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kchace

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  1. You got that right. Its a total zoo out there and nobody seems to care. July 4 should be fun. I'll be out there patrolling with the USCG AUX. Hope we don't have to save anybody, but some of us will be out there just in case. Ken
  2. Definitely should work. Typically an 8 battery holder will have terminals on it like a "9v battery". You can buy a 9V battery connector with wires at a place like Radio Shack. Connect the red/black wires from the 9V batt connector to your FF and plug the 8 battery holder to that. Ken
  3. I can't say what you might do in the future, but a car battery will run a FF for days - though drawing down a starting (car) battery is really bad for it. If you only use it for a FF and charge it after every trip, it should work just fine. Ken
  4. I have to disagree with chief2 a bit - UP TO 15 volts is ok. In fact many newer outboards SPEC up to 14.9 or 15V as the top end of their *regulated* voltage. I don't know where or how you're measuring the voltage, but before you get too worried, get a real meter on it and see what that shows. Also, I don't know about that engine, but some smaller engines have unregulated alternators. If there isn't 'some' load on them the voltage can be a bit high - and 16V (if it really is 16V) is a bit high. You may see 16V with no load from an engine with an unregulated alternator. But if you're really getting 16V from an engine with a regulator, you may have a problem. Ken
  5. I put some red LEDs under my gunnels pointing down and they do an awesome job of lighting up the deck without messing up my night vision. Easily enough light to bait hooks, deal with fish, etc. For more light, I'd just use a standard bright white spreader light - either incandescent or LED. Ken
  6. I hear you. I guess if its something that wouldn't be confused for a nav light then you're covered. Ken
  7. Don't know what kind of spreader light would or would not look like a nav light, but Rule 20 of the Navigation rules spells out what you *can't* have: (b)The Rules concerning lights shall be complied with from sunset to sunrise, and during such times no other lights shall be exhibited, except such lights which cannot be mistaken for the lights specified in these Rules or do not impair their visibility or distinctive character, or interfere with the keeping of a proper look-out.
  8. This is a tricky but important point. Usually, you'll have to check with other states to see if the course you took satisfies their requirements, too. The big sticking point I've seen is some states do not approve of courses where you can take the final exam on-line. (I know NH is one) I think if the course you take is NASBLA approved AND has a proctored final exam, you're probably ok everyplace. Ken
  9. After having lived with it for a bit I can tell you that it hasn't stained (even though it had plenty of chances - including duck poop on the white!) and cleans up as easily as any other non-skid I've had to clean. Ken
  10. In NH you need a boater's safety cert to operate a boat with greater than 25hp. Ken
  11. On a basic, simplistic level, you have to put in what you took out. So if the batteries are dead, you have to put in what they hold when fully charged. A couple of examples: A typical starting battery might be rated at 60AH (amp/hours). Not counting losses and efficiencies, you have to put the equivalent back in. So for example if you had a 10 amp battery charger, 6 hours would pretty much charge up a dead 60AH battery. Same goes for the deep cycle. Say yours is 100AH, that same 10 amp charger would need 10 hrs to get it near fully charged from fully drained. A smaller charger will take longer. A trickle charger is usually 1-2Amps and will take almost forever. Charging them while connected together should be fine. Set the battery switch to "both" and connect your charger to one of the batteries. The switch being in the 'both' position will allow charging current to go to both. To get a rough idea of how long it will take, add the capacity of the two batteries together and divide by your charger's max output. For example. 60+100=160 If you have a 10 amp charger, they'll be mostly charged (above 80%) after 16 hrs. If you have a 5 amp charger, 32hrs. Next time, never leave your battery switch in the both position so you always have one in reserve. Hope this helps. Ken
  12. It really wasn't hard, just a bunch of work and I didn't have any boat building skills. If you like the basic design, you can build it from 18-24' either CC or cabin style. For more Tolman info, check out these sites: **** http://www.alaska.net/~tolmanskiffs/ **** Ken
  13. I always trailer and have for years. Fresh or salt, mine stay plugged in and I have not had problems with bulbs. I should mention that when new, I take the time to open up each light and thoroughly coat all metal parts inside - including the bulb's base - with white grease. This keeps the lights working for *years* with no other maintenance. Ken
  14. I built this one. Its a Tolman "Jumbo", 25' 8'3" beam. Its an awesome boat - perfected in Alaska. The build took me a little over a year working 1-2 nights a week and every other weekend. Its not hard, it just a bunch of work. Ken
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