bertram31.com

I'm middle bay as well -- Yeocomico River -- not too far from Rawleigh, Mikey, and Chris. July is going to be a ball buster at work, but I'd be glad to do any grunt work if my schedule allows. On second thought, maybe I'll just hook the BlackBerry up to the laptop. If I send a lame email once every ...

A friend just got back from kayak fishing in Martha's Vineyard. I thought of Randall as my friend was regaling me with stories from years past of being towed by big stripers -- what the locals call going on a Nantucket sleigh ride. He also forwarded me Kayak Kevin's web site. Probably not news to yo...

The marine patrol officers that ran my auction boat got a center console Maycraft to replace it. They hate it. They stopped me two years ago for a safety check just so they could write in their log book that they pulled over their old boat. I've seen another Virginia Marine Patrol replacement that w...

Thanks, Capt. Patrick, for trying to get the current link. If anyone happened to save photos from the site of Peggy Sue's cabin, I would really appreciate copies. I want to recreate the cool, custom-built linkage that allowed the forward dinette bench seat to flip and rise to convert to a raised com...

Capt Tom,

I sent you a check a few weeks ago. Let me know if you didn't get it and I'll send another.

Thanks again for all the effort to get the shirts made and distributed.

Alex Moore

My wife got rewarded at work with a six-night trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico. If she decides to take me and if I can get her out of the resort, what are one or two things we should absolutely see or do? We'll be there in mid November.

Thanks

Alex

We stayed at the Hope and Glory Inn before we got a place on the Northern Neck and liked it. We've since recommended it to several other friends and have not received any bad reviews (and they're still friends). The Tides Inn has a reputation for being pretty posh, but I've only eaten at the restaur...

Thanks, Bruce. I appreciate the help. I have so far to go before I realize there IS a pebble to be plucked.

Rawleigh, how did the engine install go yesterday? Where did you do it?

I looked for loose grounds, but didn't find any. That in no way rules anything out given my meager diagnostic skills. I can get the engine to start with difficulty (no apparent rhyme or reason when it will start and when it won't). When it starts, it will run for 15-30 seconds and quit abruptly. The...

Yes, Rawleigh, there is a reset button. Thanks for the help.

1985 Mercruiser 7.4/454 carbuerated -- There are two electrical relays that sit right over the mechanical fuel pump. The relays open and close rapidly maybe 20-30 times after I shut the engine down. The wires connected to the relays are pretty heavy gage. One goes to the starter. I will order a shop...

Thanks, guys. Ordered the parts this morning.

I must have some galvanic corrosion going on in my starboard rudder. The ball joint rod end rusted so bad and thin that it popped off the post. The B28-style rudders were too small to begin with. Having just one of them really sucks. The bolt holding clamp block in place looks like it's been on the ...

Capt Tom,

Add two more tick marks in the XL column, please.

Alex Moore

Kingfish, I was reading the PSS-PYI installation instructions and ran across this. Do not tighten or replace the installed nylon hose barb fitting with a metallic fitting (bronze or stainless steel).Metal hose barbs will damage the carbon and destroy the PSS. I don't know if that's what you replaced...

I'm installing a new radio and GPS on Saturday. I got a new butane-fueled soldering iron/torch, connectors, and shrink wrap. But I forget, do I use silver solder or rosin core solder?

Thanks,
Alex

Rawleigh, Yep, still in Callao. Well actually still at Lewisetta Marina. In the water, but one of the raw water pumps wasn't pulling water, so Mark the marina owner is going to rebuild it for me this week. At least the new through-hull transducer didn't leak and the engines cranked right up - even t...

Thanks for the information, everybody, but I punted and am having the marina do it. Though they said I could do it myself if I wanted to. Their price wasn't that much higher than Rawleigh's estimated cost of the just the paint. Plus, I'm running out of time to complete my punch list before I splash ...

I'm going to do the bottom paint myself for the first time. What brand and type of paint do folks like (I'm in the Chesapeake Bay)? How much should I expect to pay at the boat places we love to hate (so I can tell if the marina's mark-up is reasonable)? How much will I need for a B31? Also, my sound...

Harry, It's $218 plus the $78 core charge, so $218 net. Still, not bad. I think the first time I visited Point Clear was in the early 1990s and then again in the mid 90s. I had conferences at the Grand Hotel both times. We made friends with some of the staff and they showed us a very good time . . ....

Thanks guys. Harry, at $400 a pop, I'd look at other alternatives. But at $218 plus a refundable core charge of $78, these guys seem pretty comparable to the rebuild route. I see you're from Fairhope, AL. I've got some pretty fond memories of a couple of stays in Pt. Clear (no fishing, though). Rawl...

Laziness and impatience. If the mechanic at the yard doesn't do it, I have to find somebody I don't know to do it. If the yard does it, I'm at the end of a very long line. Versus, 1. Get a package in the mail 2. Remove the old carb and slap on the new one 3. Mail back the core I wish I could rebuild...

I need a reman Quadrajet for one of my 454 Mercruisers. Flying Fish Carburetors seemed to have good prices. Has anybody tried them?

http://www.flyingfishcarburetors.com/

Chiles, glad to hear you made it through unscathed. Walter, in retrospect, I may have been a bit rash. Just trying to paint a picture. Plus, the way I drone on about the boat and the message board, my wife's not likely to lurk in the sandbox. However, if she stops talking to me, I'll check the cooki...

Rawleigh, Me and Ernersto had a few anxious moments ourselves. I returned from a two-week business trip after midnight Thursday. Less than 9 hours later I said "gotta go check the boat" to my PMS-afflicted wife. Quite a homecoming. Is it cold in here? Two hours of water skiing down 95 and Route 3, I...