"K Smith" wrote in message
...

This NG has been the only place, anywhere that has been shown to have
correctly predicted Ficht would fail & explain why.


Hey ,

It sounds like deja vu all over again. All you are repeating is a 1998 quote
about 1 in 5 having failures, and yes, that was from the then president
David Jones.

FICHT has been around since mid 1996 and is still going strong today. That's
eight years of production. The E-TEC system that has been recently
introduced is what was called FICHT II back in OMC days and was scheduled to
be introduced in 2003, but their financial problems took care of that.

What's your point????

Bill Grannis
service manager

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Fri, 16 Jan 2004 23:21:29 +1100, K Smith
wrote:


This NG has been the only place, anywhere that has been shown to have
correctly predicted Ficht would fail & explain why. Yes we're a messy
abusive bunch but we seem to have got this correct before anyone at all,
even beforte they started to fail in huge numbers, OMC admitted 1 in 5,
but that was probably a fudge like everything else they said.


~~ snippity do da ~~

I have a '00 200 Evinrude FICHT on my Ranger CC that Bombadier has
been most helpful with by updating the engine with all the safety/fuel
fixes, replacing the computer and electronic harness twice all at no
charge to me. They wre not required to do this I might add - they did
it on their own with no prompting from me when I bought the boat. I
have a new fuel pump sitting right next to my desk that is an update
and will be installed in the spring - no charge to me.

The engine does have a slight vibration around 2300 rpm, but I
understand that is typical for this model engine and is related to the
V angle of the block and is not an unbalance or fuel delivery problem.
It delivers plenty of horsepower in the normal rpm range and will push
the Ranger beyond 50 mph with a following wind and around 45/47 (GPS)
mph on a normal run.

I have nothing but good things to say about Bombadier and the FICHT
engine ignition/injection scheme.

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
----------
"My rod and my reel - they comfort me."

St. Pete, 12 Lb. Test

Thanks for you reply Tom I'm just adding a quick reply so I have it on
the disk, if you don't mind I'll address the "vibration" at 2300 rpm later.

However again well done that you Ficht is performing reasonably well &
I believe it will continue to.

K

Tuuk wrote:
I purchased the 225 ficht in 99, when the recall for the safety kit or
shield and software upgrade called me in and they attached the laptop
diagnostics on my engine, they told me I had just over 800 hours on the
engine. Since then I know I have put more than 200 hours or even 400 hours,
mostly idle speeds. I have gone through 4 sets of plugs (once per year)
which I found a very cheap source for and have had no problems and been very
satisfied with my purchase, high value. I thought the optimax people were
the ones having their aches and pains.
I am fairly pleased with my decision to go with the Ficht. Only other
problem I had was the trim and tilt system while under warranty, never
slowed me down or prevented a trip but they ended up replacing the entire
system and haven't seen the dealer since.


Again like Tom I'm chuffed you're happy, well done & congratulations. I
respond because you mention the "safety recall", again this will be
addressed in a later thread, however genuine thanks again for reading &
responding.

K

Billgran wrote:
"K Smith" wrote in message
...

This NG has been the only place, anywhere that has been shown to have
correctly predicted Ficht would fail & explain why.



Hey ,

It sounds like deja vu all over again. All you are repeating is a 1998 quote
about 1 in 5 having failures, and yes, that was from the then president
David Jones.

FICHT has been around since mid 1996 and is still going strong today. That's
eight years of production. The E-TEC system that has been recently
introduced is what was called FICHT II back in OMC days and was scheduled to
be introduced in 2003, but their financial problems took care of that.

What's your point????

Bill Grannis
service manager



It's a boating NG Bill that's my point, people have been well ****ed
lately by OT posts so here's some on topic, that's my point, it's winter
there so people might like to look into this or not as they wish, that's
my point.

As usual you're just here to spam deceptions & as usual you try to
silence anyone who posts material you think will damage sales.

So you have nothing to add of a technical nature to the post?? any
questions?? No?? Nothing at all??? going once, twice, third & final
chance Bill??

I'll take it then thus far we're OK??, as the following threads
continue please don't hesitate to comment if you wish or challenge any
of the material, without your customary personal abuse of course:-)

I'll suggest that if you follow this even you might be able to
understand why Ficht failed & why your latest engines with higher
melting point pistons, higher temp oils etc are also doomed for the same
reasons. Indeed your latest offering is proof absolute we were 100%
correct in the assessments given in early 98.

Probably you should be concentrating on the autoignition temps I've
given thus far, please check, check, & recheck everything.

I will point out that garden variety aluminium, we use it here, has a
"melting" point of about 660C or 1220F. So your new "special" high temp
alloy pistons might be stronger, but they are an admission the fuel is
autoigniting, which it definitely is by much much lower temps.

As usual you get me ahead of myself, this will all be dealt with in a
later thread, so read or don't as you wish.

K

"K Smith" wrote in message
...

I will point out that garden variety aluminium, we use it here, has a
"melting" point of about 660C or 1220F. So your new "special" high temp
alloy pistons might be stronger, but they are an admission the fuel is
autoigniting, which it definitely is by much much lower temps.



Ah, you don't get it at all, Karen. With FICHTs performing well over 2000
hours in commercial fishing use and for years doing OK, it's not a problem
of piston melting. The "NASA space age" aluminum does not expand as much as
traditional alloys. This allows E-TEC to have a very snug piston to cylinder
fit for less piston-slap noise in the motor. There are also no cutaways in
the skirts either, so the piston has less "rocking" motion. The E-TEC is
competing against the 4-stroke noise issue and the less expanding, tighter
fitting piston helps. I've run the motors and mechanical noise is almost
non-existant, even with the motor cover off.

You are correct about the off-topic posts, most should be relegated to
alt.news. political. crap. See, we can agree on something!

Bill Grannis
service manager

On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 03:29:10 GMT, "Billgran"
wrote:


"K Smith" wrote in message
...

I will point out that garden variety aluminium, we use it here, has a
"melting" point of about 660C or 1220F. So your new "special" high temp
alloy pistons might be stronger, but they are an admission the fuel is
autoigniting, which it definitely is by much much lower temps.

Ah, you don't get it at all, Karen. With FICHTs performing well over 2000
hours in commercial fishing use and for years doing OK, it's not a problem
of piston melting. The "NASA space age" aluminum does not expand as much as
traditional alloys. This allows E-TEC to have a very snug piston to cylinder
fit for less piston-slap noise in the motor. There are also no cutaways in
the skirts either, so the piston has less "rocking" motion. The E-TEC is
competing against the 4-stroke noise issue and the less expanding, tighter
fitting piston helps. I've run the motors and mechanical noise is almost
non-existant, even with the motor cover off.

You are correct about the off-topic posts, most should be relegated to
alt.news. political. crap. See, we can agree on something!

Bill Grannis
service manager

Bill - I heard that the new baffling system on the air intake and some
mechanical changes in the interior surface of the cowling has quieted
the E-TEC engines down a lot. Any truth to that?

It sure would be an improvement over the FICHT - my FICHTs aren't
terribly noisy, but on the Ranger (which is twenty feet long and you
are about 8 feet from the engine) you have to talk louder than normal.
It's better on the Contender because of distance.

Speaking of quiet engines, I was at the last Miami boat show and as a
result of knowing somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody I
managed a ride on a Hydrasport with one of the new Merc outboards -
the motor was all black with no identifying marks, but it had to be at
least 250 Hp - anyway, at full throttle, you could stand next to the
motor and have a conversation at normal volume - incredibly quiet.
That would be the gold standard to my way of thinking.

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
----------
"My rod and my reel - they comfort me."

St. Pete, 12 Lb. Test

K Smith wrote in message
I will point out that garden variety aluminium, we use it here, has a
"melting" point of about 660C or 1220F. So your new "special" high temp
alloy pistons might be stronger, but they are an admission the fuel is
autoigniting, which it definitely is by much much lower temps.


Gee, I have some garden-variety aluminum in my aluminum-framed folding
lawn chairs. Are you implying that because engine manufacturers use
something stronger that that implies there is something inherently
wrong with the engines?

Maybe the higher temp aluminium has different machining qualities or
expands less when heated or allows for tighter tolerances. There are
many reasons in engine manufacturing to step up to a higher grade
metal or even a different metal altogether.

You seem to suffer from tunnel vision and think that because
Manufacturer X does something different, it must be for a negative
reason.

I think I asked you before are you an engine design engineer or some
sort of super mechanic?

Karen is more likely a recycler of scrap vehicles.
She strips junked trucks of their diesel engines, has the 'blokes' fabricate
a rough housing for a shaft/propeller and tries to pawn off this monstrosity
on some poor unsuspecting sap.

Mad Dog Dave wrote in message
om...
snip
You seem to suffer from tunnel vision and think that because
Manufacturer X does something different, it must be for a negative
reason.

I think I asked you before are you an engine design engineer or some
sort of super mechanic?

Billgran wrote:
"K Smith" wrote in message
...


I will point out that garden variety aluminium, we use it here, has a
"melting" point of about 660C or 1220F. So your new "special" high temp
alloy pistons might be stronger, but they are an admission the fuel is
autoigniting, which it definitely is by much much lower temps.




Ah, you don't get it at all, Karen. With FICHTs performing well over 2000
hours in commercial fishing use and for years doing OK, it's not a problem
of piston melting. The "NASA space age" aluminum does not expand as much as
traditional alloys. This allows E-TEC to have a very snug piston to cylinder
fit for less piston-slap noise in the motor. There are also no cutaways in
the skirts either, so the piston has less "rocking" motion. The E-TEC is
competing against the 4-stroke noise issue and the less expanding, tighter
fitting piston helps. I've run the motors and mechanical noise is almost
non-existant, even with the motor cover off.

Sorry Bill they're having a lend of you yet again, just as they did
when they told you all the other BS, by know I thought you might have
been more wary;

(a) It was the ECU programs, till they changed them every second
wednesday to no effect & now you see more changes as a plus???
(b) it was all the evil "piston supplier's QA" that was causing the
blown powerheads back in the Ficht times. But again we had to point out
to you that the carbed almost same engine (block, internal, HP outputs
etc etc etc), from the exact same lines were not chucking 2 in 5
powerheads, indeed they were running about as well as the carbed engines
ever had, what???? it seems those "evil" suppliers were only supplying
those faulty pistons to the Ficht engines?? Marketing BS nothing more.
(c) they told you it was a solenoid driven piston in bore injector
pump, even taught you how to dis & re assemble them, we had to explain
to you that it wasn't, it's just a very low pressure impact pulse pump,
(you didn't believe us till you measured one yourself:-)),
(d) they told you it was the oil "quality", we explained it wasn't
because most mineral oils start to bake solid around 300C,
(e) so Ficht gave you the super duper special dealer only 3 times the
price ficht oil which was supposed to be the "fix". Till we explained to
you it was just vege oil which can take higher temps before it bakes
solid (will you be having fries with that blown ficht?),

However despite all the troubles, OMC got chucked & now Bomb have
chucked it; you never once stopped to wonder why they needed all this
desperate experimental with other peoples' money crap?? What the hell is
in there at anything like 300C that can, break or melt pistons? bake
mineral oil???, bounce & then force injectors out of the cyl heads?
crack the plumbing carry pressurised fuel? We've been suggesting excess
heat from abnormal poorly atomised lean mixture burns for literally
years, but you just pretend, cover your ears & say I can't hear you!! I
can't hear you!!

If anything even near the combustion chamber gets to the sorts of temps
that leave the sorts of things your endless experimental modifications
are trying to fix, then sorry Bill; the fuel is autoigniting for sure &
well before the oil bakes, the piston overheats, the detonation impacts
start breaking fuel lines, the injectors (held in as they have been in
diesels no less!! for many years) start bouncing out of the heads.

We've been screaming poor atomisation!!(no pressure), lean mixture!!!
detonation (because the flamefront is too slow) since day one & you nor
they have ever even mentioned the words; why?? because if not you,
certainly "they" know that's the real cause of the failures, but have no
clue as to what to do about it. If they do figure out how to run IC
engines lean at power, we'll all know pretty quickly because that's the
holy grail, all the big blokes have lusted after for what?? 60 yrs, all
previous attempts failed, just as has this. Thankfully Chrysler & Honda
stopped before it buried them as it did OMC.

Stronger injector fastenings, pistons, vege oils, etc etc etc will
stand up to detonation damage longer, maybe even till the normal mixture
mode can cool the chamber enough, but it's not a solution, it's merely a
defense against the symptoms of the real cause.

We have a new joke line around here?? The latest ficht makes no noise.
It's about how you OMC blokes now tell everyone how quiet the latest
renamed Ficht is: a seized powerhead makes no noise:-) (You need to be
an old ex cruising yachty to fully appreciate it, it follows from the
standard comment when anything takes you by surprise; hmmmm a falling
coconut makes no noise)

I hope you don't think I'm avoiding the issues as you spruik them;-)
but I need to do this one step at a time, & as usual you don't address
the post in hand just spruik more totally incorrect marketing BS your
masters have fed you. However I will have this on disk now & will deal
with it in a later thread; if not, please remind me:-)

You are correct about the off-topic posts, most should be relegated to
alt.news. political. crap. See, we can agree on something!

If you could stop repeating the same spruiker marketing lines over &
over we could agree on more than you imagine. I haven't even mentioned
Ficht within the post yet, so address the substance of the thread then
we can move on. So far then we're in full agreement of those particular
issues??? I promise you'll get lots of opportunity to spruik Ficht
defense lines later because Ficht & E-tech will be getting lots of mentions.

Karen Smith
at your service

Bill Grannis
service manager

Mad Dog Dave wrote:

This is the brain dead liar Harry, I think they've bussed him to the
south so he can hold a placard & protest against Bush, really sad thing
is he'll be back.

He's even going to meet him just a minute, just how stupiod can he be???

K

I try to keep a little on topic material if possible so .....

Here's where this liar works, the lowest of the low, a spruiker
for a union rip off, he works in the "PR" dept of a union, that about
tells it all

PR Contacts

For media inquiries, please contact the individual listed below:

Harry Krause
ULLICO Inc.
(202) 682-7957



Here's some of Harry's lies for you, just to bring back old
memories:-)

But if I may?? before you read; take a look at these passages
from an article about the bent union rip off, who rip off other
unionists, (honour among .......???)

ULLICO
Union Pension-Owned Company Set to Lose $20-$30 Million
Its stock windfall from the bankrupt Global Crossing now gone,
Georgine, former head of the AFL-CIO's Bldg. &
Construction Trades Dept., blamed chief financial officer John Grelle for
the losses. Days later, Grelle resigned in protest, blasting
Georgine for
not selling the company jet, which costs $3 million a year.

N.B. Now did you see that!!!!!??? Harry as you'll see below
"claims" his wife has a corporate jet!!!! He's making these stories up
as the jealous junior mail person in the PR dept!!!!

There was no indication if Grelle also called on Georgine and other union
boss directors of Ullico to return the more than $6 million they made in
inside deals of Ullico stock in 2000 and 2001. In the late 90s,
Ullico was
able to buy Global Crossing stock at its initial public offering (IPO)
price. By 1999, a $7.6 million investment had mushroomed to $335
million.
After pricing its own stock at a set $25 per share, Ullico directors
changed
the rules, setting a new price at the beginning of each year.

So these rip offs were raking it in at the expense of the workers
in many unions & I'll suggest that the fantasy boats that Harry claims
are HIS OWN are in fact the play things of the execs of the insurance
CO, I also suggest that's his only involvement is as the boat boy for
his union bosses!!!


Global
Crossing spiraled toward bankruptcy, and Ullico's stock took a
tumble, the
Ullico directors who had bought their stock at $54 a share were given two
opportunities to sell it back, the first time for $146 a share, the
second
time for $75. As Georgine and the other Ullico officials made $6.7
million
in profits, the union pension funds that own Ullico could not take
advantage
of the same deal.

And clearly they have a very well practiced liar in the PR dept
mail room to help post out those bogus spin releases:-)



[New York Times 3/28/03]

Anyway back to the lies:-)





Just to make your day, not only was
I a civilian employee in SE Asia, it was in Vietnam, it was
during the
war against Vietnam, I did see some horrific sights and I was
working at
the time for a U.S. general. Is that straightforward enough for you,
John, or is your amoeba still chasing your synapse


I'm doing my part to ease unemployment. I'm hiring another
writer for my staff. Will be putting the ad on MONSTER.COM and
in the Wash Post.




I need more staff because 2004 is a major election year and
business
booked to date indicates we'll be drowning in work. We need to
hire a
production coordinator, too. It has very little to do with the
state of the economy, other than using it as reason to defeat
Republicrap
candidates.


I'm doing my part to ease unemployment. I'm hiring another
writer for my

staff. Will be putting the ad on MONSTER.COM and in the Wash
Post.












We have first-class benefits, including a top-of-the-line health
insurance plan, a non-contributory defined-benefit pension plan, a
401k,
and a life insurance policy equal to annual salary. We contribute a
share of profits to the 401k on behalf of the employee. Our
employees
pay $4.50 for generic prescriptions and $8.00 for non-generics, but
that's going up next year to $10 and $15. New employees get two
weeks
vacation the first year, and that goes to three weeks the third
year. In
addition, we have 12 paid holidays and we shut down from noon on
Christmas eve to the day after New Year's Day. We also provide 20
days
of paid sick leave a year. And we have an outside company
administering
pre-tax flexible bennies for our employees.
Our fringe benefit package follows the trade union model,
except, of
course, for the profit contributions to 401k's. Trade unions are
not-for-profit enterprises.
How do these compare to the bennies at your shop?

Paid? Every year? I call "bull****". With 3 weeks vacation, 12
paid
holidays, and 20 paid sick days that's 47 *paid* days off every
year. Are
they hourly employees? For a "small business", that's the road to
bankruptcy.

Boy...and you had me going there for a minute.

Not quite so simple, though you are trying hard to make it so. Our
business is up because we're on the cusp of an election year. Our
business always goes up in a major election year.
You could say we're going to be doing very well in 2004 because
Bush is
such a total failure.


The 20 paid sick days aren't part of the "paid" days off unless
those
days are used. None of our people abuses sick leave. In fact, no
one as
yet has even come close to using 20 sick days in one year. They're
there
in case they're needed.


Oh, I forgot. We also provide everyone with LTD.

The company provides an insurance plan that pays 50% of an
employe's
salary for Long Term Disability. Employes have the option of
purchasing
an additional 16.66%, bringing their total to 66.66%. The basic
benefit
maximum is $4,000 per month. With the buy up, the limit is
increased to
$10,000 per month.





Sure. I'm in the market for a new marine diesel of 420-480 shp. I'm
especially
interested in Volvo's TAMD74P EDC, because Volvo has had a lot of
experience
with electronic controls in that size diesel. I've dismissed
getting a Cat 3208
TA because the technology is so old and because a couple of
commercial fishermen
I know who have had 3208's have, basically, burned them out.




Thanks. Yes, Cummins is talked about favorably by some of the guys
I've been
talking to. Most of them have had experience with Cats, especially
the 3208, and
in recent years some have moved to Volvos.

These are commercial fishermen, mostly, running hulls somewhat
similar to what
we're doing.



No, the diesel is for a new boat we're having built.




Hmmm. A fishing/day cruising boat with some range, nice speed, a
real soft ride,
offshore capabilities and sleeping/full head(with standup shower
enclosure)/galley accommodations. Fiberglass, although the
architect did try to
convince me to go with cold-molded wood, which I do like.
More specifically, I suppose, a lobsta' boat, sort of, if that
brings up a
mental image for you.




She'll measure 36' sans a bowsprit x a little more than 12' in beam.
The hull
buttom is built down to the keel. There are no chines.
The hull is efficient at displacement and planing speeds. According
to the hull
builder, if we keep the weight within certain limits, we'll achieve
a WOT of
about 37-38 mph, and a very easy cruise of 30-32 mph on a single
diesel of about
420-450 hp. She'll cruise slow and economically, too.
We expect a very smooooooooooth riding boat, able to take on a big
headsea at a
pretty good clip without beating up the folks inside.
Fitting out a boat like this is going to be an interesting and
stimulating
experience. Basically, we get to spec everything and we end up with
a custom
boat

It's Lou Codega. He's a widely known and respected naval
architect. He
does Regulator's hulls, too. He's done the Navigator 37. I
believe he's
also done designs for Carolina Classic.

Cummins faxed me a bunch of computer generated data today on engine
choices for

the new boat.

On the 36-footer, 16,000 pounds displacement:

QSM11 635 hp, 36.3 mph WOT, 32.1 mph at sustained cruise, marine
gear ratio of
1.77, turning a four blade 26x35 prop on a 2.50 inch Aquamet 22
shaft. Too much
engine.

QSM11 535 hp at 2300 rpm, 33.3 mph WOT, 29.5 mph at sustained
cruise of 2100
rpm, same gear ratio, 24x34 prop. Right on the money.

6CTA8.3 450 hp, 30.6 mph WOT, 27.5 mph at sustained cruise, 2.00:1
gear ratio,
24x31 four blade prop on Aquamet 22 2" shaft.

Cummins tells me its program is "about 8% too conservative."

Looks like the QSM11 535 will be the right engine. Its fuel use is
only a little
more than the 450's and a lot less than the 635 hp engine. What I
want is a 30
mph sustained cruise speed, and 535 hp will do it. Cummins also
figured the boat
at 1000 pounds heavier than our target, which is probably the
smart thing to do.
Besides, the QSM is a new, all computerized design.


The hull form is what got to me. The boat has a substantial keel
and it is a
built-down keel, right to its bottom, not just "tacked" on. It
backs down
beautifully. And it seems to roll one heck of a lot less in a beam
sea than the
semi-vee 36 footers I've been on, and especially some large deep
vee fishing
boats of about the same size its been my pleasure to fish aboard. I
believe it
is a function of the keel and the really low center of gravity.
Amazing, for a
boat that is round bilged and fairly flat under the transom. No
chines. Just
splash rails forward and aft. A soft, soft ride...which is what I
wanted.







Here's just some of his prior lies (in his own words pasted);

I sold off nearly $3,000,000 in new motors and boats,
depressing
the new boat
industry in southern Connecticut for an entire season.
Everything was
sold...every
cotter pin, every quart of oil, 30 days after I started.
For near
full-retail, too.


He had just under $1,000,000 on floor plan with a
syndicate of banks led by National Shawmut of Boston. He had
been a
solid customer of that back for more than 20 years and they
gave him
great rates.



As far as your other complaints, well, almost every president
in my memory,
and I *remember* Truman, Eisenhower (who cheated on his wife),
Kennedy,
Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush, lied and
participated in
deceit to one degree or another, and on issues far more
important than who
was giving them blow jobs.

Good lord. I met *every* president in the damned group except
Bush, and I
worked once for his father.



My father used to pray that the north shore of LI Sound would
be hit by
a mild hurricane. No
one injured, no on-shore property damaged, but lots of boats
sunk.
Preferably early in July.


We had the Hatteras for two years. Last year, out of the cold
clear, a
broker approached me with an offer to buy. Our continued
Florida
lifestyle was somewhat up in the air, because the two
breadwinners
hereabouts were about to be offered long-term but temporary
assignments
they could not refuse in the Washington, D.C., area. So, after
being
romanced a little, we sold the Hatt for almost precisely what
we paid
for it. Not bad, after two full years of use. And I mean full
years. So,
we didn't "make" any money off the Hatt, but we didn't lose
any, either.
The proceeds were prudently invested.

The PWC was won as
a prize in a raffle.



Never mind that. Why does he have a Bilgeliner in front of
his office?
Is it a display of "Boating Don'ts?"
Yeah, when we were in the boat biz, my father always had one
or two















"around the back" that he was forced to take in trade. These
were sold
as "as is, where is." He made sure the engine would start and
run.
Beyond that, it was up to the prospective buyer to decide if
he wanted
it. They moved off the lot pretty quickly, partially because
my dad's
main store was on a highly trafficked commercial route with
lots of
manufacturing and machining and aerospace plants near by. In
those days,
workers at these places could fix anything.


Actually, Dipper, I don't think my father ever saw a Bayliner.
But he still
called bumpers bumpers.
--



Bayliner wined and dined my father a half dozen times to
entice him
into becoming its dealer. His operation was the largest small
boat
dealership in its area of New England, and for 30 years, he
was the
*exclusive* Evinrude dealer in a densely populated coastal
county. He
also handled Mercuries. He never liked Bayliners, and referred
to them
as "jerry-built."


From 1947 until he died, he sold more than 500 outboard
motors a
year from his stores, accounting for a reasonably high
percentage of *all*
outboards sold in his home state for those years.


This is a killer. My father was in the boat business dating
back to
right after
the Big War. When he died and I was looking through his
warehouse, I found
wrapped in a nuclear fall-out bag (no kidding), a brand-new
1949
Evinrude 8015
50 hp outboard. The motor was a gift to my father from
Evinrude for
winning some
outboard stock utility or hydroplane race.

I gave the motor to a friend of my dad's, who worked at the
shop as head
mechanic. I don't believe he ever used it and I'm sure it is
still
brand-new. I
have no idea who might own it now.



He also built
boats, and I worked on a few, both wood, glass covered wood and
all fiberglass. After he died, however, we sold the biz and
I've
just been an occasional boat owner.


Besides, I worked off and on in the
boat business and inherited it when he died. So, as I said, I'm
knee-deep in boat heritage.


Oh,
and I had some friends who died in the service, too, but it
wasn't for
what they believed in. They were drafted, shipped to Vietnam
and came
back in body bags.


During the war, he turned out experimental brass shell casings
for the
Army and hopped up outboards for the Navy, which wanted to use
them on
smaller
landing craft. I had photos at one time of my father with Ole
Evinrude
himself.
My mother knew one of Evinrude's wives...she was a minor movie
star or
singer...I forgot which. Maybe both.



Have you ever sailed from San Francisco to Hawaii? I have.
Have you ever rounded Cape Horn? I have, twice.
Have you ever transited the Panama Canal? I have.
Have you owned more than 20 boats in your lifetime? I have.
Have you ever sailed large boats competitively? I have.
Have you ever been hundreds of miles from land in a powerboat
under your
command? I have.


My father and his chief mechanic once crossed the Atlantic in
winter in
a 22'
boat powered by twin outboards. Yes, it is possible, even the
fuel. Got a
"fireboat" welcome in NYC.




Here are some:

Hatteras 43' sportfish
Swan 41' racing/cruising sloop
Morgan 33
O'Day 30
Cruisers, Inc., Mackinac 22
Century Coronado
Bill Luders 16, as sweet a sailboat as ever caught a breeze.
Century 19' wood lapstrake with side wheel steering
Cruisers, Inc. 18' and 16' wood lapstrakes
Wolverines. Molded plywood. Gorgeous. Several. 14,15,17
footers with various
Evinrudes
Lighting class sailboat
Botved Coronet with twin 50 hp Evinrudes. Interesting boat.
Aristocraft (a piece of junk...13', fast, held together with
spit)
Alcort Sunfish
Ancarrow Marine Aquiflyer. 22' footer with two Caddy Crusaders.
Guaranteed 60
mph. In the late 1950's.
Skimmar brand skiff
Arkansas Traveler fiberglass bowrider (I think it was a
bowrider)
Dyer Dhow
Su-Mark round bilge runabout, fiberglass
Penn Yan runabouts. Wood.
Old Town wood and canvas canoe
Old Town sailing canoe...different than above canoe



Sometime in the early 1960s, I was driving back from Ft.
Leonard Wood to
Kansas City in a nice old MGA I owned at the time. About
halfway home it
started raining heavily, I turned on the wipers, and EVERY
SINGLE
electrical accessory and light in the car flashed on, there
was a large
popping sound and it all blew out at once. And the car caught
fire. I
pulled over to the side of the road, watched the fire,
removed my
license plate and hitched on home. For all I know, that old
MGA is still
there.

Sure was a pretty little car.


Puh-lease, Karen. You've not seen nor have I ever posted one
example of
my professional writings on building structure and the effects
on it of
hurricane-force winds and seismic activity. I haven't done any
of these
in at least 10 year, but at the time I was field researching,
photographing and writing these reports, they were quite
accurate,
topical and well-received by their intended audiences.


A small fleet of Polar skiffs were purchased by an inshore
bait, tackle

and boat rental business on the ICW in NE Florida. These
boats were not
used on open waters. Within 90 days, cracks developed in the
liners that
also served as the deck over the flotation in the bottom of
the hulls. A
guide I know, one whose boats and engines are supplied to
him by
manufacturers, also had a Polar skiff go bad on him for the
same reasons
-liner and then hull fractures.















Harry has claimed to have a 20 yrs his junior beautiful wife, he
even put a fake pic of a beautiful woman on a website once
claiming it was his "young bride", he may have a wife, although
I doubt it, we don't like nor tolerate misogynists for long.

Needless to say he's made up many "dramatic" over the top
stories over the years about this lie to feed his ego & pretend
he's the centre of attention, but as with his boat claims &
other crap, there's never once been even a shred of
independently verifiable material.

After he stalked Madcow in real life, which was most
frightening, I do suspect he's very very dangerous & that this
"bride" story is his delusional appropriation of his, probably
court ordered, treating psychotherapist as "wife" (it seems he
was under lock & key for what?? over a year??? a sexual deviant
maybe??), have a read of just a small part of his BS & make up
your own mind, it's all about free choice:-)


1. She *is* my bride. There are no rules that determine the
end of
"bride-hood." If I want to refer to her as my bride, I may.

2. As a professional writer, I know the rules of language and am
entitled to
break them in exercise of my license.

3. I doubt many married women would object to their husbands
lovingly
referring to them as brides. The connotations are pleasant.

4. She's 20 years younger than I am.



Naw. What happened was that I handled a couple of "political"
consulting
jobs funded out of the DC area to help a few candidates and
defeat a
couple of ballot issues. Through no fault of mine, we won each
of the
races, so some of the deep pockets types based in the DC area
think I
actually *know something* about the process. I was offered a
contract
that requires my presence in DC quite frequently. My bride
also was
offered a job up here that represented a significant
professional career
move. So, we're "up here" much of the time and "down there" the
rest of
it, except when we're "somewhere else." I've been back to Jax
(well,
really south of Jax) five times since coming "up here" late last
summer
and my bride just returned from a business trip there.

I swear this is true.


Here's a funny. My bride had to fly out to San Diego
Wednesday and
hitched a ride on her company's corporate jet. They landed in
Salina,
Kansas, which is due north of Wichita and Skippy's suburb of
Derby.

So when she gets to San Diego, I get a call asking, "What the
hell did
you do in Kansas...we didn't fly over one significant patch of
water...?"

Harry, you make over 500 posts a week to this group and you
don't own
a boat?
And why are you so crabby?
Maybe these two factors are related?



One has to own something to use it? Hmmm. My bride drives off in
her car
every day, but she doesn't own it.

I'm not crabby. You asked for advice I gave you some. I
questioned your
wanting to take a very small boat out into high seas and
suddenly you
turned sour. It's your pot; you are the one stewing in it.

No, it is the boat of a friend. It is a 24' ProLine center
console with,
if I recall, a 225 hp Merc on it. It was a dark and stormy day in
January (1997) when we went out, but the sky cleared once we got
out to
the Gulf Stream.


Bride and I caught and released:

1 white marlin
12-15 yellowtail snappers, maybe two pounds each. Pretty, pretty
fish.
Assorted red snappers
1 amberjack
2 jack crevalle jacks
1 snook
Nondescript sharks

Did you spend a year as a line psychotherapist at a 650-bed state
hospital for forensic patients?
Did you spend a year as senior psychotherapist at a county
facility for
substance abusers?
Did you spend two years as chief of therapy at a private, 200-bed
facility for the mentally and emotionally ill, at which
approximately
half the patients were trying to beat drugs or alcohol?
Are you currently chief of therapy for a for a multi-practitioner
practice of some 825 patients, about a third of which are
seeking help
for substance abuse problems?


Licensed psychotherapist
Screening as to character and background for each degree earned
On-going screening by faculty while in educational system
Interviews and screenings for required years of internships,
plus, at the same
time, supervision by a licensed professional.
Close professional and personal supervision by a licensed
therapist for two years
of employment before being allowed to apply for licensure
Licensure background check, submission of recommendations by
licensed
practitioners
Four hour written examination on state laws
Five hour written examination on diagnosis, procedure and
practice

My wife went through this before becoming licensed. Her final
internship was as a
psychotherapist at a 600-bed high security state psychiatric
hospital where, on a
daily basis, she was exposed to more danger than your average
soldier.

My wife worked for a year as psychotherapist in a Florida
600-bed state
mental institution for forensic patients. She saw and treated
numerous
sexual deviants who do a bit more than expose themselves. Such
"treatment"
is part of being in the mental health professions.


You see, I'm a nautical psychotherapist, and for only $125 an
hour,
until their health insurance runs out, I help Bayliner owners
overcome their
feelings of boatable inadequacy.


She is a licensed, practicing
psychotherapist and often tells me I am the sanest person she
sees each
day. Which can be taken any way one likes.


1. I'm married to a psychotherapist. Live-in therapy, dontcha
know? And much of
Freud is passe.

My ex-wife surpassed the anti-Christ at least a decade ago.

They're not actually "free" moments. I go to boat dealers to
round-up
Bayliner owners who are trying to find one who will take
their own
version of flotsam and jetsam in on trade.


1. The address listed is not a home address. It is an office.

2. I have three phone numbers. The phone number listed is not
one of
mine. It has never been one of mine. The phone number *did*
belong to an
after-hours message recording hotline my wife maintained for her
most
mentally disturbed patients. Some of these troubled souls were
court-ordered referrals. *Every* call to that phone number--every
call--was recorded AND because of the nature of the line, my
wife had
the ability to alert the telephone company to trace the phone
number of
every incoming call to that line, *even* if the person making
the call
tried to block his number.

Why, you might ask? Because when you are dealing with suicidal
people,
they'll liable to tell their therapist over the phone that
they are
planning to take their life. If the therapist believes the
threat is
real, she or he will want to dispatch emergency srvices and
perhaps the
police.

In the years my wife has provided this pro bono service, she has
never
received a threatening or abusive call from a mentally ill
patient or
court-ordered referral. However, after the ranking Flaming Ass
of this
newsgroup posted the hotline number in this newsgroup, she
received a
number of abusive, foul-mouthed AND life-threatening calls.
These were
mostly directed at me but, of course, I never received them
BECAUSE
(duh!) the phone is not mine and I've never answered it.
Naturally, my wife alerted the authorities, with whom she works
closely
because of her court-referred patients. The authorities are
investigating the callers and have involved both the FBI *and*
authorities in other states, including Florida, Georgia,
California and
Texas. Working with the telephone company, the authorities have
been
able to trace the origin of virtually every abusive call. And, of
course, they have the tape recordings of the abusive messages.
Several
suspects have been identified. I really don't know what the
outcome of
all this will be. We haven't had an update in several weeks, nor
are
either of us here that interested in the sleazeballs that would
make
such calls.


The phone number, of course, is "wired," so when the obnoxious
calls came in
from the idiot rec.boaters, the numbers were easy enough to
trace. The local
police handled a complaint, the local telco was involved and
when it was
discovered the point of origin was out of state, the FBI got
involved. At
least one of the idiots was caught and prosecuted. As far as I
can tell, he
has not posted here again


K Smith wrote in message

I will point out that garden variety aluminium, we use it here, has a
"melting" point of about 660C or 1220F. So your new "special" high temp
alloy pistons might be stronger, but they are an admission the fuel is
autoigniting, which it definitely is by much much lower temps.



Gee, I have some garden-variety aluminum in my aluminum-framed folding
lawn chairs. Are you implying that because engine manufacturers use
something stronger that that implies there is something inherently
wrong with the engines?

Maybe the higher temp aluminium has different machining qualities or
expands less when heated or allows for tighter tolerances. There are
many reasons in engine manufacturing to step up to a higher grade
metal or even a different metal altogether.

You seem to suffer from tunnel vision and think that because
Manufacturer X does something different, it must be for a negative
reason.

I think I asked you before are you an engine design engineer or some
sort of super mechanic?