Messages

The is a beautifully restored PT boat in New Orleans. 

Roc is right, warm 4-5" area with heat gun, then lightly pick with fingernail (I used razor blade).  Double shot of patience helps.  Go slow on first one, then next area Process will go faster.

I sail on upper Mississippi-bulge water was ugly. Added a TBSP house hold bleach and must have killed some bacteria.  Biked water is now clear.

Thanks for the suggestion, K.   What specific electronic spray cleaner is that?  Buy this from a specialty Supply house?

I'm impressed. Visited the Standard Horizon website, and received this response:
Hello Peter:

Thank you for contacting us regarding your question. If the radio as a whole is still working including the battery then it may be worth sending in.

If the unit is out of warranty include a note with your name, address, phone number, email address and a description of the issue the radio is having. There is a flat rate of $65 plus shipping if its repairable. If the unit is water damaged internally then our loyalty program will offer you a $25 voucher for use with the purchase of a new Standard Horizon radio.

If there is nothing wrong with the unit there is a $35 bench/estimate fee. If after the estimate you do not want the unit repaired, the cost to you is the $35 estimate fee and shipping. If you do not require a signature (appx $7) on the return shipping of your item, please fill out and physically send back the attached form. The form is needed before we can ship your item back to you.

Send the radio to the following address:
Standard Horizon
Attn: Marine Repairs
6125 Phyllis Drive
Cypress, Ca   90630

Best regards,
Juan Hernandez
Technical Support
j.hernandez@yaesu.com

Ph (714)827-7600
Fx (714)527-9472

www.standardhorizon.com

Due to the age of the radio, I will be replacing it.  West Marine has an excellent You Tube series on hand held radios. 

Marine VHF Radio: Repair or Replace?

Our Standard Horizon HX460S radio has become screechy and friend thinks squelch control can be repaired or replaced.  It may be old but has excellent battery life.  Just at times screechy.  Have you repaired a radio? Thinking of asking Standard Horizon for a repair quote - anyone done this? Given new units are advertised at starting prices of $100, what unit did you buy and why?  What to look for in a replacement combo VHF marine / weather radio?
Thanks.

My Catalina 36 is on the upper Mississippi (60 - 70 miles down river from Minneapolis.   A few years ago I started winterizing fresh water tanks with a few liters of cheapest rum or vodka in the store.  Kills off bacteria in hoses, loosens up any scuzz or fuzz in the system, minimizes bleaching, comes in as a handy excuse to make Bloody Mary at the start of commissioning weekend in the spring...(You can just dump it, drink it, save it for when that undeserved dock neighbor comes by for a toot).  Just sayin...
👹👹👹

Ahh, da crapper!!!
A few suggestions to all:
Every 2-3 years replace the guts (moving parts) of the pump interior cylinder (comes in a nice packet with spring, gaskets, etc).  Make sure the spring is in the right place, gaskets lined up exactly where they need to be, DON'T over tighten the screws holding cylinder camp.  Otherwise you will say "0h Crap"
Also dump 1/4 vegetable oil into the toilet and DON'T pump out in one cycle.  Pump 2X or 3X, have a beer or two, repeat 2-3 more times.  Might lubricate the pump cylinder.

1) First drain ALL water tanks by using the water pressure pump.
2). Duct tape shop vac to the kitchen sink suck out any remaining water.
3)  Dump one liter cheap rum or vodka in each fresh water tank. EASIER in spring commissioning to minimize or avoid "freshening the tanks" routine.  Allows for Bloody Mary or rum & coke for spring commissioning routine.  Helps kill bacteria sitting in lowest points of the tanks.
4). Critical to blow out AC heat exchanger:  first disconnect raw water intake filter) and run antifreeze through top AC heat exchanger until it comes out of the disconnected AC raw water filter bowl. 
5). Make sure to open ALL Marlon fittings to drain any remaining water in through hull water lines. 
6). Disconnect hot water heater intake & out lines, blow out (or suck out) with shop vac. 
7). Disconnect fresh water pressure pump in & out lines.  Blow out or suck out water pump (or run one cup cheap booze thru intake line of pump until it comes out the out spigot).

I pulled my Zodiac inflatable out after 6-7 months storage.  When I pulled transom plug out, both the sleeve & plug came out as one piece.  I was able to separate sleeve from plug.   Plug goes into sleeve, sleeve should be attached some how to transom hole.  What glue should I use to glue plug sleeve into transom board??? Thinking of using gorilla glue on OUTSIDE of sleeve because it gorilla glue requires glueing surface to be wetted to fully activate the glue.  Looking at the interior transom hole surface (the sleeve gets glued some how into this orifice) I can't tell what material type I am trying to glue the plug sleeve into.  Your suggestions would be appreciated. 
Thanks.   

Boat Stuff May 5, 2016
Like new, Delta 35 plow anchor, 19+feet bright stainless chain, 200 + feet X 3/4" anchor line, $500 + @ West Marine, your for $325.  Ten foot Fiberglas man over board pole & flag, $50; 3 30 - 40 30 Amp shore power chords, $0.70 / foot; two used jibs for 34 - 36 ' sail boats @ $200 each (reasonable spare to have on hand when you blow out your jib at the start of nice weekend ***Hood Dacron jib, very clean, not blown out, foot 22'6", height 43'6", diagonal 46".  (In a UK sail bag, but definitely Hood)
*** Ulmer Kolius gold stripe tape drive jib, (mylar??),
foot 21'  height 443'5"diagonal 53'5"
- 18" Webber kettle char coal grill with stern rail mounting bracket $35
- 18" stainless kettle charcoal grill with stern mount extension pole $35
Power inverter - ask.
- 4 20 " X 10 " dock fenders, $20 each
- 2 bosuns chairs @ $35 & $25 each
- rainy day blue canvas (sunbrella??)  tent that attaches to mast, drapes over boom with canvas center loop to be hoisted by topping lift), $200.  Serious interest, let me know and will dig up exact measurements.
- many dock lines, 10 - 30',  some never used.
Goodies in Onalaska, WI - La Crosse County.    Call / text Peter at 608 then 797 then 9920 with your interest & your e mail and I can send you pictures, etc.  By appointment will do face time showing.  Can bring up to Pepin, WI.

Great prior advice - Just one more suggestion:  tighten the screws on both sides of ALL hinges.

Previous owner in my CATALINA 36 had Venturi vacuum line put in to suck out the bilge water via AC discharge.  No slurping noises and works well.   However admiral complains about other noises  - related to the boat captain's poor methane retention system. 

Bimini & Doder nice dark blue canvas, 1" Stainless Steel Frame.  Zippers & Eisenglass in good shape.   Off 2000 CATALINA 36 MK2.  Might fit newer CATALINA 34 MK 2 models.   Located Western Wisconsin.   $1100 & you pick up.   Call Peter 608 797 9920 or text your e mail address and I can send you pictures.

Thanks to all for your thoughts and suggestions.  For what it's worth, yesterday we had a record high of 88° on the upper Mississippi. Wind started out as a nothing and then scaled up to 25 mph.  Hit 6.5-7 knots most of run from Maiden Rock / Stockholm to the mouth of the river below Pepin.  Overnight winds and today 40-50 mph.  No one left the harbor.  Ahh, one more gasp of the dissapearing summer.
And I heard all of you loud and clear.  Took both sails down.  Even though jib had been repaired earlier this summer, I found the upper third of sunbrella needed to be re sewed.  A little time last fall 2015 saving big amounts of time and hassle in summer of 2016.   Thanks for your input.