Recent content by DVW

Anything is possible if you do not have hands on experience. The best advice came from Vikingstaff. You can access the vent ports but it is rigorous on a Bennington. In my case I pumped condensation water out of an old boat. I first confirmed that I did not have a leak by doing a bubble test...

Air pressure from a shop vac can be used for a bubble test. If it is just condensation and you do not want to have a drain hole drilled into the bottom it might be reasonable to suck it out the top.

The drill and weld method is not as scary as it sounds. On the other hand it is nice to be able to inspect and drain as required. I have drained thru the vent port on the boat up north. Your ear will be pretty good at locating the compartment that has the water. The quantity of water will tell...

Pop rivets can be a pain to drill out when the rivet starts spinning with the drill bit. On the other hand installation is quick and the rivet hangs in there when it loses its clamp force (good failure mode). I chose screws when I added under-deck sheeting to both of my pontoon boats. I did it...

Snowmobiling is my other passion. This year was a short snowmobile season with a very early ice out. Last week a freak snowfall created opportunity to snowmobile one more time (see photo). Very unusual to snowmobile next to open water on a inland lake. Next week I will get out the boat. Very...

The biggest boat with the biggest twin motors got our attention. Does your wide beam boat have the triple elliptical tubes? How does it handle big water and speed? Anything else that you would like to share would be appreciated.

I have trailered with both style trailers for the last 36 years. For most of that time a rented scissors trailer was most appropriate. I primarily needed to go from on the ground to our boat landing with occasional trips to other lakes. I have a friend who is a sales person for the largest...

Aluminum expands with temperature rise. Your 23 ft aluminum boat will increase in length by 1/16 inch with a 20 degree (F) rise. Temperature change can occur when when a boat is pulled from cool water into warmer air. Difference in sun exposure can also create a temperature differential...

I mounted a transducer on the end of the lifting strakes on a ESP center tube. It does not work above 10 mph. The attach photo shows why it did not work. There is a lot of air bubbles coming off the lifting strakes at speed. Being able to mount the transducer near the center of the tube might...

This boat has innovation that extends beyond the motor. Unfortunately the motor will sink the boat in the marketplace. The vulnerable motor cover is below the waterline. Under the cover the motor design has a good track record but 2-strokes are not accepted in the market place. The motor...

You can get a close estimate of CG location if you assume the CG of a boat without a motor is in the middle. If the weight of heavy motor(s) and associated items is known one can estimate how far back the CG moves from midpoint.

Considering the lack of detail in your question. The answer to “what to do on our lift” is park it forward.

Good stuff. Here is another idea. Many years ago I constructed a boat cover with a single 20 X 30 brown tarp on a stick structure made of wood two by twos. The sticks where connected with screws driven at a angle (tow nail fashion). C-clamps fastened the sticks to the rail. To prevent heavy...

That never occurred to me but you have a good point. Unlike cars most boats will have their tanks drained during their lifetime.

I am a snowmobile nut. Just got a new machine this year. It was modified as soon as I got it home because that is what I do. The modifications improve ergonomics and comfort. It all started fifteen years ago when I prepared a machine for some sort of straight line distance record. Now after...