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  1. tpenfield

    Solar battery chargers

    A solar controller will manage the charging. When there is enough sunlight, the solar charger will start charging, and stop when the light diminishes. The charging will fluctuate based on clouds passing by etc. The solar controller will put out the amperage that it can, based on how much...
  2. tpenfield

    I/O (Sterndrive) Conversion to Outboards

    Greetings . . . I have been considering transitioning from having twin Sterndrives (I/O) engines and go to twin outboards. I could do this in one of 2 ways . . . 1) Sell my sterndrive boat (Cruisers Yacht 338 mid-cabin bowrider) and buy a same/similar boat that has twin outboards. 2)...
  3. tpenfield

    Solar battery chargers

    And, yes - out on the boat today. :cool: (y)
  4. tpenfield

    Solar battery chargers

    Greetings and thanks for the heads up @alldodge I'll assume that you have 2 100 Ah batteries, and you generally will discharge them to 50% . . . so 100 Ah of charging A solar panel will give about 65-75% of its rated capacity, based on my experience. The resting voltage of the batteries is...
  5. tpenfield

    Garmin GPSMAP 7608xsv Issue

    I tried powering up the 'old' GPS before installing the new one . . . It did power up, since it continues to dry out, but the screen has several black areas on it (presumably from the water). . The new one (GPSMAP 943xsv) fit right into the existing opening. :cool: Just needed to drill some...
  6. tpenfield

    7.4 L Volvo Penta turned into a milkshake - what to tell the mechanic

    It depends on how the engine made the milkshake. If it was from a crack in the block, then it would not be worth fixing IMO. It should not be allowed to sit for long, better get the water leak diagnosed and resolved. The motor may need to come out of the boat.
  7. tpenfield

    Garmin GPSMAP 7608xsv Issue

    Well, $1500 later I have a new gps. going to install it tomorrow.
  8. tpenfield

    Garmin GPSMAP 7608xsv Issue

    Quick update . . . there is power to the connector. I did get the unit to power up briefly, but it shuts off in about 1 second. I discovered that there was some water inside the unit. (Not sure how that happened. . .) I got a drop or 2 of water out of the power button area, more water out...
  9. tpenfield

    Garmin GPSMAP 7608xsv Issue

    Thanks for the ideas. I'll be taking my DVM out to the boat this afternoon to check voltages, etc. I've also Googled a few reset/restart methods. There is what looks like a reset pinhole just below the power button. I also noted that a ground wire wire was never connected to the unit, so...
  10. tpenfield

    Volvo penta 4.3 gxi rough running

    Beware of the parts cannon . . . . It is best to have the Rinda Diacom software, in order to pin-point the problem. It usually pays for itself on the first use.
  11. tpenfield

    Garmin GPSMAP 7608xsv Issue

    This might be a long shot, but I'll give it a try . . . My Garmin (GPSMAP 7608xsv) powered up as normal today, but within a few minutes powered itself off (apparently) and will not power back up. I checked the connections and the fuse, tried a bunch of things but still a no-go. In Googling...
  12. tpenfield

    Mercury 6.2 ECT DTS Axius Voltage Issue

    Quick Update . . . The boat is launched, engines seem good, and I saw 74 watts of power from the solar panel out at the mooring . . . which I think is a world's record for this solar panel. In other news, the truck broke down on the way back from the ramp . . . transmission cooling line...
  13. tpenfield

    Bought my first boat to cut, gut and rebuild from bow to stern, including engine. Killed my back and suffered the wrath of the fiberglass demons

    If it is solid and has no voids, I would just make good on the next layer. In terms of wetting out fiberglass, this is what you are looking for (clear). Below is some biaxial cloth, bonding the top of a stringer to the underside of a deck. You can see right through the cloth.
  14. tpenfield

    Bought my first boat to cut, gut and rebuild from bow to stern, including engine. Killed my back and suffered the wrath of the fiberglass demons

    The woven roving looks fairly dry. When you are using fiberglass cloth (WR or Biaxial) you want the resin to really soak in. Thickened resin makes it more difficult to do so.
  15. tpenfield

    Flushing raw water side of 5.7GXi-HF

    Sounds like you have a 'half' system, so yes you might want some circulation. The manifolds will get de-scaler solution, as long as you use enough of it. The risers may benefit from some circulation of the de-scaler. Typically on the exhaust, it is more about rust.
  16. tpenfield

    1994 Mercrusier 350 Mag ECT bravo closed cooling system

    My first look would be the impeller, then to see if there is debris at the outdrive bell housing inlet fitting from running around. Thermostat would be the least of the worries at this point. Do you know if the engine is fitted with a sea water strainer?
  17. tpenfield

    Flushing raw water side of 5.7GXi-HF

    I take a marine de-scaler in through the muffs (about 5 gallons of it) and let it sit for about 6 hours. It cleans out the Heat Exchanger nicely. I do it once a year. Otherwise, the tubes within the H.E. tend to clog with calcium build-up. There are a few product names for the solution...
  18. tpenfield

    Why is finding information on boats so difficult?

    You'll get there, but In the boating world serial numbers do not tend to decode as they may in the automotive world. There are boat HIN numbers . . . similar to VIN in the automotive world. As for the engines, those tend to be serial number ranges, and do not relate in any way to the boat...
  19. tpenfield

    Bought my first boat to cut, gut and rebuild from bow to stern, including engine. Killed my back and suffered the wrath of the fiberglass demons

    Just go to Amazon and search "totalboat polyester resin" a few things will come up including the $35 / gallon stuff. . . . it is in a plastic jug, wehereas many of them are in metal cans.
  20. tpenfield

    Mercury SmartCraft Gauge Question

    2016
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