Folks, I have a single 16,000 btu AC unit on my 36' trawler and would like to put another unit in to cool/heat the forward cabin. My current pump is a 500 gph one. Can I put a say 800 or 1000 gph on the current intake and tee it to the two units? I have a "spare" through hull for the outflow from the second unit. Thanks, David Monk 36 "Significant Other"

"w.k. perkins" writes: >I must disagree with the statement that the "worst is the filling of the >holdsing tank" >I have personal experience with the fact that a siphon can fill the tank and >Iback up through the head. That will only happen if you have a non-positive-displacement pump for your holding tank (and also only if your vents are blocked). In the spacific case under discussion, the poster was planning on using a Sealand diaphram pump. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

"Ken Ongemach" writes: >Forget about the pump! What causes backfilling of the tank, thru the pump, >is the fact that most people forget to add a vertical loop in the hose >betwee n >the thru hull & the pump, which goes above the waterline.. Just make this >loo p >& the backfilling will stop Actually, Ken, this won't help. Even if the loop is above the waterline, water can still siphon back in. While it might not happen every time, it can easily start siphoning. If you have a non-positive displacement pump (e.g. a macerator) then the only safe thing to do is to close the through-hull immediately after pumping. Again, this is a good discussion, and it points to good reasons to move to a positive displacement pump such as the Sealand. For what it's worth, I have two holding tanks on Island Eagle, one with a Sealand and one with a macerator. The Sealand has been flawless in 5 years. The macerator has failed once and clogged once. Plus, I have to manually open and close the through hull when I use the macerator. Next time it fails I will be replacing it with a Sealand. By the way, one other note, I also replaced both of the switches for the pumps with 15 minute mechanical timer switches. They work like a charm. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

noel@nyrussell.com writes: >I was wondering if anybody here has put in a radiant floor in their boat? I >a m in the middle of the install at this time. I am working on installing it >ain the Aft Cabon and the Forward head, walkway and V Berth but not the >gallehy as i would then not be able to open the fridge LOL. Noel, I am not an expert on this, but I have done some research. One potential problem that I see is that the Hurricane puts out very hot water (170 degrees F), while radiant heating is best done with slightly cooler water (max of 140 degrees F). On order to achieve this with your Hurricane, you will need a tempering valve (the loop temperature of the Hurricane is not adjustable). If you use the straight 170 degree water, your floor will almost certainly warp or crack due to the extreme temperature cycling. Google will give you more information. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

Phil Keys writes: >SWICHGAGEs have electrical contacts which contact the gauge needle at >an adjustable setting. They are good for alarms. I used these on Island Eagle. I would highly recommend them. They're cheap as well -- about $35 apiece for temperature and pressure. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

"Tom Hofmann" writes: >I got a quote for "made windows" in frames, but that's a last resort >price-wise. For what it's worth: if you are willing to consider some flexibility on the actual size and layout of the windows, I would recommend that you give a call to the larger manufacturers (e.g. Sea Glaze, Bomon, etc.). They often have a stash of returns/misorders/scratch-n-dent, etc. When I was doing the pilothouse on Island Eagle I did this and there were some incredible deals (like 75% off list). I never did end up using them, but it's worth a call. When I called Sea Glaze they sent me a fax of the sizes and shapes they had lying around. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

Mike Maurice writes: >Putting the pump before the racor simply means that the pump is now in >effect, the FILTER. It is only a matter of time before a glob of gunk >brings the whole show to a halt. > >Do it any way you want, but when the engine stops you can't complain >that you weren't warned. What he said. If you really want to be able to prime your filters, then use a tee off your fuel transfer/polishing pump. To prime, simply open the tee and close the supply to the filter. When you are done, close the tee and open the supply. Voila, powered bleeding. For a diagram & more detail, see http://www.islandeagle.net/systems/fuel Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

"Brent Hodges" writes: >Tonight we're tied up at the great little downtown >dock in Homa, La. This is not exactly trawlerin', but for those of you who love tugs here's a great story that starts in Houma; be sure to watch the videos. http://www.ghcoates.com/Tugboat.htm Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

Mike Maurice writes: >Which brings me to a conclusion. If you have all your paperwork >technically correct, which is not easy to do, you are a lot less liable >to get crosswise to the authorities. Most yachtsmen don't have all their >paperwork technically right, therefore you are more vulnerable to being >hassled. The reason you don't get hassled very often, is simply that the >authorities don't have a lot of incentive. But, just give them some >excuse and "pow, right in the kisser". I think you get my meaning... Mike nails this on the head. I'll tell you a little story. In 2003 I bought Island Eagle in Seattle, but I was planning on berthing her in Nanaimo. This would entail flying to Seattle, whipping her into shape, and then sailing her up to Nanaimo. I had never handled a boat this big (60 feet) and I was not familiar with the west coast, so I hired a professional tug captain to come along. I'll leave out the gory details (the 40 year old engine, the complete lack of electronics, the nonexistent electrical system, and did I mention doing all this in a 7 days). But we (my father, my uncle, my son, and myself) did get it done and departed for Nanaimo about 4:00 AM on the 8th day. We anchored out a Sydney Spit, and then continued on to Nanaimo the next day, arriving about noon. I was pretty hyper about the whole process, especially the whole importation of the boat into Canada. I'd discussed everything with Bettina at the Canada Customs office in Nanaimo, and carefully written everything down in my notebook. Step 1 was pretty simple: when we crossed into Canada, we had to call the Customs Reporting Line and tell them we were in the country, and we had to give the nationality and passport number of everyone on board. I did this, although it was getting late and dark and we were poking around Sydney Spit with no depth sounder so I was a bit distracted. Step 2 was also pretty simple. When we reached Nanaimo we had to report to Customs, with all of our papers, and get cleared (and of course pay taxes). Bettina would be on duty. Now, I travel for business, a lot. I clear Customs at the airport at least 30 or 40 times a year. I'm pretty comfortable with it. I know the drill, go up to the desk and act polite, respectful and professional. So, when we arrived in Nanaimo I went right to my dock, tied the boat up, got in my car, and drove to the Customs office with the paperwork. I walked right up to the desk and asked for Bettina. BIG MISTAKE!!! As I am sure you all know, when you come in by boat, you have to report to Customs WITH THE BOAT! I had sort of missed that subtle concept. I made my apologies and tugged my forelock, and she sent me back to my dock with strict instructions to bring the boat to the Customs dock, with all crew, RIGHT NOW! That's when the real fun began. My uncle had decided to take the dinghy for a ride, so he wasn't on the boat. When we got to the Customs dock, it turned out that I had made a mistake on my verbal declaration and given then the wrong number for my uncles passport. And finally, my son didn't have a letter from his mother indicating he could cross the border. As this all unfolded you could just see Bettina getting more and more steamed, and finally she looked right at me as she got on the radio and said "Hey, how bout you send down those two trainees -- now would be a great time for them to do a practice search". And the worst thing of all was that it was totally my own fault for screwing up. In then end, all was fine, and I even served them coffee. But she spent TWO HOURS instructing the trainees on the fine art of searching a boat, and let me tell you on a 60 footer there are a lot of nooks and crannies. But I've left the best to last. In the midst of all of the screwups, the agent said "Look, I told you clearly that you had to come to the Customs dock". I protested that she never had, but when I opened up my notebook to prove my point, sure enough, in my own handwriting was the note "Go to Customs dock, past Petro Canada". The moral to this story is pretty simple. I had all of the information needed to avoid disaster. I should have waited to do the verbal declaration until we were safely anchored, and that would have solved the wrong passport number. And even though I "knew" what to do when I entered the harbour, I should have throttled back and reviewed my notes before docking. I was also damn lucky that I was NOT trying get get something into the country, because then my woes would have lasted a good deal longer than 2 hours. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

murray writes: >Scott, although you were given a lot of hassle by Canadian customs, I >believe you would have been in even more trouble if you mentioned that >you had anchored at Sidney Spit the night before. That meant you had >"landed" on Canadian soil without checking in. Check the regulations; I >don't think you were allowed to even anchor before presenting to >customs. Actually, I specifically checked this with Customs when I made the reporting call and they told me that I did not have to clear customs until I landed. When we anchored at Sidney Spit we did not go ashore. When I did land in Nanaimo I was careful to tell them we had anchored at Sidney Spit and did not have a problem. I wondered about this myself but the tug captain I was with told me it was common practice to anchor out when arriving late. And in all fairness it's hard to call what Customs did to me "hassle". Perhaps "not so gentle and completely deserved re-education" :-) Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.