Recent content by Christian Williams

Regarding tanks that don't work, I would suspect an air leak in the connections. Might be the valves. Also might be just pesky air in the lines. My boat (a 381, different plumbing), with two water tanks, requires highly skilled trickery when they've run dry. I open the vanity sink taps, pump...

Drill or tap? I do think screws are OK For that, not all that much force on such a block. For fittings that sit awkwardly on the curve of the mast section, I make concave mounts. The thread above is good on the geometry of the lines, which varies with boats and battens, and any experimentation...

A good outcome. But, ugh. You probably noticed that the elaborate tanks of Tally Ho, custom made in plastic, leaked after a long wait for delivery. An entire new set of tanks was ordered--this time, not plastic.

My freshwater head system has zero smell. With seawater, it stank and grew organisms in the bowl. The grand proof of saltwater ick is my saltwater foot pump. Seawater sits in it all the time, and boy does it stink when pumped (every time I come aboard). Rotten eggs. Last year I installed new...

You might consider mounting on the spreaders, it widens the capture. Also, consider the sail cover issue: slots, or not? Of course a "stack pack" includes lazyjacks, which kills two birds with one stone. (Also kills aesthetics, but I didn't actually say that out loud)...

Alternative is T in sink drain. See Post #9 and subsequent, here.

That's what a tiller should look like. On a cruising boat, make it strong. Eventually somebody's going to fall on it. The tiller of Tally Ho is solid bronze. I wonder what that will feel like in the hand during the midwatch in the North Sea.

Sounds like you have studied up. I'd say first deal with the leaks. That means removing and rebedding the ports, which is not a big challenge. They probably just have old caulk, which when renewed will solve. Ports can also leak through their gaskets, which hold the lens to the frame. I'd test...

West Marine and Defender and similar sites sell laminated replacement tillers. You can also laminate your own, if interested, with simple tools. For a 25-footer I once just sawed one out of a plank of oak using the original as the profile. Unlike the original, it did not break in half whenever...

Wasn't it Toddster who said that the ordinary "water filter" installed by owners intending to cleanse tankage is actually a bacteria trap? The argument was that they sit unnoticed, growing what they intercept? I have one, installed by the previous owner. Changing the filters is awkward, and I...

Allow me to observe that wooden cabin soles can be painted, like any floor. Just a matter of sanding, maybe filling, maybe even resin for bad sections. Floor paint is common in houses, and could be applied to our boats when cosmetic damage to teak and holly gets bad. If the only need is to...

See also: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/new-propane-stove-for-later-ericson-38.21439/#post-173645

Jon, If you post your ongoing results to that thread, it will keep the information together. A new post there will revive it and make it current. And that thread might be candidate as Master Thread on the topic.

Now there's a lovely breeze!

If I needed a cabin sole carpet, I'd probably go to a fabric outlet and look at remnant Nylon carpet, "office carpet," and see what fit the bill. Ought to be short nap, pretty hard, so as to vacuum with a hand-held. Then cut to pattern of the sole, or to desired size. Nylon can be cut with a...