We receive many letters to the editor, which usually share a great story, ask a good question, or challenge stories, editors, or the industry. These letters and their responses are a great dialogue in our community. Now, in addition to the letters and responses we print in the magazine, we will be sharing even more of this engaging correspondence with you online. Enjoy!
IMTRA KUDOS
Recently, we had a problem with our bow thruster on our new Mainship 40. We contacted Imtra, the importer of Side-Power thrusters. We were berthed at Canyon Club Marina in Cape May, New Jersey. Ralph Steele from Imtra drove from Maryland to inspect the problem.
He determined that the connections at the fuse box had melted the box, causing a voltage drop to the thruster due to a connection not being properly tightened initially or having worked loose. He ordered a new fuse box to be sent to Lippincott Marine. We made our way to Lippincott, where the new fuse box was waiting. It was installed promptly, and we were on our way.
It is very satisfying when a company, and in particular, Ralph Steele, stands by their products and goes out of their way to solve the problem. Hats off and thank you to Imtra and Ralph Steele.
Dick Boehm
Ellen Leigh
Wilmington, Delaware
CHUCK GRICE
My husband tossed the PMM at me and said, “See if you recognize anything in this article.” It was the letter to the editor regarding kudos for Chuck Grice (PMM Dec. ’07). It brought back the time in the ’90s when we had dropped a sizeable down payment on a lovely boat as we had our boat sold in Detroit. Or so we thought. That deal fell through, and there we were, faced with losing all this money.
We were desperate and had scraped every last dollar we could to buy this boat. Bottom line is that half the down payment was returned to us. Chuck forfeited his piece and gave the other half to the seller. He had every reason to keep the money. I will never forget what he wrote in the letter that accompanied his check to us. “I learned a long time ago from my father that you do not take advantage of people in their hour of need.”
Meeting this man was an honor. He is truly a man of character; a man among men. I am so pleased to have seen Susan Maples’ letter regarding him.
Linda and Chuck Snavely
Lakeland, Florida
MORE TRAWLER TRAINING OPTIONS
I just picked up the December issue, and imagine my dismay when in “Letters to the Editor” someone was looking for trawler training and we were not mentioned. As current advertisers specializing in trawler training, I think we are the best fit for training for your readers.
Jeff Coult
Juneau, Alaska
Arctic Traveller is a 49-foot DeFever captained by Jeff Coult, who offers hands-on advanced and coastal training along the Inside Passage and other areas of Alaska and British Columbia. Learn about his latest course offerings in this issue’s “News & Notes.” Rugged scenery combined with expert instruction should make for an unforgettable experience.—Natalie Friton
WI-FI FRIENDS
We are Howard Means’ friends in St. Lucia. We also have a Port Networks antenna, and we are a mile from the signal at one of the resorts. It works fine, except when a boat anchors too close to us, between us and the source of the signal.
Hope your setup works as well on Growler.
Larry and Barb Vincent
S/V Celebration
St. Lucia
DEFEVER CONNECTIONS
I read the letter from the McWilliamses in the February ’08 issue with great interest, for several reasons. The second owner of Carmen Maria was Paul Riccobon, a charter member and 1978 commodore of the Fourth of July Yacht Club, which is based at the cove of that name on Catalina Island. My wife and I have been members for over 15 years, and we remember Carmen Maria well.
We have known Rick and Susie McWilliams for almost as long and have cruised with them many times in Mexican waters. Their boat, Nekton, is typical of DeFever designs of that era: spacious and comfortable. To illustrate, on one occasion when we were boat-sitting Nekton in La Paz, we wished to celebrate my wife’s birthday by hosting dinner for a group of our La Paz friends. We prepared a sit-down dinner for 16, served in the saloon. The story of the McWilliamses and how they jumped into passagemaking from a near-zero point in boating experience would be worth an article in PMM, in my opinion.
The influence of Arthur DeFever on passagemaker design on the West Coast cannot be overstated. I have attached a scan of a printed piece published in the early 1960s. It discusses Tonina, a 58-foot design that was being built in Santa Barbara by Lindwall for Frank Collbohm. Frank was the founding president of the famous RAND Corporation, where I worked in the 1950s.
We ran into Tonina and Frank and Kitty Collbohm while cruising in the Sea of Cortez in our little 23-foot Tollycraft cruiser. Frank showed us through the boat, and we were mightily impressed! Frank had many innovative ways of arranging things for their cruising comfort. I bring this up because Tonina’s home is in the Alamitos Bay Marina here in Long Beach. The boat is now owned by Rick Fricke, who has kept it upgraded and in fabulous pristine condition. The 40-year-old wood boat is truly beautiful and, again, would be worth coverage in PMM.
Martin Goldsmith
Long Beach, California
FIRST CRUISES
My wife and I just purchased our first boat (a trawler) and are new subscribers to PMM. A fellow boater told me about your magazine, and now I can’t wait for each new issue. I especially enjoyed the article about the Great Circle/Loop (PMM Oct. ’05), as we hope to complete that journey some day.
We purchased our trawler in Escanaba, Michigan. My crew consisted of my brother-in-law, a neighbor, and a friend (formerly in the Coast Guard). We motored it up Lake Michigan, under the Mackinaw Bridge, up the St. Mary’s River, through the Canadian Soo Locks, and across Lake Superior to Duluth, Minnesota.
What an experience! Good and bad weather, old diesel, and a ruptured hose or two, as well as fog, fear, and great food. The shakedown cruise was quite a learning experience for me.
The crew would like to do it again, as would I. Although our boat is now in winter storage, I am on it every Saturday, working on my to-do list. I am finding the articles very helpful. Thanks again for a great magazine. This will be one long winter.
Scott, Cindy, and Genna Kellett
Esko, Minnesota
Hopefully your winter will go quickly as you work down your list of projects. Being on a boat, even one that’s in storage for the winter, beats a lot of other ways to spend your time. And the small steps you are taking to learn about everything aboard your new boat will provide wonderful dividends in a couple of years, as you develop a relationship with her that extends way beyond weekends at the dock. Enjoy!—BillP.
SHAFT BRAND
In your February ’08 issue, on page 113, you show three shaft logs. In the top one, the shaft does not need to be pulled to be repaired. What is the brand or company that makes this one, and do you have any expense info on it?
Robert Murphy
Key Colony Beach, Florida
The stuffing boxes shown in all three of the images are manufactured by Tides Marine of Deerfield Beach, Florida (tidesmarine.com). The shaft to which you refer does not require removal for replacement of the lip seal, provided a spare seal or seals were installed on the shaft when the stuffing box was originally installed. (Of course, hose or other major assembly replacement would require removal of the shaft.) If a spare seal was installed, replacement simply involves removing the old seal and pressing the spare one into place. Once you’ve used up your spares, you’ll need to pull the shaft in order to install more. There’s no limit to how many spares you may stack on your shaft.—Steve D’Antonio
TOOL SEARCH
Thanks to PMM, I have slowly improved my independence in making and diagnosing repairs on my trawlers. The sense of accomplishment and time and money saved are substantial and rewarding. Electrical and electronic gear are the most challenging to cope with, and I will add a current clamp VOM and infrared remote sensor to my onboard toolbox this winter. There are too many units on the market for me to make an informed choice. I am not interested in getting the least expensive ones available; I would rather get units that are reliable and user friendly even if I must pay a bit more.
You must have favorite units that you use and trust. I would greatly appreciate make and model numbers. Also, please recommend any texts suitable for an amateur like me to read this winter while the boat is on the hard.
Bob Borges
Narragansett, Rhode Island
It’s difficult to believe, but I’ve owned the same digital multimeter for more than 12 years. I suppose it may be a testament to its advanced design (at the time) and ruggedness that it’s remained useful to me for so long, and I’ve never wished I had one that did more.
It’s a Fluke ET-88 DMM. This is a limited-edition model that was branded for Mac tools. The current model, the 88V, doesn’t appear to have changed much (although battery replacement is much easier). It has all of the same features and then some, and if I were to purchase a new multimeter today, this would be the one. It carries a limited lifetime warranty. I’ve abused mine—dropped it, stepped on it, gotten it wet many times—and it still works perfectly.
The 88 is designed specifically with automotive troubleshooting in mind, which means it’s ideally suited for marine engines, charging systems, and generators (it measures frequency and true RMS voltages). One of the most valuable aspects of Fluke meters is the endless assortment of accessories that are available, including some very nice soft and hard cases. (I use the latter for the added protection and water resistance.) The 88 can use, among many other things, vacuum probes (PV350), a variety of temperature probes (all of which I purchased in the days before infrared pyrometers), and an inductive tachometer pickup for gasoline engines and outboards. It also accepts a variety of current clamps.
The two models that will measure AC and DC current are the i410 and the i1010, which handle 400 amps AC/DC and 1,000 amps DC/600 amps AC, respectively. The current clamp that I own is the same vintage as my meter and works as well as it did the day I bought it. (Don’t store it with the batteries inside for any length of time; leakage will kill the contacts.) None of this gear is inexpensive. The 88 retails for about $350, while the current clamps cost between $175 and $275. There’s no doubt, however, that I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of these tools.
My digital infrared pyrometer presents a much simpler story. I prefer the Fluke 62 Mini. It has the range you’ll need for most onboard troubleshooting and service, minus 20°F to 932°F, and a handy dual display that shows both the current and maximum temperature. It lists for about $95.
Less expensive versions of all of the above-mentioned tools are available, and they work well, although I can’t personally vouch for their reliability or ruggedness. The Craftsman Professional True RMS AC/DC Clamp Ammeter, model 73755, has it all. In addition to inductively measuring AC and DC amps, it measures voltage, and it has a built-in infrared pyrometer. Its ranges aren’t as great and it doesn’t sport a rugged rubberized case; however, I know professionals who use it and are pleased with its versatility. Raytek and others manufacture infrared pyrometers for as little as $69. The first IR pyrometer I purchased was a Raytek, and it’s still going strong after several years of use.
Finally, the electrical text I recommend to both professionals and novices (until my book is available, that is) is Charlie Wing’s Boat Owner’s Illustrated Electrical Handbook (second edition). Its format is clear and easy to understand, and it will walk you through a variety of troubleshooting and familiarization issues.—Steve D’Antonio
SEA RANGER 53 SEARCH
Regarding the letter in the February ’08 issue about Sea Rangers, if you’ll go to YachtWorld.com and search for Sea Ranger 53, you’ll find one for sale in England that has quite a lot of tech data in the description. I use this site often when I want more information about a particular boat.
Love the magazine.
Dick Martin
Marine Trader 34 Ti Lok
YachtWorld.com is a good resource if you’re looking for specs and locations of boats, and it certainly has a broad enough search that one can find nearly any boat in any location. When we go on a “boat hunt,” we are typically looking for some firsthand experience with a vessel so that we can share an individual’s experience with our readers. Ideally, we’d like to hear from someone who used to build the boats or someone who has owned the boat. This enables us to learn as much as possible.
Several readers have pointed us to YachtWorld.com, which is a good starting point for learning more about the Sea Ranger 53. The one listed for sale in England looks great, so if there is any more information out there on the history of these boats or former owners who’d like to share their experiences, please let us know.—Natalie Friton