Glen Zwicker writes: >Seems as if there is an opportunity here for an inventive electronics >person to market a little black box that sits between any alternator and >any tachometer. Pulse counter on the inputs, pulse generator on the outputs, >manual control of the rate ratio. The tachometer would love a train of nice >clean pulses at a constant voltage! This is exactly what the VDO programable tach does... it's just built in to the tach. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistake rarely make anything.

"Arild Jensen" <2elnav@netbistro.com> writes: >I would strongly urge anyone who is retro fitting an new tachometer to their >engine to avoid the ones that rely on th xpulses coming from the alternator. Arild makes an excellent point. The reason I am following this thread is that I also have the problem of "jumping tach", when my 3-stage regulator goes to float and the alternator output drops to a level where the tach has problems reading the frequency of the pulses. My Detroit has a standard 7/8" - 18 threaded tach drive for mechanical tachs, and next summer I am planning on adding a standard VDO tach sender. These devices connect to the tach drive shaft and output 16 pulses per revolution. Note that this is an inline device so you can still connect your mechanical tach. At $60 seems like a good deal. For details see the following link: http://www.egauges.com/vdo_indS.asp?Sender=VDO_GM_speedo&PN=340-012 Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistake rarely make anything.

"Faure, Marin" writes: >Interesting. You wouldn't think they'd bother to use a kedge anchor >with a small boat like the wooden LCVP, but Ambrose speaks at least a >few times of them doing this during the Normandy invasions. Or rather >not doing it and getting stuck on the beach under fire. But the photos >I've just looked at of LCVPs in WWII don't show any sort of anchoring >apparatus on the stern. Two comments, which may be of interest: First, the Higgins landing craft were fitted with a special rudder (called a "monkey rudder" as I remember) which was placed forward of the prop. This was so that they could steer as they backed off the beach in reverse. Second, I worked for 5 years on a 33 foot landing craft in the arctic. We always used a stern anchor when we beached, not so that we could pull ourselves off but so that the waves would not push the stern onto the beach. Once you were sideways to the waves they would push you up the beach and you would be stuck until the tide rose. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

Folks, we are new to this trawler thing (a Monk 36) and now have a Genset. Is a sound shield worth it (~$700)? I have enjoyed the comments here very much! Also, best place to get filters for the Cummins diesel and Kohler Genset? Thanks, David Monk 36 "Significant Other" e-mail david.redburn@furman.edu

"Brent Hodges" writes: >Any one know of a convincing reason to add the vented loop to this outlet? >Peggy, care to comment? There is no need for a vented loop because a back-siphon could not sink the boat -- all it could do is fill the holding tank. And even that's not possible, because the pump has two one-way valves. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

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"

Steve Sipe writes: > the function of the vented loop is a safety factor. When >things go wrong, it's usually a progression of events that would >ordinarily not all happen at the same time, but for some reason, well, >things go wrong. The vented loop is one more safety factor, so I'll keep it! I'd argue that this approach is dead wrong. A vented loop is required when you have an outlet which is normally above the waterline (e.g. a bilge pump outlet) and which has a free-flowing inlet below the waterline (e.g. a centrifugal pump). In this case, a siphon can form if the outlet is temporarily below water (e.g. an unusual list), resulting in water siphoning from outside into the bilge (and that's a bad thing). Your holding tank, on the other hand, has an outlet that is below the waterline (I surely hope so, anyhow). The inlet to that hose is not free-flowing, but is in fact connected to the holding tank (in the case of the poster, through a pump which contains two one-way valves). The tank itself has air vents, so it can't be part of a siphon. And finally, even if a siphon were to form, at the very worst you could do is to fill the holding tank with seawater. Now, by leaving the vented loop in place you've added at least three additional **below waterline** connections, all of which are potential failure points, any one of which has the potential to sink your boat. Plus, if you have the misfortune of flipping on the pump and forgetting to open the seacock first, you will find that the contents of your holding tank make a speedy exit out the vented loop, probably hidden somewhere up under the caprail. Yummy. So, my previous advice stands: do not install a vented loop in the black or gray water discharge lines. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

"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.