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  1. K

    Towable recommendation

    I've found that O'Brien tubes seem to hold up better than other brands. I've never had one of those floating balls on the rope; I've never seen a need for it.
  2. K

    AM/FM Radio Issue.

    Of course the radio will pick up the "noise" from it; grounded or not. That's what radios do, they have antennas. If a cheap USB adapter radiates broadband noise it will most certainly be picked up by any radio receiver in the area.
  3. K

    AM/FM Radio Issue.

    Those little cheap 12v to USB adapters are notoriously noisy. I have several of them. Some totally knock out my FM radio and my ham radio. Some aren't too bad. I have one that is quiet as can be. That one was given to me at a trade show and has a generator manufacturer's brand name on it so I...
  4. K

    Questions regarding tow vehicle

    Bouncing, lifting, jumping, and guessing are extremely poor ways to analyze and solve a problem. Take your rig to a scale and weigh it. Feedmills, scrap yards, lumber yards, and quarries have them and will often let you use it for free. Or, go to a truck stop and pay the small fee. Then you will...
  5. K

    Rough cost of replacing snap-in carpet with Sea Deck

    The carpet in my 2004 Rinker 232 Captiva is getting pretty worn. The black backing is coming off and it makes a mess. I was thinking of getting new carpet next year but I happened to remember about Sea Deck with looks like a nice alternative to carpet. Can anybody give me a rough idea of what...
  6. K

    Adding a 12v DC-AC Inverter

    I would get an inverter/charger that will have a built in transfer switch. This allows it to power all the same 120v outlets in the boat as your shore power. When plugged into shore power it will feed that power thru and charge the battery. When you unplug from shore power it will transfer back...
  7. K

    Top Speed Issues

    I would try to pump the fuel out and burn it up in a car, lawnmower, etc. Dilute it at least 50% with new fuel. I would think that would be easier than using up 98 gallons in a boat that wont' run very well.
  8. K

    Inverter inquiry

    A 2000 watt inverter may draw as much as 200 amps at 12 volts when fully loaded. For a wire just 2 feet or so you might get by with 2/0 battery cable. For the slightly longer distance you're talking about (10?) I think 4/0 would be the minimum size.
  9. K

    Bravo 3 shifting stiff. Cures?

    The boat is a 2004 Rinker 232 Captiva with a Mag 350 and a B3. I had a shop replace my bellows back in April. They installed a new shift cable to the Bravo 3 outdrive. They said they backed the boat in the water and tested the shifting. I've had it out 7 times since the work was done. The first...
  10. K

    Speaker switch?

    The negative from the left and right should not be hooked together. That's likely your problem.
  11. K

    Radio turning off at certain volume

    How did you power it? Thru the existing wiring harness? Is this problem with the engine running or just from the battery? If just with battery I'd try it with the engine running to see if more voltage helps. It may be that the power wire is too small/long/corroded to provide enough power. You...
  12. K

    a different stereo/dual switch question

    Here's what I did. I cut the wire leading out of the battery switch and installed a buss bar between the two cut ends. Then, I connected the wire that feeds my stereo amps to the buss bar. Any other loads I might add in the future will get connected here to.
  13. K

    Replacement belt size?

    Thanks for all the help folks. I ended up getting one from Auto Zone for just over $20. Way better than the $75 or more they want for the "correct" Merc belt.
  14. K

    1990 18' Bayliner

    I think I'd cut my loses and upgrade to a different boat. You will have way more time and money in the repairs then that boat is worth; even if you do it all yourself.
  15. K

    Installing an inverter

    Do NOT charge your Mac laptop from modified sine wave power. Apple products are one of the most sensitive and are often damaged by MSW. One of my former employees found this out the hard way. He plugged his Mac into a MSW inverter after I warned him not too and he ended up having to buy a new...
  16. K

    Installing an inverter

    If it's free then that's one thing; otherwise I wouldn't install a modified sine wave inverter. They are kind of like black and white TVs; you could use one but why? 1,200 watts output will be drawing around 100 amps on the 12 volt input. You would want a bare minimum of 35 mm2 wire for that. If...
  17. K

    Replacement belt size?

    Thanks, So if the 865615Q03 is the one I need then that's over $120 just for a belt. I don't buy that many serpentine belts but I wasn't expecting that. I know the belts for my Chevrolet Suburban and Impala are more like $30 to $50. I was going to replace the one on the boat just as a...
  18. K

    Replacement belt size?

    I thought I got the right replacement serpentine belt for my engine but it doesn't fit. Upon closer inspection of all the ordering guides I can't seem to find my combination at all. I have a 2004 Mag 350 Bravo 3, S/N 0W005823. It has power steering and standard cooling (it sucks in lake water...
  19. K

    Sea Ray tow

    I wouldn't try the WDH on the boat trailer if it has surge brakes. WDHs have a tendency to prevent surge brakes from working very well. And, with a load like that you will need all the braking help you can get.
  20. K

    Power outlet

    Big coffee pots can be 1,500 watts. Small ones are probably 800 to 1200 watts. That will be roughly 80 to 150 amps out of a 12 volt battery bank. I think at minimum you would need 2 sets of 6v golf cart batteries to support that. That's still considered not enough battery for that load but since...
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