What is it?
Starboard side of the block towards the rear is a small petcock valve with
the tubing crimped off. It is leaking oil.
Thanks – Allen
PS there is a hose barb screwed into the front/bottom of the oil pan. It
looks cross threaded. Was it a bolt thread that the pipe thread has been
forced into?
Thanks again – Allen

Hi,

I have a charter captain friend who told me once that there is a
loophole around the conventional "6-pack" CG License chartering
regulations.

He said something to the effect that if you have a contract that
specifies that the boat is being rented as a whole to the "guests",
that they are able to pick whoever they’d like to be the captain of
their "rented" vessel, whether that person is licensed or not.

So, in essence, the boat "rental" provides the income, and the
"captain" performs duties for free.

With this method, he was able to charter his boat with more than 6
guests, and without a captain’s license.

Does anyone know the real story on this?  Was he f.o.s.?

Thanks,

Mike.

We have a 55A Hitachi alternator on our 2 cyl 13HP Yanmar. It is charging 2
banks of batteries – 200AH in house and 100AH in Starting.

Today, I had an alarm sound when I started the engine (turned out to be low
oil level!), but it caused me to check the engine belts etc.

The alternator belt was loose, so I adjusted it – it had been slipping. I
noticed that despite only having run for about 5-10 minutes at low rpm
(~1200), the alternator was quite hot to the touch – I would guess in the
50-60 deg C range (120-140F), so I would keep my hand in contact with it.
The engine block was not nearly as hot – I could put my hand on it
anywhere – just warm.

There is a combiner, so both banks MAY have been connected.  Refrigeration
was running at time. Batteries were not fully charged – maybe just below
12v.  I don’t have an ammeter, so don’t know what amps are being put out.

Should the alternator run that hot?

Would low speed caused by slipping belt cause overheating?

If not, what could cause be?  Or is it normal?

GBM

I have a sailboat that I keep at a marina, so charging time is not that
critical, I guess. My old, old Nav Mar HDM 30 charger is frying my
batteries and I’m looking to replace it. I have a charging battery and
two 75 amp house batteries (in one bank). Can anyone recommend a
charger for me? Would the xantrex TC10 be too small a charger?

Thanks in advance,

George

For the MS (MSB) transmission attached to my Volvo MD17C engine, I need
the large star shaped rubber damper that goes between the engine and
the transmission.  Also need the gasket between the bell housing and
the engine.

Can any one tell me the part numbers (or better yet provide a schematic
with part numbers for the entire unit)?  Also any recommendations on
where I can get these parts?  Thanks Jim

  I have Raven 1992 195cc Cuddy with the 3.7L Mercruiser 4cyl. It
started a little flutter & once in a while a backfire @ high RPM. Since
it had been rebuilt 4-5 years ago and the only maintenance I’ve done is
oil & impeller changes, I thought it would be a good time for a
tune-up. It has 229 hrs. since rebuild. I replaced points, rotor,
plugs, wires, condessor, and set timing @ +9 degrees, which the
rebuilder says he sets his timings.The distributor was replaced with
which I believe is a Prestolite brand at the time of the rebuild. My
local marine store said the disributor is for 3.0L  because the listed
tune-up kit did not match the parts that were in the distributor. It
still acted up, so off came the carburetor. The carburetor was cleaned
at the Kawaski shop, and a rebuild kit was purchased from the local Car
Quest parts store. MercCarb kit 50-766-2. A new float was from the
marine store. The water filter was changed & and a new fuel pump was
installed. The carburetor now floods out and fuel drips inside after
the motor is off & creates more of a flooding problem. When taken a
part there was a solid needle valve in which I left in. The insructions
prefer the spring & needle. The float level is10mm & the drop is 29mm.
Thses measurements were taken from the highest point on the bottom of
the float after it bevels up which is just about even the hanging
bracket. I’m not sure about the choke setting. The choke spring is bent
like a "C" but the wear from the lever is on the other side, so the
butterfly lever is in the "C"( Dad says so).
    I have stripped out the threads for the filter, so I left the
filter& spring out & JB Welded the assembly on to stop the leaking.
Since 98% of my boating is on the Mississippi below St. Louis this
thing has to run excellent because help and boat ramps are few. The
boat ran excellent this year up to about the 1st. of June 06.
HELP!!!!!!

I read in another group that the ‘Lavac’ brand marine toilets work the
best, have the least maintenance, and the highest quality.

http://www.lavac.com/

Any feedback on this product? If this is true, why is this brand
rarely found in cruising boats? Is it the price?

Thanks for any feedback.

Anyone have any eperience using a ketch rig with a Monitor or some
other windvane?

I would like to get a windvane for my Shannon 39, but locals inform me
that I may experience problems – I am highly skepticle about the
assertion.

Hi All

Having had one or two bad experiences with hiring cruisers from big
companies I wonder if anyone knows of independent fleet owners in France
which might give a better deal when hiring direct.

Any info gratefully received.

Stuart Reed

When I noticed a pop rivetted butt join on the mast of a new boat I
suspected a mast repair job? When asking the US mast manufacturing company
as to why a pop rivetted butt joint was present on a 45 feet long new mast,
they replied that the longest aluminium extrusion available was 40 feet
long. They also stated that it was standard practice in the industry to butt
joint the length of a mast after 40 feet. They said that their masts were
elongated by inserting an internal sleeve and securing the joint with pop
rivets. They also mentioned that other manufacturers were using butt welding
technique instead of pop rivets.

Maybe this is standard practice but it was an eye opener for me. As anyone
notices that before?