A friend sent this to me. We have a 1975 28' Santa Cruz. Jim

I know, season is still far from being over but prepping early is never a bad thing. Especially in these times when some items may be difficult to get a hold of at the last minute.

Pink stuff, you know, plumbing/engine antifreeze we all winterize with. There are 2 types, alcohol based which is much cheaper used by many but will prematurely destroy your impellers, seals/rubber it sits on over time which includes plumbing/toilets or heads as the boating world calls them. Remember, when you winterize, everything sits in the product during the entire time until you flush at launch the following year!

The other type is based on Propylene Glycol which is not always easy to spot on the label. If there is a flammable label on the container you know it is alcohol based so steer clear of those. In Canada I have found Marine Mart to be the best place to pick this up when it comes to pricing. This time of year they are always discounted and since I use about 20 gallons I tend to buy now. I use the -50F/-45C non diluted which has never been an issue. $5.99 a gallon is pretty darn cheap for this stuff.

https://www.entrepotmarinemart.com/en/a ... 0-cam31757

Ive got alot of work ahead of me!!

I recently purchased a 2000 396 Carver. We love the boat but it doesn't have a shore water connection, and I would like to add one. The manual show it as an option that would appear right next to the shore power. Has anyone ever done this?

If I pull the recessed power box will the water lines be present, or is that wishful thinking? Things are pretty tight below and I am not sure I could fish a pipe back there....

I am looking at the raymarine line of autopilots and charters. I am thinking of going with the axiom + 7, as I can use my phone or iPad to view console anywhere so don't need a big screen. What autopilot version do I use with the 3 line (port, starboard, reservoir) hydrolic system? I thin the ev100 may work, but not sure if capacity of pump is right perhaps I need the 150. Any help is appreciated or if I should consider a different setup let me know. No electronics to speak of so can start fresh. Thanks, Kevin

I winterize the water system and sanitary systems myself and have had no issues. I was thinking of doing the Kohler 6.5 myself this year, engines I can't do, as I have to run the boat up the river to its winter storage place, so the Marina does this.
Please advise on what I tghink is a proper procedure:

The genset has a heat exchanger. I was going to CLOSE the seacock, and open the strainer to allow what sea water is in to drain out, with my transfer pump, it is a straight shot from seawater pump to strainer, so I am confident that will empty the sea water. Then I was planning on taking the hose off of the raw water pump for genset, and putting a short piece of hose on it, start the genset and flush out the heat exchanger with fresh water. Lastly, I would pour antifreeze (-100 stuff) into the hose with the unit running until I got a steady flow out the side exhaust port.

Sound reasonable?

I recently bought a 1994 280 Express. I was going over the boat and noticed a strong smell when I lifted the mid cabin floor access. I could see a small amount of sewage in the bottom of the hull. I put a hose and cleaner in there and started getting out some more “stuff”. I noticed a line about 3“ up the hull. I cleaned everything the best I can, but still have a strong odor.
Are there any solutions to help me get rid of the smell? It’s in the foam of the mattress as well?
What do you think caused this? It doesn’t appear to be a current problem, but I’m still figuring it out.
Should the mid cabin drain into the bilge area. It doesn’t seem to be.
Thanks for any help or ideas. I’m a new Carver owner.

I had mentioned that my forward vacu flush unit was cycling on and off too frequently. The aft unit is perfect and holds vacuum for weeks at a time when away from the boat. I saw a pin hole in a hose, and also noticed that the duck bill adaptors ere missing, only allowing for one duck bill on each side. I bought the rebuild kit, new bellows, duck bills, adaptors and new nipples and o rings. I installed it all today along with the hose from the pump to the Y valve. Since I was adding the adaptors, I had to move the pump forward a few inches to accommodate them and cut some of the tank to pump hose off so all would fit. So I tested the unit.....yep, still coming on and cycling too often, say every 20 minutes. It flushes fine, and holds water in the bowl. I must point out that the PO had a stripped screw that hods the pump top to the housing. I was thinking of drilling out and tapping with a 3/16” machine screw or seeing is I can find the next size up self tapping screw to get more bite. OH yes, and a Hail Mary as I put it in. Silicone grease was used on all o rings also.

I am thinking TWO issues perhaps :
1) Can the fittings be tightened too tight for the duck bill valves? I placed each vale perpendicular to the other one.

2) I see that the angle of the hose to the Y valve is at a tough angle. Almost like a strain on the fittings.

I have ordered a 45 degree fitting to reduce the angle, and also a sweeping 90 degree fitting to ease any stress on that may preclude a good seal.

Where else may I have overlooked?

It's official , we are now the proud owners of a 3607 aft cabin !! We are going to winter in indoor storage and then see about transporting it from Gimli Manitoba to Kenora Ontario. ( Canada for those more southern folks )

Anyone have experiance moving one of these ? I am hearing 14 ft loaded as "Bridge Limit" but I am thinking the upper helm at least has to come off to make that number.

Thanks in advance and glad to be back here !

One of my fuel tank vent caps is missing on my 2000 356 Aft deck. Any ideas on where to buy one? Do I need to replace. Will I need to replace the vent? I see vent assemblies on line, but no cap. Thanks