Messages

I have never used alcohol on a boat (at least not to burn, drink is another issue) but I have in other walks of life.  Alcohol is very hydrophilic, so when it gets water mixed in, it just dissolved into the alcohol.  A cup of pure alcohol added to a cup of water is not 2 cups of liquid, significantly less. That means that a lot of alcohol you buy not specifically for fuel use actually has a lot of water in it.  As a solvent, still works fine, but as a fuel, it needs to vaporize all that water which takes a lot of heat away from heating your pot.  The next time you are at a pharmacy, look at the bottle of cheap isopropyl alcohol, it may be only 75% alcohol. 

HEAT as a fuel line drying agent is fairly pure, but the red and yellow bottles are different types of alcohol. 

Alcohol stoves do have one advantage that you will likely not need, they work in really cold weather that is why a lot of high altitude mountain climbers used to use them and why the Iditarod dog mushers use them to heat up food on the trail for the dog teams. 

Dale:  Any recommendations for how to clear up the hatch cover?  Ours are fine, except they are sort of scratched up and weathered.  I was thinking there must be some kind of polish that would bring them back, but I didn't want to damage them, or spend hours on something that wouldn't work. 

Thanks for the maintainence work on the site, how about coming to Seward and doing an oil change for me:-)

On the smart plug, you may want to check this site out.  https://marinehowto.com/shore-power-cords-smartplug-vs-1938/  Used to be known as compass marine but now has a better web site.  Lots of info on electrical wiring on boats that follows the ABYC standards.  The hall of shame stuff helps you know what might seem like a good way to doo it, but isn't right.  I would also advise labeling wiring.  I forget easily what that wire went to and labeling it saves a lot of time.  He shows a quick way of doing it on that site, or just use a sharpy.  .

There are a couple of good books out on marine wiring too.  I would read up before you dig into it, grounding and bonding especially are not the same and making connections is different.  I like to use the environmental connections with a crimping tool and a shrink wrap style Plastic insulator over the crimp.   Need to get the correct tool and know how to use it correctly. 

I don't know if you have ever used a nibbler, but that might be a handy tool for that job.  They are available as drill attachments and as stand alone tools.  Good for tight quarters and doesn't throw sparks.   

At the possible risk of re-opening Pandora's box.  There is a pretty good string on electrical wiring on this site from a few years ago.  See. http://www.pearson365.com/forum/index.php?topic=1293.0

I learned a lot from it about good wiring practices

FYI, the spreader lights work great!

Sorry to hear you are having a hard time of it so far.  When we bought Polaris, we had quite a few issues to overcome too.  It does get better...

We have an Iverson dodger and Bimini.  http://www.iversonsdesign.com  The only thing indon't Care for is that the window in the Bimini is too small, hard to see the sails through it.  I also wish the Bimini came down a little farther so that it gave a little more rain protection.  Other than that, it's a pretty good setup. 

One thing to thing about if you do replace the tank is access to the raw water pump.  Right now it is a little tight to get an impeller extractor in.  A few inches extra clearance would make that job easier. 

Welcome! We are North of North, moored in Seward Alaska! 

Nice!

I totally agree with you on "ten times as long as you think". Especially on the work back there.   Changing the hoses on those loops is tough.  I found that the barbs on the fitting were too big for the hose to go ove, even with quite a bit of pressurer.  Needed heat and an expansion tool to get the new hose on.  Several bad words were said.   

Fourth of July fireworks off the stern! 

Ouch!  Thanks for letting everyone know.  That transmission is popular on a lot of other boats too.