bertram31.com

Peter

I am so frustrated by the EPA taking all the good stuff out of our "Good Stuff." I used to use Simple Green as a degreaser and general cleaner. Then they changed the formula. Apparently they took out the 2oxybutylethanol. AKA Cellosolve. A surfacant so mild it is used in cosmetics. But not PC in Cal...

Peter

I don't think a few hundred pounds aft on an outboard B-26 will make much difference. Ther is a LOT of hull in the water aft on these deep V's and a couple of hundred pounds won't change trim much. A transom bracket moves the weight even further aft. Not necessarily a good thing on a Bertram, but so...

Peter

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s201/PeterB26/CheckforObstruction.jpg I'm not being a wise ass here, but if you read the regulation and mentally think of "Exhaust" as meaning "force the air and vapors out" instead of jumping to the conclusion that it has to mean "Suck the air out" my interpretat...

Peter

I am not sure where "exhaust" has to mean "suction." As far as I know all "exhaust" means is that it forces the air or vapors out. Exhaust on cars and steam engines do not suck. The spent steam or burned fuel vapors are blown out the exhaust. It doesn't make sense to pull a cumbustable mix of air an...

Peter

Gasoline fumes sink in still air. If there was a gas leak or a source of fuel vapor into your bilge as the boat was sitting, the bilge would fill up with gas fumes from the bottom. If it filled to the level of the starter motors and you hit the starter switch...KA-BOOM! So the blower is supposed to ...

Peter

It wasn't a year ago I was at a restaurant with my wife and the tables were paper charts epoxied over. Kinda low end nautical kitch... They are elegant bits of industrial art in their own way, fun to study and full of information you missed "last time" each time you do. I said: "It won't be long now...

Peter

In the the beginning of the finals the Kiwis outsailed the USA team. Plain and simple. Go back and look a the tapes on YouTube. The USA boat wasn't slow, but it wasn't sailed as well. Then in the end the USA team outsailed the Kiwis. Yes, there were improvements made along the way to the boat, but t...

Peter

As for too much wind: There was an iteresting thread picked up off Boat Design Net and pirated over to Sailing Anarchy, a site for which I have very little respect, that pointed out that in greater wind speeds the boats might approach speeds of 50 knots; the point where their foils would cavitate an...

Peter

Mike wrote: Did they actually postpone a sailboat race because it was too windy? Sort of like postponing a ski race because the hill is too steep. They have already experienced one tragic death of a crewman in this competition in a capsize. The wind limit rules were agreed to after that by all teams...

Peter

** Fishermen, you don’t need to read this. It is for sailors and boat designers, but it seems appropriate here on this thread. ** Of Clipper Ships, Bertrams, and Flying Cats: Watching the AC unfold with the flying cats it is now apparent to everyone that as the Oracle boat tacks or tries to accelera...

Peter

I`ve had my heart in my mouth as these 10 million plus boats ,dual at 40knots only meters apart, UNTIL today when we kicked your ass!!!LOL Go the KIWIS I sure hope we win Watching this unfold it is clear that IF the Kiwi's win they will have earned it. Lots of practice, smooth teamwork and boat han...

Peter

PM or private msg is pretty easy to use, up on the top you should see that you have (0 new messages) if someone sends you a msg you are notified with an email. If you click on (0 new messages) you can contact someone much like an email.... Yea, true... but often times someone knows somebody who kno...

Peter

So far all the above is advice I would agree with. But then you have to get he last bit of water and contaminated fluids out after a good through flush or three. I had a similar problem with an outdrive. No matter how much you flush it seems like you can't get the last of the water out. I had some C...

Peter

I think its old school vs. bubble-boat drivers. Either you are the sort that takes being on the water seriously, which means you appreciate quality equipment (like Bertrams), and view rendering assitence to others when they need it as part of your responsibility, or you are a clueless bubble boat dr...

Peter

Harry is dead nuts on re: the true process of learning. A much tougher question to face is if you are investing in actual training, which is long and tough and takes talent OR are you investinging selling training to people who will buy into your course/school who have no hope of completing it. The ...

Peter

OR... you could install a generator and buy gasoline or Diesel fuel for that, and use the gen set to charge your electric car at night..... Oh wait.... here's the answer: maybe you could skip the gen set and put the gasoline or Diesel straight into the car and just burn it there when you need it. 10...

Peter

The only good "eco-play" on an all electric car is to redistribute pollution. It isn't less polluting overall because you have to make the electricity somewhere, and in this country that generally means coal or oil or nat gas plants. You can talk about wind and hydro and solar, but they aren't there...

Peter

Randall,
Thanks for the update.

We miss Walter's input here every day.

Peter

Peter

Recently Tesla is in the news with their sexy electric cars. There was some discussion here a while back and I thought I’d do a little follow up since some of “The Faithful” showed an interest. Tesla claims 300 miles highway range on a single charge. Is this possible? How do they do it? Well I was s...

Peter

I figured that this group being a bunch of "Hands on" and "Get it done and do it right" guys would appreciate this story even if it had nothing to do with Bertrams or boats.

Thanks for the reply.

Peter

Peter

I was engaged in they capacity as a carpenter to do some repairs to an outdoor deck on a summer home in a high end resort town. I arrived at a very nice home in a stylish neighborhood. It wasn’t particularly large, but the values in this location ran high. This particular house was easily worth well...

Peter

Good catch, Bill ! I edited the original to make the correction. Thanks. Muriatic acid IS still available at hardware stores. I also found the following information (paraphrased by me): Unlike phosphoric acid wash the hydrochloric acid wash does not leave behind any protective coating and instead ma...

Peter

The week point in the attack is the bridge officer who should be cross checking his location and course with radar and navigation aids like bouys and landmarks. But to do that you have to put down your beer. I was delivering a sailing yacht with the owner aboard on a foggy day. It was pre-GPS but we...

Peter

OK guys. this is kind of funny, but honestly it isn't a joke. The information that follows was compiled by me and is legit as far as I can tell..... I'd love to hear your thoughts/experiences/feedback/chuckles or just plain reaction to it. I've given the EvapoRust stuff a go and it works pretty well...

Peter

Awsome!

Looks great. Must feel even better!

That house is going to be cozy in the fall.

Peter

Peter

Thanks for the input. I'm leaning toward the Perfection choice though Buju gave me pause to consider the gel coat option. Thanks for the links to parts suppliers. One reason the project has been on the back burner is the remarkably high cost of replacement parts, in particular dagger board and rudde...

Peter

I have a salvage (derelict) sunfish sailboat languishing in my yard. I have collected bits and pieces at yard sales to put it back together over time and it is getting to the point I'm getting ready to take up the project. It was a pre-started project boat when I got it so it was already sanded some...

Peter

Here is a short video of Luna Rosa 72 foot long AC catamaran foiling through a jybe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_moyNuRqOE Maintaining full foiling throughout the gybe is a brand new skill only done for the first time ever just a few months ago...but it will be crucial to the competition. Heck,...

Peter

Somewhere Ray Hunt is smiling: Here is a picture of what the officials have to use in the latest America’s cup to keep up with the “sailboats.” http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2013/07/09/photo-drug-runners-on-san-francisco-bay/ These machines are giant catamarans with wing sails that literally lif...

Peter

Scot;

I don't know nothin' about how to solve your problem, but I'm glad to see that you ar back at it!

Peter

Peter

I think Uncle Vic is smiling down on you today He might be..... I don't know...... What I do know is that I am smiling up at him! I never got to meet him in person either, nevertheless I still gained wisdom from him and plenty of humor through this board. And today his words are putting a big fat h...

Peter

A few years back Uncle Vic got us all started on the CX thing. I wanted to give it a try so I ordered some but the supplier said the aerosol was “hazardous material” and would only ship me the spray bottle version. Fine, I bought a spray bottle of the stuff. It turns out that the spray bottle stuff ...

Peter

Check it out:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/busin ... on.html?hp

Peter

Peter

Anybody have good suggestions where to get decent free photo hosting for posting to the web and forums? I had been using Photobucket but since they made some changes it drives me crazy. Its so freaking slow now. And it is no longer as simple as it used to be, or maybe that is just me not being patie...

Peter

I recall a kind of dory-looking thing about 16 feet long form the early 1970's where they cut a square hole in the bottom, built up a well above the water line and hung a small outboard there. Then they put a hatch over the hole. It was supposed to be innovative back then and it was just as stupid l...

Peter

The camera from HF with the coupon was about $64. A couple of bucks to ship it so call it $70. I honestly didn't expect much, but it works very well. I like that it comes with a case. Any tools wich use thier own attachments that include a case to keep everything together is a bonus in my mind. Can'...

Peter

Walter,

Hope you feel better.

There is absolutley nothing wrong with sitting in your "big chair" with a smile.

Down Trinny way they had a word for it: Liming (or lymin'?)

"What's Liming?" I asked....

"Doing absolutely nothing at all ....and enjoying yourself immensely, Mon!"

Peter

Peter

My HF inspection camera just arrived and I am impressed for the price. Comes in its own case with about a 3 foot fiberoptic cable/camera. Image quality is pretty good. LED lights on camera end with 4 or 5 brightness levels. You can rotate the displayed image so it isn't in some strange orientation. ...

Peter

I tried alcohol. It may work if you let it soak, but does not work right away. I have had better results with Fantastik cleaner and a soft brush on boat stuff. Simple Green doesn't "get 'er done." Neither does 409 or mild detergent. Fantastik may be going through a reformulation though. I can't tell...

Peter

The Invention of the Stern Drive This probably would have had more interest to the fellows on the old 25 board, but since there is a lot of crossover here I thought I put the link up. Anyone who has ever cursed while working on a Merc stern drive (or a Volvo for that matter) will enjoy it. In the 1...

Peter

Don't be so sure this article gets it right. The water doesn’t drop to the bottom of the tank like it used to in the pre E-10 days. Instead it mixers with the ethanol and is distributed throughout your tank of gas. Then the water-ethanol mix passes through your fuel system to your engine and “burns ...

Peter

Yes, the old 25 site is currently down. The future for it is uncertain at the moment. Maybe if Russ is around here from time to time he will update us.

It would be good to hear from you, Russ.

Peter

Peter

Thanks for the input. Leigh, good to know that my mystery piece is just a bit of ply. No biggie. Kurt, Stuff like that happens every job I have ever done on any boat. I just shake my head and say to myself "It's a friggin boat. Of course it isn't going to be 100% simple." Pete, Good to know the HF r...

Peter

After some more poking and prodding here is my revised sketch of what I am pretty sure I will find This is offered with the caveat that I have not yet taken anything apart so I am not certain: http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s201/PeterB26/ForePeakSection003.jpg Note the change from the last drawi...

Peter

Chanse LOL Heck unscrew those finishing strips and grab a corner of the krap with your pliers and yank like hell. Finding out what is back there very well may come to that, but if so I'd rather uncork those gremlins in the fall, not the spring. Who knows what I'll find? buts whats behind it? In my p...

Peter

I have a 26 FBSF. It is the Napier design and very similar in some respects to the 28's. I am considering removing the shag carpet ceiling in the forepeak both to update it and to gain access to the underside of deck fittings to re-bed them. Below is a sketch of what I THINK the assembly looks like....

Peter

I was looking for some of those hose clamp zip-ties you see on outboard fuel lines and so on. I found out they were actually originally for bundling wires in the electric/electronics industry. That led me to this site which has these "Waterproof Heat Shrink Crimp-on Terminals: http://www.electricalh...

Peter

Navatech; FIrst let me begin by saying I am not trying to rain on your parade. My input is meant only to be another perspective on the choice. I fully respect whatever choice you make....and frankly I'd love to see how the polypro tanks would work out, but forgive me if I say I'd like to find out on...

Peter

A question: One reason to avoid plastic fuel tanks under decks with the new E-10 was that the ethanol will permeate through the plastic leading to oders in the bilge. This is relevant to your water tanks if you will be winterizing them with anti-freeze. Not the oder, per say, but will the water stil...

Peter

OK.. they are not really soot stains because they are not a byproduct of combustion, but I get black sooty-looking deposits around my gas caps on my truck and cars, and on the portable plastic fuel tank in the Whaler, and other annoying places. LIke anywhere near the fuel line in the whaler. This di...

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