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Yep! While you’re in these situations, you’re muttering “How the h*ll did I get into this? Am I crazy? But once it’s all over, in retrospect you think fondly back on it and say to yourself “That was one heck of a day!”

Good advice. We kept a notebook at the helm which had a list of destinations for the next few days with pertinent info including name of marina with navigation data (such as nearby buoy, land or seamarks, phone number, hours, etc), or the name of anchorage with navigation data, etc. That way if...

We had exactly the same issue with one of our SP135s while in the middle of Chesapeake Bay. It turned out to be a failing mechanical fuel pump with a somewhat porous diaphragm. The engine would run, but only at a low rpm. The other posts were correct in that the engine is very likely starved...

I agree that a 10-hour day is too much unless you're on a tight schedule and have a crew so you can do watch on-watch off. We did this trip 2 years ago, and we found that an 8-hour voyage per day is max. And that can be brutal depending on conditions, so we schedule for a 6-hour voyage per day...

Wow! That must have been a shock! When sailing from the Kingston NY area to Myrtle Beach, SC several years ago, we encountered rough conditions and took some green water over the bow. We only got some water into the anchor locker (which of course ran into the bilge), but I can imagine the volume...

Fair warning: while I also have used Hodges Marine numerous times over the years, I had a major customer service issue with them. I had ordered some Lowrance NMEA parts, and they sent me the wrong ones. Their customer service is non-existent. After numerous calls and emails to Hodges re...

Thanks. That wave height document is very useful

During our long voyage from upstate NY to South Carolina, we sailed offshore as well as the ICW. We learned that almost always a NOAA marine forecast of “waves 3 to 4 feet” underestimated wind and wave conditions. Wave heights forecast as “3 to 4 feet” seas were very often 4 to 6 feet. That’s...

I’m very familiar with the 71 series Detroits, having run them in several vintage boats. Actually, your engine started up clean as the driven snow compared to the ones on my old boats, all of which were WW2 surplus boats which had been driven hard and put up wet. And they STILL ran beautifully...

What is a “peanut scraper”?

It was a Heritage East 44, built I believe in 1987. Not a cheap boat! I think they had twin Cummins 6BTs

Interestingly, we saw very few floating logs in the Dismal, but I did hit one there: but we were barely doing 4 kts and it was so waterlogged it was probably 3’ underneath. It was a very gentle bump, no damage. Where the scanning sonar really earned its keep was in the Alligator-Pungo. Lots...

Actually, I didn’t pass him by as his boat was sinking and the owner (twit though he was) was in imminent danger. We called a Pan-Pan-Pan to the USCG, who asked me to stand by and report on what we were seeing. They would dispatch a smallboat from Elizabeth City, but also alerted BoatUS, who was...

I know this is an older topic, but perhaps my experience with a look-ahead sonar will be useful. In planning our trip from down from the upper Hudson River to South Carolina (about 800nm), I knew we would encounter shoaling in the ICW, particularly opposite the inlets. Having run aground...

I also have a Magnum charger/inverter on my trawler, replacing an ancient Heart Interface model. Occasionally when I am on shore power, the Magnum disconnects the shorepower but does not then invert DC into AC. It does nothing at all. Usually if I disconnect the shore power and the DC it will...

On my previous boat, the PO had drilled a hole in the plexiglass lens of the forward hatch and mounted a Nicro Solarvent in the hole. Definitely helped ventilation, but; 1. Rain always found its way in; 2 Green water over the bow would totally soak the v-berth, and 3. Eventually the plexiglass...

Although you don’t give any details about your tug, judging by the very tall stack it’s very likely this boat was originally steam-powered. Boilers require a tall stack to promote a draft from the firebox. Diesels do not need tall stacks, and in fact it would be a disadvantage. I agree with...

Now THAT is a really nice image of the bottom!

I had installed a nice Lewmar windlass on my previous boat, but I wanted a chain counter. I bought a slender magnet, glued it to the underside of the capstan, and installed a sort of reed switch in the deck. I led the wires from this switch to the aftermarket remote windlass controller, which...

Before we took our 38’ trawler down from upstate NY to SC, I installed a Simrad system for navigation, radar & sonar. In addition, we added a Forward-Scan sonar head as well, as the MFD had the capability to power it. Yes, it was pricey, but we found that it was invaluable when on the ICW...

Very handsome boat! Thanks for sharing the pics.

I own a Hartmann-Palmer Offshore 38. It’s similar to a Marine Trader 38 or 40. I have 2 very large and fairly heavy engine room hatches which take up nearly the entire width of the salon, and about 85% of the length. When I had a mechanic in the engine room working on one of the diesels, the...

I’ve always had manual heads, and like most boaters, I’ve had clogs (clueless guests), breakdowns, leaks, etc. Never felt the need though for an electric head. However, the trawler we bought 3 years ago had TWO electric heads, the master head bring a Raritan Marine Elegance. I’ll never go back...

Agree that while the wobble is not extreme, it should be addressed. Not good for the trans.

They are called “break-apart” or “lift-off” hinges, or sometimes “Murray hinges”. These are often used in fine cabinet making. They are not at all specific to boat building. Google for “brass furniture hardware” and you may find others. Amazon sells them too. It’s highly unlikely you’ll find the...