OReely

I'm not really a big festival person. I used to go to Sunfest every year but at some point it just got to be too much hassle for me. I do think it's ridiculous to have those docks just sitting there during such an event. My guess is the people you are dealing with are being overly cautious because of the added risk surrounding boats. Everyone is concerned about lawsuits. It's too bad but that is the society we live in today. Good luck with the campaign.

Corrosion from the batteries gassing off during charging, properly securing the batteries, and getting the right size cables are the only issues I can think of. Ventilation, sealed batteries, and corrosion inhibiting spray will solve the first one. Good mounting points for the boxes or trays will solve the second. The third issue can sometimes hang people up because the amp draw info needed to properly size the wires is not always readily available. Contact the engine mfg for that.

I'm going to dip my toe into unfamiliar waters here. Like Scarabchris, I'm no computer guy but I have a question. When you use a backup drive such as you've described, would your backup drive also back up the virus? What would be the best method of backing up while at the same time preventing the virus from backing up as well? Also, I'm running MacAfee Total Protection. Is that enough?

My personal opinion on this is to never install a fitting like the one Osprey showed in his post. I always install proper seacocks on below waterline installations. The fitting Osprey showed only allows for a ball valve to be mounted on top of the fitting. Two problems with this. First, the threads on the fitting shown don't match and engage properly with ball valve fittings. The through hull fitting is a straight threaded fitting and ball valves are tapered pipe threads. This combo only allows for 2-3 threads worth of engagement. Second, if the through hull were to suffer a failure, then you would have an open hole to the ocean. Yes, you could carry an emergency plug and a mallet but do you really want to be rummaging around for things when water is pouring into the boat. The best method is to use a bronze, flanged seacock that is bolted to the bottom of the boat. The wall thickness of the seacock is many times that of a through hull fitting and, in combination with the bolts, provides a vastly superior solution. The bottom of the seacock has straight threads and can provide a 1/2" or more of thread engagement with the through hull fitting. If there is ever a problem with the system, you can easily just turn the valve handle to shut off the water. With the seacock arrangement, you lose the built in scoop but this can be easily overcome by adding an externally mounted scoop (http://gator49.hostgator.com/~zeromyst/ecatalog/product_info.php?cPath=219_151&products_id=230) or you can cut a slight groove in the forward face of the through hull fitting to turn it into a scoop of sorts. Something like the fitting in the link below. http://www.groco.net/08-fittings/images/hsth.jpg I've done this many times and if you cut the groove about 1/2" wide and 1/4" deep, it will feed water to the pump while running.

I forgot to mention that I took the drywall screws out after the glue was dry. They are only used to draw the wood down tight. Also, I don't like using resin on stressed parts if there is no glass along with it. The reason is because the resin can crack and allow moisture in. Once it's in, it never comes out. Paint on the other hand will allow migration of moisture through the membrane, protecting the wood without trapping moisture. Even though epoxy has high elongation and should move with the wood somewhat, I prefer good old fashioned oil paint. You need to put something over epoxy to protect it so just skip the middleman and paint the wood.

Vocal malfunction?

With a screen name like his, I'm guessing he thinks there is a big problem.

Hopefully this all dies with the Discover card app. I just wonder how many other apps went out that may have gotten approved.

I just replaced the transom in a 30 year old 18 foot Sylvan. Not too hard of a job. Remove the aluminum corner trim pieces by drilling out the rivets. Remove the aluminum transom trim by pulling out the nails. Remove the motor well screws, the transom knee bolts, and the transom end bolts from under the well (the bolts are a two man job). Remove the stern eyes. Cut the gunwale deck that is in the way of removing the old transom. Don't cut it off, just cut a slot at the outer edge so you can bend the metal out of the way. You can use a jig saw with an appropiate blade. Bend the aluminum deck material out of the way. Don't worry about the cut, it will be covered by the trim. Pry the transom out. Try to pull it straight up so it doesn't bind. If you have some solid wood to work with you can screw in a couple of eye bolts to give yourself something to pull on. The one I did came out pretty easy this way. I used 3 layers of 1/2 inch marine ply to replace the transom. You can use A/C fir plywood, it's the same wood and glue as marine ply. It's just not as pretty and doesn't have as many plies. Cut the wood to size using the original transom (what was left of it) as a template. I glued it together with waterproof wood glue (Titebond III). Prime the wood with oil based primer and paint with oil based paint. Don't coat with epoxy. Paint will allow the wood to breath while protecting it. Epoxy will seal it. Once it gets wet it will stay wet. The tolerances for the transom are very close so when you glue the pieces together, make sure you get it really tight. I predrilled the top two layers and used drywall screws into the third layer to draw it down. Assemble in the reverse of disassembly. I think I had about 19 hours in the job which included some rewiring of the boat.

Anyone suffered the theft of a child's ID? I got, or more correctly, my son got a letter in the mail today denying him a Discover card but thanking him for the application. Since he's 13 and not really applying for credit cards just yet, I took it to mean that someone was trying to steal his identity. Transunion was contacted by Discover to check his credit history. Thank goodness it came back blank and the card was denied. I placed an inquiry with them to find out about the event and what more I can do about it to protect him in the future. Any ideas about what I can expect?

I think you should really look around and figure out what you want. 12 knots is easy to beat in just about any style boat out there. You should wander around marinas and boatyards, go to boat shows, etc. Find out what is most appealing to you and then come back and ask more pertinent questions. No offense, but you are sort of all over the map with your comments so far. I doubt anyone could help you until you narrow it down a bit. Good luck with the search.

I visit just about everyday. I read certain forums that hold the most interest for me and post when I have something I think is "important" to say (so listen, dammit ). As far as other sites go, I visit several of them and contribute a little to them as well. I try to give information that I've learned from my years in the business. When I see bad info (and there is a lot) I try to give the correct info. Some people confuse opinion for fact and have a closed mind, those I ignore. Some of the animosity you see on those sites is truly amazing. Small men with big keyboards. I just take it with a grain of salt. And I've been know to take a poke or two at the real jerks. What is Mafia wars?

I'll post the build as soon as I'm done. I'm a little behind right now but I hope to get it done next week and then work up the post. It will probably be the following week before I can get it on here. Stay tuned.

Hmmm... where can you find a boat with lots of problems? I'd guess just about any marina or boatyard. Seriously, several places around South Florida do that - National Liquidators is one (not recommending them, just an example). As for your project boat, accommodations on a "cigarette" style boat would probably leave you wanting more. Narrow beam, low cabin top, and deep vee hull doesn't leave a lot of room for lux accommodations. What we used to call a stabbin cabin back in the good ol' days when we were running the girls pretty hard. Not that it can't be used for your purposes, just not a lot of amenities can get stuffed in one. There are lots of boats that have wider beams/more interior volume that might better suit your idea and still have that look you are going for, at least in Florida.

If you're not in a hurry, I'm in the process of building a coffin box for a customer right now. I'm documenting the process and was planning to put it up here when I'm done, maybe 2-3 weeks. It should be a decent primer for a budding glassman.

I'll agree with the others. A little more detail from you and we could build up your dreamliner. An important point to building (or rebuilding) is do you have the time and funds available? To do any extensive work will take a good bit of both. Come back with a list and I'm sure many here will chime in with suggestions.

Steroids? There's no...

Yeah, I figured that it was probably more prevalent than my experience would show. Like I said, I don't get to much junk email but now that I know it's not an isolated incident I'll definitely be more careful.

I don't mind the Joeboater name at all. I also think Reelboating is fine. I guess what it would boil down to if I was the owner of the site is what will get more people to view/join. I don't know if this is technically possible but perhaps you could have both sites carry the same content, albeit with different look. Anything posted to one site would automatically go on the other site. I'm not a computer expert so if it's not feasible don't crucify me Or maybe you could just give us all instant membership into the Joeboater forum and see if it takes off with new members. The name may indeed attract new people, maybe some less experienced boaters who are looking for us "experts".

Last Friday I received an email that I thought was from UPS stating that the package I was expecting was undeliverable due to address error. It further asked that I print a pick up ticket from the link attached. Fortunately, McAfee was on duty and caught it. Made me stop and reevaluate the email. First, it had the UPS logo and looked legit. The English was good, proper use of syntax and spelling. Everything looked like the email came from United Parcel Service. The only thing that was off was the address it came from - "@upsofamerica.com". I've received phishing emails before and there is usually something that stands out as wrong in them. Either the English is bad or I don't do business with the company that supposedly needs to get in touch with me (several Bank of Americas lately), etc. This one was about as good as you could get, nothing to arouse suspicion. It was a grand coincidence that I was expecting a package on the very day that the email came in. This may be normal junk email for some people but I don't see it much. It will make me look a little harder in the future.

Ding, ding, ding! We've got a winner. I've got about 150 other channels to watch. And a honey do list. And a kid to play with. And a boat that needs work. And...

Yeah, that's great and all, but the real question is - will Homesite step up?

Wahoo or swordfish steaks on the grill are two of my favorites. I like the steaks about an inch thick so they get done quickly. Too thick and the outside is overcooked or the inside is undercooked. EVOO on the steaks, sprinkle with Adobo and fresh ground black pepper. Clean the grate and oil. Get grill as hot as you can. Throw the steaks on and don't touch for about two minutes (time depends on heat of grill, the fish will start to turn white). Flip onto a new spot on the grill if you have room (this helps keep fish from sticking) for about two more minutes. Pull the fish off, give it a squeeze of lime and gobble it down. Simple, quick, and lets the fish be the star of the show. For a little extra flavor, I get some smoke going before I put the fish on. I like applewood, with hickory a close second.

While I agree the ProMariner is a good battery charger, I would say not to use the Marinco inlet fitting that 250 Osprey showed. ProMariner makes their own inlet fitting that doesn't require you to cut off the plug end, thus preserving the original wiring (and following ABYC standards). 51200 is white and 51201 is black. They also make extensions for the battery bank wiring. 51070 for 15' and 51071 for 5'. Again no cutting involved.

I got this link from a friend. The artist has a unique talent. If you scroll through the pictures, you can see a couple of photos that were taken from the wrong angle. It will give you some idea of the complexity of his creations. And they wash away with the next rain. http://www.impactlab.com/2006/03/09/amazing-3d-sidewalk-art-photos/