Mike Maurice writes: >Now here is something I have been wanting for a long time, new in 2007. Mike, this is indeed a good thing. Any idea what the price is like? Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistake rarely make anything.

"Mark Andrew" writes: >the >Cat Dealer installed a 24V starter, and I imagine it's a done deal. My >house bank is a large group of Trojan batteries wired for 12 V, my >Inverter/charger charges & uses 12 V. My gen set starter is 12V. The >alternator will be a Leece-Neville 12V. Ugh!! > >Any ideas? Yep. Two ideas. First, are you sure you want 12 volts for your inverter? If you have not yet bought the inverter you might want to investigate. Second, Analytic Systems makes "any input - any output" chargers. You can get a 120 VAC charger for 32 volt batteries, 24 volt charger for 48 volt batteries, etc. You need a 12 volt charger for 24 volt batteries. Here's a link: http://www.analyticsystems.com/products/bcd305.htm This should do just what you need. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

David H Sorenson writes: >If I recall, one major purpose of the vent is that when the holding tank >is pumped out the vacuum pressure of the pumpout does not collapse the >tank. Maybe you are talking about something else, but the pumpout >stations around here make my holding tank moan and groan from the vacuum >pressure being applied. This is an excellent point. In fact, it's best to have not one but two vents, at least 1" diameter, with the outlets on opposite sides of the vessel. This will promote airflow through the tank and help with aerobic decomposition. By the way don't make the mistake I did and install the vent hose with low points. This will cause a buildup of water (from rain and or condensation) and will have the same effect as a P-trap under a sink. The vent lines need to be run in a continuous upward slope. However, the "vented loop" will not help with this. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

"Vance Nelson" writes: >I have same situation using L16's. I have not found any AGMs with the power >of the L16. If you are aware of any AGM that has 420 AMP Hours let us know. Yes, have a look at Discover batteries. 390 AH AGMs in L-16 case sizes. See http://discover-energy.com/files/datasheets/EVL16A-A.pdf I used a bank of 12 of these in Island Eagle, so far so good. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

"Chris Byer" writes: >She is a circumnavigator, with a good set of paravanes, and mentioned in >Beebie's "Voyaging Under Power." If memory serves me correctly, the >original of this design was named "Feng Shui" and was built of Teak. Fess >Prarker kept an example of this design in Santa Barbara. These boats were >unaique in that their engine was located towards the bow, with the engine >exhiausting through the forward mast. Chris, Just a guess, but I think that the boat for sale is actually Feng Shui. To the best of my knowledge there was only one boat built to that design. Cheoy Lee did build a 47' 'glass trawler to a design by William Garden. This was quite a distinctive design as it had a flush deck over the aft cabin. When I was searching for my boat (2003) there was a fully restored and repowered one for sale on the east coast. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

Mike Maurice writes: >Washington has no exemption for under 65', unless you pay for one. The >fee is about $300. Where do I apply for this? I have taken Island Eagle down to Port Townsend once already with no problem, but I can imaging that one over-zealous water cop could ruin your whole day. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

I agree with Po, if you have the room a full size bike is OK but we didn't on our 32 ft sailboat and we don't really on our Monk 36 so we really like our folding ones! They are Montague DX's and fold out to be full size bikes which we wanted. We store them in zipper bags and we have had them about 6 years now. They ride like any regular bike and they have held up very well in the marine environment. We have used then extensively and would buy them again. And Po is right again when he says they fit in the dingy better! David Monk 36 "Significant Other"

Ownyacht@aol.com writes: >If I go into the compartment and give the pump a slight tap with a >screwdriver handle it starts pumping and works for several flushes until >the problem >happens again...sometimes 24 hours later. > >What's going on? A few comments: 1) This sounds like it might just be a loose connection on the pump power. Next time, try jiggling the wires before tapping the pump. 2) However, this sound a lot like a problem I had. Sometimes the pump would not start when it was supposed to, and sometimes it would run on. After watching the tank carefully I realized that there was a shaft which connected to the vacacuum switch bellows and operated a microswitch. The shaft has gotten a bit dirty and dusty, and was binding against the sleeve. This is very easy to test -- just gently nudge the shaft. Anyhow, a quick spray of WD-40 had it running perfectly. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

"Pete Balkus" writes: >I am trying to find a shop or dealer where I can purchase a 2 to 3ft piece >of "polished" Stainless Steel Tubing (seamless) with a 1.375 ( 1 3/8) >outside diameter and .065. You don't mention where you are, but I have had nothing but good experiences at Metal Supermarkets. As their name implies, they sell lots of different types of metal. What they don't stock, they will order for you. Every store has a metal cutting bandsaw and a 10 foot shear, so you can get stuff cut if you bring in a drawing. They cater to both industrial and dummy users, so they tend to give good advise (e.g. which alloy to use for a particular application). They will definitely have your polished stainless steel tube, in sizes from 1/2" up to about 2". You can probably fine a better price if you look around, but for me the convenience wins out almost every time -- there is one about a 10 minute drive from my boat. See www.metalsupermarkets.com for details. No connection, etc. One other note if you do go, make sure to sort through the stainless steel "cutoffs" bin. My store sells cutoffs at a discount and for small pieces you might find just what you need. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.

GARY RITZMAN writes: >One of the VDO tachs for my Lehman 135s seems to "skip" or "bounce." For >example, running at 1700 RPM, it will drop to zero and then immediately >bounce >back up to 2000 before settling back to 1700. I thought that perhaps the belt >was loose but that does not appear to be the problem. Any suggestions from >the >fertile minds of this knowledgeable group? Well, I have good and bad news. The good news is that I know what causes this, because it also happens to me on my VDO tach. It happens when the batteries reach full charge and the field current on the alternator drops to such a low point that the tachometer feed from the alternator is too weak for the tach to read. The bad news is that I have not yet figured out what I can do about it, other than installing a dedicated tachometer sender. Perhaps someone else has a suggestion? Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.