[the best boat wax]

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

[Water in Fuel]

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.

[Fishing tax money used for sailboat marina, no fishermen allowed]

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

[Blowboaters]

What was the old joke??

A Blow boater goes on vacation with a $20 bill and one pair of underwear; and doesn't change either one....

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.

[composite propellers]

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.

[Cell phones in open water]

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.

[Trim Tabs, triple rams?]

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.

[Diesel Power for my new Sport Fisher]

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.

[Alloy is the way to go...]

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

[GUYS, I NEED YOUR HELP...THANK YOU]

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.

[Two kids, 7 adults thrown in water after overloaded boat capsizes]

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.

[nearing the end...at last]

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.

[If I had to buy a brand new fishfinder, I'd get...]

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

[Ban Gill Nets on the Chesapeake]

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

[If I had to buy a brand new fishfinder, I'd get...]

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.

[New to me Boat and Winter Projects]

Consider adding an Autotether.

[Joker 41' Spy Shots]

Still don't understand the center console thing.

[THE NEW 39 NORTECH OPEN]

So your tuna would only be about $9425 per pound if you use this to obtain it.

[Sunglasses.. one company]

I use the $5 fishing glasses from the sporting goods section of Wally World.

[Durabak Non-skid Coating?]

Makosteve might be able to help you there. I like the ease of installation, but wonder about how hard it would be on bare skin.

[Stainless rail bender]

I'm sure this has been covered but I just got hold of a Greenlee pipe bender from Home Depot to use for bending railing (making a bimini top) and it works absolutely famously. 3/4 inch size is perfect for 7/8 rail tubing. Cost was about $40. Apologies if this is common knowlege, but I'm pretty excited about it.

[Repairing Replacing Composite Stringers, Bulkheads]

Slick product for the builder, but I think I'll stick with blue foam from Home Depot.

[Cant Get On A Plane]

Your best option is to clean it up and run it as is. Don't bother putting in a different engine because the gearing in the out drive is set up for the 4 cylinder and a bigger engine won't do much except burn more gas.

Just use this boat as a stepping stone toward a vessel that is more in line with your needs. Sell it to someone looking for a safe family boat that won't scare the kids.

[Instrument Panel LED bulbs]

I just ordered a bunch of LED lamps for my Faria gauges. I got them from superbrightleds.com. Search under car lights and wedge base. The Faria replacement is a GE 161 bulb, so these will fit no problem. These are about 80 cents each, so you can redo your panel for only a few bucks. I think you can get these other places too. I went with a single red. They have a brighter version, but I only want just enough light to see by. There are other color options too, even black light!

[Opinions on batteries]

Deka Marine AGM by a nautical mile.