I am trying to figure out what kind of mooring lines to use on my 38-foot boat. I also have a friend buying a new boat, and we are both wondering what kind of lines to buy. What type should we use?
Posted: June 1, 2013
We own a 2007 Four Winns 210 Horizon with a 5.0L Volvo sterndrive. Being inland in Fresno, Calif., we have found that we can only get to freshwater lakes for about 20 to 25 days each year. We are debating whether we could “safely” use the boat in brackish or salt water with a salt removal system installed. We have concerns about corrosion on both the boat engine and the trailer, but we are conscientious “rinsers” after even the freshwater uses. How do you feel about this?
Posted: May 1, 2013
I have a 9.9 Yamaha I use on my Typhoon sailboat. Last spring, I took it to a dealer for service. It had overheated, so he replaced the water pump and tested it in his tank, where it worked fine. I went motoring — for about two or three minutes — and it dropped one cylinder. I took it back to the dealer, and this time he cleaned the carb. I put it back on the boat but didn’t leave the slip this time, and sure enough, two or three minutes later it dropped a cylinder. I took it off the boat again and back to the dealer. He changed the spark plugs, put it in his test tank and ran it for 30 minutes, while we both watched. I took it back to the boat, started it and in three minutes, it had dropped a cylinder. I am not taking it off the boat again. What’s the problem?
Posted: May 1, 2013
I see that marijuana is now legal in Washington. We are from California but travel to the Northwest and Canada. Will we be seeing and smelling marijuana-smoking on the dock? We have kids and grandkids and don’t want them exposed to drug use.
Posted: May 1, 2013
I read John Temple’s Q&A about a diesel engine that won’t start. I have found that my engine has fuel but will not start. What else could it be?
Posted: May 1, 2013
We were getting ready to buy a Grady-White with a 5.7 MerCruiser. A friend suggested we get a compression test done before we buy, so my husband bought a compression gauge at the auto store and performed the test with the owner present. I won’t go into his getting the plug wires mixed up afterward, but what he did find was that the compression was well under 100 pounds per cylinder, which killed the deal. The owner had showed us that the engine ran well, and it did again, after the correct wires were on the correct plugs. How is this possible?
Posted: April 1, 2013
We go out every year and go to restaurants, but we are often seeing other boaters eating their own catch. Any suggestions on how to catch, if you are not a seasoned fisherman?
Posted: April 1, 2013
My wife and I intend to do some long-range cruising this year. I’ve enjoyed your articles about tools to take but noticed that basic parts weren’t addressed. One thing I noticed on my twin 5.7s is that they don’t have “fan belts,” as I used to call them. Now there’s only one belt. It used to be that if the alternator belt broke, at least the coolant would continue to circulate. If what I see is so, when that one belt snaps, everything quits, right? How bad is that?
Posted: March 1, 2013
I have my own list of what to do during the winter to be ready for cruising next season. Do your experts have any other suggestions?
Posted: March 1, 2013
For years I’ve “synchronized” the running of my engines by ear, letting them settle into that “mmmm … mmmm … mmmm” that lets me hear they’re running at equal rpm. Because I have older gauges with less-specific markings, I can look at the tachs and generally verify what I’m hearing. A friend is trying to convince me to get digital gauges with an engine synchronizer, telling me I’ll greatly increase my fuel efficiency and engine longevity. Is the cash outlay worth it?
Posted: March 1, 2013
My outboard runs, but after a few minutes it slows down and stops. It restarts right away and idles fine, but as soon as I crank it up, it again runs for a few minutes and then dies. What is the problem?
Posted: March 1, 2013
I have a 2002 Rayson Craft with a fuel-injected 502. The boat runs great, until we stop to get something to eat, get gas, etc. I start it back up, run it for approximately a half-mile while it idles — not under throttle — up the river and then the boat stalls. I let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes, and it starts back up and runs great the rest of the day. I had three mechanics look at it, but, of course, when you take them for a sea trial it never happens. Please point me in the right direction.
Posted: March 1, 2013
I have twin diesels. When I went to my boat to run the engines during the off-season, I could start the port engine but not the starboard. What should I do?
Posted: February 1, 2013
I thought I was ahead of the game when I got rid of my yacht with big blocks that burned ethanol gasoline and got a smaller cruiser with Yanmars. The diesel fuel system has more filters than the White House press-information line. How come?
Posted: February 1, 2013
I am trying to decide what kind of TVs to buy for my boat. What type of TV is good for boats?
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