HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: torsten@unisql.UUCP (Torsten Weirich)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: Mercruiser questions
Date: 11 Dec 92 19:21:43 GMT
Organization: UniSQL, Inc., Austin, Texas, USA

In article <1992Dec10.154358.20531@rose.com> ed.mccrudden@rose.com (ed mccrudden) writes:

   That hose is no problem, since the other end of it is accessible.  I
   poured an antifreeze mixture down there, and am satisfied that it
   won't freeze.

I hope you can flush it safely with lots of fresh water before you 
launch it for the first time;-)

   Question: will the block drain sufficiently through the petcock on
   one side, or is it essential to open both?

Yes, absolutely!  Failure to do so will undoubtedly result in a cracked
block.

   Outdrives have a zinc trim tab mounted to the rear and on the bottom
   of the cavitation plate.  Mine has been eaten away by galvanic corrosion
   and must be replaced for next season.  The book says the trim tab should
   be angled straight back, but mine was aimed to one side when I bought
   the boat, and I've seen them mounted that way on many other boats.

You can use this to adjust the responsiveness of your steering to some
degree.

   My boat has a strange tendency to "fishtail" while bumbling along at
   1200 RPM.  It runs straight as an arrow at speed.

All powerboats will do this if you aren't going fast enough...

   Question: besides the obvious function of the zinc, what does the trim
   tab do, and could the offset position be causing my low speed head-shaking?

No.

Hope this helps.

Torsten Weirich

+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| UniSQL                      Cursed by a fortune cookie:       |
| 9380 Research Blvd.         "Your principles mean more to you |
| Kaleido II, Ste. 200         than any money or success."      |
| Austin, TX 78759               ^                              |
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| Email: unisql!weirich@cs.utexas.edu                           |
| Disclaimer:  something about "plausible deniability"...       |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+

Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: price@helios.unl.edu (Chad  Price)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: Sunf... Now Hobies
Date: 14 Dec 1992 06:00:36 GMT
Organization: University of Nebraska--Lincoln	
NNTP-Posting-Host: helios.unl.edu

Gunther.Yip@f764.n153.z1.ship.wimsey.bc.ca (Gunther Yip) writes:

>Ever try getting out on a wire on a hobie when its blowing 20-25 knots
>with white caps?  Hobies are for speed freeks, I enjoy sailing them with
>competent crew.  But I've been dragged behind one and I have also
>pendulumed forward underneath my crew.  Harrowing to say the least.  But
>you can't pitchpole a monohull at least I haven't done in one yet ;)  If
>I wanna go fast I'll sail the Hobie.  I want to work on my sailing
>skills I'll go after a monohull.  Not to put down the Hobie skipper.

I'm afraid those are the conditions my wife and a friend of our like to sail
in. My wife truely loves getting out on the wire and going fast. So much for
sterotypes! 

Me? I abandon ship and get out my sailboard by then. Its too much fun going far
faster on the board than the Hobie can when the wind gets up that much!! We
enjoy sailing with our friend and his Hobie because then we have a sailing
vessel for both high and low winds (the Hobie for low - moderate, and
sailboards for higher winds).

PS. I've also been dragged by a hobie: between the hulls forward of the mast,
and behind the thing. Just part of sailing one of them in higher winds with
chop... If I wanted stability, I'd be on a larger monohull (like the 37' er
than we chartered in the St Lucia-St Vincent-Grenadines area last summer).

Why be picky?? pick the sailing vessel for the prevailing conditions and the
amount of adrenaline rush you want.

my $.02

--
chad
price@helios.unl.edu
cprice@molecular.unmc.edu
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: floydb@rpi.edu
Subject: Request for advice: Buy vs Crew
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 21:20:26 GMT

I have found the collective wisdom of this group most benefitial
to my ever increasing thrust for boating knowledge, equalled only
by a good dose of experience.


Yet again I have a question for everyone who has done some ocean 
cruising:

If both options are equally obtainable (financially, etc.) what are
the advantages/disadvantages of regularly crewing on other people's
boats (30' plus, extended ocean cruising) vs owning a boat and going
to and from more or less the same places?

What have others done presented with these options?

My situation may or may not include plans with one other person
(my brother), to be determined; no major financial obstacles; no
specific destinations in mind (other than most of the places that
others seem to be going to); a strong desire to be on the water
(extension of in-land experiences); no major intellectual/common-sense
obstacles; a strong desire to see most of the world, an extension
of extensive air/land travels; no major time constraints; etc.

As with owning a car vs taking the bus/train/plane there is the
degree of "freedom" to consider (favoring ownership for some and
crewing for others).

Socially, crewing would enable us to meet more people over a period
of time on various boats and also experience how others handle their
lives/boats (favoring crewing for some, owning for those less socially
predisposed).

We would have to feed ourselves, clothe ourselves and otherwise take
care of ourselve no matter what (favoring neither option).

If we weren't crew we may require the aid of crew...


Anyone else thought this situation through? What would be your choice
and thoughts leading to that choice if you had it all to do over again?

thanks in advance...
 
barry

(lastline)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: dwl@watson.ibm.com (David W. Levine)
Subject: Re: Coast Guard user fee repealed!
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 00:23:46 GMT
Distribution: usa
Reply-To: dwl@watson.ibm.com 
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center

In article <1992Dec17.141656.1172@panix.com>, spencer@panix.com (David
Spencer) writes:
|> gbanks@oxygen.aps1.anl.gov (Gregory Banks) writes:
|> 
|> >Good news! The ripp-off fee that the government imposed on boaters
|> >that used water accessed by the coast guard is no more as of 1993!
|> 
|> I'm probably the only person who's going to disagree with you here.
|> The user fee is a terrific idea. My momma taught me to pay for what I
|> use, and not to slop at the government trough.
|> 
|> Why tax the poor to provide a service to the rich? As for commercial
|> fisherman, it's a cost of doing business. Only now it's going to be
|> paid by someone else.
|> 
|> Grow up and shoulder your responsibilities.
|> 
|> dhs   spencer@panix.com
|> 
|> 
|> 

If the user fee went to pay for the Coast Guard, performing Coast Guard
functions, I don't think anyone would really complain about it. The fact is
that the money goes directly to the general fund. The further fact is that
the government has steadily decreased DOT funding for all Coast Guard missions
except for "the war on drugs" Bouys have been pulled, Coast Guard stations have
been closed, services which the Coast Guard used to provide to the maritime
community have been eliminated... 


David W. Levine --  dwl@watson.ibm.com  -- IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center
                   -- My Opinions, IBM's hardware. -- 
"Fanaticism consists in redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your
aim" - George Santayana
From: bwb1@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (BRENT W. BENSON)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: American Marine Small Craft Assn.?
Date: 14 Dec 92 23:25:36 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

I recently received some info from the American Marine Small Craft Assn that
seems interesting, but a bit pricey.  For $59 a  year you get a no-advert mag,
STEM TO STERN, and various other good stuff.  Could a current member please
comment on the benefits of this bunch with regards to the interests of a
fairly serious dinghy racer with a scientific bent towards understanding why
the boat performs as it does, and with a general interest in the mechanical
aspects of boats, design, and equipment.
Brent.
From: torsten@unisql.UUCP (Torsten Weirich)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: Kill-switch required?
Date: 11 Dec 92 19:42:14 GMT
Organization: UniSQL, Inc., Austin, Texas, USA

In article <1992Dec10.092655.21468@ncrcae.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM> kevin@turbo.Columbia.NCR.COM (Kevin Ormerod) writes:


   I used to teach safe boating classes when I was in the USCGAUX.  Unless
   things have changed (and I'm pretty sure they have not) a kill switch is
   not a legal requirement.  Mercury, Mariner (Brunswick) has a very good
   section about kill switches in there operators manual.  SOMETIMES A KILL
   SWITCH CAN BE DANGEROUS.  An example of when you probably would NOT want
   to use a kill switch is running a center console boat with others on
   board when running an inlet or in rough water (in this type of boat the
   occupants usually stand and hold on to rails) You probably WOULD want
   the kill switch attached if you were alone.

Why would a kill switch be dangerous in the example you give?
(The only thing I can think of is if you accidentally disconnect it when
you're about to get run over by a large vessel).

Torsten Weirich

+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| UniSQL                      Cursed by a fortune cookie:       |
| 9380 Research Blvd.         "Your principles mean more to you |
| Kaleido II, Ste. 200         than any money or success."      |
| Austin, TX 78759               ^                              |
| Tel: (512) 343-7297            |                              |
| Fax: (512) 343-7383            +-the story of my life... ;-(  |
| Email: unisql!weirich@cs.utexas.edu                           |
| Disclaimer:  something about "plausible deniability"...       |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+

Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: schnitzi@cs.ucf.edu (Mark Schnitzius)
Subject: Towing question
Organization: University of Central Florida
Distribution: rec
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 14:40:00 GMT

I have a question:  my father is looking to upgrade from
a 22' to a 25' Catalina sailboat, and is wondering if his
car will be able to handle it.  He drives a Lincoln Towncar
with a 5-litre 302 engine, and a 3.27 rear axle ratio.
Will his car be able to handle it?  I understand that there
is a significant weight increase in going from 22' to 25'.

Please email any responses (schnitzi@eola.cs.ucf.edu).
Also, let me know if there is a more appropriate group
to post this to.


Mark Schnitzius
schnitzi@eola.cs.ucf.edu
University of Central Florida
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: briang@atlastele.com (Brian Godfrey)
Subject: Re: Gybing Centreboards
Organization: Atlas Telecom Inc.
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 22:45:26 GMT

In article <BOWERS.92Dec16131343@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov> bowers@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov (Al Bowers) writes:
>Okay.  You have to think of a centerboard as a wing, like that on an
>airplane.  in order for this wing to work as well to both sides (port
>...
>So ideally, a gybing board _should_ be more efficient.  But in actual
>practice, it seldom is.  IMHO.

   I think the thing that most people leave out when they start thinking
   about using a pivoting keel to generate lift to counteract the pressure
   of wind against sail is this:  When a foil is generating lift, it is
   also generating drag.  This is an extremely well known phenomenon in
   airplanes.  In many planes, when you want to slow down one of the things
   you do is crank on flaps.  Flaps generate more lift, more lift causes
   more drag, and more drag slows you down.  Nothing is free.  So if you
   use angle of attack of the keel to pry the boat more upright, you will
   get increased propulsion (thrust) from your sails, and increased drag
   from the keel.  Which will have the larger effect?  I suppose that
   would depend on lots of things, but sometimes you probably gain, mostly
   you probably break even, sometimes you probably lose.

-- 
--Brian M. Godfrey
  atlastele.com
From: billc@sextant.Eng.Sun.COM (Bill Courington)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: Chartering in the Grenadines
Date: 15 Dec 1992 20:53:46 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems
Distribution: world
Reply-To: billc@sextant.Eng.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: sextant

In article 21966@microsoft.com, jayph@microsoft.com (Jay Phillips) writes:
[Re: Grenadines chartering from the Moorings]
>- Is this a good time of the year to be in this area with respect to wind,
>  weather, etc.?
I don't know for sure, but I suspect it's iffy.  I've been there between 
Christmas and New Years and the trades blew as advertized.  But I've been 
in the Antigua/St. Maartens area in early December when we frequently had 
to motor.  "The trades don't really set in until late December," said 
somebody.  Ask around.  The Moorings at St. Lucia, by the way, was a 
first-rate outfit.  

>- While I've chartered for many years in the Pacific NW, this will be my first
>  trip to this part of the world.  Is this reasonable or would another spot
>  in the Caribbean be more appropriate for a first visit?  We picked the
>  Grenadines because it seemed, from our limited study, to be less 'touristy'
>  than other areas.
How comfortable are you sailing in the open ocean in large waves, 20 
knots of breeze, and occasional squalls?  These are the conditions between 
the islands--glorious if you're ready for them.  The water is much flatter 
behind the islands, but in between, the fetch is all the way to Africa.  
I have never been to the Virgins, but my impression is that the conditions 
would be more like the Pacific Northwest.  

>- Given that, after reviewing answers to the above questions, we still make
>  our trip as planned, are there any 'must see' places/events that we should
>  include in our itinerary?
Just about every place we visited was pretty wonderful, but the Tobago 
Cays are not to be missed.  

>- Any other words of wisdom?
Get Chris Doyle's Grenadines cruising book.  Prepare yourself for living 
as a conspicuously wealthy person in the Third World--I don't know how 
one does this, but the important point is to not think you are going to 
"another Hawaii".  Do your homework on where to go, how long it takes 
to get from place to place, etc.  Maybe fly to New York or Miami and 
stay the night; the Caribbean is a long way from the West Coast.  Don't 
expect super marketshopping; milk, eggs, fresh produce, decent wine 
are not easy to find; consider bringing some special items with you.  

BILL COURINGTON
From: cogen@ll.mit.edu (David Cogen)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: Coast Guard Boating Tax, NOT!
Date: 17 Dec 92 22:25:08 GMT
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington MA
Originator: cogen@ll.mit.edu (David Cogen)


In article <7975@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM>, alany@tekig5.pen.tek.com (Alan Yelvington) writes:
|> I just want to clear up one thing:
|> 
|> The Coast Guard did not pass the boat tax,
|> and the Coast Guard never got one red cent.
|> 
|> What the Coast Guard did get was a lot of
|> hate and discontent for having to enforce
|> and indirect tax that did nothing for them
|> or the boating public.
|> 
|> PLEASE!  No matter what you think, the
|> Coast Guard is our friend.


Like HELL! The coast guard policies have been directly hostile to the
recreational boater. Examples:

1) No longer provide assistance to boaters in distress, except in cases of
imminent life danger. Instead they refer you to a towing or salvage company
for which they probably receive a kickback.

2) Ignore requests for radio checks.

3) Harrass boaters with pointless boardings looking for drugs without probable
cause.

The hate is justified, IMHO	

David Cogen.
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: gerard@progress.COM (Gerard Bras)
Subject: Re: Coast Guard Boating Tax, NOT!
Organization: Progress Software Corp.
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 14:09:43 GMT

cogen@ll.mit.edu (David Cogen) writes:


>Like HELL! The coast guard policies have been directly hostile to the
>recreational boater. Examples:

>1) No longer provide assistance to boaters in distress, except in cases of
>imminent life danger. Instead they refer you to a towing or salvage company
>for which they probably receive a kickback.

IMO, this is as it should be.  People should pay for what they use.  If it's
an emergency the Coast Guard *will* respond.  If someone runs out of gas
I *want them to pay* for the service themseleves instead of socking it
to the public.

>2) Ignore requests for radio checks.

Again, this is not thier job.

>3) Harrass boaters with pointless boardings looking for drugs without probable
>cause.

They have been ordered to do this by the folks in Washington.  They do not need
probable cause.  The courts have consistently ruled that the government has 
a right to stop and search any vessel, anytime.  I don't like this either
but that's life.

>The hate is justified, IMHO	

Nope.  The hate is stupid.  When I was a kid I had my share of run-ins with the
law.  Trust me on this, nothing will get you tossed faster than a big mouth and
a bad attitude.  If you treat a boarding like business it will go lots smoother
than if you come on to them.  These guys are reasonably professional but my
guess is they have egos too.

gerard


Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: scott@bell.b17a.ingr.com (Scott Bell)
Subject: Re: Loran vs SatNav (Was Bermuda...)
Organization: Intergraph
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 14:01:56 GMT

In article <wwalker-141292120220@bwalker.qualcomm.com>, wwalker@qualcomm.com (Bill Walker) writes:
|> In article <1992Dec14.112836.25447@zoo.bt.co.uk>, jcs@zoo.bt.co.uk (John C
|> Sager) wrote:
|> [stuff deleted]
|> > GPS also allows height fixes
|> > (not much use on a boat but great for aircraft & land navigation).
|> > 
|> > John C Sager					Mail:	B67 G18, BT Labs
|> > Email:	jcs@zoo.bt.co.uk				Martlesham Heath
|> > Tel:	+44 473 642623					IPSWICH  IP5 7RE
|> > Fax:	+44 473 637614					England
|> 
|> But you have to be aware of what model is used for the earth.  I've seen
|> GPS receivers indicating negative altitude when I was on dry land here in
|> San Diego (-11 meters, as I recall).

    So you had the 'Yellow Submarine' model, Bill? :)
|> 
|> ----------
|> Bill Walker - WWalker@qualcomm.com - QUALCOMM, Inc., San Diego, CA
|> All opinions expressed are mine, and do not reflect those of my employer.
|> "First thing we do, we kill all the lawyers." - Shakespeare

Scott
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
| Scott Bell                               |" Walkin' down the street you | 
| Intergraph Corp. - Mapping Sciences Div. |  can hear the sound, there's | 
| M/S IW17A2  Huntsville, AL  35894-0001   |  some bad honky-tonkers and  | 
| scott@bell.b17a.ingr.com   (Internet)    |  they're layin' it down. "   | 
| 205-730-1776   #include <std_disclaim.h> |        SRV, 'In Step'        | 
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: tarkkone@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Lauri Tarkkonen)
Subject: Re: Gybing Centreboards
Organization: University of Helsinki
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 14:39:34 GMT

In <129490001@otter.hpl.hp.com> cgr@otter.hpl.hp.com (Chris Romans) writes:

>Can anybody explain to me the theory of a gybing centreboard and what
>are it's advantages and disadvantages over a non-gybing centreboard?

>As I understand it the gybing centreboard twists slightly in the
>centreboard housing such that when going upwind it is angled to windward
>and therfore provides more lift to windward, and hence improves pointing
>ability. Great, but if this is true why aren't gybing centreboards used
>on all boats in those dinghy classes which allow them? having sailed a
>boat witha gybing c/b and one without the noticeable disadvantage was
>for the board to be loose in the case and subject to a tendency to come
>up. This can be managed with an appropriate uphaul/downhaul system, but
>in light winds there was still a tendency for the board to slop around a
>bit. Is this the reason why non gybing c/bs are preferred by some
>people?

I have tried one in a Osprey Dighy, (Very close in performance to 5o5)
and my opinion is that it is not worth the trouble. There are many aspects
in racing succes, I was told that if everything else is equal then
the advantage of a cerrtain gadget is crucial, but anyway in this case
everything else is not equal. :-). I believe that there is a certain
advangate in performance that can be calculated by engineers and double
precision arithemitcs, but it is hard to use on the race course.

This is of course my personal opinion only.

- Lauri Tarkkonen
From: cworth@OAVAX.CSUCHICO.EDU (CHUCK WORTH)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: Coast Guard Boating Tax, NOT!
Date: 16 Dec 92 17:45:01 GMT
Reply-To: cworth@OAVAX.CSUCHICO.EDU
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: oavax.csuchico.edu

In article <7975@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM>, alany@tekig5.pen.tek.com (Alan Yelvington) writes:
>PLEASE!  No matter what you think, the
>Coast Guard is our friend.

HORSEPUCKY!  As long as the Coasties are conducting armed, warrantless
boardings and searches of US ships in US waters (under the pretext of
drug interdiction) they're no friends of mine.


**********************************************************
 Chuck Worth            California State University, Chico
 CWORTH@OAVAX.CSUCHICO.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: EPLUS17@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu (Richard Engelbrecht-Wiggans)
Subject: Re: Request for advice: Buy vs Crew
Organization: C.C.S.O.
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 15:42:51 GMT

In article <1gjaaeINNn1i@calvin.NYU.EDU>
roy@mchip00.med.nyu.edu (Roy Smith) writes:
 
>
>	PS, if anybody in the City Island vicinity is looking to crew on a
>J/24, drop me a line.  Especially if you're willing to show up on time, bust
>your butt to help win the race, help put the boat away, and hang around and
>socialize for a socially acceptable amount of time afterwards.  If you have
>a bottom sanding fetish, I can probably accomodate that as well.
 
Only if it is a dingy dinghy bottom...my own, preferably.
 
..Richard E+17
 
 
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: EPLUS17@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu (Richard Engelbrecht-Wiggans)
Subject: Iceboat question
Organization: C.C.S.O.
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 00:55:31 GMT

Over the last two years, I have been designing an iceboat to sail
on the small lake behind my house.  This means many tight turns.
So, I kept it small, and everything worked fine the one sailable
day we had last winter; the top speed of about 20 mph (calculated
by timing me over a 100 yard distance) allowed turns with about a
30' radius before skidding, and kept me well within the 150' width
of the lake.  Great fun.
 
One problem:  My homemade blades are from mild plate steel and
won't hold an edge for long, even without skidding.  So, I picked
up a set of DN runners.  But, I noticed that they are almost flat
compared to the ones I used last winter.  How well will the new
runners work for my application?  Given how few days of ice we
have, I would prefer not to rely on experimentation for an answer.
 
Some details:  I see the edge of a runner as being defined by the
intersection of (identical) two cones; actually, on my homemade
ones, it is two cylinders because of how I fabricated them.
Let me define the radius of a runner as the radius of the
defining cone (or cylinder). My homemade runners have a radius
of about 20-25 feet, the DN's seem to have a radius about
10-12 times as big.  I could see how a runner's radius
might be the minimum turn radius at which the runner will run
smoothly; this would mean that the bearing surface of the edge
stays more or less in the surface that it defines.
 
Anyone out there know more about such things, or know where I
could find out.  Thanks.
 
..Richard E+17
 
 
Newsgroups: rec.boats