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Sorry for the vague initial post!   Was in a bit of a hurry at the time.   My chartplotter is  a Garmin 721 - brand new.   Want to connect it to my almost new Raymarine i50/i60 Depth Speed/Wind instruments.   The Garmin is NMEA2000 (N2K) .  The Raymarine is Seatalk ng, which is their version of N2K.   Connectors are a bit different to accommodate backward compatibility.  But they should all talk together on an N2K network, using one adapter cable to go between the two types of connectors.

So I initially priced the cable network (requires a backbone cable, a spur cable, a spur ng to N2K adapter cable, Tees or  a 5 way connector, and terminations).  Using ng cable type, the total cost was close to $200.  Unbelievable, right??  For some wire and cheap plastic connectors.  So I then looked into pricing standard N2K cables, as there are multiple manufacturers,.   Didn't do much better.   Sorta reminds me of the inexpensive PC printers with outlandish ink cartridge costs.  Some offer N2K network starter kits which are a better value but don't suit my needs. 

So I thought I'd throw this question out there in the hopes that someone before me did similar homework and hit the jackpot.....

Want to connect my Raymarine instruments to Garmin chart plotter. The required cables and adapters run close to $200 if using the Raymarine ng cables.  Now looking at standard N2k to try to reduce the cost a bit..  Can anyone recommend a brand/vendor for best price?

I was back at the boat yesterday and looked closer at this issue. The o ring on the SS cap is same size as on the plastic caps. 1.5" ID and 1/8" thick.  I had and tried a 3/16" thick o ring but that was much too thick.
I  again compared the feel of the plastic cap vs the SS cap when tightening.   I reallly don't trust the new cap, as it bottoms out before I can feel o ring compression.  I removed it and put the plastic one back on till I get this sorted out.  I spoke with CD and they had no complaints of this nature though they never tried a fit test with the fill plate attached to a deck - that is where the problem is. The cap has a bottom side ridge that overlaps the fill plate and contacts the deck and prevents further tightening.  The plastic cap has same ridge but the soft plastic deforms and allows further tightening.   I will try to get an odd size o ring that is just slightly thicker than the existing one.  If that doesn't work I will return it

I recently bought the new stainless cap to replace my faded red fuel cap.  I did not feel the o-ring compress much, certainly less than with the plastic cap. Thinking the cap is bottoming out before the o-ring has enough compression.  A larger diameter o-ring would likely fix this but I haven't looked for one yet.
Anyone else have this issue?

Dave,
I had a similar experience as Ed - last week I replaced my original Garhaeur double with a new Garhauer triple.  The hole pattern has shifted by 1/16". The old were 2 11/16 vs new 2 5/8.  Drilled new holes and was done with it.

Found a drop-in replacement on eBay.  Installed and verified working.
Passing this along to anyone else who may need one, as I had a hard time tracking one down.  $5.49!! I should have bought a spare.

BLACK-ON-OFF-MINI-SWITCH-12V-WITH-RED-LIGHT-3-PRONG-RV-ROCKER, Seller cmlsurpluscindy

http://www.ebay.com/itm/351711233441?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Stu, I took your advice and searched Sailnet....I found a recent "synthetic vs. conventional" thread with enough  facts, opinions, declarations, and temperament to rival the best of the anchor threads.   Anyway, after that and a little more reading, I'm convinced to go non-synthetic.  Why did I start using synthetic?  The PO used and recommended Mobil 1 to me, and I never questioned it. 
So Rotella it is, and with the few $ savings, I can buy a better beer, and muse about more interesting things.
Thanks all for your inputs.

I've been using Mobil 1 synthetic 30W or 10W30 for years in my Universal M35, but when I went to buy some today, I saw it no longer carries the diesel API rating.   So after poking around the Mobil web site for awhile, I finally found a chart showing the API ratings of all of their oils.  The only one which carries the current API diesel rating (CJ-4) is Mobil 1™ Turbo Diesel Truck, offered in 5W40 only.  My engine manual specifies (SAE) 30 HD. (CD) or 10W40).  The CD rating is long obsolete, and I assume the CJ-4 covers it.

So I'm searching for a new oil.  Thought I'd put the question out here before looking further.  Any suggestions?

Thanks!!

Another place to look is online RV parts stores.   I was researching for the same replacement a few years ago and found several candidates.   I did not replace because the faucet was not actually bad. Long story!! 

Ken,
I replaced my similarly aged AB with a new AB this past spring.
Am very happy with it. Read my earlier post.

I recently replaced my macerator, and before I disconnected any hoses, I did the following: pumped out and flushed 3 times, then used the intermittently working macerator to pump out a bit more, and then to get the last I used one of those $5 Harbor Freight orange hand pumps.   Ziptied the pump input hose along side a small diameter metal rod to make it rigid, fed the hose/rod through the vent connection and positioned it at the bottom of the tank.  I was able to pump out almost a gallon more. When I finally disconnected the macerator hoses I only got drips from the tank.   

By the way, the reason I had to repair was not for the intermittent macerator - It is used maybe once a year after tank flush.  The real problem was a slow leak developed between the threaded connection at the macerator input and the 1 1/2" nylon elbow.  When I removed the assembly the connection was very loose.  It was nowhere near that loose when originally installed about 5 years ago.  I believe the nylon elbow worked its way loose with help from repeated heating from my battery charger mounted in same compartment next to holding tank – about 12" away from the macerator.  I never realized how hot it gets in that unvented compartment when the charger is full on.   So I am now looking for a new place to mount my charger!  I also used teflon grease instead of teflon tape this time around, as that may help keep things sealed better over time than the tape.

A quick note to announce a happy ending to my reefer saga.  I called Adler Barbour, and they put me in touch with a local shop who performs warranty repair for them.  I was visited within days, and it was confirmed the charge was low.  Now have a full charge and love the cold and frosty with much less noise and lower power consumption.  Kudos to Adler Barbour and Sherrod Marine who performed the service.

Karista,
I took your suggestion and kept the fridge on overnight with ice cube trays filled.  I set the thermostat to mid-range (4).  Today I checked and I did indeed have ice cubes!!  One tray not fully frozen.  So it does work better than I originally thought.  Next test is when we stock the fridge and see if it stays cold and compressor cycles properly.  (BTW Stu, the evaporator is exactly same as the old one -  the vertical one with the standup ice trays.)

I'll post any final updates.  Thanks all for the help!!

I just installed a new Adler Barbour CU-100 Coldmachine  and companion VD-150 evaporator.  These replace the OEM Adler Barbour DCM-12 and SFV-1 evaporator.   I hooked it up last night and my hopes for a nice cold fridge were kind of deflated.  It seems to work, but does not seem as cold as the old unit.  The evaporator frosted only on the rear side, whereas the old unit caused frost on both front and back.  I had it on for maybe an hour and the front side never frosted.

Both new and old units have similar cooling capacity specs, so my first thought was that the new unit is not working correctly.  But......after thinking about it, I noted many differences that would justify lower performance of the new one.  The new unit is smaller overall, has a smaller compressor, is lighter weight, runs on R-134, and draws less current.   I know little about refrigeration but these all seem to point to lower cooling capacity when compared to the old.  Note that the new evaporator looks identical to the old one in every aspect except part number, so I don't really see that as a variable.  The unit came pre-charged - I have no means of checking charge level, but there was negligible charge loss during hook-up.   It did give me a brief fault on initial start-up which did not reappear.  Fault code was over-charge!!.  Not sure if I believe it unless it occurs again. 

I didn't get a chance to run the unit long enough to stabilize the fridge temp and start the compressor cycling.  Won't be able to do that until it is loaded with food on upcoming trip.  So I am wondering if I should plan ice runs into our itinerary.

Has anyone else made similar fridge replacement?  How does your performance compare to mine?

Thanks

Just saw this advertised by Catalina Direct -  a method to "inject" new rudder bearings!.  A mixture of epoxy and graphite is injected into the rudder tube while the rudder is installed.   Still requires rudder removal before-hand, to wax the rudder shaft so it doesn't stick to the injected epoxy.  Sounds easier than other fixes.....if it works.   And what do you do if the wax doesn't work????    Wish I saw this when I had my rudder off last year.  Has anyone tried this or anything similar? 

http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=2791