Hi Herschel! Nice! Really Very Nice! Congratulations on the new enclosure! Excellent! Here’s to many happy enjoyable ‘dry’ and shaded sailings! Kudos to you and your Admiral! Enjoy! Best Regards, Over Easy 8) 8) Thank you. I do appreciate the good thoughts. But, alas, life takes some interesting tu...

That is some fine work. When are you going to try it out? Good question. Next stop is the tech at the marina to get a new 12-volt panel installed, then stepping the mast and getting it back on the water. After a nice day on the water (Lake Monroe), I'll reassemble the cockpit enclosure at my slip a...

Great news: got my new Bimini. Tech made every effort to "marry it" to the cockpit enclosure from the old Bimini, tightening up the corners to eliminate any gaps using Velcro strips of extra Sunbrella material, used zippers to attach to frame rather than just a sleeve, dipped the dodger in...

tuxonpup, I see you have a sail kit similar to mine. May I assume you have sideboards that fit amidships on both side? How about stability going upwind in a 10-12 knot breeze? Or are the skegs enough? How well does she work upwind? Mine required very careful attention to not pinching and not being t...

tuzonpup, stunning pic of nice lady in kayak with your motor. Am I correct that it is a motor that plugs into a battery such as a trolling motor does? If so, isn't that cumbersome having a battery in a kayak? Or have I missed that it has a battery in the handle that you charge and the just take the ...

Two things: Point taken on the size of the sides interfering with kayak paddling style. The boat does have a seat for rowing with the provided paddles. https://i.postimg.cc/GHD320Y9/2015-05-26-0137.jpg But I think it is a mute issue. My nephew is coming by tomorrow who is interested in buying my din...

That does look like some pretty tough current. I would have waited for the the other pier on the other side of the ramp to open up. Failing to do that, I would at least have a nice long boat hook ready to deploy from the cockpit. Same up on the bow but also with a bow spring line ready to deploy by ...

My Bimini tech is still working on my new Bimini, so lets keep talking kayaks and such. I watched some Sea Eagle YouTube videos tonight. It got me wondering what my Achilles would paddle like if I had two West Marine beanbag seats facing forward, two kayak paddles, and a make shift skeg of some sort...

Herschel posted: Does anyone have any experience with inflatables after the 10-year period? Are there any time related issues regardless of use such as seams and seals? My Achilles (9.5’ with inflatable floor) is twenty-one years old. Except for the inflatable keel, I have never had a problem. You ...

Heard from Achilles Boats today, "A Hypalon boat that is well taken care of can last 20year or more easily. We have boat from the early 80's out there in perfect working condition."

Hi Herschel! Does the Mermaid come with the dinghy? :) :) I don’t know specifically by brand or model but I think “hyerlyon “ (sp?) handles age and UV exposure better than other inflatable fabrics. Sunlight UV exposure is the big aging factor of elastomers closely followed by ozone exposure. Both b...

Been busy "managing stuff." Boat still at the Bimini tech. I am pleased he wants to make sure it fits the cockpit enclosure and sits properly to minimize any leakage or gaps between pieces/sections. And eliminate any little gaps that mosquitos seem to find so easily. I have another tech wa...

Heartily agree that a chlorine based cleaner is the way to go. That was what I was using to wipe down the surfaces. As I review my stowage plan and make mods to it, I am also replacing the rudder ropes. In the past I found it a challenge to get the 3/8" ropes through the 3/8" holes in the ...

Kudos for using conduit in the bilge. That's one that a lot of folks skip. I'll agree that 16 AWG is a good choice for anything that the factory installed. ABYC (last I checked) allowed you to go down to 18 AWG but that's marginal even for our boats as they were originally wired. It was not so much...

Over Easy, that was an amazing tutorial. And what is a little scary---I understood about 90% of that. You have me curious about giving it a go. I am curious what gauge wiring you found in the "spaghetti?" And what you recommend for replacement if necessary? When I had my macerator wiring r...