s lighter which made the difference for me. Still means drilling several more holes in the boat as the four stroke outboard bracket has a wider base than the old 2 stroke bracket. Mike Eedy M/V Excalibur Lake Nipissing ON Mikey@efni.com

other stuff was too esoteric for what I considered practical use and I have heard similar comments from others. Hal Spoelstra teaches a class here in Portland on Coastal Piloting and then in the winter a class in Celestial. Hal's class is very practical oriented, unlike the USPS stuff. It's too bad, CG AUX is too operations oriented and the PS is too yacht club oriented. There is a need for practical, no frills teaching. Oh well. Capt. Mike Maurice Near Portland Oregon.

effort to be populist, but based on the numbers, it does not seem to be effective. The more likely problem is that new boaters today, reflecting life styles, demand instant fixes. So courses, if taken at all, need to be very short in duration and instantly available. This (if true) is made to order for a street level shop offering instant courses at big bucks (it ain't worth taking if it does not cost big bucks, right?). There are several of these now operating in Canada as a result of the Federal requirement for an Operator's Certificate. Also, people are 'busier' I think with themselves and their immediate needs (like TV). Little is left over for training, membership, involvement. I wonder if organizations at, say, the bass boating level are experiencing the same thing. Based on sales, bass boating is huge. It is where USPS should be working hardest for recognition and recruitment. It is also where there are more fatalities. (Although the experience this year off the west coast might skew the numbers back toward the bigger boats.) Richard

Engel wrote: > Yeah... so did I. So the very next oil change the lid popped off my dirty oil container and now I have a nice soft, beige colored with large black spot, oil-soaked carpet. Can't win this boat game > > Joe. > -- Bob McLeran & Judy Young Currently at Manatee Cove Marina M/V "Sanderling" Patrick AFB, Melbourne, FL Hailing port: Wianno MA Hampton 35 Trawler

ill think Charlie has a practical and inexpensive solution. Ron Rogers Annapolis, MD {8^0) ----- Original Message ----- From: > Don't they sell some kind of rubber mat for this sort of thing?