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Agreed. We only run the AC in port. On the hook we just have the fridge, freezer, dishwasher, lighting (mostly LED), charging the portable electronics and, occasionally, the clothes washer.

I replaced my Bimini top with three 320W solar panels this summer. Over a four-week period away from shore power we only had to run the genny once for an hour. That day it was overcast and we had not moved for a couple of days. We cook with gas but use the dishwasher every day. When my 45...

I bought an Eno propane cooker with oven for my previous boat and used it for several years. I found it worked very well, even the oven and the broiler. No experience with the Dickinson so can't compare.

You can try jumper cables from the other starting battery. You can connect these to the battery of the engine that is not turning over or directly to its starting solenoid or even the starter itself. But be careful with the sparking!

Good choice! :thumb:

Maybe something like this, but with a longer frame and the hinge point mounted higher in the transom or even on the gunwale?

I have a proper, "nautical" alarm that came with the boat. But the boat has three bilge sections separated by low bulkheads. So I got these for the other two bilge sections and as a back-up for the main bilge section...

I guess one gets what one pays for.

To me setting ability, or rather re-setting ability, is even more important than ultimate holding power. What I most dread in anchoring is a wind shift in the middle of the night in which the anchor pulls out and doesn't reset. Winds strong enough to pull-out a decent, well-set anchor are much...

Here is an old (and long) post from the Grand Banks Owners forum in defence of wooden boats: Mike, Normally, I don't like to respond to a posting in an argumentive manner, but, in this case, I simply can't resist. I gather from your posting, that you have never owned a wooden boat and...

Thank you Steve. Great work as usual. Including the Delta in the test series is very useful at is such a popular anchor. Here in the Med it seems to me the most common anchor. In my previous boat I had a Delta and was generally pleased with it. It set fairly easily and never dragged in the...

I think part of the reason sailboats anchor overnight more than motorboats could be their slower speed and dependence on favourable wind conditions. A planing motorboat can go out for the day to a pleasant anchorage and be back to a marina for the evening. At the sailboat's slower speed this...

I replaced a stop solenoid on a 1979 Onan a few years ago and it cost $600! :eek: I recently replaced one for my current boat's Onan but this time I bought a Chinese knock-off o E-bay for under $100. A new pump could be a few boat units.

"If it's a forward spring, I'd guess the forward midship cleat for backing down, too. And if it's an aft spring, I'd guess the aft midship cleat would work best when you go ahead on that. But it really depends on how the pivot points work on your boat, so a trial would tell you..." That's more...

Loose connection?

¿Is the fuel shut-off solenoid fully retracting? ¿Are the fuel shut-off linkages not jammed or impaired in any away a move freely when the the solenoid is energised? To be sure it is not a solenoid or related problem you can manually pull up on the linkages and keep the fuel-shut-off open while...

Adventures in Paradise. I think watching this series as a kid first triggered my love of cruising and the sea.

When I bought my current boat 4 years ago it came with a very heavy stockless anchor, a Hall's I believe it was. It must have weighted a couple of hundred pounds. I used it the first summer, anchoring out 50 or 60 nights, but did not like it nor developed faith in it. It dragged on several...

I have used RainX for many years and prefer it to using the wipers. I apply it at the beginning of the season and it lasts all summer. I started using it in my previous boat where the wiper motors did not work and RainX was a cheaper solution than replacing the motors. i was surprised how...

I anchored next to these two "trawlers" earlier this summer in Panarea, in the Aeolian Islands off the northe-east coats of Sicily. Sort of like the beauty and beast! The skinny trimaran is Adastra and has been commented on earlier in this thread. The converted tug is named Vervece. I looked...

I have four tanks for the two engines and genny. The tanks are connected by big 2" transfer pipes at the bottom of the tanks. Only the two outboard tanks have deck fills and the inboard tanks are filled from the outboard tanks through the transfer pipes. I will normally isolate the tanks and...

We only go on extended cruises in the summer. At the beginning of the season we will do a massive shop for drinks and packaged goods that will last us for the firsts month or more. We also get enough frozen meat for a a couple of weeks. After that we shop opportunistically when we come...

That's when the young'uns come in handy! :D

If the wind turns and comes from the side a tremendous strain can be placed on the stern line, no? I will normally use two stern lines forming a "Y" together with the anchor rode to avoid excessive strain, except when anchored in a very narrow cove.

I have venetian blinds in the lower helm windshield. They run on wooden tracks to keep them angled-up against the windshields. They are easy to use and I always bring them down when not in motion to keep the sun out and protect the interior. In my previous boat I had a wrap-around windshield...