Bill, I agree with your points and even 15 years in the tropics would bother me. One exception seems to be boats used partial seasons well up North such as Canada or freshwater boats where the corrosi

Bill, Thanks. I gave the thruster a good Spraying this AM and will continue to do so until the haul out. I will now go through the files section to find a photo of the Amel tool. Best, James Alton SV

Alexandre, Thank you for this information. I actually printed out the excellent detailed instructions and packed them into my overstuffed and almost overweight suitcases so I do have them aboard. I th

Alan, One really great thing about fiberglass is that with the proper technique and material, it is possible to restore the strength lost when damaged. The basics are to remove all of the fractured gl

Alan, My Maramu with the straight shaft (no C drive) walks to port when reverse is applied. The rudder becomes effective in both forward and reverse at a relatively low speed. In light winds I can bac

Hello, I was hoping that someone might know how the stainless tubing forming the handrails on the cabintops is fastened down? I have some rust in the area that the handrail sits on the fiberglass in a

Bill, I wanted to update you to let you know that I was able to separate the motor and foot of my bow thruster using your suggestions of patience, gentle tapping and lots of penetrant. My boat as you

David, I agree with the preemptive approach. With the handrails I am unclear on how they are fastened. Are there nuts under the headliner or??? Best, James Alton SV Sueno, Maramu #220 Sardinina, Italy

Craig, Thanks for your response. There are not any obvious fasteners anywhere on the handrail to remove so my problem is determining how it is fastened. There is not any bulging of the fiberglass or a

Alan, Many thanks for the input. Our boats are only a year apart in vintage so it would seem likely that this could be the same. Since I posted my question I found that the nuts for the mizzen travell

Ian and Judy, I think that you are right about the bolt cutters based on my own experiences in cutting large stainless cable.... On my own boat I like to use silicon bronze Cotter pins which unlike th

Bill, Would you by chance know what happened to this SM? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMZIwHJSt2M I agree with what you are saying about emergency procedures. Every situation is different and may r

Bill, Great analysis. On the bow thruster for my 1987 Maramu, I have two large O-ring grooves moulded into the hole in the hull for the composite tube to slid and seal on instead of the lip seal used

Bill, I agree, the bow thruster is a really great design. IMO, it is vastly superior to the tunnel type thrusters due to the larger diameter, slower turning (more efficient, more thrust). I also like

Ian, I am curious about how the prop alternator has worked out for you. Would you have any rough data on how many amp hours per day you can get on a Trade Winds passage? I would not want to add the co

Ian, Great to hear that the prop generator has worked out so well for you. The alternator and wiring is still in place on my boat but the driving pulley on the shaft was removed. I will look into rein

Richards, I am very glad to hear that you are so happy with your Amel 55. While that boat is out of my cruising budget, it is great to know that Amel is still building boats that make owners happy. Th

We also owned a Yamaha 8 hp 2 stroke, approx. a 2000 model. I found it to be reliable, powerful, smooth and reasonably light. Best, James Alton SV Sueno, Maramu #220

Bill, Could you share some of your knowledge and experience with the Amel bow thruster? For instance, what techniques do you find work best when backing using the thruster? Also what procedures do you

Another way to pick up the hull shape in the event that another Santorin is not close by, is to fill the bow thruster bay with polyurathene foam (cut from sheets and you can use bondo to fill gaps) an