duncan

coincidently the owners boat is moored in Poole harbour currently............ very nice guy and great to do business with - restricts his range to stock and even then keeps it tight around what he is comfortable to support. also one of the real specialists on night sights for anyone interested - have had some demo's of the really good stuff and it's unbelievable. Sells stuff mere mortals can afford too....but th ecabin glass make them impractical for me and radar does the job.

30th for me - trusting the weather is half decent...........

I would ask Towsure to check them for you siting low voltages and a lack of cranking amps - you never know they may just replace them both for you against the one reciept (similar serial numbers will give them the batteries age anyway).

I am having the same with my 975LD - it obviously got a little wet and didn't like it. Can't strip the damm thing as I can't remove the plastic plate shielding the drag plates on the spool Am sure the release spring isn't right either. Looks like it's going to have to go back to the Penn service guy pretty early in it's life why can't it be like the 25GLS which seems happy to be abused and simply washed off after the trip and left to dry.

back to your current ( ) batteries - 12.3 after charging, ie a few minutes after charging, is shot. 12.3 as a float charge (few hours after charging) is on it's way out. you chould have 12.8v at least 1 hour after charging - and preferably a week after charging. reference 'start on both then run on 1'........? may I tactfully (moi?) suggest tha tif you start on both (and I do) then you should run out with both on and therefore charging. Then switch back to one when you arrive and stop the engine. Next is preference but I now stay with this battery for the rest of the day, including restarts and the run home knowing that I have a fully charged 'spare' and giving the other a good cycle of discharge/charge on it's own going home. If it's showing below 12.6 volts though I use both to restart. Lowrance Sonar unit, which displays voltage, is now th elast thing off the boat before the battery switches are turned off, and I check each batteries voltages around 45 minutes usually, after switching off the engine - reversing the check before starting up. Battery management - hours of fun!

If you build in some custom storage that open layout has a hell of a lot going for it on a 16 ft boat. If you are competent with wood & fiberglass you can create a fantastic fishing machine! A huge proportion of the costs on a boat are around man hours - now I know James has a good use for most of his (fishing) but if you are keeping the boat at home the sky's the limit - including a removable SS frame for rods, antenae and that custom camper canvas for all night summer sessions......

cheap is cheerfull when (1) you have 2 batteries (ie one failing doesn't matter as long as you know it' failed), and (2) you keep the receipt carefull so that you get the 3 years is guarantees out of it. I always fail on the latter

Agree it's (sonar) a juice user but surely you switch it off when the engines not running ? Equally the alternator will deliver more than it draws? Re leisure batteries many still believe them to be a bit of a con and the differences between LA leisure and LA normal batteries is relatively small - and certainly no more than potentially between makes or quality in normal LA ranges. that said I wouldn't want to be regularily using a leisure battery to start a heavy draw engine.

Thanks for explaining that Alan. Works for me too!

aren't batteries a full topic? onboard electronics shouldn't figure - unless you are drifting miles and keeping them on they will be used when the engine is on and shouldn't draw more than the alternator is delivering (radar being a possible exception to both the above statements) So the goood news is that only anchor light, cockpit light and radio will be your enemies - live bait well in the summer/autumn. Bad news is that the usable battery current is often reckoned to be 20% of the capacity on a standard alternator charged system (it will only charge to around 80% full capacity and you don't want to discharge it below 60%). With the current price of batteries I would simple use 2 cheapish 85's and change every third year. If you wire them through 2 switches, and have any electronics that give you voltage, you can quickly check if one is failing by switching to each before you start up and checking the standing voltage. 12.8/12.9 being expected.

Getting clearer Alan! So when you deploy from the side do you have the rode tied of to the bollard at a predetermined length appropriate for the depth you are anchoring in?

Spot on Martin - and Kam that transit battery sounds perfect as a replacement for one of the 85's. Bet you find ones poor anyway. worst case keep it as a spare.

Alan, Not trying to be picky but you say you like to have the warp (rode) made off to the boat as a matter of course but if (a big if!) I follow your set up the line is made off to the bow post 'in the middle' in a position dictated by depth. In this I assume the end by the buoy is total free of course - but it would be wouldn't it - as it would be even worse to be anchored by the beam than to loose the anchor when setting it down. Overall I probably don't understand your set up - certainly seem to have 3 ends to the rode too! - 1 to anchor, 1 through hatch and 1 back round the side back on the box.

Kam, Why wouldn't you want the alternator charging your leisure batteries too? Surely (1) you have a pretty big alternator on that O/B and (2) you are going to swap out one of the leisure batteries for the dedicated starter anyway? Whatever, I would simply use 2 battery switches, one for each battery (or bank). btw you can pick up a pretty decent CCA battery from Macro for around 38 (550 CCA from memory)- even starts mine at a pinch!

Adding to the anchor attachement argument I would suggest that it is a huge safety feature to have it attached as a default. If you get into dificulties that require you to get a hold fast you will not want to be messing around attaching it - Kam's experiences here illustrate that clearly! If you get into the situation of a large tanker running you down then (1) you proabably shouldn't be there anyway (2) just as you should be personally preparted for the water as above a white collission flare should be at hand in the cockpit and (3) if any baot is going to have a knite handy it's going to be a fishing boat - quite frankly the cost of the braid I would loose cutting the lines (you wern't going to wind them in were you?) will match the cost of the anchor gear I will loose so just cut the damm thing and get clear. What I am trying to say, and proably badly, is that your first and only thought should be personal safety and if you stop even once to think about 'have I time for this or that' you are taking an unnecessry risk. If you definitely have time to wind in a rod then you have all the time you need to attach a fender to the anchor warp before cutting it/letting it go.

thanks Charlie - that's reassuring.

Anyone heard any rumours about some elements of this Comp being 're-thought' by the organisers?

I think Dave actually took him out with the film crew once upon a time - round by Dancing Ledge.

i think it's an excellent picture - helps no end! trust someone is collecting them for the rigs section..............

Jack's old boat is still going and has been in the yard at Rockley for some time being renovated (done up).

r - understand now, and so did I!

Kam - don't you find them a little light for pirking?

well a late arrival on Friday to fit the new oil cooler resulted in - a second hand unit that just couldn't be made to fit (Holes Bay were brilliant but it just couldn't be) - a missing 2nd 2nd hand unit (still missing) - a brilliant forecast so back on with the old unit supply of atf and then the throttle/gearshift came off in my hand!...........stupid little retaining nut had sheared right across the middle call off or go ahead? who needs a throttle? went fishing no cod no conger no rays just whiting - right up to 4lb 2oz! (not mine unfortunately - I could only manage 3 1/2 ) great day - lovely weather repair bill grows - anyone got a stupid specialist nut for a Quicksilver 3000? How the hell do you fit it without cutting off the throttle push button thing for throttle without gear? I am going off boats................

I have to say I hadn't considered bimini loops - as in loop to loop - and may well use this going forwards. I have in the past tied bimini's in my braid then threaded the whole thing through the boom, a drilled out bead (made a batch up) and looped twice through the swivel of a gemini swivel link. Making up some lengths of mono with bimini's in either end gives me the extra option of including one for the boom to run on or not as I feel appropriate. Funny what trigers these thougths isn't it.

thanks Charlie - pretty much how I read it. Have 'check engine zincs' on the agenda as another possible cause. Will get the s/h unit and then pursue the existing unit slowly and surely if I can find someone who is prepared to play with it!