Still catching up, here. The haulout with which we began our latest Urban Adventure in Seattle went quite well, all things considered. It had been 2-1/2 years since our last haul for routine maintenance, and we returned to our favorite Seattle boat yard, Canal Boat Yard to get ‘er done again. One need only obtain…
So, we’re out of Seattle again after GB worked on the raw water/engine systems failure for 9 days. The primary dilemma was the failure of multiple engine system components – either sequential or coincidental, impossible to tell. Local marine-engine pundits and some experienced mechanics were unanimous in saying, "Gee, we’ve never seen this before!" Here’s…
We left Nanaimo to move the boat 200 miles south in mid-April to go to Seattle for the Great Malo Windshield Roundup. We had a defective windshield, and Malo was sending out a specialist to rebuild the windshields of five boats. So, our trip was cut short. We motored south through wind and tides, waiting…
What a mess – the house bank – 2003 Our sailboat came with a Mastervolt system on board – common to European boats-I understand they have not made much headway with the American public. They seem a good product – German – though somewhat costly when compared to the many alternatives. We run 550 amp…
Once again, we make an attempt to post a skymat e-mail message to the blog…
I am on guard duty here looking for things that might burn my boat down….. One of the troubles with owning a boat is that a little knowledge can become a dangerous thing. Most boat skills, including maintenance, navigation, boat handling, and sail trim, are very hard won. It can take years to even learn…
One of the things we learned on the Alaska Eagle is that you want to have your sails where you can get to them. The skipper kept some of their sails tied on deck, stored in long nylon bags. We later found out these were called "sausages". We went through quite a gale with these…
My sophisticated new antenna mounting system – note the carefully constructed tower made out of a boat hook and electrical tape…. We wanted to have some sort of e-mail on the boat. Most people are installing an SSB and using a modem – this is a $4,000-$6,000 project, depending on how much of it you…
The primary fuel filter on a diesel engine has always been a mystery to me. On my old sailboat, a 1985 Hunter 34, which I co-owned with my good buddy Larry, it was a thing of mystery to both of us. Once, he decided to clean the filter right before we left on a trip…
To genset or not to genset, that was the question……. I studied this issue for close to two years before making a decision. I looked at specifications. Talked to dealers. Talked to owners of gensets and would be owners. Talked to Marianne (my wife) a lot – this decision had the potential to creat a…