nice boating weekend

N

Nautically Challenged

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What a beautiful weekend the last one turned out to be!
On wednesday I read that it was going to be a rainy weekend. So I made no plans for the boat. But after watching Saturday goes by with all the sun and blue sky, we went out Sunday morning.
It was a gorgeous day. Many boaters felt the same. The intercoastal was like a boat parade.
We spent most of the day at Beer can.

Anyone had a great weekend on their boat?
 
Sunday was great on the water. A little hot, but it is summer time. The only bad part was having to fill up with gas at $3.95 per.
 
we hit Boca lake for dogs and beers and blender drinks about 3 pm....very nice out there Sunday. Wish I could have spent the entire weekend on the hook. Maybe for Fathers day...who knows. Did an ocean run which was a nice change.
 
Finally able to get on the boat Saturday . We went down to Lake Wyman and hung out most of the day. Very few boats out which surprised me. Felt good to be back on the boat.

Sandy
 
yes, was one of the best week end in a while ! Wind was a bit light, we launched Naomi's Hobie at the ramp near the marina early in the morning, tied it up next to the hatt waiting for the wind to pick up... when coming in to the end of the T Dock, she got cut off by some rb2@gr5t$%(Q*%*!&! carver driver who didn't seem to know the ROR about sail and starboard... or about courtesy not to squeeze between the bow of a boat and the dock they're aiming for..

rest of the day was great... we went across to the shoal of KB... she sailed.. i motored... but got some good sailing in after we anchored.

the bay was incredibly clear, even in the channel i could clearly see the bottom. rare...
 
Couldn't get my boat started. The batteries were dead and the shore power was 50amps. The marina guys loaned me a jumper, but without power, I couldn't get the engine hatch open. Bummer!
 
i'll never buy a boat with electric hatch !!! no way.... imagine you have a serious elecrical problem and you need to get in there NOW ...

when i get too old, weak or lazy to lift a hatch with jsut gas lifter... i'll quit boating altogether.

where are your battery switches ? outside the engine bay or inside ? if outside you could easily wire a couple of terminal with covers to connect a spare batteries when necessary...
 
I have never had an electric hatch but I must assume the manufacturer would locate the switch outside of the hatch. And I would assume they would also make it possible to open if there was no electricity as you open a sliding door when it's malfunctioning. Otherwise, if your batteries are dead, then you have to locate the little hatchet and "brake open the hatch".
BB, your boat is a 26, right? Is your hatch those big ones that include the whole stern (seats included)?
They may offer space to work on the engine, but this is really a bummer if it cannot be operated by hand.
 
I rigged my electric ram so that it slides in a PVC pipe that is mounted to the hatch...so if there is no juice, I can still lift it manually. Easy to do - email me and I will send you a few photos this weekend. orenard at comcast dot net
 
Pascal, Harry, you live and you learn. My switch is outside the hatch. Maybe there's a way to raise the hatch without power, but I certainly don't know what it is. I'll have to check the manual.

Footloose, I'll shoot you and email now.
 
bajabum - I emailed you pictures - post em if you can so others can possibly benefit. Cheers
 
OK, here there are! Thanks a bunch!

pvc.jpg


pvc02.jpg


pvc03.jpg


pvc04.jpg


pvc05.jpg
 
Bit of a play by play:

Top shot is the end of the ram - we used a stainless bolt with two nylon spacers which we sanded so they were about the same OD as the ID of the PVC pipe. We then put two layers of duct tape around it so it would rub. What it does is create a plunger than has some resistance but can still be pulled out of the PVC tube manually. The friction keeps the ram from spinning too much and not going up or down (if allowed to spin free they do not go up or down). Some folks cut a groove in each side of the tube and have a bolt go through the ram and through the pvc. We didnt want to weaken it since my hatch weighs more than 200 pounds.

The PVC pipe can pivot and has a solid bolt as a "stopper" at the top of it. When completely down, the ram top hits the bolt. The PVC pipe is big enough to fit over the cylinder part of the ram nice and sung.

When you have power it goes up and down easy. When you dont you can lift it up - assuming you have a handle, ring, or some way of still getting the hatch to rise enough to get under it. Good luck!
 
On my SR 260, with electric engine hatch, there is an access port underneath the aft seat. Open the cover, remove the pin from the ram, and you can now open the engine hatch manually. SR also includes a 12v cigarette lighter adapter that you connect to a battery or portable 12v source and plug into the cigarette lighter. You can now operate the hatch with aux power. I don't carry a portable 12v source with me, so I guess in an emergency I would do the manual floor access.

Esteban
 
Sorry fellas! I just realized I didn't pay my hosting bill. The pics should show again tomorrow.
 
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