Boat Forum / Cruising / October 2004

We have designed and built a free website for cruising and sailing
yachts around the world, http://www.onpassage.com , and now we would
like YOU to tell us what you think we can do to improve it.
Onpassage.com has seen exponential growth since it was launched, and

My daysail boat open cockpit (Tempest22) floor is making cracking noise when
I walk on it.
There is small crack also.I patched the crack with fiberglass cloth.
Now I have to solve the  problem to prevent farther cracks.

SpinSheet magazine caught us playing hooky from work.  They put Tempest on
their 2005 Calendar for January.
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/lily0523/tempest.htm

I am making the jump from 19' bowrider to cruiser and am looking at a
2001 Sundancer 280.  This is an 8000# boat with twin 4.3L mercs and
alpha drives.  I have heard opinions that this is an under-powered
package for this boat.  There are also various opinions regarding

While sitting on my (new to me) boat yesterday, trying to figure out how
and where to mount a sea water strainer, it occured to me that the hose
routing would be a lot cleaner if I connected stuff like this:
Intake-strainer-exchanger-pump-exhaust

I just finished winterizing my 2002 1GM10 Yanmar Diesel (that runs on
a Menger 19' Cat boat) and think there must be a better way of
bleeding the fuel system. For the past three seasons I have changed
the water seperator and paper filter on the engine at the end of every

I've been researching installing a refrigeration system in my boat.
I've been looking at the WAECO Alder/Barbour RPD-190 refrigerator. Has
anyone had experience with this unit?
Also, It

Most RO systems work by pressurizing water against a membrane that
only passes fresh water.  Pressurizing and the pumping is done either
electrically or mechanically from the engine.  This involves running
the engine.  I imagine you could do it by having the prop turn your

Does anyone have the recommended values for tensioning the stays and shrouds
of a 1992 Prout Event 34?
We're sailing her from N Carolina to FL and would like to balance the rig
correctly (9/32" wire).

I've used the spade for around 3 years fairly heavily (full time
cruising for a year).  I don't like it for soft chesapeake mud though,
but I'm wondering if the bulwagga would be a better all around anchor.
 Any experience?

Job wise I'm thinking of transfering to the Portland OR area, and am
casually investigating making the jump to living aboard.
I'd like to hear from anyone who knows the Portland area and can give me
some contacts / advice.

To give you some idea of my obsession with experimenting and why my
home built boats will NEVER have re-sale value.
When I built the MiniCups, I got bored with epoxy thickener and
experimented.

The sail went pretty much according to plan.  Fri 10/15 was rough, a 24 hour
sail from Annapolis to Norfolk, beating into a 10-15mph south wind.  It was
a pretty wet trip.  We inched our way through Hamton Roads on Saturday
morning fighting the wind and waves punching us in the face ...

I been doin a lot o thinking about sailin lately, especially as my
date to go cruisin gets closer, mostly wondering why I do this.  I
came up with several reasons.
1.  Just cuz its fun to sail.

Well, not air conditioning...
In reefers and freezers, I've been fonder, by far, of cold plates.  OTOH, in
my most recent trip, a broker who sells new boats asserted that nothing
comes out of factories that way any more due to greatly increased