a994 Carver 390 CPMY. Battery dedicated to the generator, and 2 others on the MBSS. Just 12v deep cycle batteries. I had a REAL house bank on my last boat, which consisted of 4 6V golf cart batteries on 1 position of the switch, and a starting battery on the other position. With the limited space I have, I was wondering if a house bank of 2 6V GC batteries, hooked up to be a 12, would fit where the batteries are now? Or would it be a better idea of using a couple of 4 D's, and keeping the dedicated generator battery. I used to stay on the hook and the GC batteries would runt the fridge for over 48 hours. I am unsure how long my fridge would run on this single 12V battery that came from the factory even if I ran the genny an hour in the AM and same at night. What has others with this type boat done for a real house bank?

I HAVE A FREEDOM 20 INVERTER ON OUR VESSEL, RECENTLY WHEN I DISCONNECT SHORE POWER THE CONTROL PANEL SHOWS 0 BATTERY POWER WITH IN 5 MIN. AND SHUTS DOWN THE INVERTER. BATTERIES SEEM TO HAVE A FULL CHARGE BUT THE HOUSE BATTERY WILL NOT SHOW A CHARGE ON THE PANEL. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

My starboard drive train is making noise somewhere, It's hard to tell where it's coming from. The noise seems to be in the transmission. It only does it while in gear, neutral is quiet. I think I will start with the engine and move back through the plate and then the drive itself. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Has anyone put in some boat automation on their boat? I was looking at boat command (https://boatcommand.com/), but it's got a monthly fee and they don't incorporate cameras. There are some other company's that do a similar things also but not all encompassing. My marina has wifi, so I was thinking about adding a standard home automation system like vera (http://getvera.com/) or Apple's home kit (http://www.apple.com/ios/home/). It would be nice to keep tabs on it while I'm not there. Thoughts?

I'm looking to find out what kind of Air conditioning manufacture was used in the Carver Mariner 350 (generation 2 1997-2002). The reason for my question is can I add a wifi thermostat to the system to remote control AC when I'm not on the boat.

Has anyone added a wifi thermostat to their boat? My marina has wifi and thought it would be cool.

Wanted to put this up for discussion and get your take on it. Thinking about this now that it's winter but I guess it applies all year round; do you keep your boat locked or unlocked during the winter and summer?

I guess there are several schools of thought/pros and cons to both based on the type of thief that happens to come along:

- You may get the kind that goes from boat to boat looking for an unlocked one that is easy to pillage so locking the boat would be a deterrent in this case in hopes that they will pass you by as a result of too much trouble or noise to break in.

- Or you might get the kind that doesn't care and will break into the first boat he (or she!) boards. This is actually the one that worries me the most as this could result in considerable damage.

Let's face it, if they want in, they'll get in no matter what. So what say you? Are we better off locking in an effort to deter or are we better off leaving unlocked in an effort to prevent costly damage of hardware that we may not be able to replace anymore.

While most marinas have one form of security or another, I wouldn't assume you're safe from theft. As boaters, we should do anything we can to reduce our appeal for a hit. Don't leave anything out or visible at a glance or from a distance that is attractive to thieves such as trunnion mounted electronics on the flybridge as these are attractive to crooks and an easy target because of their portability. A sign in the winter indicating that there are no valuables on board may help.

Comments, ideas?

Boat started losing power at the end of last summer (2015). Had carburetor rebuilt. This season we began by having fuel filter changed - but it still would not go fast. Had engine compression test and numbers were fine. Cleaned out air vent to gas tank. Tried running it with gas cap off - no luck. It doesn't stall, starts up every time. I Last guy told me he'd have to cut through the hull to access gas tank. Did not do that. Boat was put away in storage last week.

What else could this be? So frustrating. Any thoughts?

Came across this while surfing......interesting heh....

I have been working on scanning our family photos albums that my Father has painstakingly put together over the last 50 or so years ( he is now going on 89). The photos attached are of the marine railway car at Big Chute on the Trent Severn Waterway from 1970. For those who are unfamiliar with the marine railway here is a link to a brief history of it and the reasons for its inception.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Chute ... ay#History

I am a new owner of a 2005 366 Carver with 8.1 Crusader gas engines and don't know what kind of oil to use. The oil fill cap on the motors say ASE 15W 40 however the only 15W 40 I can find is Diesel oil. This can't be right? Any recommendations ?