"Jean & Michael" writes: > "Jailbreaking the iPhone is not a good idea. It exposes it to viruses like >the one recently from Australia. There is also a lot of info hacking and >hijacking going on now with jailbroken iPhones". Complete BS. I've run a jailbroken phone for 24 months (we develop iPhone software and that was the only way to do it in the early days). If you're smart enough to hack an iPhone, you're smart enough to either (a) not do stupid stuff or (b) keep a special hacked phone around for fun and games. The equivalent T&T statement would be "Running 2 micron filters is not a good idea. They can clog when you drop plastic spouts into your tank. There is also the risk that your engine might stall when you stop for your mandatory customs exit inspection in Key West." Scott Welch Chief Evangelist, Open Text Social Media Group www.opentext.com 905 762 6101 "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden

"Greg Bowers" writes: >This is the first I've written about this since it happened. I need a >drink!!! Greg, That does sound pretty traumatic, I once had an engine throw a rod right through the side of the block while underway, and I'll admit I cried (well, I was only 16 at the time). Thanks for sharing, though. I think I speak for all of us on here when I say that we learn a great deal from stories such as this one. Scott Welch Chief Evangelist, Open Text Social Media Group www.opentext.com 905 762 6101 "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden

There is one additional issue here that I do not think has received the attention it should, and that is the concept of advancing the "greater good". I cruise with both pilothouse VHFs on, one monitoring 16 and the other monitoring the local Canadian Coast Guard channel. I do this not ONLY so I can hear someone hailing me (which let's face it is mighty rare) but so that I may be of assistance if someone else needs help. So far, in 5 summers of boating, there HAVE been times when help is required. One was a tow, and a few times when I was able to provide a relay to a boat out of range of the CG. Now, you might argue that this is not really a "requirement", and you would be right. But on the other hand, if I ever have to call for help, it sure would be nice if my fellow boaters were listening. In fact, it might mean the difference between life of death for me, or my mom, or my dad, or my son. You might want to think about that the next time you turn your radio off. Scott Welch "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden

SeaLubber7@aol.com writes: >I have a project boat, actually maybe two, but I have some DIY questions >for the experienced group. It seems that the shrimp fleet of homemade boats >generally have drystack exhausts, para-vane stablizers, and home made keel >coolers. I've got a boat that I'd like to try one or more of these concepts >on and wondered if you guys could give me some insight into design and >particulars or sources for info. Maybe it will keep me off the list over the > >winter. My two cents: 1) Dry stacks: I installed a new dry stack in Island Eagle. It's pretty strai ght-forward. Your best bet is to just find the welder who does most of the sh rimp boats and pick his brains. 2) Paravanes: quite a bit more complex, because the point loads can be substa ntial. You may want to chat with a naval architect. The vanes can be easily w elded up. 3) Home-made keel coolers: if you have a metal boat, not too hard, and again talk to your local welder. If you have wood or fiberglass, much much harder b ecause it's difficult to go through the hull. You might find that but the tim e you get through with the futzzing around, it would be easier and less expen sive to buy one. That's what I did for my genset. I used one from Walter: htt p://www.waltergear.com/kc.htm Scott Welch Chief Evangelist, Open Text Social Media Group www.opentext.com 905 762 6101 "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out ." - John Wooden

David H Sorenson writes: > >BTW, we keep hearing about rising sea levels because of global warming >(i.e., melting polar ice). Seriously, has anybody actually witnessed >higher water levels on the coasts. If you check out this website, >http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/ , you will notice that the artic ice >cover is pretty close to normal. With all the hype about global warming >and whether it is true, one would think that if sea levels were actually >rising along the North American coasts, we would never hear the end of >it. Personally, I think the allegation of "climate change" and rising sea >levels is -- shall I say -- bogus. This happens to be an area I know a little bit about... I grew up in the Arctic, where my father was a scientist. Among other things, we started taking climate records in 1968 and he was chief scientist on a year-long expedition tho the Bering Sea about 10 years ago. A couple of notes: first, melting sea ice will have no effect on ocean level -- the displacement of the ice sees to that. It's only melting glaciers which can raise the sea level. Second, before making such broad and sweeping generalizations, you may want to look at charts such as this: http://nsidc.org/images/arcticseaicenews/20091207_Figure3.png . And third, the real problem is the lack of multi-year ice. This means that while the EXTENT of the ice may remain the same, the VOLUME of the ice is much less. See http://nsidc.org/news/press/20081002_seaice_pressrelease.html The reason that this is important all of is pretty clear, and I quote from the first line of the page: "Arctic sea ice reflects sunlight, keeping the polar regions cool and moderating global climate." Sea ice is almost a perfect reflector of heat energy, while sea water is an excellent absorber of same. What we think of a "normal" climate is no more that what we have observed over the past few hundred years and applied to a bell curve. It's not cooling or warning that is the real worry, it is the instability associated with the change. Such additional heat inputs will accelerate the danger. Scott Welch "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden

Henry Quigley writes: >I KNOW what wire rope IS; >I just can't imagine using it as an anchor rode. > >But I guess in this world >some people would believe just about anything. Every fishboat in the Paific Northwest, and I mean EVERY one I have ever seen, uses wire rope as an anchor rode, usually with 50 or 100 feet of chain as a leader. Scott Welch Chief Evangelist, Open Text Social Media Group www.opentext.com 905 762 6101 "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden

R C Smith Jr writes: >To keep from having to fuel a second compressor, see if you can fit a normal >household-type reefer...with the auto icemaker. CHEAP!...compared to the >stand-alone icemakers. FWIW, after a lot of looking I found that Sub Zero makes a compact (undercounter) freezer with icemaker, and that's what I put on Island Eagle. I subsequently found that U-Line makes an undercounter fridge with built-in icemaker, and I ended up putting one of those in my house. I'm not particularly happy with either one. If was was doing Island Eagle again, I would DEFINITELY try and fit in an apartment-size (3/4 height) fridge-freezer combo. However, I have looked around and have not been able to find one of those with an icemaker. Scott Welch "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden

"Michael Slater" writes: >Does anyone have any thoughts on Northstar, and also what options might be >open to achieve the same amps from the same footprint. I have noticed that >Odyssea have a similar block FT1800 I think in their trolling range, and >they have a 3 year warranty! I had essentially the same experience, but with 8D AGM batteries from Concorde. I first discovered it on my start bank (2 X 8D in series). I was using an Echo Charger, and I chalked it up to that. A year later the capacity of my main house bank (4 X 8D in series/parallel to get 24 volts) was below 50%. I was not happy. I replace the start bank with some el-cheapo Chinese 8D AGMs, and they have been just fine. For the house bank, I went with the Discover L-16 AGM. I used 12 X 6 volt in series/parallel to get 24 volts, but if I was doing it again I'd use 12 X 2 volts, that way you could replace individual cells. 12 L16s will fit in the same footprint as 4 8Ds, but they are about 6 inches taller. So far, they have been great. See http://www.discover-energy.com/productsearch?filter0=47&filter1=**ALL**&filter2=**ALL**&filter3= for details Scott Welch Chief Evangelist, Open Text Social Media Group www.opentext.com 905 762 6101 "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden

LA Licata writes: >How many of you all start your engine (maybe the first start of a >day) while standing in the engine room? This is exactly how I have Island Eagle set up, and it has been great. I have a full set of mechanical Murphy gauges in the ER, and a complete set of VDOs in the pilothouse. On the same theme, I have the mechanical shutdown in the ER and the electrical (solenoid) control in the PH. One thing that I have not yet done is add a small throttle in the ER so I can set the idle a bit higher when I fire the beast up. And I really like to listen and smell at booth startup and shutdown. > >I am (hopefully) setting up my engine room so that the ignition key >and engine panel is in the engine room and a fly bridge panel is in >the pilot house. I do not have a key in the PH. Because I have a full walk-around ER, and the PH is out of earshot, I think that the potential danger of an accidental start is greater than any convenience. Scott Welch Chief Evangelist, Open Text Social Media Group www.opentext.com 905 762 6101 "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden

Douglas Gould writes: >If you're on a trawler, why not relax and figure that you're probably >getting better than average mileage than most power boaters. A more >important question is how many sunsets per gallon are you getting? The other very important point is that unless you are a commercial operator, or you'll be circling the world several times, your fuel costs will be a VERY small part of your operating budget. I don't have Quicken in front of me right now, but it's certainly less that 10% of my overall boat expenses (and that's in a boat that weighs 100,000 pounds and has an ancient and relatively inefficient 225 HP diesel). And remember you can reduce your fuel consumption arbitrarily low by simply slowing down. You'll still be going faster than almost any sailboat out there, they they manage to make long ocean voyages all the time. Scott Welch "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden