The Cape Dory Board

I just did this same project on Sunday. My setup was the same as yours -- pump and float switched wired to the panel, so I had to leave main battery switch on all the time. I just took the one lead from the float switch, which was wired to the "auto" position, and wired directly to the hou...

Well, for whatever reason, the seacock was moving fine this morning. Not sure if it was the WD40, or maybe the cold temperatures this morning, but I'm happy to say it required no additional effort to free it. I removed it and regreased it. Project finished, thanks for your help!

Sigh. It's never easy! All was going great, and I got through the first two without a hitch: Removed them easily, cleaned them up, greased, put back. They move great, admiral is very happy that she can move them now too. Then there is the third and final seacock. Grrr. Came out easily, cleaned up ea...

Thanks Dick -- very good points. I just don't want to breach etiquette! Even though my Cape Dory is a power boat, the wealth of knowledge in this group is still relevant on so many topics. Now that there's a board specific to power Cape Dorys ( http://www.capedory28.info ), I sometimes post a questi...

Thanks for the tips -- sorry, I should know to search the archives before asking! :oops: Tons of info there. Need to remember that I'm not pioneering anything here! :wink: I'll give Morey's a try. Haven't had any problem with weeping at this point, so I don't think I'll bother with the lapping right...

Can I use regular marine grease (like trailer bearing grease, for instance) to grease the seacocks? Or am I really better off ordering the maintenance kit from Spartan?

Thanks.

I'm in Shipwright too (28 Flybridge power), and hauled now until April. I don't think I'd use it very much over the winter months, and the break I get on insurance for being out of the water for 5 months partly covers the on-land storage costs. I'm also curious about how many boats stay in the water...

I'll second the recommendation for Gale Browning of Hartoft. She surveyed my CD 28 (power) in May, and she was great -- very detailed and thorough.

Thanks Tom. I will call around to a few locksmiths to see if they have the blank.

Wow I am a dummy -- I should have used the "search" function before asking!

The wheelhouse door on our CD 28 flybridge is a sliding door with a skeleton key for locking/unlocking. I only have one key, and the local lock & key shop doesn't have a match. Any recommendations on where to find one? For that matter, I'm having trouble getting a copy of the ignition key for ou...

You can get a bypass kit from West Marine. Once you hook up the bypass kit, you can switch over to just cold water, and when you're done fixing the water heater, just flip the switch to start using the heater again. I'm about to take on the same project... I just bought one of these myself, but I ha...

Just thought I'd post an update: I'm the proud new owner of Hull #47! In the end, my wife and I purchased a 1986 28 Flybridge with the 165hp diesel. We're content with the speed it achieved with this engine, and the boat was both local and priced in a range that let us move ahead with it this year. ...

Has anyone read the Alan Gurney book, "Compass: A Story of Exploration and Innovation", about the development of everyone's favorite navigational instrument? I'm about 2/3rds of the way through it. Great story, fascinating how theories of magnetic attraction and variation developed, and th...

Thanks again Mark, I may take you up on that. There are a few nice listings online. I'm grappling the decision whether significant upgrades are worth significantly more money. For instance, in CT there is one listed with an almost new 200hp engine, new tranny, new fuel tanks, and canvas. I would lov...

Thanks for the info, sounds like a 200hp would be just right, wonder if the 165 would get there too. I guess the only way to find out for sure is to sea trial. "Just do it" is a great idea, if money were no object, of course! It's likely I will just do it, and soon, but it's a major invest...