james.m.bohn@boeing.com writes: >Are there >really people who, while owning a large boat, are so strapped for >cash that >they can't afford a couple bucks once a year for engine coolant? Jim, you just don't get it. Some of us whom you accuse of being over-frugal do what we do purely for enjoyment. We're having fun doing things not by the book but by our ingenuity, our ability to adapt whatever is available and make good - even if unconventional - use of our environment. It's not the pennies we save but the right to brag about what we have accomplished and to sport that look of 'the cat that swallowed the canary'. Sometimes these unconventionalisms become fully acceptable in later years. When I was young and beautiful and hanging in god's country 'Vancouver', I remember a guy telling anyone who'd listen: "I don't change the oil in my car - I use toilet paper". He even advertised it on the side of his van. He was of course booed and accused of being cheap and 'borderline irrational'. Well, today that type of filter is an industry standard and I wished I'd bought stock in the company way then.... George of Scaramouche1, stepping off his soapbox with a Cheshire Cat grin.... P.s: Rainwater in batteries is OK. The acids dissolved in rainwater are quite weak, mostly carbon dioxide based, and immediately displaced by the much stronger sulfuric acid in the battery. Trust me, I took four years of analytical chemistry in college.

james.m.bohn@boeing.com writes: >Are there >really people who, while owning a large boat, are so strapped for >cash that >they can't afford a couple bucks once a year for engine coolant? Jim, you just don't get it. Some of us whom you accuse of being over-frugal do what we do purely for enjoyment. We're having fun doing things not by the book but by our ingenuity, our ability to adapt whatever is available and make good - even if unconventional - use of our environment. It's not the pennies we save but the right to brag about what we have accomplished and to sport that look of 'the cat that swallowed the canary'. Sometimes these unconventionalisms become fully acceptable in later years. When I was young and beautiful and hanging in god's country 'Vancouver', I remember a guy telling anyone who'd listen: "I don't change the oil in my car - I use toilet paper". He even advertised it on the side of his van. He was of course booed and accused of being cheap and 'borderline irrational'. Well, today that type of filter is an industry standard and I wished I'd bought stock in the company way then.... George of Scaramouche1, stepping off his soapbox with a Cheshire Cat grin.... P.s: Rainwater in batteries is OK. The acids dissolved in rainwater are quite weak, mostly carbon dioxide based, and immediately displaced by the much stronger sulfuric acid in the battery. Trust me, I took four years of analytical chemistry in college.

If e-mail is the only activity you're interested in, there is "PocketMail". Works well with analogue cell-phones or pay-phones/business-phones when on shore. Used by many cruisers. See archives for details or go to their website. Relatively inexpensive and unlimited air time. No affiliation etc... George of Scaramouche1, Lake Ontario, Canada

e16@telus.net writes: > all (most?) >depth sounders provide the means to adjust the display reading Mine doesn't. It's almost as old as I am. You might have seen one like it during an earlier incarnation (little red lights running around in a circle). It's easy to read, quite accurate and dependable except for the differential. So I have to exercise the old gray matter and add 1.7 to the reading I get from the instrument. I can handle that! George of Scaramouche

elnav@uniserve.com writes: >the idea has been put forth that when a vehicle comes to a stop the >engine should be shut off. When you step on the "gas" pedal, the engine >is restarted and you drive away. A few years ago the marina here obtained an open four wheel vehicle (looked like a big golf cart that worked exactly as you describe, except the motor/generator was belt coupled to the gasoline engine). The vehicle was used by the marina to move people and parts. It had decent pick-up and acceleration. When the marina got it, it looked fairly beaten up, meaning it was a few years old even then. Don't see, why something like that couldn't be built for highway use right now. Cheers -- George of Scaramouche

alexh@olypen.com writes: >BU = Boat Unit; $1,000.00 There are two flavours: U.S. and Canadian. After exchange rate, taxes and shipping is factured in, that amounts to a ratio of 1 to 2. :-( :-(

TSmith6410@aol.com writes: >Suggestions for 120 VAC portable fans for engine room use? I retired from 25 years working with mainframe computers. We used an item called "muffin-fan" to cool circuits and power supplies. Never seen one of them pack-in. You should be able to get them from computer surplus stores. I'm not talking Radio-Shack type fans, but heavy duty, sealed bearing, impedance protected, industrial continuous rated fans. Those things are not cheap, but they are indestructable. Try service departments of IBM, Amdal, Honeywell, CDC etc for a source. Arild, can you suggest a supplier? George of Scaramouche, Lake Ontario

rbryett@mail.com writes: >I know harnesses are a PITA, but the more you >wear them, the more natural it becomes. Harnesses are somewhat uncomfortable/unnatural to wear. I've been wondering why we use these constructs? I have seen many ironworkers and linemen (my grandfather was one) going up and down telephone posts etc. with a very wide impressive looking belt around their middle which they clip to various other things like large loops, safety lines, steps etc. I have worn such a belt and find it quite comfortable and more natural than the typical marine harness. If I am trying to keep myself on the boat, rather than being pulled out of the water, why would such a workman's belt not be at least as adequate? Think I'll check out what's available at Marks Work Warehouse... George of Scaramouche, Lake Ontario, Canada

ctlow@boatdocking.com writes: >The fellow had been in the water several hours before >they found him, supported in an inner tube, carrying some of his >possessions in a garbage bag tied to himself, and wearing layers of winter >clothing, but nothing really "nautical." I can agre with that. Two years ago in December on Lake Ontario, I was building my plastic wintercover. To complete the task I had to use a small raft to float alongside the boat to fasten the plastic to the gunwhales. I was dressed warmly with a police type winter jacket, long johns under my corduroys, sailors cap, gloves etc. The lake was 2 degrees celsius and there were chunks of ice floating nearby. Well, I slipped, fell in the water and couldn't pull myself out (no ladders or steps in our marina). There were no other people in sight. I clung to a steel pylon and started hollering for help. After some time one man saw/heard me but wasn't strong enought to pull me out by himself. He went to get some more people and I was eventually pulled up on the dock. I had been in the water approximately half an hour and suffered no ill effects. Shed my wet clothing, took a warm shower and celebrated with my rescuers over a good bottle of rum. Just like your story in the St Lawrence, nothing nautical involved, just layers of winter clothing because after all, I was working and moving around my boat which I couldn't have done in survival gear. George of Scaramouche1, Lake Ontario, Canada

capnrich@cnw.com writes: >Just go down to Fleet Marine in Richmond or look up Ross Ballantyne >waterman@waterman.ca. >Richard Richard: Got a name/address like that for a poor Easterner (east of Toronto, about 44N, 79W) ? George of Scaramouche1, Frenchman's Bay, Pickering, Ontario