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  1. tpenfield

    Water System Enhancements

    I fixed the water system gauge today . . . Here are the new gauge and sender. Had to put a big patch on the tank where the old sender was located. The new sender, being a tube type needed to be in a deeper area of the tank. After connecting all of the new wiring, it was time to test...
  2. tpenfield

    Thinking of getting a sailboat . . .

    I had a Catalina 22 for about 7 years (1997 - 2004) and sold it to buy my Formula 242 powerboat. There are days when a couple hour sail would be nice, so I have been thinking of getting a smaller sailboat . . . 17-20 foot range. Something that would not be a lot of hassle to use. A couple of...
  3. tpenfield

    Long Term GPH Realization

    When I went from a single engine sport cuddy to a twin engine day boat a few years ago, I was a bit concerned about the increased fuel usage. I was getting about 6 GPH overall on my 24 footer and was thinking double on my 33 foot twin engine boat. Now that I am 3 years into the 'new' boat I...
  4. tpenfield

    New (to me) towing vehicle. . And question

    Here is a pic of the local launching ramp that you can see in the background . . . not steep at all. We refer to it as a road that runs into the water. :) The Admiral vetoed the truck idea in favor of a big SUV that could be used as a 'beach mobile'. Otherwise I would have grabbed an F-250 for...
  5. tpenfield

    Lower Oil Pressure as the season goes on . . .

    I've been noticing that the oil pressure on my port engine has been looking lower as the boating season goes on . . . It started out as being 30 psi minimum at idle and maybe 45 psi at cruising speed. . . . Now it is looking more like 20 psi at idle and 35 psi at speed. more noticeable when...
  6. tpenfield

    First day out with the expanded family fleet

    My brother picked up his 'new to him' Grady White 222 today and despite the rough water conditions, we had a good day on the water. As we were traveling to the area where we would raft up for the day, we each got some decent pics of out boats going through the choppy waves. My brother's GW...
  7. tpenfield

    Boat Buying Pickle . . . Info or Ideas??

    Pic . . .
  8. tpenfield

    New (to me) towing vehicle. . And question

    Here is a picture of the 'new' tow vehicle. Got if from my FIL . . . he has 2 others of much newer years and didn't want to keep this one. I drove it from VT to CT and then back to MA yesterday (lots of driving). I managed to squeak 18.7 mpg overall out of it, but it certainly will be more...
  9. tpenfield

    New (to me) towing vehicle. . And question

    I just got a 2004 Cadillac Escalade w/ 6.0L 345 HP AWD. Towing capacity is 8100 lbs. not that I have anything to immediately tow with the thing . . . I was planning on getting an F-250 or 350 to tow my Formula 330. My local boat ramp is about 1 mile down the road (30 mph) . . . The boat is...
  10. tpenfield

    Boat Buying Pickle . . . Info or Ideas??

    My brother who has not owned a boat in about 25 years has now become interested in getting a boat. He has found a pretty nice boat (center console), put in an offer, and I got him lined up with a good surveyor in case it moves forward. A wrinkle to the deal is that the boat comes with a...
  11. tpenfield

    Bravo 3, 3x3, 4x3, 4x4

    I think part of the problem is 11K lbs being propelled by a single engine/outdrive. A 4x3 24 P might be the way to go, but your engine may end up at around 5300 RPM, if that is OK.. There is some info on the web, but not many real life tales being told, since it is a steep investment to try...
  12. tpenfield

    JBL Marine Speakers

    I installed the speakers today. . . fog bank rolled in, so I had some time to kill. The old speakers were in pretty tough shape The cutouts needed were reasonably close to the existing, but but the fastener holes were in a different location. Got 'em all installed . . . Here is...
  13. tpenfield

    JBL Marine Speakers

    The nearly 20 year old stereo speakers on my boat have seen better days and barely work. So, I bought a pair of JBL MS9520 marine speakers, which I plan on installing this weekend. I only noticed a couple of consumer reviews on the web, so not much to draw on as far as making a good choice...
  14. tpenfield

    Electro-Mechanical Trim Indicators

    Mid-season Update: I have been using the electro-mechanical indicators for a month or so now and have found the trim range where the outdrives like to be, based on various sea and loading conditions. Essentially, it is the middle 1/3 of the trim range, as pictured below and indicated by the...
  15. tpenfield

    'In water' cooling system maintenance . . .

    UPDATE: I took the intake hose and strainer out today to see if the strainer was clogged and take a look at the impeller. I forst tried to separate the strainer from the intake hose, but that was futile, so I just disconnected the hose at the transom assembly and jimmied the whole intake...
  16. tpenfield

    Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1 upper seal bearing pre load

    How much did you tighten it? should be like 1/8 of a turn at a time, then re-check the rolling torque. If the bearing is rusted or worn or defective, then it might lock up once it is tightened. This is how you separate them . . . It is a bearing splitter and it will wedge apart the inner...
  17. tpenfield

    'In water' cooling system maintenance . . .

    Yea, it seems that with the twin engine setup, they make them really close together (like 2") . . . not sure why. Here is a picture of the starboard sea water strainer . . . and here is the port engine strainer . . . I sort of wish the starboard engine was the one that needed attention . ...
  18. tpenfield

    'In water' cooling system maintenance . . .

    My port engine is showing signs of a cooling system issue, so it looks like I have to do some maintenance while the boat is in the water, as pulling the boat and re-launching it is wicked expensive. Some Info & Symptoms so far are: Twin engines per my sig below . . . FULL closed cooling...
  19. tpenfield

    Structural Moisture Remediation - something I came across . . .

    I know that the topic of resolving structural moisture ( in transoms, stringers, bulkheads, foam chambers, etc) in a "pre-rot" situation comes up on this forum from time to time. I myself have raised the issue with my current boat. Conventional wisdom is to cut & gut the affected areas and...
  20. tpenfield

    How do i remove trim sender bolt?

    Oh, got it . . . the trim sender wires . . . I have replaced the senders/wires without removing the bell housing, but it is better to remove the outdrive. If you want to try it with the outdrive on . . . 1/4" socket with 2 6" extensions and a u-joint adapter. 7/16" socket as stated. You would...
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