CARVER
OWNERS CLUB
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March 2008Headlines - Click on a Headline to see the Story |
Stories |
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The Tech Guy sent in a couple of new websites for us to consider. "I was searching the web and came across what I think is the "mother load" for used Carver owners, http://www.greatlakesskipper.com. Judging from the variety of items, GL Skipper must buy the stuff that's left over when Carver (and other boat builders) are done for the model year. They've got Carver logos, tables, interior doors, gages, etc, etc. They're also on eBay Motors, so you may be able to bid on the same stuff on that site, http://www.stores.ebay.com/Great-Lakes-Skipper/ If you just input Carver in the eBay search field, you'll see most of the Carver stuff. "Looking for cheap zincs? Here's the place for the best prices
I've found,
http://www.deepblueyachtsupply.com/series.aspx?id=5. Free shipping
on orders over $100." |
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Patsy and I had an opportunity to be passengers on a boat traveling from Myrtle Beach to Brunswick, GA. For us, it was a fabulous trip. I don't know that I'll ever be invited back, just because of a simple mistake, one that anyone could have made, where I cast off all lines while the captain was below in the stateroom. However, we also encountered an incredibly interesting event - the annual wild pig hunt on Ossabaw Island. Ossabaw Island is a closed ecosystem for a number of different reasons. As a result, it has several unique species of plants and animals. The State of Georgia has an annual lottery for hunters to reduce the population of wild pigs before the loggerhead turtle summer egg hatching season. It seems that the wild pigs eat the turtle eggs. Hunters who won the lottery lined up the day before the hunt to get a number to determine the order in which they would arrive at the island. The hunters were going for four days and they had to pack food, clothes, ammo, beer, and water. Fortunately, it is a short trip to the island because most of the boats ferrying the hunters were small and heavily loaded. I have video. We also had a chance to see the boats of NASCAR. Several NASCAR drivers, team owners, and sponsors have large boats and many of those boats end up at Daytona Beach for the premier stock car race in February. The boats are beautiful. We walked by one that had dinner place setting for six using fine china and Waterford crystal. Patsy wouldn't let me take a picture when we walked by the boat.
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Canvas is a love or hate proposition. If you have good canvas that you can see through and doesn't leak - you love it. If it leaks or you have to open it up to see out - you hate it. Here are a few tips gathered from Ed Kime, owner of Admiral Marine Canvas, http://www.admiralmarinecanvas.com. There are three enemies of good canvas; dirt, cleaners, and the sun. Surface dirt, or the dirt that just accumulates on any surface can be rinsed away with clean water and gentle brushing. Don't use products like boat soap or Roll-Off because they remove the waterproofing material. Too many boaters overlook interior dirt, like mildew and mold on the inside surfaces of the canvas. I recommend a non-chlorine based product like Amazon to remove any dirt, mildew, or mold from the underside. I also use a product called Plexus to clean and polish the clear surfaces. Store the canvas when it is clean and dry. Use a separator, such as felt or clean paper (not newspaper) between the canvas pieces. Store the canvas flat, if possible. Use felt wrappers to keep the clear material, such as Strataglass, away from the support bars. Almost anything other than the felt wrappers burns the clear material over the summer. Here are some tips for re-installing the canvas if it is removed from the boat. Re-install the canvas while it is still damp, before it has a chance to shrink. If you are waterproofing the top, clean the canvas, install it while damp, remove to waterproof, and re-install while damp with the waterproofing material. Install the Bimini top first, then start ALL the panel zippers about 6 inches. Then snap the panels in place and complete the zippers. Start with the top zipper on the left most panel at the top. Start the panel to its right by beginning with the top zipper about 6 inches, then about 6 inches with the vertical zipper that joins the two. Then snap the snaps with that panel. Do one side of the Bimini, then the other side, and finally the center bows. Then, go back and completely close the zippers. This takes less effort and is less likely to damage the canvas or the glass, especially the glass corner panels. Use a canvas snap tool, such as http://www.ironwoodpacific.com/products/boat_tools/topsnapper.htm. The canvas snap tool pulls the snap, rather effectively, without pulling the canvas out of shape. Don't lubricate the zippers. The zippers in most canvas construction is a self-lubricating plastic. Putting lubrication on them simply attracts dirt and grit, making the zipper more difficult to use. Use the zipper lubricant on the snaps.
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I received several comments about the commissioning checklist. One question was why did I leave out changing the batteries in the smoke detectors. Smoke detectors are not a part of the boat's standard equipment. I use a battery operated, combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector (available from Lowe's or Wal-Mart) in the forward stateroom, the salon, and the aft stateroom. The carbon monoxide detectors that are part of the standard equipment on the boat do NOT work as smoke detectors. It is a great idea to change the batteries in the smoke detectors as you recommission the boat. I also received this excellent suggestion, "I always use a fogger to kill the insects this time of year. Setting it off now kills the bugs without my having to unpack everything and I can air it out when I remove the shrink wrap. It kills the spiders hidden around the boat." Note that one should not stay inside the shrink wrap while fogging. It's also a good idea to remove the shrink wrap after fogging - before beginning work on the boat. Another comment was related to the engine coolant. He suggested that one not check the coolant overflow reservoir (the plastic tank that holds excess coolant) for anything. If there is a significant coolant leak at the engine, the overflow reservoir may not work at all and the coolant level in the reservoir never changes. You could only detect the loss of coolant by checking the coolant level at the radiator itself. His suggestion is to always remove the radiator cap and check the coolant level in the tank. The second checklist, Leaving the Slip, is now available to members only.
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Several members recently listed their boats for sale on the website. Here are a couple that I found interesting:
We get about 4500 hits per day on the boats for sale pages the week before a major boat show and several people have sold their boats (one within 10 days of listing). Follow these tips to successfully sell your boat on the website.
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One area of the website may be too successful. Everything listed on the Accessories Marketplace is sold. Consider listing your extra accessories on the website. Patsy is considering listing me and, possibly, one of the cats. It's free to list an accessory.
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We've held our first two events this year, with good results. The Saturday Night Out in Stuart was attended by six people. We had to change restaurants at the last minute, so we went to the Dolphin Bar and Shrimp House in Jensen Beach. This restaurant was originally founded by Frances Langford. She married an Evinrude heir and, if you boated on the Sassafras River some years ago, you saw their boat, the Empress docked near the Granary Restaurant. Scott Gundaker also had a nice get together, despite some winter conditions. Twenty-one people enjoyed the fine cuisine of Peppercorn's, despite the bad weather. Planned Events We have the details for the Chesapeake Bay Rendezvous, June 6, 7, and 8. This year's event will be held at Rock Hall, MD. For more information about Rock Hall, go to http://www.rockhallmd.com. The zip code is 21661. We have slips reserved at Haven Harbour Marina, although you can also anchor nearby at Swan Creek. The per foot cost is $2.10 per night, plus electric. The Saturday Night cocktail party and dinner will be held at Waterman's Restaurant. One of the menu choices is All-You-Can-Eat crab. A shuttle operates until midnight, so we will have good transportation to and from the marina. The per person cost this year is $75.00, thanks to the sponsors. You must be a member to attend. Reservations are fairly limited, so I encourage you to make your reservations soon. We're trying to make the reservation process easier this year by asking you to call us at 800-540-2926 to make reservations. We are also completing the agenda, but there is a rumor that another dinghy race or rally might be in the planning stage. I am told that, while bribery, cheating, and generalized dishonesty will be allowed, blindfolds will be banned. We are planning a few seminars again, with one suggestion being a presentation by an attorney who specializes in Admiralty law. I wonder if he/she would be interested in judging our dinghy race. We will also have the Boat Talk - LIVE! session on Sunday morning, so, if you have any topics you'd like to bring up, let me know. We are also looking at having a Saturday Night Out in the Cocoa Beach area. We keep looking for a centrally located site or a site on Florida's west coast, without too much success. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
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Our list of advertisers continues to grow. We are currently negotiating a credit card and loan program with a national bank. We've also received an interesting proposal from a boating services directory that offers a company locator and reviews of various repair/service providers. Again, more on this as the deals firm up. There was a problem emailing the newsletter notices in February. We think we've corrected the problem for everything but Comcast. Comcast is proposing an additional fee to receive emails from non-Comcast email addresses. Again, if you use Comcast as your email service, you may want to consider getting a free email address to avoid this problem.
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