Recent content by drjohn71a

Several factors are involved in the window sticking phenomenon. One is the accumulation of salt and dirt in the channel. Dock spiders build nests in the channel drainage grooves and one must direct a power water spray upward thru the drain slots from underneath. Lots of debris is flushed...

OK, Charlie, But I just can't help wondering what she's been doing over there in Nigeria... I guess the re-runs are on there... John

Casey, Did you run into Pamela Anderson of Bay Watch on the way home? She emailed me from Nigeria where she lost her purse and wallet and I had to send money for her to get back home. She promised to stop by Wichita, KS, to thank me on her way back to California. John

I had one of those two slot plastic cupholders up against the windshield in the right side of the helm window in which I kept a standard, old time, inexpensive marine compass. I used it many many times. Fuses blew out on the Raymarine E80s in a storm. A handheld GPS saved my bacon on one time...

Charlie, After having bragged in the past on site about still having the choice of unleaded or ethanol here in Kansas, I came to a rude awakening at breakfast the other day. One of the fuel truck drivers mentioned that, when he pulls into the stations that have two pumps, some for same price...

yep, one some types of smoke detectors, Willie is the warning sound!

Tug, If you have the "four corners" marked, you can set the trailer to have those marks all level on a level ground. then you can make a marker ruler or trammel type thing using an old lamp stand or Christmas tree stand or jack stand with a vertical pi;e and a horizontal stick or pipe with a...

Yeah, Brent, Over the years, I've seen some posts on here that make one wonder exactly what type of smoke has been getting up into the cabin... 'Course I guess they don't make sensors for all of those things... John

Usually the CO sensor is mounted low and at the helm. Often about knee level and underneath the wheel somewhere. My left foot could kick it, when I sat in the helm chair, in my old TomCat. Some boats have it under the dinette, in the "foot" area. You may not have one. It is a cream colored...

There are situations in which the exhaust air can be drawn backwards into the cabin instead of the normal flow direction. The station wagon effect is most commonly encountered when going forward at speed with only the back door open, or even with no window or door open. This creates a vacuum in...

I am not good at remembering songs and philosophy, but it seems obvious to me that the good will and concern for others you daily exude comes greatly from your roots - Mom, in this instance. My own parents were much older than most when they became parents and I lost them many years ago. I...

Thank goodness you had no fumes nearby! My old fashioned, conservative take on inverters and high amp 12 Volt usage is that a boater is usually better off to learn to live on the water with less electricity. I have a tiny Cobb grill that can cook or heat for hours on 8-10 briquettes, and...

Dick, One place to check is those rotating latches on the elliptical ports in that forward berth area. I could not figure out why I was getting water coming in down around the back of the dash and sometimes under the cushions. I was just turning them enough to engage - not turning them until...

Hi guys, For twelve years I had an old 31 foot house boat on a cathedral hull - kind of like a catamaran with a hull in between. I used ablative bottom paint, CSC micron, if I'm remembering right... Each Spring, I'd jack up one side using wide boards to spread the load. Usually, three or four...

DD, I was wondering if other places were suffering similar fates, esp. with those massive NE storms. I'll admit I'll be thinking twice about storing my next boat in the water all the time... But, it is nice to be able to use it easily... As far as the insurance goes, my experience is that...