Bob F

Silly boy!!!

Kam, what type of tank did you get? I'm on the look out for a plastic 25L type with fuel guage. What price did you pay from Holes Bay? I might see if they will do one for me at the same price. cheers Bob F

No stop, I'm in tears...that's the best joke yet, Dave!!! BF

...and there's one called the King of Herrings which is another name for the Giant Oarfish.

Around British waters there's the Kitefin Shark which is a kind of Scottish dogfish-looking thing (they call them sleeper sharks), and the Knifetooth dogfish which is a deepsea beastie, and Koefoed's searsid which is another deepsea beastie. BF

What about the Kipper? BF

I've added a cable size table to the article, and below is a cable size calculator and AWG to mm converter. http://www.radiomods.co.nz/powercablecalc.html The amended Battery article is attached. cheers BF

Kam, That's exactly the reason why I stopped using the lazy line. I also discovered that you cannot cut the anchor free in an emergency. An now that I use the bouy to retrieve the anchor, there is no need for the lazy line. BF

Anyone know the name of the Decca Chains (lanes) that are used in the south of England? Are they still in use?? cheers BF

Adam, You need the 300A for any connections from the batteries to the engine, so that the cables are able to cope with the starting current. The cables from the batteries to your aux equipment can be less, depending on what equipment you have. If all your equipment adds up to 10A, then fit 20A cable from your batteries to the bus bars. The individual feeds from the bus bars to the instruments can then be smaller wires appropriate to the max current rating of the piece of equipment. cheers BF

Nice article, Paul. Well found that man!! So you were right about your tell-tale. BF

Gordon, I've updated the battery document to show the relay method. This disadvantage of this method is that you do not have the flexibility to use the second battery to start the engine, or to use the starter battery to run the aux instruments. My advise is to keep things simple and flexible, and so use the method shown in Diagram 2, using a battery selection switch. Adding relays just means another thing to go wrong, and I prefer the option of using either battery in an emergency. Paul, yes, your main power feed cables may be underated. This would cause the problem you describe, but it could equally be a resistive connection somewhere. Was the problem there right from the beginning or did it develop over time? If it developed later then I would suspect a bad connection. What size cable should you use?? I would had up all the max current ratings of your various pieces of equipment, and then double it for safety. This will then give you the current carrying capacity that you need for your main feed to the aux equipment. NOTE - the connections between the two batteries and to the battery selection switch and engine should be at least 300A. If you use smaller cables between the two batteries the wires could melt when you try to start the engine from the second battery. cheers BF

[flapper] - me when I've hooked a cod!

Doelfins have the best reputation. They are sized according to your engine, so make sure you get the right ones. BF

Adam, Here's the article I wrote a while back. cheers BF

Don't make the mistake I made with axle stands. Jacked the boat up to work on the brakes. Put some axle stands under the axle for added security. Went off to play golf (gotta get your priorities right!). Came back to find the boat had fallen off the axle stands!! It was a warm day and the stands had sunk into the tarmac. Lesson learned - put a firm base under the stands if jacking on tarmac. Lesson learned - boats are definitely female...they dont like you playing golf either! BF

Q - Why do men die before their wives? A - Because they want to!! Ooouch!! Just got smacked across the head. Proves my point I think!

[blank] - apparently a fish species but with no minimum size limits. Worth just 1 point in the species comp because it's a common catch.

Kam, Send an email to YYS International who are the official importers for Fladen. They replaced my broken tip free of charge. It was in the post the next day. Brilliant service! BF

Photos of "2 Ways" added to the members boat section on the web page. BF

Yeh, try getting it a bit closer to the lens next time BB. Nice piccy! BF

Dan's our Foreign Sectretary, by the way. Either that or he's been on the Vino again! Welcome. BF

Nice one Paul. A perfect fit for your needs. Good choice. BF

Steady on Duncan, you'll make me blush. Makes up for my "barren ground" comment. BF