Recent content by steve

I'm talking about the cheapo 12-volt jobs you find in supermarkets. Some work great and some don't work at all. How can you tell the difference before you buy one?

If you can get an angle grinder in there it'll be about a thirty-second job.

Boat spaghetti: Bring water to boil. Put in spaghetti. When water boils again, turn off the heat, cover and let stand for ten to fifteen minutes. The spaghetti is now done. Drain and add canned sauce, curry, chilli, etc. and reheat. Boat pilaff: Put measured amount of rice, plus twice as...

I read about this system of plugging a hole in the hull on another forum. You stick in the balloon and fill it with polyurethane foam, which is supposed to plug the hole from the outside. Has anyone tried it?

Thanks for the replies. I checked out the Sestrel Moores and they cost an absolute fortune, even the used ones! Also I don't think their gimballed bracket mount would be appropriate for the top of the hatch. I'll keep looking.

I want to install a compass on top of the companionway hatch which would be visible from the stern for tiller steering and I've been unable to find one that can be read vertically, secured strongly enough not to be carried away by the mainsheet and can still work when heeled. I once sailed on a...

Well, let' see. To reply to the different points raised: Yes, the problem of the chain dragging overboard had occurred to me and I figured I'd try to work something out on a trial run. I am planning to go to the Aeolian Islands and Sicily, where the information I've seen so far says that some...

Thanks for the input, everyone. Michael's suggestion about dropping all the chain in a pile sounds interesting and I'll definitely try it.

I will probably have to do this this summer and find the prospect a bit daunting. I haven't been able to find any suggestions, and so have come up with the following: Flake out and secure more chain than necessary on the foredeck. Carry the anchor back to the cockpit outboard of everything...

Re: \"Freezing the balls off a brass monkey\" & other Nautical terms I don't think the Greeks spoke English.

I'm planning on going to Sicily this summer and have heard that for a flat fee you can have unlimited access to the network of Lega Navale marinas. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Shouldn't the sail area enter into the calculations? Surely a mast supporting a sail of say 45m2 would have to be stronger than one with a 20 m2 sail. <hr width=100% size=1>

Wow. Thanks very much. I don't know the righting moment for my boat, but I assume I can get it from the designer. <hr width=100% size=1>

To add to what Jerry said, in fact, all the peripherals, if you call them that on an engine, are standard automotive stuff, mostly Bosch, including the starter, alternator, water pump, fuel pump, injectors, filters, etc., which can be purchased cheaply all over the world. I get my oil filters...

Apologies accepted. Thanks for the link. <hr width=100% size=1>