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  1. tpenfield

    Mercruiser Horizon Engines - Question . . .

    In my search for a new (to me) boat, I have come across 1 boat that has twin Mercruiser Horizon 5.7 engines. Most of the time I have seen regular Mercruiser 5.7's etc. So, I am not sure what a 'Horizon' is versus the regular branded Mercruisers. Is 'Horizon' sold as a field replacement...
  2. tpenfield

    Looking for a 'new' boat . . .

    Re: Looking for a 'new' boat . . . Saturday Update- We looked at 3 boats today. . . A Formula 28 foot bowrider and 2 Formula 280 Sun Sports (SS). The bowrider was pretty beat . . . lots of sun exposure on the vinyl, etc. Then I opened up a forward storage compartment and could see that there...
  3. tpenfield

    Help Me Understand Volvo-Penta Model Series Speak . . .

    I am looking at a few boats that have Volvo Penta engines and the alphabet soup of their model numbering convention is quite foreign to me. I wonder if anyone can help a Mercruiser guy make sense of all the model lettering . . such as GSi, GXi, etc, etc. :confused: I'm used to 'Alpha 1'...
  4. tpenfield

    Sanity Check: Big Bowrider (28 feet) for the Ocean???

    Hi Folks: In my search for the 'next' boat, I have been looking at Formula 280 Sun Sport boats in the 1996-2001 model year range. There are a few Formula 280 Bowriders available, and I had not really considered a bowrider for the waters that I frequent, but I am wondering about the...
  5. tpenfield

    fuel guage causing power drain

    Re: fuel guage causing power drain Amperage would be the correct way of testing the gauge for faults, as the gauge will show fairly low resistance on an ohms check. Most fuel gauges have 2 coils in them and the sender feed connects at the junction between the 2 coils, thereby adjusting the...
  6. tpenfield

    Mercrcuiser 7.4L Hydro-locked and pretty much destroyed

    Well, my boat ran into some engine issues a couple of weeks ago. So, I thought that I would start a thread to get some input and ideas as to what to do about it. A little background . . . The engine was only about 5 hours into the season this year, and last season, I did a valve job and...
  7. tpenfield

    Looking for a 'new' boat . . .

    Re: Looking for a 'new' boat . . . Looked at a Formula 280 SS today . . . same layout as the 330 SS, except everything is a bit smaller. Here are a couple of pictures from our visit. New Livorsi gauges and the Livorsi controls . . . the controls were second hand, so not as shiny as the new...
  8. tpenfield

    Looking for a 'new' boat . . .

    Re: Looking for a 'new' boat . . . We looked at a 33 footer today . . . Here are a couple of pics . . . The layout is 'Admiral Approved' as it had plenty of cockpit space and abundant seating as well as a decent sized cabin with an enclosed head. So, it looks like this type of boat is the...
  9. tpenfield

    Happy Friday the 13th !!!

    Who's going boating today? What could possibly go wrong??? :D
  10. tpenfield

    Advice on Process for Selling My Boat. . .

    I am considering selling my boat at some point and have been weighing various options and approaches in my mind over the past few weeks. I noted that there are not too may threads on selling advice, mostly buying advice, on this forum. So, I thought that I would seek some advice as my...
  11. tpenfield

    Anybody Got the Garmin GPSMAP 76 Cx ???

    I just got this unit to replace my Garmin 76, which STB on me last weekend. The regular 76 was butt simple to use . . . this new one looks like you have to be a rocket scientist to set things up and use it. The biggest thing so far is that it looks like it comes with no marine navigational...
  12. tpenfield

    Looking for a 'new' boat . . .

    Re: Looking for a 'new' boat . . . Went to look at a Formula 311 SR-1 today. Basically a bigger version of my current boat . . . The boat was in very good shape. It looked as though it would definitely carve its way through the ocean. The cockpit area was a bit cramped, actually less space...
  13. tpenfield

    Stupid Dead Batteries . . . No, Stupid Dead Starter

    We went out in the boat today and anchored for while. Played the stereo for a while when anchored . . . I go to start the engine after a couple of hours anchored and the engine won't turn over. Batteries were run down. . . still enough power to run the electrical stuff . . . just not enough to...
  14. tpenfield

    How to pack a 30 minute fireworks display into 10 seconds . . .

    San Diego Fireworks . . . Looks like somebody goofed on the sequencing . . .
  15. tpenfield

    Anchoring follies

    It seemed as though it was a 'special' day for anchoring at our favorite boating spot today. We got there fairly early and anchored close to shore and then brought all the stuff onto the beach. There was only about 6-8 boats there at the time, but the area filled up fairly quickly from then...
  16. tpenfield

    Looking for a 'new' boat . . .

    Since I have my current boat (Formula 242) back in operation, I have started to look for a new (to me) boat . . . I have been thinking about getting something with a bit more space and over-nighting capabilities. So, I went to look at this yesterday . . . I took the Admiral along to get her...
  17. tpenfield

    Strange Knocking Sound Mercruiser 454 (7.4L)

    Re: Strange Knocking Sound Mercruiser 454 (7.4L) A quick update: I replaced the exhaust tubes and the low-level noise seems to have gone. The old tubes were in rough shape, so I think the 'exhaust reverberation' theory was correct . . . probably the exhaust sound was bouncing around the torn...
  18. tpenfield

    1991 Formula 242 Stringer & Bulkhead Repairs w/ Many Pics

    Re: 1991 Formula 242 Stringer & Bulkhead Repairs w/ Many Pics Quick Update . . . Replaced Exhaust Tubes I replaced the exhaust tubes yesterday and took the boat out a couple of times. It seems to like the new tubes better. I did not get a chance to do a good WOT test as the bay was not very...
  19. tpenfield

    Went to the In-laws this weekend . . . Came home with a 58" HDTV !!!

    Re: Went to the In-laws this weekend . . . Came home with a 58" HDTV !!! Here is a picture of it . . . kind of dominates the room . . .
  20. tpenfield

    Went to the In-laws this weekend . . . Came home with a 58" HDTV !!!

    We went up to the Admiral's hometown this weekend for a little bit of cookout activity etc. Her Dad offered us his 'old' flat screen TV . . . we take a look at it . . . it is a 58" Samsung HDTV Plasma :D . . . only about 3 years old !!! He said, it may not fit in your car ??? "We'll make it...
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