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After nearly 20 years experiencing the joys (not) of Buddy Bearings and grease I finally bit the bullet and converted to the oil bath system. Seems like the gods have been against me on the old grease system, there are very few others I've talked to that have had the extent of problems that I...

Just received this sad news from Les' wife, Bing, in the Philippines. Les worked at EQ Marine for many years in sales, he helped me and many others outfit or ask questions about their C-Dorys whether or not we bought them at EQ or not. A very giving person to all. We have been in constant email...

I'm finally getting down to the "annoying" category of fixing things. I've had this leak since the boat was new (2003). It is located at the very rear of the cockpit floor just under the scuppers in the transom. It is somewhere in the slightly depressed well back there that's about 4-5" wide for...

I couldn't find where this has been addressed before. I just received my new Fulton 2500 lb replacement trailer jack (with footplate), just like my original that lasted nearly 10 years (can't complain)! The jackscrew finally froze up from rust apparently. It worked so well for so long I never...

I just thought of something that might work for surge-brake trailers with a "Reverse Flow Solenoid" like mine. Sorry, tried to post a picture, couldn't. Here's a link to the device on Tie-Down Engineering: http://www.tiedown.com/pdf/c1034.pdf I have 4 wheel disc brakes which require either a...

The marinas that I go to here in SoCal have fewer and fewer available wash-down facilities. This is becoming very irritating to have to drive home some hour or more before flushing the engines and washing down the boat and trailer. It also takes considerable longer to first dissolve the...

Yesterday I went into Worse Marine for my usual 'deposit.' I passed by the Soot-Free Stove Alcohol shelf to pick up my usual gallon for the year, I WAS SHOCKED -- $29.99/gallon, $14.99/quart. Thought there was something wrong with the tags, nope. Checked on line at home, same. Hmmm, maybe we ARE...

I can finally check off another item off my list. I finished upholstering and installing shoulder pads for the passengers. It was low on my list because it doesn't affect ME! But I felt sorry for my guests having to lean against the hard, fiberglass wall and tuck their shoulder under the window...

Well this is a strange item, eh? A day before my last trip, I topped off the tires, all were about 5-7 lbs low. Next morning, did a walk around before hitching up, left rear tire absolutely flat. Couldn't figure out how one day it was fine, never moved, next day it was flat. So I filled it with...

This probably doesn't qualify as a "Grand" adventure, but for those that like to see pictures of Catalina once in awhile, thought it best to capture here. Problem, BIG storms coming and going for the past 5 days, I studied all available information and found a weather window going on Friday and...

Well I did it, ordered the Permatrims a week ago (Monday), on my doorstep Friday. I bit the bullet because I determined that my stern needed more lift than the trim tabs could do alone -- efficiently. Background: My boat runs best with the motors all the way down (negative trim) and with some...

I've got a question that's been nagging for some time now, maybe its already been explored. If the drag decreases after a boat is on a true plane, then thereafter continues to decrease as the speed goes up (except for wind drag), why don't propulsion systems offer transmissions or variable...

I just got my lower end back from the repair shop, it had a leaky differential seal, they suspect it was the driveshaft seal. There are 3 seal sets on my Yamaha 80 4-stroke, drive shaft, propellor shaft and shift shaft. The bill was about $100 higher ($285 total) than was estimated because they...

I could sure use some advice from others that have visited or live in the SE. We've decided a commercial cruise is the family's choice [this year]. Our cruise ship stops in Sitka, Tracy Arm (glaciers), Skagway and Juneau. I'm content just getting off the ship, walking around, seeing what we...

A lot of people (OK, well a few...) have asked me about my seat mod which provides an alternate bottom seat cushion location 6 inches towards the aisle -- seats 4 people at the table more comfortably. This makes use of the cushion portion tucked under the dead area of the outside walk-around...

After 6000-8000 miles I decided to check the Kodiak SS disc brakes and rotate the tires. The first disc I checked was pretty thin, so called Pacific Trailer and ordered all new pads. Pleasant surprise, a set of ceramic pads per axle was only $29, and, they were on my doorstep the next day...

This weekend I got into sync'ing the carbs (4) on my twins. First I looked up the vacuum gauge and manifold fittings (set of 4) in the Service Manual. Called up nearest Yamaha service center, they quoted a whopping $692 for this simple set. Just item #1: Hmmm, thought about 1-2 seconds...

Well it finally came time to bite the bullet and do the valve clearance measurements on my twin Yami 80's (same engine as the 100, also same as the newer 75/90's). Reviewed the Service Manual one last time (about the 10th) before digging in. It isn't technically difficult but requires some...

Another one of those jobs I finally got around to. Fabbed a retaining bar out of two closet bar retaining cups and some PVC. (You can see a bigger picture in my album) It actually might not be a bad addition or technique for other heavy equipment that can relocate itself in various sea...

This subject is like creating your will or trust for the first time, unpleasant subject but some things just have to be done. I've written about this before and my concern about the possibility of getting pooped (hate that word) from a large wave over the stern or rear quarter. I have an '03...