Recent content by shard7

Yes, the different types of crimp connectors need specific crimp tools (or different dies in the same tool). A tool designed for regular 'insulated' connectors will do a terrible job on heat shrink connectors and vice versa. https://a.co/d/3xVy049

The fuses in that block protect each of the circuits that it feeds, and typically have a lower rating. That inline fuse protects the wire from the battery to the fuse block, and it carries all of the current so it needs to be thicker and have a higher rated fuse on it. It's similar to the main...

Yes, making friends at the marina and having a second pair of hands is always helpful for these tasks. But I've also grown very fond of screws with Allen wrench heads since it's often quite easy to rig up an allen wrench to counter hold while tightening the nut from below.

I was able to source 1/4" marine grade meranti plywood locally in Seattle, not an exact match for my 1974 E27 but close. Both the new and original pieces (fiddles) look great with Minwax Gunstock stain.

I have a serious mold allergy and keeping our boat dry and mold free is a top priority (right up with there with making sure it doesn't sink!) Hydrogen peroxide (especially the stronger 12%) is great at killing mold on hard surfaces such wood and fiberglass. It foams up when contacts mold which...

I just did this for my Atomic 4, used full strength muriatic acid to clean the heat exchanger. Rinse thoroughly and use a baking soda solution to ensure the acid is fully neutralized. Since removal of the heat exchanger requires draining at least some of the coolant you might as well do...

Seacock and bronze elbow attached to it seem to be fine. No significant corrosion seen on the surface, opens and closes smoothly and no leaks when closed. Inside of the elbow looks fine. I'm going to assume that the barbed fitting was brass and served as a sacrificial anode. :)

As a new boat owner, I really appreciate this forum for offering helpful guidance like this! I will definitely get bronze and take a close look at everything else that touches raw water. Also wondering if that severely corroded barb fitting might have been brass, perhaps?

Thank you for pointing that out! Bronze was out of stock at my nearby marine supply store and regular brass was all they had, but it sounds like it would be wise to locate a bronze fitting...

Surprisingly it appears to be in good shape. I'll stick a scope in there tomorrow to get a closer view (it's located way at the back of the engine compartment on an E27) to be sure. Unlike the barb fitting, there's no sign of any surface corrosion.

While I had my Atomic 4's heat exchanger out for a thorough cleaning I (thankfully) decided to replace all of the cooling system hoses. The hose from the raw water intake to the strainer seemed ok until I pulled the end off at the seacock (already closed, of course). The hose was barely hanging...

Volts and amps (current) are two separate things. Any 12v (or higher) switch is fine voltage wise. Current is the thing to be concerned about here. If the current flowing through a switch is higher than what it is rated for, it will heat up significantly and the contacts will have a shortened...

Sorry about that! Link text was correct (the embedded URL got messed up) https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008F90ALC

These guys: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008F90ALC A pea size blob of Thixio epoxy works great for securing them, they stay right where you stick them while curing, even on vertical surfaces. Much better than the self-adhesive ones.

Good luck! Hope you find inspiration in this: