Recent content by Pete the Cat

I am not following your logic here. The pump should not really need a prime, as it doesn't need a prime and simply pushes water out of the bowl. I would say you have a blockage somewhere in the output line or the impeller is shot. Easy to disassemble. Go to the website for a diagram...

I didn't read all the instructions that Prairie Schooner posted, but I would suggest that anyone who owns a "marinized" tractor engine like Universal, Westerbeke or Beta should take the system apart (that means get the heat exchanger out of the boat and the end caps off and visually inspect the...

Tach was "putting out current"? Not following you. Was getting current? There are trouble shooting videos for tachs on Youtube. Probably easier than back and forth here. The tachs do not fail as often as the wiring leading to them and the ground continuity. So that is where I would go first.

Well, 8000 is a lot of hours, but my experience with many deliveries with engines of lesser hours is that hours don't matter much with diesel reliability, but regular maintenance does. In fact high hours usually means someone took the thing trans Pacific and punked out on sailing so the high...

I know crew guys in the olden days who would toss a clevis pin or cotter pin on the deck of a competitor to distract them during a race. Not saying that happened, just reminded me of my racing days. I never did that, but I would sometime spin an empty winch at a mark rounding to distract our...

The opinion of the guys in my boatyard is that properly prepped (end fibers sealed with wet epoxy)and installed end grain balsa is better for preventing water intrusion than plywood. Plywood is easier to install and has some small inherent strength advantage, but is much more subject to water...

And especially the ground for the engine block. It is right under the heat exchanger and condensation from heating and cooling drops water right on top of this key ground for the starter. Could be the key too. Most likely not a big deal to fix.

Secure your wheel when docked or moored. Either with the wheel lock or the autopilot. Wave action will move the rudder and yank the cables almost imperceptibly but wear will occur. I would probably replace the cable if it has not been done at the same time. The Edson sheaves wobble a...

Congratulations. Looks like you bought a well cared for example.

Here are my .02 cents on your questions. Much of this is personal preference and the kind of sailing you anticipate 1. Pole length: I am personally not a big promoter of large jibs and sail in SF Bay and Maine (I have boats in both places). I suppose if you need a 135% to sail in your area...

I am very much against pressure washers for topsides as I am not sure where the exact pressure is that does not embed the grit in gelcoat (which is much softer than you might think) yet remove the dirt you can't get with a soft brush and soap.. I have been maintaining my boats for 50 years and...

I had a couple of similar bubbles. I ground them out and just saw a crappy gelcoat job where something got too hot--did not seem to be delamination from stress. My gelcoat has spider cracks in lots of places where I think it was just too much catalyst in the gelcoat--and where they piled on...

I agree that the boatyard blocked this incorrectly

I would agree that most boats spend their lives in the marina and this skews the rate of failure. But this problem did not require the removal of all the hardware to see the problem. I am much in favor of inspections. I am less enthusiastic about disassembling things that have no indication...

And getting a horizon fix on a pitching boat. ..... and doing a huge amount of serial arithmetic below without tossing your cookies. I hope never to find myself in a situation that would require it. Actually cannot imagine one. It is a fun thing to learn to do--puts you in touch with the...