Recent content by Mike Swift

I had a disconcerting experience a couple of months ago. While seated in the saloon, up near the bulkhead, a bolt (small) of lightning "bounced" off the aft rail and struck me in the arm. Interestingly, it came right in the open cabin and travelled laterally about six feet to strike me. No...

Thank you for the reply John. Yes, the Pinellas/ Pasco coastline seems to be less and less accomodating to liveaboards. When I lived in Port Richey, I had my eyes open for possibilities, but frankly, I found few short of Hudson Marina, or, as you say, private dockage. Now, private docks are a...

A liveaboard marina in Oldsmar? Which one, pray tell!? Are the rates reasonable? I have been contemplating a move back up the coast for some time now (I lived in Port Richey for several years...as a landlubber :rolleyes_d:) Sadly, the marinas along the barrier islands of Pinellas County are...

What are they made of? Well, that's a good question. Asbestos & PCBs? :rolleyes: No, I just dug 'em out. They seem to be made of a light-weight canvas with a rubberized, kind-of, material lining. Of course, this set is WWII vintage, so I'm sure the versions found in the military supply stores...

Thank you for the info! The weight issue has been a great concern in particular. I suspected that the keel was of no great consequence with respect to ballast on the E25, but I haven't been willing to test this hypothesis and risk turning turtle if I was wrong. As to the factory...

I still use the foul weather bibs issued to my father by the US Navy in 1944. I know, I know, laugh if you must, but what these babies lack in fashion sense, they more than make up for in effectiveness and durability. After all, these were made to US military standards when Tojo was fixin' to...

Sadly, I lost the swing keel on my 1976 E25 as a result of lending the vessel to a friend who failed to raise the keel at the end of his voyage. Long story short, the low tides and resultant rocking action did the trick. When I returned from up north, and took her for a sail, I discovered the...