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    shrink wrap vents

    I noticed that the boat that is wintered next to mine has plastic vents cut into his shrink wrap. Most of the boats in the marina have a few holes left open in the shrink wrap but I do not see any actual vents. The vents are cheap enough and it seems to make sense putting them into the...
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    air circulation

    This is my first winter with my boat. The boat is shrink wrapped with vents installed and plenty of dehumidfier sacs on board. Any thoughts on leaving the cabin door open or closed? My thoughts were that leaving it open would permit a greater chance of air circulation from the cockpit area to...
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    boating courses

    Does anyone have any suggestions for a good boating course to take during the winter season? I have already taken the basic safe boating course so I am looking for something more advanced perhaps more intensive instruction in chart reading, navigation, emergency procedures and boat handling...
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    tideminders

    I've noticied some marinas have what look like life rings that float up and down pilings with a bow or stern line attached to eliminate the need to compensate for tidal change when tying your boat up in its slip. Are these special devices or just regular life rings? Is anyone familiar with...
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    Raymarine C80

    I have a Raymarine C80 chartplotter/radar/fishfinder on my boat. I had a Garmin on my previous boat and I was able to read the speed from one of the GPS pages. Does my Raymarine unit have the same capabilities? I went through the manual but I do not see anything indicating how to do this. Is...
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    synthetic oil

    Someone suggested I use MerCruiser synthetic 20W40 for my oil change this year. I have 2004 MerCruisers 4.3 L MPIs. I just bought the boat this summer so I do not know what kind of oil is in there now. Is it OK to replace with synthetic if the prior oil was not synthetic? Is is preferable to go...
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    fluctuating tach

    At idle speed I noticed my port engine 4.3L Merccruiser MPI is fluctuating between 600 and 1000 RPM. My starboard engine stays at 600 RPM with no movement of the needle. Any ideas what might cause this? I also noticied the throttle levers are not exactly even at the same RPM settings.
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    bilge pump not working

    My bilge pump will not turn on either by the dash switch or by trying to raise the float switch. Is there a breaker that controls the pump? Is this the likely problem?
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    dimming cabin lights

    I was on my boat tonight and I had all my cabin lights on as well as my arch and courtesy lights on. After about 30 minutes, I noticed the cabin lights dimmed. I plugged into dockside power but they dimmed again after another 30 minutes. Does this suggest my batteries are going? I plan to...
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    anchor technique

    I used my electric windlass to drop my anchor for the first time today. I left the anchor line on the pully. I noticed a small cleat inside the anchor locker. Should the anchor line be cleated in some way. The anchor line on my boat seemed to thick to fit on the cleat in the anchor locker...
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    winter rodents

    I noticed a couple of comments about rodents on boats during winter storage. Is this a common problem? I know about leaving products like "damp rid" to absorb mositure but I've never heard about doing anything to discourage rodents.
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    shrinkwrap

    I am getting all new canvas and stratoglass for my boat next season. I was planning on storing my boat this winter with my old canvas and eisenglass in place. The boat will be stored along the NJ coast on land where we do not get that much snow in winter. Any reason to spend extra money for...
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    domestic water winterization

    I think I understand that to winterize the fresh water sinks and showers I need to empty the fresh water tank and fill it with the appropriate boating anti-freeze. I then run the faucets/ shower heads until the anti-freeze starts flowing out. What is the procedure to winterize a vacuflush...
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    sterndrive gear lube consumption

    I noticed that my alpha one sterndrives consume about 3-5 ozs of high performance gear lube each week. I use the boat about 5 hours per week. Is this normal? My previous boat had a bravo III and did not consume (leak?) gear lube. The outdrives will be serviced this winter. Anything special I...
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    air conditioning seacock

    I was checking the oil on my engines and noticed a tag on the inlet seacock for the AC. It said to keep the seacock closed when not in use. It is getting cooler here in the northeast so I probably will not be using the cabin AC. I closed the valve. What is normal practice in the summer? Should...
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    trim pump resevoir oil

    What is the proper oil to put into the resevoir of the trim pump assembly for a Mercruiser with Alpha 1 sterndrive.
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    replacement blower

    My blower makes enough noise to be cleary audibile at idle speed. Are there any replacement brands that are quieter? Are they hard to replace?
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    trim pump hydraulic coupling

    I noticed a little oil leak at the connection where the hydraulic lines enter my trim pump. There are two lines that go into the pump (grey and black rubber hoses). At the end of the hose there is a nut and then a round brass ferrel of some sort. The nut is tight but the brass ferrel can't be...
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    ethanol gas treatment additive

    Is anyone using gas additives when filling up? These products claim they neutralize the bad effects of the 10% ethanol that is added to gas. Any merit to these claims or is it just a marketing hype?
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    Wot

    My Mercruiser manual states that the engines should be run at 75% full power. How long can you run at WOT before potentially causing a problem? Should I periodically run at WOT to monitor any temperature increase? I was told that increasing engine temperature at WOT is sign that the risers need...
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