Recent content by Shawn Brooks

I'm putting my 32-3, STILL CRAZY, on the market. Over the course of several seasons, I sailed her from Texas along the gulf coast, through the keys and Bahamas, on down to the Dominican Republic where she's at right now. It's been a journey of a lifetime that I still struggle to describe...

I went up the mast today and the coax comes out of the top of the mast then loops around 360 degrees into the bottom of the antenna. The connector is good--the outside is grungy but the inside is clean metal. The coax, however, is brittle and the pvc cover has split in a couple of spots. I...

I think I have a problem with my vhf antenna and/or the cabling going to through the mast. While I can still receive AIS and VHF, I've recently discovered that satellite AIS can no longer find my vessel. Also when coming into Turks and Caicos, Radio Provo didn't seem to be able to read me...

Thanks for the info guys. Looks like a new zerk and a some grease is the low hanging fruit. I'll give that a shot. Is a particular kind of grease required? About how much?

Does anyone have some knowledge about the dimensions and location of this bearing? Is it replaceable?

The windlass manufacturer can probably tell you exactly what gauge to run given the amount of chain you have.

Your situation my be a little different from my portlight rebed on my 32-3, but I used enough 4200 that it oozed out the outer bezel a bit all the way around and razered off the excess after it cured. That worked for me. My leak was around the bezel and through the deck/frame joint--not...

Your intuition is right--diesel electric (a diesel genset + electric motor + battery) has the best chance of working well for the the most people but it needs to be scaled into mass production to make sense. Economy of scale just isn't there yet--it's just barely there for EV's (if you take...

>> were the brackets poorly sized and would a slightly longer (vertically) replacement solve the issue? Yes. >> Is is possible the entire quadrant slide down 1/4 inch over the years allowing this situation to develop? Thanks to all in advance. Not unless something is obviously wrong with the...

I just duct-tapped the two lines together end-to-end really well. You could also stitch them together with heavy thread. I didn't encounter anything tricky inside my boom that might snag or bind. I was surprised by the poor condition of the blocks in there though--maybe worth a look.

It's very, very hard to beat the reliability of a diesel engine and the enormous energy density of diesel fuel compared to LiPO3. As an electrical engineer with clients that include EV companies *and* a 32-3 owner, the thought of converting my boat has most definitely crossed my mind, but...

Having never owned a wind turbine, the only thing I can say is to make sure it doesn't shade the panels--even a little bit. Solar panel power output will drop tremendously even if a single cell is shaded. The straps in your picture probably knock out 20% or more of your potential power.

I installed one, but have deck switches as well. With the remote, I can retrieve the rode from the helm without drama or help. That said, they are cheaply made--not waterproof, etc. But they do work quite well. And when the day comes when the don't--well, up to the bow I go...not a big deal.

It is done. Foss Foam nailed it; rudder fits perfectly and they went out of their way to bring in the schedule. Highly recommended. Captain Chris Lloyd towed me and while there was a little drama with the pulpit getting bent, he made it right. He put me in contact with the local people I...

Rudder finally arrived in the Bahamas. Shipping and customs was a real PITA, but it's here. Haul-out is tomorrow. If you guys want to see anything specific, let me know.