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I don't think it's possible to make absolute statements as to the usefulness of radar and navigation. In big open water that may be true, but I have found it helpful in more confined areas - particularly those with obstructions. One example is the Multnomah channel here in the Portland area...

I suppose it's like having autopilot but once you have radar it's hard to image boating without it. Is it required? Probably not but it's such a useful tool and easy to use with a little practice. Btw, Panbo has a nice article on the Furuno DRS4W here.

In case you haven't already read it, pick up a copy of Bill Proctor's "Full Moon, Flood Tide". It's an interesting read of the early days in the area. Now if I could just find the lost treasure he mentioned...

I've been looking to upgrade our dinghy and recently went to the Inflatable Boat Center here in Portland. The guy there was familiar with C-Dorys and was a big fan of the Zodiac Cadet 240 Aero with the inflatable floor option. It seems very well made, has an inflatable floor and keel and is...

Thanks guys. This is all along the lines of my understanding and I appreciate the validation :) Rob, yeah, I have a single engine boat so have one start battery and will have a house bank with the two Trojan batteries. What baffles me is why the ProMariner people are so adamant that each...

I'm upgrading my single house battery to two batteries connected in parallel (Trojan SCS200). Both batteries will be new and obviously the same type. To supply the boat, I'm thinking of taking the negative lead off one battery and the positive off the other. All was good until I started...

Congrats on the truck. In case you're interested, I recently installed a pair of Firestone Air Helper springs from eTrailer (here) for my Tacoma. They work great and are easy to install.

Those Columbia river anchor nests are often mounted to aluminum boats that have a small ridge at the edge of the deck. The rubber is really just a spacer to raise the nest enough to clear it. Feel free to toss it.

I'm gathering the parts to do this as well. On the recommendation of eTrailer I went with the BrakeRite II system. I've received all the parts and am now just waiting for the planets to align so I can do the job. The BrakeRite II stuff looks pretty durable. All the wires are protected and...

If I may be a bit contrarian, driving is by far the most dangerous thing we do on a regular basis. Buy a late model truck and rest easy your family is protected by the latest safety features. My 2009 Tacoma is mid-sized, seats four comfortably, has airbags all over the place and will tow 6500...

After following all the advice above, when you rent the truck spent the extra $20 and get all the insurance you can from the rental agency. This is one transaction you don't want to over optimize :)

I hate to hear this kind of thing. Fortunately here in Portland we've got a really great dealer with Rodger's Marine. You pay a wee bit more but you get really good support as you can just call them with questions. If Raymarine is emphasizing web support then you should certainly express your...

I was at Sportcraft Marine today and heard rumor that a nice location on the waterfront near Bellingham had been secured and there was some hope of activity starting next week. Can this be true?

I have found this book most helpful in trying to understand my electrical system. http://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Illustrated-Electrical-Handbook-Charlie/dp/0071446443/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414551106&sr=8-1&keywords=Illustrated+marine+electrical

We've spent a couple weeks on our boat but I know that's nothing compared to what some c-dory adventurers have accomplished. We do get in a groove after a few days but it's still a small space. I often wonder what the limits of endurance are in a small boat if enjoyment and adventure are...

Todd Inlet

I can tell you that the 2007 Cape Cruiser has no storage under the v-berth, just flotation foam. I'd love to have all that space for seldom accessed items.

As suggested you definitely need disc brakes - the question is whether a new trailer comes with them or not :) I'm with Hunkydory on the electric-over-hydraulic (EoH) brakes, unless I suppose, you have a massive tow vehicle. Our 23 Venture is pushing 6000 lbs loaded and despite twin axle disc...

I recently ran across the "Isotherm Smart Energy Controller" product that claims to significantly reduce refrigerator energy usage. I'm not exactly sure how it works but it appears the key is that it tries to reduce the temp (essentially storing energy) when energy is readily available then...

The problem I ran into was check valve clogging at the tank. I had removed the fuel sensors and found the PO had used regular silicone sealer at some point in the past. So when I removed the sensor on each tank unknown to me some of the clear silicone dropped into the tanks. Later, of course...