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  1. tpenfield

    Mercrcuiser 7.4L Hydro-locked and pretty much destroyed

    Well, my boat ran into some engine issues a couple of weeks ago. So, I thought that I would start a thread to get some input and ideas as to what to do about it. A little background . . . The engine was only about 5 hours into the season this year, and last season, I did a valve job and...
  2. tpenfield

    Happy Friday the 13th !!!

    Who's going boating today? What could possibly go wrong??? :D
  3. tpenfield

    Advice on Process for Selling My Boat. . .

    I am considering selling my boat at some point and have been weighing various options and approaches in my mind over the past few weeks. I noted that there are not too may threads on selling advice, mostly buying advice, on this forum. So, I thought that I would seek some advice as my...
  4. tpenfield

    Anybody Got the Garmin GPSMAP 76 Cx ???

    I just got this unit to replace my Garmin 76, which STB on me last weekend. The regular 76 was butt simple to use . . . this new one looks like you have to be a rocket scientist to set things up and use it. The biggest thing so far is that it looks like it comes with no marine navigational...
  5. tpenfield

    Stupid Dead Batteries . . . No, Stupid Dead Starter

    We went out in the boat today and anchored for while. Played the stereo for a while when anchored . . . I go to start the engine after a couple of hours anchored and the engine won't turn over. Batteries were run down. . . still enough power to run the electrical stuff . . . just not enough to...
  6. tpenfield

    How to pack a 30 minute fireworks display into 10 seconds . . .

    San Diego Fireworks . . . Looks like somebody goofed on the sequencing . . .
  7. tpenfield

    Anchoring follies

    It seemed as though it was a 'special' day for anchoring at our favorite boating spot today. We got there fairly early and anchored close to shore and then brought all the stuff onto the beach. There was only about 6-8 boats there at the time, but the area filled up fairly quickly from then...
  8. tpenfield

    Looking for a 'new' boat . . .

    Since I have my current boat (Formula 242) back in operation, I have started to look for a new (to me) boat . . . I have been thinking about getting something with a bit more space and over-nighting capabilities. So, I went to look at this yesterday . . . I took the Admiral along to get her...
  9. tpenfield

    Went to the In-laws this weekend . . . Came home with a 58" HDTV !!!

    We went up to the Admiral's hometown this weekend for a little bit of cookout activity etc. Her Dad offered us his 'old' flat screen TV . . . we take a look at it . . . it is a 58" Samsung HDTV Plasma :D . . . only about 3 years old !!! He said, it may not fit in your car ??? "We'll make it...
  10. tpenfield

    Darn you Auto-Correct !!!

    It happens on text messages and I also notice it happens when I use my iPad to post on this forum. . . That auto-correct 'feature' that all these newer high tech devices have. So, I continually find my self typing messages and thinking that I have done a decent job grammatically, and...
  11. tpenfield

    Learning about Fuel Gauge Senders . . .

    As I mentioned in my stringer repair thread, my original sender did not fit in the opening in the tank. So, I went with the sender that came with the tank. The fuel gauge that came with the new tank seems to be mis-matched with the fuel gauge. The gauge goes up to 'empty' when the ignition is...
  12. tpenfield

    First Day Out After Rebuild . . .

    Well since my Formula 242 has been in various stages of dis-assembly and repair since last October with engine and structural work, today was the first day out on the water. Overall a great day, the boat performed OK, but I think there are still few tweaks needed for the engine and fuel system...
  13. tpenfield

    Strange Knocking Sound Mercruiser 454 (7.4L)

    As you may know from my 'Stringer & Bulkhead' thread, I launched my boat today. As I was prepping the boat, I ran the engine on the muffs for a while. I noticed a strange 'low level' knocking sounds that I have not heard previously. I was not the 'ticking' noise that you generally get with...
  14. tpenfield

    Trim Pump Guru's . . .

    Yea, so I installed the outdrive last night and connected the trim rams. Of course, the rams were all the way extended, so I had to lift the outdrive all the way up to connect them. I went to lower the outdrive and the trim pump ran, but it would not retract the rams. It seems like it wants to...
  15. tpenfield

    Waste Oil Reclaimation Day !!!

    Once a year the town where I live has a waste oil drop-off day . . . what a beautiful thing :D. I got 20 gallons of oil to drop off. I am wondering how many of you have a similar thing where you live ??? How much oil do you dispose of each year ?? I was thinking of getting a waste oil burner...
  16. tpenfield

    Fake Invoice Scam . . .

    I get to review and approve all of the voice and data communications bills where I work (lucky me :rolleyes: ). Anyway, today an invoice came in for a "Maintenance Agreement" from a Telecom company that I never heard of . . . looking for $425.00 The invoice looks fairly generic, but has enough...
  17. tpenfield

    Mercruiser 454 Test Run & Leak Test . . .

    The engine for my boat has been sitting in the garage anxiously waiting for completion of the stringer & bulkhead repairs. Just a little background . . . I did a teardown and valve job on the engine last Fall and put it all back together and ran it a few times. Only then to find structural...
  18. tpenfield

    Made a purchase on iBoats last night . . .

    I have not made hardly any purchases on iBoats . . . . I think that I bought some stuff years ago during my sailboat days. Anyway, feeling that I should support the cause here, I went on the store portion of the site and bought a couple of things for my outdrive preparation . . . anode set and...
  19. tpenfield

    Hawkeye Depth Sounder ???

    There are a few threads about the Hawkeye D10DX Depth Sounder a while back, but not too much info or responses. I am considering getting this depth sounder to replace my now defunct Lowrance 1990's vintage http://www.amazon.com/HawkEye-D10DX-06T-Temperature-Includes-Transducer/dp/B001UFAAJ0...
  20. tpenfield

    So How Often Does It Happen ??? Hull Failure Due to Rot ???

    Most of us know why we take a keen interest in detecting and correcting structural issues in our boats, as their is a fair amount of discussion on this forum about the possibilities of a weakened hull breaking apart. I wonder how often it actually happens; that a boat breaks apart due to...
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