in his place I'd want people to give me the benefit of the doubt.

We call it "thinning the herd". This group was being led by someone with a genetic predisposition for ignoring boating safety rules. Only laws they broke were the laws of physics and the penalties are mandatory and harsh.

Just ordered what I hope will be the last item for the Allmand; Durabak deck paint. While painting the deck isn't the last chore to be done at least I'm not dropping gobs of hundreds every month any more. I installed the teak plywood side panels last time and when the decks are done I just have to make a small cabinet to hold a sink and hide the holding tank. I also need to redo the intake for the potty. I was gonna do fresh water flush but I think it's too much to try to fit another water tank. Install the rod holders, and maybe some reading lights in the v berth area. Just for those not following along at home this has been going on for four years now. Three engines later it's almost there.

Thanks. I knew the answer already, just making sure my noggin is still on straight.

While I agree with you, a ban won't stop the damn poachers.

I'm in the market for a new FF. I am in the Chesapeake, and probably won't do much offshore fishing. I'd like a fairly large display, like 6 or 8 inches across. Don't need GPS or anything. Suggestions? Thanks.