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  1. tpenfield

    Formula 27PC Transom Work

    Formula lifts their stringer/bulkhead grid a 1/2" up off of the hull prior to tabbing it in. So, that is the 'channel' shown in your picture. This is done to reduce contact distortion in the mold, but it does leave a channel for water to accumulate and possibly propagate through to other parts...
  2. tpenfield

    My test of the "Anti-freeze only" winterization process

    Here is a video that I put together showing the adverse effects of using an "antifreeze only" approach to winterizing your boat engine (I/O). This test was done on the AF that would be left inside a Mercruiser 7.4L engine after sucking 4 gallons of -50F antifreeze and not draining it. A...
  3. tpenfield

    Mercruiser 7.4 MPI Valve Job . . .

    Well, I did my end of season compression tests on the engines today. The port engine seemed to be OK . . . The Starboard engine, not so much :facepalm: While the compression numbers look OK (not great) I did a cylinder leak test on the starboard engine, since the numbers were a bit lower than...
  4. tpenfield

    Considering New Anchor and a Windlass Installation . . .

    Now that the boating season is winding down in the northeast US, I am looking towards certain enhancements to my boat over the winter. Top of the list is a windlass and a suitable anchor/rode to go with it. I have scoped out a windlass (Lewmar V700) and various hardware. Project budget is...
  5. tpenfield

    Heading out on a 7 days cruise . . .

    The Admiral and I are heading out on a week long cruise today aboard the Disney Fantasy, celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. I think it is one of their newest ships :noidea: Our shore excursions include "America's Cup Racing" and the "Jamacan Bobsled Run". The Admiral also ordered a...
  6. tpenfield

    Overnight Trip to Vineyard Haven

    Update . . . Fabulous weekend (Sept 27-28th) on Martha's Vineyard. Temps in the 70's and not a cloud in the sky . . . We used the same wharf as last year, but ventured out to different parts of the island . . . got the boat all set up in the slip while we were getting things set up for the...
  7. tpenfield

    Mooring setup

    70 lbs is not much for a mooring anchor and a danforth is not designed to serve as such either. Regular boat anchors require a fair amount of scope (5:1 or more) and a mooring anchor uses little scope (2:1) . A mooring anchor for a 36' boat would be approximately 500 lbs :eek: You should...
  8. tpenfield

    Mercury 7.5 hp Lower Unit Special Tools

    Hi Folks: I need to take the lower unit of my 1969 Merc 7-1/2 HP outboard apart in order to repair/replace the drive shaft, which has become pitted. and now leaks oil past the seal. I've been searching here and there for a source and any associated reference numbers for the special tool to...
  9. tpenfield

    Great White Shark Tagging along Cape Cod shores

    Recently saw this article from Boating magazine (via Facebook) and a video showing the tagging of sharks along Chatham, Cape Cod. Kind of interesting that the sharks let the boat get that close. . . . There is web site (somewhere) where you can see the course that the sharks take over the...
  10. tpenfield

    New Anchor and a Windlass

    Well the Admiral hurt her back pulling up the anchor this weekend . . . so it looks like I will be getting a windlass to avoid further injury (to both her and myself :) ) Along with a windlass, I will need/want to get a new anchor, because my current one ( 22 lb danforth type) is not really...
  11. tpenfield

    Cleaned the Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor . . .

    My car has been acting fairly sluggish over the past year or so . . . - hesitation like an old dog - rough idle - reduced gas mileage - the CEL would come on if I stomped on the gas too much - etc. So, I finally did some research and discovered that a dirty MAF sensor (MAS) can cause all of...
  12. tpenfield

    Lake Wallenpaupack - Newbie Advisory

    A guy that I work with is taking his family to Lake Wallenpaupack for a little vacation this week. He is planning on renting a pontoon boat for a day (Thursday). No boating experience, so he has asked me some questions. "Yes, there are no brakes", I told him. "Just take it really slow" . . ...
  13. tpenfield

    1969 Mercury 7.5 HP Drive Shaft . . . .

    My 1969 Mercury 7.5 started puking oil today. (I use it for my dinghy) So, I took it back to the house and took off the lower unit and started disassembling stuff. . . It looks like the drive shaft has become pitted in the area of the drive shaft seal, so oil was escaping up into the water...
  14. tpenfield

    Mecruiser 7.4LX MPI Ignition System Issues . . .

    I did some clean up work on the ignition switches this morning. Easy access by removing the panel The connections and the wiring looked OK . . . I removed the screws on each connection at the switch, then cleaned the contacts and re-assembled. Then buttered them with electrical grease...
  15. tpenfield

    Mecruiser 7.4LX MPI Ignition System Issues . . .

    Yup, Page 29-31 of the operation manual talks about the warning system . . . Looks like the 2 second 'beep' is just a test of the buzzer when the ignition is turned on. Nothing else really to it, other than the standard temp/oil/outdrive warnings. I thought that maybe with the EFI there would be...
  16. tpenfield

    Mecruiser 7.4LX MPI Ignition System Issues . . .

    Hello Folks: I've been having an intermittent problem starting up my Mercruiser 7.4LX MPI engines (see S/N's in my sig below). So, before I get going on diagnostics and possibly replacing 'stuff', I'd thought I'd post it here to see if anyone can provide some insight or experience with a...
  17. tpenfield

    Formula 330SS Bulkhead Replacement

    No real action photos or videos yet, . . . we did make a feeble attempt at tubing on Sunday, but there were 3+ footers out in the bay. We ended up going inside the harbor into a shallow basin . . . fortunately the tides were right so that we could get in fairly close to shore. Mostly swimming...
  18. tpenfield

    Formula 330SS Bulkhead Replacement

    It Floats !!! :D It was a busy day getting all of the boat cleaning done and I still had to do the oil change on both engines. The boat hauler was scheduled for 1:00 PM, but he delayed for an hour, which was a good thing, as I was finishing up the oil changes when he came. Here is the boat all...
  19. tpenfield

    Recent Issue of Boating Magazine - Article on Flotation

    The July/August edition of Boating Magazine has an article on the USCG's testing of flotation in recreational boats (20 feet and under). Interesting read for those who can get a copy or view online. The boat featured in the article (19 foot I/O bowrider) barely passed the test. The article also...
  20. tpenfield

    Some Milky Oil from the Outdrive . . .

    I got the outdrives all painted up today. . . . anti-fouling paint and fresh anodes We'll see how they run. . . .
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