SO WHAT DID YOU DO WITH OR ON YOUR C-DORY TODAY??

[kevinnuckles@icloud.com]

I AGREE...NEVER SAW SUCH A COLLECTION IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. OUTSTANDING! THANKS FOR SHARING!

[Pacificcoast101]

I swapped out a bad alternator this morning so I can go to a better reef tomorrow and try for better shots. We've been hesitant to go very far in case we had to come back on one motor. The new Hondas are supposed to be released sometime this Spring. I asked Honda Marine if they had a date yet, and they told me to be patient.

[rogerbum]

[Pacificcoast101]

Yeah, I'm going with the mechanical shift as well. I'd love to have the wire shift, but I can't help but think of the problems with an electronic glitch that no local mechanic can fix. I'll limp along until the new motors are here, whenever that may be.

[thataway]

I took my 2019 Ford 250 to the dealer for a yearly service. (Last vestige of C Dory ownership). I drove out in a 1 year old Ford Explorer, Platinum, with every conceivable extra and cash in my pocket. The trade in allowance was more than I paid for the truck 2 1/2 years ago. Plus in Florida with a trade in, there is no tax on the amount traded. The F250 diesel was just not a good daily driver. I can still tow up to 5600# (the Caracal cat is less than 3,000#).

[DayBreak]

Wise choice on the transition to the Ford Explorer. A comfortable daily driver and yet powerful enough to tow the Caracal 18.

[hardee]

Way to go Bob. Good trading.

Harvey
SleepyC

[Pacificcoast101]

I had a long-awaited smile while working on No Pressure this week. A few years ago, we began getting a NO DATA message on our RayMarine C80. The fishfinder worked intermittently. I uploaded the latest software upgrade, which removed the RADAR overlay I loved but that didn't solve the fishfinder issue. I replaced the house battery with no luck as well. I then upgraded to the C120. The issue continued. I read about all the problems with the DSM300 sounder, so I replaced that, the cables and transducer. I still had intermittent fishfinder.

Last month, the NO DATA message became permanent. I haven't had a working fishfinder, which can be annoying when you want to anchor in a spot you don't have good coordinates for. I read about wiring the DSM300 directly to the battery using 10g wire. I was preparing to do that this week when I noticed that the positive wire from the DSM was plugged into the radio toggle switch. I wondered if that was causing interference. I unplugged the DSM and plugged it into an unused switch. The fishfinder began working exactly as it should. I reset it and it came back on.

I checked it three times more this week and the problems have stopped. All it took was moving a single wire. Oh well, at least I have a new C120, cables, transducer, sounder module, and battery. Nothing like spending money, time, and a lot of sweat for a simple fix.

[Pacificcoast101]

We had, or rather I had a relatively uneventful dive today at Golf Ball Reef, but first, a bit of history.

For the past few years we have had little to no function with our fishfinder. Reading everything I could find about the problem, I made several unsuccessful repairs. I updated the firmware, installed a larger battery, replaced the battery switches with a new panel, replaced alternators four times, replaced the GPS/Fishfinder combo, replaced the sonar module, replaced the cable, and replaced the transducer. I was going to wire the unit directly to a battery last week but decided to trace the wiring first to make sure I could wire it to an unused toggle switch on our dashboard.

The end of the sonar power wire was connected to the radio switch. I unplugged it and plugged it into the unused switch and suddenly I had a working fishfinder again. Apparently, the fishfinder was receiving interference from the radio. A lot of hours and dollars were wasted in this simple repair.

On to the dive. We arrived at Golf Ball Reef using the GPS and fishfinder together for the first time in years. The surface water was green, full of plankton and looked uninviting. We were here and were going diving no matter what. Visibility on the bottom was a pleasant twenty feet. Less than a foot from the anchor chain was a mating pair of Peltodoris mullineri. As I was photographing them, Merry Passage arrived to tell me her drysuit was flooding. She aborted the dive while I stuck it out despite a leaky left sleeve on my suit.

Berthella californica were everywhere, as were their large egg ribbons. I found two small Berthella chacei and managed to get one to stick on my stage. Paguristes ulreyi, Furry hermit crabs were piled on many rocks. I found a Berthella californica piled on a Furry Hermit crab. Juvenile Vermilion rockfish, Sebastes miniatus flitted just above the reef while a sea lion buzzed me a couple of times. After I surfaced, Merry and I hung our wet drysuits and headed back to the marina, contemplating more costly drysuit repairs/replacements. Merry suggested selling her camera and giving up diving altogether. She was only half-serious, but we really need a good dive soon.

[croakz]

Finished some upgrades.

Installed 2 x Group 24 AGM batteries
Connected them to a Victron DC to DC charger
Charging 2 x EG4 100ah lifepo4 batteries (love the bluetooth on the new ones)
Connected to a 12v to 24v step converter
That charges an Ecoflow Delta Mini "solar generator" (battery bank + inverter)
That powers a 12v fridge / freezer on a sliding tray

Pretty happy it all works. The MPPT in the Delta Mini is limited to 10A, regardless of the voltage, thus the 12v to 24v step up.

[RobLL]

Unexpected sunny day, so took the boat out with my grown kids, we gassed up and did a few chores, after too long a no boating spell. The new trickle charger and gas stabilizer had done their good jobs, no problem at all starting. We had docked port side to the dock, and occasionally washing things down. Today starboard side to dock - unlovely shades of green. If tomorrow is nice, we need to treat it as a cleanup day. Only a few boats out.

[Marco Flamingo]

Finally got back to working on my Yamaha 50. Last summer I replaced the impeller getting ready for a trip down the Missouri River through the Breaks. After the impeller install, no pee stream. I had the lower leg off about 10 times trying to fix what I couldn't figure out. No luck. We did the Breaks in a day with a guide. Probably worked out better, as one day the truck showed the temperature along the river was 117F.

Finally was so frustrated I called a mechanic. He told me to try a couple of things before bringing it in. One was taking out the thermostat and using my air compressor to blow through the pee hole. After a puff of dust and crud, I put things back together and it I got a weak stream using outboard ear muffs. I then shot some Salt Away through it. Even better. Just to make sure that it wasn't the water pressure from the hose helping the impeller, I drove to the lake, backed in, and started the motor. Success!!

Still bummed because I found out that my trailer lights aren't working. I paid the dealer to install the "official" Hyundai harness last year before our aborted Missouri trip. Never even tried them, but they aren't working. Grrrrrr. With the boat running, and the trailer harness fixed, and if the Hyundai continues to run, I may even make it to the Friday Harbor CBGT.

Mark

[gulfcoast john]

PACICA COAST, AMAZING !

Hi Friends!

I am experimenting for the first time in nine years on Cat O’ Mine with SS props (3 blade 17 inch pitch SOLAS for now). My arguments for aluminum props are well documented on this site if you Search for them, (and I still contend that some of those arguments are fairly well justified).

We launched May 4 into Big Lagoon, anchored in Big Lagoon, and enjoyed a Blue Angels Practice Show, 82 degree sun, 81 degree water, and a six mile walk on the Gulf Beach without seeing another soul. You should be so lucky.





Safe Travels!

John and Eileen

[Pacificcoast101]

We returned from a nearly month-long trip to Crystal Blue Resort in the Philippines with a couple of modification ideas. I added an air nozzle to blow off water from our camera housings after diving. We always struggled to get a towel in the hard-to-reach places. I also bought a 300-watt, 30,000-lumen green fishing light so we can make blackwater dives from our own boat. I added a second house battery and wired them in parallel to have plenty of burn time with the light. Now all we need are decent dive conditions to try out the new toys.

[thataway]

Phil, I had to look up "Black Water Dive". Can you explain the concept and technique as you will use it? I had never heard of this previously. Sounds interesting--for those who are younger!