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Tinting is a pigment given to the polycarbonate. Itâs not on the surface. Someone may have applied an aftermarket tint to your ports.
Never use ammonia cleaner (e.g. windex) on polycarbonate lenses. It damages the plastic. Iâve seen lots of older boats with ports that look terrible as a result.
Rich
David,
The eyebrows are fastened with wood screws and bedded with silicone caulk. Silicone is the wrong type to use on teak but thatâs what Pearson used on my boat. Iâve had to remove screws that were leaking and rebed with polysufilde. Just putting a bit on the threads and reinserting the screw seems to work.
Rich
There isnât a lot of room in there near the V-drive output flange. I donât think you can get a drive-saver shim in there. Maybe a custom shop could make something.
Rich
It looks like an owner added kludge to me. Maybe others with the same engine can comment.
Change the engine oil at your first opportunity even if there is no sign of water in the crankcase.
Rich
Odd, you lost oil pressure, right?
I donât have an answer for you but I think your best course of action is to bring in a mechanic.
Rich
Scott,
This sounds to be serious. A loss of engine oil pressure would have nothing to do with your transmission. As far as I know, there is no oil cooler for your W58 engine. Iâve never owned one but it would be odd to find one there. My guess is a blown head gasket but there could be other serious problems that might cause oil to blow through to your exhaust. Shutting down may have saved your engine but I suggest preparing for a big repair bill. Have a marine mechanic come down and inspect your engine. If itâs just a head gasket, he may be able to perform the repair without pulling your engine.
Rich
I remember reading something about electrolysis problems with monel. I have a spool of mil-spec seizing wire that I don’t use below the water line for this reason.
From Wikibedia
“However, because of the problem of electrolytic action in salt water (also known as Galvanic corrosion), in shipbuilding Monel must be carefully insulated from other metals such as steel. The New York Times of August 12, 1915 published an article about a 215-foot yacht, “the first ship that has ever been built with an entirely Monel hull,” that “went to pieces” in just six weeks and had to be scrapped, “on account of the disintegration of her bottom by electrical action.” The yacht’s steel skeleton deteriorated due to electrolytic interaction with the Monel.[8]”Rich
—– Original Message —–I have a sloop. I had an enclosure built for me several years ago. I donât have photos handy. Iâll try to remember to take some.
The top of the dodger has a zipper and the bimini has zippers along all four sides. A windscreen zips in the front of the bimini and top zipper of the dodger. In rain underway, I install this extra wind-screen to keep much of the rain out of the cockpit when underway. Visibility through the plastic windows is difficult in rain. The RADAR helps a lot when underway in rain.
In hot weather, the dodger windscreen unzips and rolls-up. A screen zips in there to catch the breeze.
A mosquito netting enclosure zips into the bimini and runs around the other three sides. Snaps run along the top of the coaming similar to the channel that is shown in the attachment. The enclosure snaps to these. The most forward snap is a lift-the-dot. When set, the enclosure makes the cockpit bug-proof. It provides some protection in light rain but isnât intended to make it weather proof. The snaps are a pain in the butt (pun intended) if you sit on the coaming. We have small cushions that can be placed there.
All hatches below have screens so the boat is entirely bug-proof. I hate bugs.
Rich
I think that 7.8kts is about the best you can do. The boat does about 7.3kts with ease. Driving faster creates a stern wave that runs up the back of the transom. The more throttle, the bigger the wave. Speed increases a bit but itâs a point of diminishing returns. Having the extra power lets you push into waves and seas that a smaller engine would have trouble with. It lets you back off the throttle at cruising speed for a more comfortable ride. My engine is 75HP. The W60 I replaced was only 50HP and wouldnât push the boat faster than about 7KTS. I think you can get by with a 50HP engine but I suggest going for a bit larger engine if you can mate your prop and v-drive to the larger engine. The cost of repowering is huge. The engine is only part of the cost. Adding another boat unit of cost the engine wonât really make that much a difference in the total cost of the project.
A larger engine will burn more fuel, but only if you push the throttle up. Cruising at the same speed, I think a 50HP and a 75HP engine use about the same fuel. I donât think you really need 75HP however. 60 or 65 HP is probably enough.
Rich
My repower ran about $23K just for parts. A full repower might cost another $12K for labor. $35K may not be unreasonable if they do all the labor and replace everything.
Rich
David
When I shut the engine down under way, I first put it in reverse at idle. This folds the blades. I then put the engine back in neutral so she will start reliably the next time. Once folded, the blades will stay that way unless you put it back in forward.
Rich
You might try using the GPS heading instead. The compass shows you where youâre bow is pointed but not the direction your boat is actually moving.
Rich
It’s been many years since I powered my 424 with the original fixed prop. My memory is a bit fuzzy about it but as I recall the thing never backed down worth a damn. In reverse, she had a mind of her own, resisting attempts to steer in any particular direction. Yes, you can play with forward and reverse and use the tendency to back to starboard to nurse her stern around and forward to nurse her nose, but the rudder does nothing to help in reverse. I’m not sure that the folding prop is any worse than the original fixed prop. In the interest of full disclosure however, I don’t do much backing.
Every once in a while I cruise with my club and find myself assigned an inside slip down a narrow fairway. I usually don’t find it difficult to get myself in the assigned spot but getting back out is sometimes difficult. If wind and current are light, I can get myself out without embarrassment, but if there’s a crosswind, I’m like a loose-cannon. I’ve been known to send someone in the dinghy to push us around.
Stopping with the folding prop is not a problem. If I give it some throttle in reverse a whirlpool comes out both the port and starboard sides of the boat and there is a sucking sound from both cockpit drains. The boat stops dead in her tracks.
There are a lot of lobstah-pots in the area I cruise. With blades folded, there isn’t anything down there to snag a line. That’s nice. Under sail you can just enjoy the boat and not worry about zig-zagging around pots. I removed the brake years ago. With the blades folded, there is no worry about free-wheeling.
Rich
—– Original Message —–
I have a Slipstream 3-blade folding prop and love it. The blades are geared together so they open and close in unison. It looks like the flex-o-fold prop isnât geared. I guess it will work OK but youâll find some odd behavior as the blades open, particularly in reverse.
My folding prop works OK in reverse. I have to give it a lot of throttle to keep the blades open. Reverse isnât all that important to me. I donât moor in a slip. Iâm on a mooring. Stopping is important in an emergency. If I give the engine some throttle, she will stop on a dime.
Rich
Derrick
Having an opening port above your bunk is great if it doesnât leak. I replaced the port over my aft bunk with a new opening Bomar port years ago and never regretted it. The only trick is to remember to close it before it rains! Unfortunately, this port is slightly smaller than the fixed ports. Iâve never had a leak in my fixed ports.
Rich