Been looking for a nice looking dimmer to replace a standard switch like the ones we use at home. Really not much out there but I did find this. They were $18 CDN delivered however I guess covid increased the price a little.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3297674 ... 4c4dW7Ud8z

Biggest issue is nobody seems to make a 12v dimmer switch that fits into a standard electrical box, this one does and does not look like crap. Only negative is if you have a dual switch (as in side by side using the same electrical box) this is not going to fit. I guess there is another drawback as the dimmer draws 1w when not in use however this is a rather small draw so it does not bother me being the boat is plugged in while at the marina.

Rated at 8A which is more than one would require for typical salon lighting and voltage input is 12v to 24v so no need to worry about charging spikes up to 15+v when alternator or charger is working.

Wanted a few of these to dim the led ceiling lights in the salon, the master suite and the forward cabin so I bought 3. Took a couple of months before they arrived but they finally did.

I used a single 2w led for the test as I wanted to see if under very little load the dimmer actually turns the light completely off which is sometimes problematic. Worked as planned, off is off. No visible flicker or weird stuff happening either. Fully dimmed is very low which is great. The dimmer controls will not turn on or off the light, only the on/off switch does this.

There is a beep when you hit the on/off button which you may find annoying however this is only when turning on or off. The arrows on both sides are pretty dumb as they are meant for dimming or brightening however this is a 255 step controller so this means you would need to hit the arrow 255 times to go from the lowest dimming setting to the highest. Hope you are patient

The on/off button does just that and remembers the last dimmed setting. In other word if you shut the light off when they were dimmed to 25%, the next time you hit the on button they will be at 25% one again.

The slider is rather nice, after you turn the lights on, hit the slider at the top and they will go to full bright, bottom full dim or anywhere in between where you want it to be or slide with your finger until you get it just right.

Tested all 3 units on the bench and they all work well. Cannot vouch for how long they will last or how well they will perform on the boat connected to my "Dream Lights" Will report back in spring when the boat hits the water.

Happy Christmas to all.....stay safe....... ....... .... .....

I am in the process of purchasing the boat.
It is on a closed lake (Lake Lanier in Georgia).
I am having it trailered to Chattanooga for the trip home to Huntsville.
I would like to remove the bow pads for the trailer part to keep the Diesel Exhaust from collecting on them.
They seem to be bolted down somehow as they are very well secured.
There are no bolts going thru the top of the master cabin though.
Any ideas on how to remove?

Thanks,

I have a missing piece of window channel/trim on my 356. Anyone have a source for it. Attached is a photo of the shape I am looking for.

Thanks in advance

Jason

[image] [/image]

I have a 1992 Carver CPMY 430 that has a hydraulic dinghy lift. Very unique to the vessel as I have never seen anything like it.
Very nice when it works but I think its original to the vessel and in those days used relay switches for the operating the hydraulic unit and it has a remote control wireless. The relay system is old and I want to modernize it perhaps to a PLC unit. If anyone has knowledge on this type of stuff I'd like to pick your brain on some ideas.
Below is the video I posted on Youtube so you can see the function.
It rests the dinghy on a V cradle which tucks into the swim platform for cruising.
Once you at the destination you can move the cradle out about 3 feet and then drop the cradle into the water which lowers it by 3 feet. The remote control allows you to do this and then just drive off with the dinghy.
All the relays do is activate a sensor when your fully extended out with the lift that then will only allow the down position once it reaches the sensor. Sensors are proximity probes. The problem I have is that the sensors / bracket / adjustments are very finicky and not reliable so too often I end up towing the dinghy. I want to change it over and modernize it to something more reliable.
Any suggestions????

I have a 7.4 L gas mercruiser on a 2000 Carver 356 Aft Deck. The alternator is frozen, locked up, and needs to be replaced. Do I go after-market or OEM? Thanks

Hi, have 2004 Crusader 6.0s... hopefully a simple question...to change the t-stat on the heat exchanger, do you need to drain off any of the coolant? I can’t tell if the housing is below or above the degas bottle fluid level... thanks!

I have a Raymarine E120 chart plotter and would like to install AIS. Is there a compatible system out there? I’m thinking the Raymarine AIS 650 or 700 as possible options but I recall reading some compatibility issues. Anyone have insight or have one installed?

Hey Gang,

We have a gorgeous 1998 355 Aft Cabin here in Washington State. I’ve installed a new Garmin radar combo kit with “ClearVu" and CHIRP. We’re planning on installing a new through hull transducer this winter. Strictly Puget Sound cruising. So max depth of 500’.

Any suggestions on transducer type and also importantly, what is the deadrise angle I should plan for? There are a few options available and I don’t want to goof that up!

Thanks for any advice you can give us!

Cheers, Greg