Steve, I have a Lavranos-designed aluminum 13M cutter. The bottom has 6 coats of Interlux 2000e epoxy barrier and a couple of coats of Interlux “trilux 33″ bottom paint. What brand of bottom paint do you use in warm climates. Thanks.

Hi guys, I have loved reading your articles and have picked up some good tips. Information I'm after is regardinga 240v fridge-freezer on boats. I am currently building a 50ft powercat – long, light and low-powered – in Australia, and want around 250 liters of fridge and 100 liters of freeze. I have had small 12v fridg- freezer in past boats and while they were great , the bigger setup seems to be a bit cost prohibitive. This boat won't be attached to shore power and I didn't really want to have a genset on board. I have seen high output alternators, great while moving but don't really want to have to run motors just to charge batteries if on the hook for a week. I do plan on having 4 X 100 watt panels to help things allong. Can domestic refrigeration be a viable alternative or should I stay with the way expensive 12v? Any advice would be appreciated

Are you pleased with the frigoboat keel cooler installation on Wind Horse? If so, about what depth and width and length aluminum box did you put on the inside of the hull for a keel cooler and did you use fresh water or a glycol mixture? (I realize the box only needs 4 sides and flanged top edges to fasten the fiberglass). Fair winds, David

Reading your website on your new power boat and went through the refrigeration section. I had long ago figured a powerboat could be made quiet and the cost of running was less than sail. Your thoughts on hull design are spot on as far as I can reason and follow my thoughts for a long-legged sea cruising boat. BUT – on to my question – where can I get power requirements for the Danfoss Compressors?

Hi Linda and Steve, We are having currently 6 x 8D as the house battery, and we are about to upgrade to some more serious batteries. The new batteries will weight approx. 1600 pounds and will not fit in the old spot. The current batteries are about midship and about 1 foot in from starboard (not the best place you would think). We have space right after the engine room, right on the center of the boat. beam-wise we would move only a few feets, but length-wise we would shift a lot of weight (800 pounds) about 15 feet further aft. Now…we are talking about a 35-metric-ton 60-foot boat here, so in my opinion it should not make too much a difference, but I would be really interested in your opinion. Thank you for your help, Thomas

I am in purchase inspection of a Lancer 42 sloop, engine Perkins 85 hp. Another same model would be far away and therefore about $25,000 more expensive to get with the biggest engine of 220hp. I am aware of hull speed formula, but these boats were build with planning hull and can speed up to 12 knots, I guess. Now, how could I change the power engine, do I need another prop and shaft, to become the most powerful and faster boat under power? If change, what are such costs and makes it sense, if the goal is to have just in case a fast boat? Thanks for your opinion, have a great day, Ute

Please can you help. We are new to boating and have a 40ft sailboat – recently the fuel tank was overfilled and as a result a valve in the gage popped and allowed a considerable amt of fuel into the bilge. I had just cleaned, polished etc the entire inside of the boat to make it smell OK after being closed up for some time and now it smells like the inside of a diesel tank!! Do you have any suggestion what we can do to help eliminate the smell – we are at Hastings, Victoria Australia and everyone here says we just have to live with it and it will diminish in time – I want to try anything – I get sea sick. Your comments will be appreciated. Thanks Bev

Steve, I’ve been sailing over 67 years. I sail a 1973 Pearson 33. I’m on the verge of installing a Frigoboat Keel Cooler system, which, as you no doubt know, runs the refrigerant tube thru a shoe outside the hull for cooling. However, I have concerns about corrosion and marine fouling, as the shoe cannot be painted. The salesperson that I’m dealing with said (his spelling): "Sailing gurus Nigel Calder, Tom Neal, and Steve Dashew all use and endorse the keel cooler." Tom Neale is not familiar with it and I haven’t yet reached Nigel Calder. Do you have a track record with the keel cooler? Sincerely, from the Jersey Shore, George

Dear Steve, Just finished your Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia. Great ideas and information. My wife and I just bought a Stevens 47 and hope to start applying your theories soon on our planned circumnavigation. Its 500 nm fuel range has me concerned though. Would you advise converting 50 gal. of its water tankage to fuel, leaving 75 gal. of water and a 20 gph genset powered watermaker? – Jim

Hello, I am wondering if you have any experience with Whispergen generators. I have read their information and they sound very good, however I have not met anyone who has one to get a first-hand story about their efficiency. Hope you can help. Brent

Hi. We’re about to install rigid (as opposed to flexible) solar panels on our Cal 3-46: looking at a number of options for placement: atop dodger, atop Kato davits at stern, swiveled at side rails–any comments about optimum placement and subsequent sailing/safety issues? Thanks, Glenys

Hi SetSail! Following Steve’s lead when building our 50′ catamaran, PAPILLON, we installed sea chests to supply salt water to the watermaker, refrigerator, galley sink and head (stbd side) and genset, head, and deck wash (port). While at dock in Ft. Myers Beach (Estero River) this winter, the water from the starboard side has developed an awful stench–this despite: (a) daily turnover of the water in the sea chest through the refrigeration system (Glacier Bay), (b) cleaning of the chest itself about every 3 weeks, and (c) daily flushing of the head. The water at the sink and head are the real problems, due to sulfur smell. Have you experienced this type of problem, and what can you suggest? (The port side is rarely used and has been left filled with fresh water to delay the onset of the problem.) Thanks! – Julia P

What would you used to clean a greasy electric motor body with so that it is clean enough to paint? CRC, acetone, ammonia, 3M adhesive cleaner??? – Phil

Hi Steve, I need to get a hard drive for my boat, a 52′ sloop. My question is what kind of specs do I need to know that the hard drives will keep working if I get into a really pounding sea. I’d like to have 40 Gigs of storage.

This is not the kind of question I’d expect a boat builder to know about, but can you send me on to someone who might have more information about this? Many Thanks, Mac