Recent content by Christian Williams

That's a wing keel. No longer popular as benefit proved marginal or nonexistant. It would be unusual and expensive to switch a factory keel for a wing keel, so in absence of proof assume factory wing keel. The ad can be interpreted to mean the M40 engine was an optional factory upgrade (from...

All new cushions and upholstery, all new sails, engine doubts would give me grave pause. But I did it all (my engine was fine), and would do it again. It makes the boat yours. And the number of candidates for sale is always limited. Still, I would really really need to love the boat and not be...

8000 engine hours is 200 hours every single year for 40 years. At 5 knots that's 40,000 miles, which is around the world and a half, like Moitessier. I guess it's possible, I just don't see how. And that would be a very long-lived hour meter. I would need some rational explanation as to...

Is it magnetic?

If you have one as a sample, just make a paster of paris mold and fill it with resin, then paint with silver spray paint.( use mold release) No one will ever know the difference even from 12" away.

I'm not sure this is a successful solution, but it has been done.

set the autopilot steer to a relative wind heading I know this is a popular attribute, i just don't understand it for day sailing, when I always want the autopilot to take me in a straight line. Is the complication worth it? Apparently it is, probably for specific local conditions I don't...

the wiring behind the panel is pretty difficult to work on I simplified mine by adding a hinge to the panel face, consolidating the factory grounds, and just generally cleaning things up in there. One thing that does is to identify wires that are obsolete and label the rest of them...

I will restate that 17K is a very hefty sum for this type work Only if you can't afford it.

Rigger found this. He knew how to inspect rigging better than I did.

Marvelous, fascinating and ground-breaking. The possibilities really are endless. In the meantime, for a Kenyon gooseneck with deteriorated ears, there is a DIY mechanical fix for $100.

they were too expensive due to the CAD time necessary to model the parts. I got a bid on CAD modeling, sent the company some photos of my gooseneck. Came back $2500.

I've always been curious about this, since a whisker pole is useful but also complication. Without benefit of protractor or ruler or more than ten minutes, I made this simple diagram. I am capable of elementary math errors which may need correction, , but at a glance the general numbers do...

Check key/switch unit itself. Jump the wires at the back of it--just connect them momentarily, bypassing the switch. If that starts the engine every time, you just need a new ignition switch. They do wear out.

Technology runs amok everywhere, but dental techs still use a pick to scrape the plaque off the hidden recesses of teeth . Mechanical method works. Also, nobody but us bothers to look closely at a gooseneck, and a few sprays with Rustoleum black gloss on raw and rough aluminum has worked for...