Recent content by Joliba

It might be difficult to get a history of this boat without the previous owner. But it would be good to know why the engine and mast were replaced. As for specific red flags on the ‘87 38-200, I would check the keel/hull junction. Several of these boats of that age have required dropping the...

When we re-insulated our ice box lid at the time we added refrigeration many years ago I tried something different. I purchased sheets of aerogel. I stacked several layers of the aerogel and constructed a custom-sized box of fiberglass and epoxy resin to contain the aerogel. I faired the edges...

Several years ago I decided to add an alarm for low oil pressure and for coolant overheating in our Universal 5432 (M-40) engine. There was an existing oil pressure light on the engine panel and a coolant temperature gauge on the panel, but no alarm. What I wanted was an audible alarm for both...

He should not need to drain coolant. But a new gasket for the end cap is advisable and readily available from several online sellers.

I completely agree with peaman. This is a common occurrence. A few years after we bought our boat, we removed the heat exchanger for the first time to clean it well, repaint it, and replace the end- cap gaskets. We discovered a small collection of broken-off partial anodes piled in one corner...

I completely agree with peaman. This is a common occurrence. A few years after we bought our boat, we removed the heat exchanger for the first time to clean it well, repaint it, and replace the end-cap gaskets. We discovered a small collection of broken-off partial anodes piled in one corner...

One winter, in about 1990, I decided to construct an elaborate frame out of PVC pipe and covered my entire Sabre 30 with a black plastic-coated tarp. At the time, a coal-burning power plant was operating very near the boat yard. Winter gales would whip up the coal dust from the “mountains” of...

I have owned a keelboat stored outdoors in a snowy region north of Chicago every year since 1981. Other than a couple of years with a cover, I have mostly gone without a full cover and never used shrink wrap. Since owning the E38-200 beginning in 2008, we have only covered the cockpit usan...

I just changed my Hurth transmission fluid a few days ago. I also use the Dex/Merc ATF from NAPA. It has worked fine for many years.

No sealant is needed where there are gaskets. I don’t know torques specific to your model engine. However, the service manual for the Universal 5432 and others in its family includes the two pages I have attached. They may be of some help for you. I am not a mechanic. Perhaps others in this...

We changed our Universal 5432 engine oil today. Today we did it very neatly with no oil mess. I have included photos. (For those who are not accustomed to changing oil I will describe the process.) 1. Run the engine to warm up the oil so it will flow easily. 2. Remove the cap from the oil sump...

Though I haven’t looked at that fitting for a while, in thinking about it, I believe you are correct that it is a 1/8 NPT thread. You will have to determine the size of the hose barb end of the coupler after you get a pump. Ours came with the coupler that was the correct size when we bought it...

I don’t recall the size. I believe it is bigger than 1/8”, likely 1/4”. But I’m guessing so you’ll have to measure. If you can wait a few days, we will likely be changing our oil this Friday and I can take pictures or a video of what we do. The threaded fitting makes a leakproof connection with...

4) If a hammer doesn’t work, you haven’t hit it hard enough.

We have used the cover technique for our highly loaded main halyard for a very heavy E38-200 mainsail. Some online sailing stores sell line with a very abrasion resistant cover that works well for this purpose. However, applying the cover is a bit laborious and time consuming. One must free many...