Search results

Professor Google proclaims that AC and DC circuit breakers are NOT the same. There are some less expensive models, though the Blue Seas 7210 15A breakers claim to be AC / DC. Are not all breakers AC/DC? Are the Blue Seas 7210 breakers likely to match what I have in an '83 Ocean Alexander 40?

My boat: 1983 Ocean Alexander 40 Displacement: 38000 pounds Length: 40' Beam: 13.5' All the windage of a clipper ship, without the fuel economy... :) I removed my old windlass. It was a vertical Nilsson windlass. I need a new windlass. What's the best windlass to get (and where)...

Does anyone know where I can get the service manual for an Onan 8MDKDB 1C generator? It has never worked since I bought the boat. It will start, but not keep running. I had a generator guy come out to look at it. He did something (wouldn't show or tell me what) to hold the throttle that got...

I'm probably going to need to replace my washdown pump. I have a spare fresh water pump (just in case the existing one dies - I don't want to be without water for days waiting for one to ship...). Fundamentally, is there a difference between a "wash down" pump and a "fresh water" pump? Both...

I have a Jabsco 37010-3092 "Quiet Flush" compact electric toilet installed in my aft head. The head uses sea water for flushing. The "sea water" in the marina is pretty nasty, and results in "unpleasant" smells... Thus, I've closed the thru-hull, and use a cup to pour tap water into the...

My boat currently has 8D's for the starting batteries. How much does it really take to start a LF120? Will it work on a Group 31 battery, or do I really need to parallel 2 group 31's? One of the 8D's is bad, the other is suspect (at the very least as old as the first). I'd like to replace...

The Galveston, TX / Boliver ferry boats are completely symmetrical - they drive across, walk to the other side of the boat, and drive back, swapping end for end. So... Which end is bow, and which end is stern, or port vs. starboard? Or does it really just depend on which way you're going...

This may seem obvious, but... Other than 15hp, what is the difference between a Ford Lehman 120 and a 135? I see a lot of posts for the 120, not so many for the 135. At least it's still naturally aspirated, so no turbo troubles to worry about. Are there any other idiosyncrasies? Are there...

I was thinking about boat names, and was reminded of: Quincy's boat, "Fiji" (Jack Klugman, in the TV show "Quincy, M.E." - from '76 to '83) Sonny Crockett's boat "The St. Vitus Dance" in Miami Vice Doug Coughlin's boat "Kerry's Dream" in the Tom Cruise movie "Cocktail" What other...

This weekend, I pulled out the float sensor in my water tank. I have a metal tank, the sensor has the 5 screws around the perimeter. The strange thing was that the screws weren't threaded into the tank itself. There is a metal ring with threaded holes on the inside of the tank, basically...

I'm getting ready to do some painting in the master stateroom of my Chris Craft 410. Historically, there have been leaks at the windows (typical), and also at the toe rail (appears that the toe rail covers the deck to hull joint) - resulting in water penetrating to the interior cabin wall...

I have replaced an AC init in my boat with a MarinAire 16,000 system. In general - very happy with it, and thrilled with the assistance I have received when calling them for support. Last week, the fan motor died. They sent me a new one. I installed it, but now only the low fan speed works...

I'm on an inland lake. A couple of friends have suggested putting hot tub type bromine tablets (about 1-2" disks, similar to chlorine, slow dissolving) in the sea strainer to discourage the dang Zebra Muscles from growing there. Might also reduce algae growth - though I'm guessing there's not...

I have a 1980 Chris Craft Commander 410, with twin 454's. The boat had been sitting neglected for a LONG time. We rebuilt the carb on the port engine and got it to start - but it had a bad rattle the sounded like valve lifters. Replaced those, then had a series of issues that kept us from...

I haven't seen it in any of my recent boats - but is there any reason not to have an electrical outlet in the engine room? My boat has gas engines - so I have to be sure that the engine room is well vented before I go plugging stuff in - but seems like it would be handy to have an outlet down...

Peggie - I'll be curious to hear what you have to say about this! If you want - skip to the end. Executive summary of the question: Can I fabricate my own holding tank from plywood covered in fiberglass and epoxy? I posted a previous thread "Are two (marine) heads better than one?" In the...

I'm restoring a 1980 Chris Craft Commander 410. The boat had two full heads with separate showers. I've pulled out both toilets, and will soon pull the marine sanitation hoses as well. The hoses are at least 20 years old - so I'm not even going to question them - they're gonna go. The two...

As I think about restoring my "new to me" Chris Craft 410, and dream of the day of being able to head off for adventures longer than a weekend, hopefully longer than a week... I've wondered - what kinds of things do people take on board (to eat) that keep well? Aside from canned chicken and...

I took a look at one of my outlets, and think it has house grade romex going to it... It's a 3 conductor cable - SOLID white, black, and bare copper (ground) conductors. From Calder's book, I got the impression that wiring on a boat should be stranded wire, not solid - and they get ring...

I'm going to have a LOT of electrical work in my near future, with a lot of crimping involved. I just bought a new, relatively inexpensive crimper on Amazon, and picked one that was advertised for "insulated terminals" - but it still doesn't seem to be a good fit for the typical connectors...

I'm looking at buying a 1980 Chris Craft 410 Commander.... Nope, she's not a trawler, though the interior accommodations are as good as I've seen on most of the trawlers that I've looked at (in the 40' range). To that end, does anyone know if a CC 410 Commander will run as nicely as I would...

I'm used to just using the (twin) engines to steer the boat when docking or otherwise in close quarters, and idle speed. Hypothetically speaking - would this work at higher speeds, or would it tear anything up (like the transmission). For example, if the steering went out with the rudders set...

I have seen two cases now where the anchor windlass only had one switch. The windlass on my boat (and my previous boat) has two switches - one for up, one for down... If there's only one switch, I'm assuming that the windlass can only be used to raise the anchor (??). Is that correct? CAN a...

I'm looking at a listing for a boat that has twin FL SP275's. I searched the forum for threads with general comments, and was disappointed to really not find much. There was one reference to "don't run them hard". Can someone expand on that? In general, should I avoid SP275's? Or are they...

I have just exited the purchase process on an '86 Present 38 MY for sale in Kemah Texas. As others have done, I ended up walking away after spending a considerable amount of time and money - hopefully ultimately saving myself far more than I spent. If anyone else ends up looking at this boat...