"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

"Scott H.E. Welch" writes: >For the house bank, I switched to L16 AGM batteries, and these have been >awesome. They are much lighter than the 8Ds, but really pack the power (1080 >Amp Hours at the 10 hour rate). The price I got from my local battery shop >was excellent. I have a bank of 12 of these in series/parallel to get 24 >volts at 3240 AH. > >Here's a link to the specs: http://www.discover-energy.com/files/EV216A.pdf Well, looking at this again, I see that I made a mistake. The spec I posted was for the 2 volt L16 cells. I put in 6 volt L16s, here is the PDF: http://www.discover-energy.com/files/EVL16A-A.pdf These are rated at 390 AH, giving me 1170 AH at 24 volts. I knew that 3240 was not right. By the way, when I put mine in the 2 volt cells were not available, but if I were doing it today for sure I'd put in 12 of the 2 volt L16s in series. It's much better than running three 6 volt cells in parallel. 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"

"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.