Thank you for all the posts on shaft couplings.  First thing this
morning, Andy went into the engine room to check.  ALL SIX bolts were
loose on the starboard shaft.  The bolts were bent slightly and the
threads were flattened somewhat. We happen to be in the yard, and the
guys here said we did not have the right bolts on there anyway.  They
said we should use finely threaded bolts as they are less prone to
backing out.  They also recommended checking the shaft alignment as that
could cause the bolts to loosen.  We checked, but the alignment was o.k.
The bolts on the port engine were all tight.  But both shafts have shiny
new fine thread bolts this morning.  We have now added checking the
bolts to our list.

Thank you all for posting your experiences.  They were a call to action
that surely saved us a lot of grief.

Dinata Misovec
aboard Atlantic 44 "Frobenius"
in Eau Gallie, FL
Mobile:  410-474-5282

5334 Central Florida Parkway #132
Orlando, Florida  32821

You should recheck alignment a couple weeks after launching your boat, as it
cannot be accurately checked when the boat is blocked in the yard as hull
shape can change.

Good luck,

Bob Lowe
www.MV-Dreamer.com
www.CruisingAndMaintainingYourBoat.com

They also recommended checking the shaft alignment as that
could cause the bolts to loosen.  We checked, but the alignment was o.k.
The bolts on the port engine were all tight.  But both shafts have shiny
new fine thread bolts this morning.  We have now added checking the
bolts to our list.

Dinata Misovec

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My experience with a built in tank in a late '70s Taiwan trawler is:
these tanks are typical for the age,
they are a bad idea
the tank itself is not permeable to odor
the fittings and the hose is permeable (but way better than the modern
smooth walled 'sanitary' hose) but it takes twenty or more years to happen
and then it does because the hose which is rubber double walled gets little
cracks from age and these cracks are the source of the odor,
the tank itself can continue in service but it needs new fittings and most
especially it needs a new 1 1/2 inch vent line (it probably has a 1/2 inch
line which is totally plugged at the elbow from the tank),
the owner should think through the plumbing problems of moving to a new tank
before abandoning the old especially if there are two heads.

My suggestion is to replace the entire vent line and fittings as suggested,
then see what happens. They may find that they are back in 'acceptable'
rather than 'objectionable' on the stink scale. This will be the case if the
cause is a plugged vent. The pressure in the tank is forcing the odor out of
every weakness it can find. Odor in an old tank is natures way of telling
you the plumbing needs attention (not necessarily replacement).

Suggestion for the vent line.
Use 1 1/2".
Vent to both sides of the boat, ideally from two tank fittings at opposite
ends of the tank(or use a bubbler).

Richard Tomkinson