Messages

Thanks John - much appreciated!!

Can anyone provide me with the interior dimensions of our Seaward oven - I'm about an hour from my boat.  My wife and daughters are planning a birthday dinner for me this Friday, but want to make sure their pan fits.
Thanks!

Ken - here's the link to the dow product data info

http://www.dowcorning.com/applications/search/default.aspx?R=406EN

Thanks Ken!  Very helpful information - sounds like it will meet my needs so I will give it a shot

We have about a foot or so of snow up here in Princeton NJ and still snowing.

Thanks again,

Bill

Stu and Ken - Thanks for the info!

Ken - Overall are you happy with the unit and would you buy again?  Any problems with the ring / drive unit?

I did find the manual on the web and it does look like you can interface wind indicators.

How's the snow by you?  AC boat show was canceled.

Thanks again!

Bill

I was reading the recent thread on enhancements to make single handing a little easier and the idea of adding an autopilot seemed really appealing (plus it's about time to add a new toy).

As such, I was looking for advice on autopilot selection.  Did a search and found some, but not a lot of recent information.  I've been focusing my attention on the RayMarine Smart Pilot X-5 which was mentioned here but have seen some mixed reviews - most concerning being the drive unit ring is a bit "flimsy".  (I did look at CPT  - recommended by Stu I think - but would prefer to interface plus cost seems to be quite a bit higher then the RM X-5).)

Had some other questions and would be appreciative of any insight:

What kind of performance could I expect from an above deck AP?  For the most part I sail in fairly protected waters but was looking for decent performance in say 25 – 30 knot winds.  For example, is it reasonable to expect the AP to keep me into the wind when dropping (or raising) the main in these conditions?  I have the MackPac lazy jack system which makes dropping the sail a lot easier – but you really need to be directly into the wind when dropping for it to work well.

Specific to the Smart Pilot X5 – can anyone comment on performance, reliability or any other related information?

How well can can I expect the RM X-5 - or others for that matter - to steer to wind angle work (I have a RM ST50 wind indicator I was planning on interfacing)?  Does anyone use their AP to occasionally tack when short handed?  Don't want to take the fun out of sailing but in certain situations I could see these features being very useful.

Any other recommendations – including other AP alternatives, above versus below deck comparisons, etc. woudl be greatly appreciated.

I was planning on going down to the Atlantic City Boat show on Saturday to get some hands on exposure , but looks like they'll be getting a couple feet of snow 


Thanks!

Bill

Thanks Ron, I'll give it a shot.  It will be a bit of challenge getting back there!

Bill

Noticed a small leak - maybe  a teaspoon or two - after a recent oil change and running for a couple of hours.  After a little investigation, it appeared to be coming from the drain tube at the back of the pan.  Also noticed I may have overfilled oil - so I drained about a cup or so, which put the dip stick at just below that max level when the enigne was hot.

After draining, did the diaper test  per previous posts, and did not notice any leaks after motoring for about an hour.  Could overfilling have caused a leak and if so where would it come from?  Does this make sense?

Thanks,

Bill

Just replaced my main and jib halyard with T-900.  100' was just the right length for both. 

Wobegon - I also replaced my main and genoa from Kappa a little over a year ago.  Great quality and sevice - very happy with the sails.

Bill

Kyle - 7-10 gallons should take less than a 1/2 hour.  I recomend using strar bright fuel tank cleaner - I put it in my tank, waited a day or so then pumped it through my racor filter.   Very good results.  As far as the cutlass  - I'm sure it will break in and doesn't sound like a problem

Looks like they listed her on ebay - she's up to $12,200

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/8604-1998-34-Catalina-34-Mark-II-Sloop-HURRICANE-IKE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ63731QQihZ016QQitemZ260373011939QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

I guess I'm the odd man out here - I have used PYI PSS for the past couple of years and for almost 10 on my previous boat (Pearson 303).  They take a little bit to install (need to pull off the coupling), but I have been very happy with them and think they work great.  You just "burp" the bellow (let the air out) in the beginning of the season, and that's it for the season.  You are supposed to replace the bellow every 5 years.

Thanks Ken and Stu.

Charlie - Just sent you an email with my contact info.  Thanks for your interest.

Bill

Hi Steve - What was the condition of the tank once it was pulled?

I used starbright enzyme tank cleaner last year and had good results.