Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
For those of us on moorings or on a hook, idling is hard to avoid. If you just need a little power a small inverter-generator might be an answer but some of us need to run the engine. We’ve discussed this at some length. I almost bought a second-hand inverter generator last fall, but decided to hold off. I want something big enough to make hot water but small enough to stow under my cockpit table. I still don’t see a practical solution. In the past I’ve taken to running the boat out for about a half-hour and then back to the mooring. That gets old pretty quick however. I typically run my engine at about 1000 Rpm for an hour or so each day unless I’ve taken her out somewhere. I have soot on my transom with only 300 hrs on the engine. No smoke from the engine however. The soot wipes off with some spray cleaner and a rag. I think its unburnt fuel.
Regards
RichQuote:<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
“They leak, sweat profusely in cold weather, and do not hold paint well.”. I have large opening Bowmar ports. I wonder if we have the same ports. There’s not much you can do about sweating. Mine don’t leak however. I painted mine with 1-part polyurithane paint because the were the wrong color. I wanted gray but they came in a different color. The 1-part paint holds up for a few years but must be renewed. I haven’t tried 2-part paint on the hatches; too much work.
My only complaint is that there’s no drain hole in the bottom of the frame. If water pools in there opening the port can be a wet experience.
Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
Quent
I didn’t mean to imply that a pencil zinc should be used, just the bronze plug end. I think we agree that a pencil zinc in the v-drive is a bad idea. Some folks have installed them but I didn’t. If Walter thought it needed they would have put one in there. Given that the thing rusts out from the inside so quickly, I don’t think a zinc would do anything anyway. As you say, pieces of it could cause problems downstream.The outside of the V-drive rusts out almost as fast as the inside. I touch-up the paint each season. I keep a can of blue rustoleum of a close color match just for this purpose.
Regards
Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
Bob
I went up on my boat last night and took a close look at what I have. The opening portlight clears the cabinet by a hair. The corner would have hit the hinge on the cabinet door over the sink. I ground a small grove in the edge of the hatch to clear the hinge and it opens completely.Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
Pat
You probably know that your cooling jacket is clogged with corrosion. Getting that stuff out is tedious. Good luck.Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
Mine probably overlaps by about the same length. The corners of the port are round so there was only a small part of the corner of the port that hit the cabinet. I ground off a small part of the edge of the hatch and it clears the cabinet. If I get a chance, I’ll take a photo this weekend.
Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
“but that big beautiful cabinet would prevent a porthole from opening.”
All our boats are slightly different, so measure first. I put an opening port there. I had to grind off a tiny portion of one corner of the port to clear the edge of the cabinet, but it opens with no problem. Nice to have ventilation above the stove.
Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
I’ve done it before as mentioned in my previous message and will probably do it again this winter. They are starting to leak again. I didn’t bother with the original large opening ports. Even though they were metal-frame, corrosion made them look like they were on the way out. I saved the original ports for no particular reason and just tossed them last weekend.
For the small forward aluminum opening hatches, I bought scratch resistant polycarbonate from a local glass company and cut it myself. The stuff is a little thinner than the 1/4″ plate glass used in the original frames, but a rubber gasket will take up the space. Put the seam at the top of the frame and use some goop to make a seal. Silicone would work, but you could use other bedding compounds.
Finding a replacement gasket is a trick. I just ordered some rubber gasket a few weeks ago, but I got the wrong size. I have some soft gasket material left over from rebuilding the deck hatches. I might try that. The stuff is round, but it should work.
The screens can be replaced too. Remove the old screen frame and discard the screen material. clean the frame with a wire wheel brush and lay in a bead of JB-Weld around the edge. Place a new screen over the frame and put weights on it. After allowing the glue to dry cut off the excess.
Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
Bob
I’m not comfortable with an opening port at the forward end of the doghouse. I’ve seen some boats do this. Having taken some green water over the bow in the past it would make me nervous. Opening the forward hatch provides pretty good ventilation without the risk.My forward ports are aluminum. Rebuilding them would involve replacing the gaskets and glass. I’ve done this once already about 15 years ago. Boy am I tired of doing the same repair more than once.
My boat is a 1979 model built in 1978, hull number 47.
I’ll think about the ports. I’ll probably keep one for spare parts. I may be willing to part with the second one. Let me measure what I have and take a photo. I’ll get back to you.
Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
Tor
I’m not sure that the LDG tuner has the same range of tuning that the SGC tuner provides. Its a much smaller tuner and probably has a more limited tuning range. This would limit the amount of correction that the tuner can make and might prevent you from getting on some bands. SGC doesn’t publish their tuning range. If you call LDG, you might want to ask them if this tuner will be adequate for your backstay. I’ve talked to them in the past. I think they will be honest. Knowing the length of your backstay between the insulators would help.Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
Tor
If you decide to go with the LDG tuner, they make three models, the AT-100, AT-200, and AT-1000. These indicate the power rating of their tuner, 100, 200, and 1000 watts. Some marine SSB radios are rated for 150W, so the AT-200 would be a good choice. I have an AT-100 at home in my “shack”, and I have an SGC-230 on my boat. If I buy another tuner for home, it will be an AT-1000.Here’s my shack.
http://www.richardcarter.net/radio/Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
Bob
I purchased a pair of 7 x 22 Bomar ports a few years back with the intention of using them to replace the fixed ports in my head. When I pulled the head fixed port out, I found that the Bowmar port was slightly too small. If I remember correctly, it was too narrow by about an inch. I put the fixed port back in. I still have the pair of Bowmar ports. I’m thinking of using them to replace a pair of the small ports forward but I haven’t made up my mind; hence nothing has been done for years. I still need to do something with the four opening ports up forward. I either need to rebuild them yet again or replace them. Rebuilding is free, so that’s probably the way I’ll go. I don’t think the larger ports would look right up forward. Otherwise I might be tempted to replace the pair of small fixed ports in the main cabin.I also bought a pair of small deck hatches that I intended to use in the shower stall and over the aft bunk. I never put them in either because they don’t have an interior trim lip. I don’t know what I’ll do with them either. I goth them cheap, but I decided they were too cheap even for me.
Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
Bob
What did you replace it with? I have two non-opening ports in my head and would like to replace them.Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
Tor
Its too complicated to explain in a short email. In brief, you need to convert the unbalanced output of your rig to a balanced load otherwise the 50 ohm load point your rig expects wont coincide with a low standing wave ratio (SWR). This is the ratio of power going into your antenna divided by what is reflected back to your radio. Reflected power isn’t going out over the airwaves. Instead it heats up the feed line. An SWR of 1.0 is ideal, but anything below 1.6 is usually considered good enough. There are a lot of ways to do this, but a small transformer or inductor is what is typically used. You can make something yourself by just coiling some feed line to form an inductive load, but that’s too involved. The LDG autotuner will switch in inductive and capacitive components to adjust the feed impedance to your radio so that it sees a 50 ohm load. That’s what your radio is designed for. The SGC does the same kind of thing. Since you only have a couple of weeks to sort this out, I suggest calling LDG and discussing your needs. They have been very helpful in the past.The LDG tuner is fully automatic like the SGC, but its not in a watertight case. You need to mount it someplace dry. It has frontpanel indicators that you’ll want to see too. It has frontpanel controls that can be used. The SGC tuner will cycle until it gets an SWR less than about 1.6. If it can’t get that low it doesn’t give up. It keeps cycling. This can be a disadvantage since there may be frequencies at which you can’t get an SWR quite that low. Maybe 1.8 is the best you can get. The LDG tuner can be hand tuned using the frontpanel controls. You may not have the skills to determine how and when you’d want to do this so it may not be a feature you’ll need.
Consider the SGC tuner to be a mindless appliance for people who don’t want to know how things work. Its rugged and expensive.
The SGC tuner is more flexible and less expensive. It must be mounted in a dry place because its not rugged. Since it isn’t designed for a longwire antenna, it needs to have a load matching network mounted near the base of the backstay. The load matching network is called a balun. I would consider the backstay to be a short “longwire” antenna.
Hope this helps
Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
Tor
If you can’t find a decent price on an SGC tuner, consider this.http://www.ldgelectronics.com/c/252/products/1/3/1
This is a nice tuner that runs off 12v and works much the same as the SGC tuner but is more cost competitive ($250). It needs to be mounted in your nav station however. Though its small, it would take up some room and you’ll have to make your own mounting brackets.
This tuner is designed to feed a 50 ohm antenna. To adapt it to a short random wire such as your backstay you need to mount a balun at the base of your backstay. “If you wish to use it with longwires or antennas fed with a balanced transmission line (e.g., ladder line), an external balun is required. The LDG RBA-1:1 balun will work with short random wires and the RBA-1 4:1 balun is suited for longer wires.” These run about $30. I would suggest contacting them to get a recommendation as to which balun would work best.
Best place to buy either is HRO
http://www.hamradio.com/Regards
Rich KE1EV
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum