John,<br><br>Regarding downwind tracking, did you add the Gyro-plus option to the auto pilot?<br><br>Jim Wiggin

John,<br>I am following your entries with
interest as we will get our SM Sept. 16. We had a Pearson
356 which did not pound at all and the sections
through the bows sounds like a good
explanation.<br><br>"Buzzards Bay", hmmmm. I had heard from Peter Briggs that
someone in Mattapoisett was getting a SM. Could that be
you?<br><br>Jim Wiggin

ROY,<br>THANKS FOR THE RESPONSE. THIS WILL BE AN
EXPERIMENT AND I CERTAINLY WILL ADVISE YOU OF THE RESULTS. I
HAVE A TRADITIONAL 40' YAWL ON BUZZARDS BAY (CAPE COD
AREA). SHE HAS A FULL KEEL WITH A CENTERBOARD, BUT
SELDOM POUNDS. SHE HEELS AND PITCHES, YAWS AND ROLLS
THROUGH CHOP, BUT CERTAINLY NOT AS FAST AS THE SM. I AM
AWARE OF THE FLATTER SECTIONS, BUT IF THATS HER ONLY
NEGATIVE POINT, THEN I CAN LIVE WITH THIS.<br>HAPPY NEW
YEAR,<br>JOHN FOLINO

Hi John,<br>Your plan to place anchors and chain
in engine room can't hurt. However, the SM's
tendency to pound to weather may have more to do with the
relatively flat bow sections than with weight distribution.
Compared to the earlier Maramu, the SM is quite flat
forward. This makes her lighter and also faster in light
winds (less wetted surface), but does lead to pounding
in a chop. <br>In any boat, moving weight from the
ends to the center reduces pitching moment of inertia,
meaning she'll rise faster to the next wave, and also
come down faster in the trough. Whether this reduces
pounding is questionnable. What it will do is reduce green
water over the bow.<br>Let us know what you find out if
you try it!<br>Regards, Roy Benveniste

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL. I RECENTLY RECEIVED AMEL
SM #347 & DELIVERED HER (SULAJON) FROM LAROCHELLE TO
LAGOS, PORTUGAL. ON JANUARY 17, 2002 WE WILL DEPART
LAGOS FOR THE CANARIES, THEN ONTO THE CARIBBEAN (BVI).
MY EXPERIENCE WAS BETTER THAN I EVER IMAGINED. AS I
HAD SAILED ON TWO SM'S I HAD PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS
ABOUT HER SAILING CAPABILITIES! HOWEVER, I WAS TRULY
IMPRESSED WITH HER DOWN WIND TRACKING AND LIGHT HELM, NOT
TO MENTION AMEL'S ATTENTION TO DETAIL. WHAT WAS A
SURPRISE WAS HER TENDANCY TO POUND IN A CHOP GOING TO
WEATHER. MY PLAN UPON MY RETURN IS TO BROAD REACH TO THE
CARIBBEAN. PLANS FREQUENTLY DON'T WORK OUT AS LAID OUT,
THEREFORE THE REASON FOR MY QUESTION. I AM THINKING OF
REMOVING NEARLY 700 POUNDS OF ANCHORS & CHAIN FROM THE
STEM AND STOWING SAME IN BURLAP BAGS BENEATH THE
GENSET WITH SUITABLE LASHINGS. COMMENTS,
SUGGESTIONS?<br>JOHN FOLINO

Can anyone tell me of a marine supplier like West
Marine which sells metric parts and equipment
manufactured in Europe? It would be great to find a company
which also speaks English - perhaps in the Caribbean?
Thanks.<br><br>David Lambertsen<br>s/v Have Fun!<br>Amel Maramu 258

To svladysadie, (Bill Atz)<br>Bill, I can't tell
you very much more. It was done as a "one off" by the
owner (non-English speaking)& is berthed next to me in
Antibes,S.France. He did give me the name of the person who carried
it out in France (not a lot of use I think!) I don't
have a photo but will take one next time I visit. I
could send a diagram but I don't know how to do this
except direct to your e-mail address. The dingy is left
on for short (and not so short!)sails.<br>John
McDougall

I have just completed an alphabetic listing of
English/French and French/English nautical terms. It is a work
in progress and not all the nouns have genders
attached. It consists of 2 Microsoft Excel files.<br><br>If
anyone wishes to have copies please e-mail me
at<br>peterweston@netzero.net

Hi,<br>I owned a Maramu (#146, 1983)for 13 years,
and now have a Super Maramu (#195, 1997). I have
fitted davits on both boats, of my own design. This
design has been seen and copied by several Amel owners
in Europe and in the US. I have used the davits for
a Zodiac MkI GT Futura, weighing 150 pounds, and
12.5 ft. long. After 14 years, the Zodiac is going to
be replaced by a RIB of the same weight, probably an
Avon 310. Part of the reason the Zodiac lasted 14
years is that it was on davits, not sitting in the
water.<br>I use the davits for everything but open water
crossings, when the Zodiac was deflated and stored in the
lazarette. For the RIB, I expect to stow it deflated on the
back deck.<br>The dinghy is never on the davits with
the outboard on -- the 15HP Mariner weighs 75 pounds,
and I consider that unsafe.<br>The davits are mounted
on "sockets" bolted through the toerail at the
stern. The davits are removable (in less than 2
minutes), and stow in the lazarette. We use a topping lift
from the mizzen head to the outboard ends of the
davits to take the load off the davits. When mooring
stern-to (we've been in the Med the last 5 years), we drop
the dinghy, then back in. The davits and their
cross-bar actually make it easier to get on and off the
boat.<br>If anyone is interested, send me an e-mail at
roybentcg@aol.com and I will send you drawings and
photos.<br><br>Regards, Roy Benveniste<br>SM "Excalibur"

Recently Hanspeter asked for the translation of
"solenoid" The German translation is
"magnetspule"<br><br>Renently, when I was at the Factory M. Selo had a wonderful
French - English maritime dictionary by Barbara Webb.
When I started making enquiries I was told that it is
out of print - it was printed in 1965. However, I
have just tracked down the new edition. In fact there
are 2 versions of it. The one that I have in my hot
little hand is the German edition. It is called "
Internationales Yachtwrterbuck" by Barbara Webb and Michael
Manton. Publisher Delius Klasing - a German company.
Their web site is www.delius-klasing.de<br>It can be
ordered from French & European Publications -
212-581-8810. Their URL is www.frencheuropean.<br>The only
problem with this edition is that the index etc is
written in German<br><br>The English edition. It is
called<br>"Yachtsman?s Ten Language Dictionary" 2nd edition<br>ISBN Code
0_7136_5295_0<br>Additional Info 148 x 210mm 224pp paperback<br>Short
Description The second edition of the Yachtsman?s Ten
Language Dictionary has been revised and updated to take
into account the developments in electrical,
electronic and mechanical equipment, GRP boat construction
and the patterns of charter, flotilla and cruising
skippers. Arranged in helpful subject categories for easy
reference, it is unique and comprehensive and will be
invaluable for any boatowner venturing abroad.
<br>Languages: English, Italian, French, Spanish, German, Dutch,
Turkish, Danish, Greek, Portuguese<br>Subject Pilots and
Cruising Guides<br>Publisher Adlard Coles Nautical
<a href=http://www.adlardcoles.com/ target=new>http://www.adlardcoles.com/</a><br>Author Barbara Webb & Michael Manton with the Cruising
Association<br>Status In stock<br>PRICE Unit Price Pounds Sterling
15.99<br><br>The only problem with the dictionary is thast one
cannot look up a word alphabetically as everything is
cztegories such as engine, rigging, electronics
etc.<br><br>Peter Weston<br>Amelia Pearl SM 248

The permanently fixed passerelle/dinghy lift
sounds like a great idea. Please tell us where more
information on it can be obtained. Is the dinghy left on it
for short sails? Are there any pictures of it
available on the internet?

Atkins & Hoyle makes the best davits I have ever
seen, by far. Their email address in Toronto, Canada is
atkinshoyle@dapa.com. Telephone is (416) 596-1888 or tollfree
1-800-263-4184. Their website address is
www.atkinshoyle.com.<br><br>I removed the davits from my Maramu because they
were too weak for sea. They were only useful to raise
the dinghy at night to keep it from being stolen.
Although I do not have davits now, my brother has Atkins &
Hoyle davits on a 65' ketch and I have seen and used
them. They are beautifully constructed, with versatile
adjustments, and VERY STRONG.<br><br>I hope this information
will be useful to my Amel friends in our club, and I
thank those who have been helping me with
information.<br><br>David Lambertsen<br>s/v Have Fun!<br>Amel Maramu #258

<a href=http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/amelyachtowners/bbsfrp?action=r&tid=amelyachtowners&sid=1600065792&mid=93 target=new>http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/amelyachtowners/bbsfrp?action=r&tid=amelyachtowners
&sid=1600065792&mid=93</a><br><br><br>Hello. My wife and I live on our Maramu in the
Caribbean, for two years now. We initially bought a roll-up
dinghy from West Marine to cross the Atlantic, a Zodiac,
on the recommendation of Amel and of Joel Potter in
Ft.Lauderdale. We then bought an 8 h.p. motor, 4 cycle Honda in
LaRochelle. After one year of cruising, the system was
intolerable compared to what nearly all the other cruisers
had and enjoyed. 4 cycle engines cannot be repaired
in the Caribbean (see SSCA bulletins about bring
your engine back to the US for warranty work). We
still keep the engine, in the trunk on the boat, as a
back up. But we purchased a Caribe RIB dinghy, as the
majority of other Caribbean liveaboards have. The second
most popular is the AB brand, both made at sister
factories in Venezuela. Ours is 10.5 ft long, and fits
poorly on the deck, either bow or stern, so we usually
tow it between islands. Its currently stowed on the
bow while we visit the states for Christmas. We use
the extra halyard on the main mast to store the boat
when at anchor, for security purposes. The people who
are most happy with their dinghy seemed to us to have
a 15 h.p. Yamaha, 2 cycle, as it goes fast and is
easy to get repaired. So thats what we bought in
Grenada, and were very satisfied. The smaller dinghy (9.5
ft.) would store better on the deck, but you sacrifice
hauling room for people and groceries and safety with the
larger motor. The Yamaha will not fit upright in the
trunk. With all this, Ive been looking for appropriate
davits for two years, and havent seen any suitable. I
surely would like more information on the mentioned
passerelle modification. That might be the ultimate answer.
Bill on Lady Sadie SM#269

For those who are interested, I will be adding 2
photos to the Super Maramu Exterior Album showing the
davits most often seen on Super Maramu (mainly because
the manufacturer is based in La Rochelle.)

The RIB is nothing special. I don't recall the
name. I bought it in Trinidad and believe it's made in
Venezuela. 8 or 9 feet I think. If you're not in a hurry
I'll get specifics and let you know in early January.
Arnold

I have seen a solution which I may copy that
works well for stern to in the Med.. The owner has
replaced the Amel passerelle with a s/s & teak version
which is permanently in place and the halyard runs to a
winch & spinlock type jamcleat on the starboard side of
mizzen mast. On underside of passerelle is a s/s bar
fitted athwartships which projects each side (more to
port)& terminates in a lifting ring. The dingy &
outboard is attached to this in May for the season. By
lowering the passerelle the tender is also lowered into
the water & recovered same way.<br>The permanently
fixed passerelle with lockable halyard is also a huge
improvement on the inconvenient (& maybe dangerous?) Amel
version.

Pagandaisy,<br><br>Would you please tell me which
RIB dinghy fits on top of your aft cabin? I have a
soft bottom dinghy, but am considering getting a hard
bottom for the better seaworthiness.
Thanks.<br><br>David Lambertsen<br>s/v Have Fun!

Several years ago I did a lot of research on
davits and then decided against them. I just didn't like
the looks of what they would do to the boat, and then
the problem of davits if when backing into the dock.
Until last year we had a soft bottomed dinghy and
simply dragged it up on the aft deck. It took a few
seconds. Now we have a RIB which I lift out with a halyard
and drop upside down on the aft deck. Not as simple,
but it works fine.

Hello<br><br>I would like some input from active
cruisers as to how they deal with dingy storage and
security. I am thinking of adding davits to my SM. I know
the Amel solution is to deflate the dingy and store
it in the lazarette. This works well for longer
passages but not for shorter ones. If you have added
davits what type did you add and what is your experience
with the product.<br><br>Thank You

Can anyone tell me how to contact the manufacturer of my PAM Marina electric bilge pump? I need to order some parts. Thanks.<br><br>David Lambertsen<br>s/v Have Fun!<br>Amel Maramu 258