mystery

Over the past several weeks I have noticed a very strange oil leak. It appears as very fine specks of oil on the fiberglass engine pan and bulkhead area on the right side of (left as your are facing) the engine. Here is a before picture of the area clean and an after picture of the area with the...

I removed my fuel guage today so I could order a replacement and when I took out the two screws I realized it was a fake gauge with no conection to the inside of the tank. Where is your fuel gauge? Mine is under the mattress in the aft cabin. There was nothing underneath but a cap...

I've taken my mast down to replace the rigging and other worn out items. I have a mystery part that I don't know how to identify. I have a '73 E27 with what I understand is a Sparcraft masthead. There are two bolts that run through the masthead that have a fiberglass or ceramic sleeve over them...

I am seeking good ideas from those more learned than I, in the ways of diesel engines (that means everybody, especially Loren). If the engine in our 1986 E28 has not been started within a day, it will often not start on the first attempt. After turning on the glow plugs for 60 to 90 seconds, the...

I had fuel in the bilge the other day; a great thing to see...and smell. It had me going; checked the hoses and connections; everything seemed fine. cleaned out the bilge; got it shiny; and checked it the next morning; 6 or 8 oz of new fuel. So i put on my thinking cap and thot the hardest...

Well, I've somehow spent amazingly too much time on this, but just can't figure out why my icebox won't drain. The previous owner mentioned he had a problem with the drain and I noticed it was slow, but wasn't an issue at first. Now, it doesn't seem to go anywhere and I'm using the portable...

One of the reasons I'm so sorry I only acquired my first sailboat after retiring is that I've learned that EVERY TINY DETAIL on a boat has a whole school of thought and experience behind it and that one ignores it at ones peril. The details just keep on coming and I'm enjoying every minute of...

Hello all: After changing out the packing gland flax today, I had hoped that water dripping from the shaft (at increasing volume) into the bilge would be gone - no such luck! A whole bunch of water came in through the shaft when I was doing the change over. Once the new flax was in (&...

I discovered an electrical switch located underneath the overhang of the starboard sail-locker, about eight inches above the engine electronics panel. It is a push-button, and is covered by a bullet-shaped rubber cover. I found no mention of this switch in the E-35 MKIII owners manual, and am...

Yesteday my wife and I sailed out to one of our favorite anchorages. We picked up a mooring and were the only boat there. This is a place that usually attracts 50+ boats. It was a beautiful clear halloween night. After dinner we took our dog to one of the small islands to stretch his legs(read...

I have a 1970 E-35 MkII. It has a chainplate between the chainplates for the forward and aft lowers. What is that for?

Since the day it was purchased new, BLUE CHIP has had a mystery water accumulation in the V berth in the winter. This is a 1990 32-200. In the V berth is a triangle shaped 18 inch deep dry storage are that has no outside connection. We have just come back from the boat after bailing out two or...

Hi Folks. I wasn't sure where to post this but here goes. I'm looking for an ID on the dinghy that came with my 35-2. Its an oldy but might be able to do some service as a sailing dinghy for the kids or a small tender for the mother ship. Anybody know anything about rigging this boat. I...

This is a little story about a mystery wire on an '88 boat with a Universal M25XP. This tale is also kind of a further step from last year's fuel line replacement project. A major part of that adventure was relocating the supply and return lines from under the cabin sole to a different route to...

My wife and I spent the last three days commissioning our new "old" 32 (hull #722) and we're just delighted with our purchase. Like any new boat we been finding some small (thank goodness) surprises that we're not found during survey. However, there is one item in the head that just perplexes...

All I have a mystery that I could use some help on. I’m getting a leak into the cabin on my E-29 with no apparent source? The drip(s) are coming out of what looks like the seam between the inner tub and deck. There is a cavity above it where you can access the chain plates but everything...

Regalus has decided to try to sink. The bilge has had a bit of water when we would go sailing. Now it has quite a bit of water. I pulled everything that I could out of her and looked for the leak. It is coming from somewhere between where the prop shaft enters the boat and the rudder. I crawled...

I am trying to solve a minor mystery about the winds in San Diego Bay. I have been sailing out of Harbor Island for a year now and encounter this every time I head out towards Pt. Loma. There is a dead spot just past Shelter Island where the wind is always near calm regardless of its...