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Getting a new boat cover questions

hello dave, i know you deal with a lot of people so you probably don't remember me but i asked you a lot of questions about canvas boat covers in January of this year. my name is marty lazare from chicago, you gave me a lot of valuable info concerning fabrics, etc.

well, i finally located a recommended canvas shop in the chicagoland area named kastelic canvas of plainfield Illinois. i have made a appointment for august 11 to get the boat checked out. I have a sixteen foot six 1994 lund tournament series deep v boat.

I am leaning towards the top gun fabric for the cover and was wondering what you would recommend.

This particular company fabricates covers that go around the motor as opposed to over the motor and then provide a separate cover for the motor.

I can get either stainless steel snaps or rubber straps. I am leaning towards the stainless steel snaps as my boat has male snaps located on the boat which my original canvas cover snaps onto.

Also does this top gun fabric need a lot of maintenance?
and
should i have the cover made taller as to accommodate poles which i currently do not have or should i have the cover fabricated as low to the boat as possible?

any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

thanks marty

Spark plug brand recommendation

Ok....simple as this is I was wondering what brand spark plug would be best suited for a 1991 Mercruiser 3.0 lt. engine. Over the years I've used many diff brands in my cars and I know many people have "preferences" over other brands so whatcha say guys 'n gals...what brand do you like best. Thanks

 

PS...the 3 brands recommended by Mersruiser is: AC....Champion and Autolite.

                                                            

SeaDog kill switch installation.

Hello everyone. I just bought a Seadog kill switch and the site said instructiuons were included. When it arrived it came with a tiny piece of paper showing the 4 leads on the back...2 marked as "M" (9am. & 3pm position) and 2 marked as "C" (noon and 6pm position) and this was all !!!!! Nada thing about what goes where...no other schematic. From the little research the C stand for "coil" and M stands for "magneto".

My question is since my boat's ignition system (Mercruiser) is a coil where does the wires connect to. I know one side is just a ground like an ole lawnmower that you used to have to ground out the spark plug to kill da sucker.....so where does the other wire connect to....the positive side of the coil ?

Thanks 'n happy boatin' everyone !!!

Alpha One,gen 1 water pump replacement

When replacing the impeller is it imperative that the blades on the impeller are "bent" in any particular manner...(ie:clockwise,counter-clockwise)...or do they self align/bend/adjust when engine/outdrive is cranked up and running. All the articles I've read about replacing the impeller don't state any importance in the installation of the impeller.

Thanks...yeah...I'm a newbie boat....ahhh...novice outboard marine wannabe mechanic in training by trial and error. <sighs>

Transom repair questions

Well after cutting out fiberglass cladding around the stringers and removing the rotted plywood I figured I should test drill the transom (from the inside) and as expected....that plywood sandwich was shot too (water came oozing out my test holes). I got the gimbal and sterndrive completely removed,cut around the perimiter of the transom and chiseled and scraped the rotted plywood out. Using a 4" grinder with sandpaper completely sanded the interior surface of the transoms fiberglass and got that looking new. When I replace the transom plywood what is best to use for sandwiching the plywood together and what's best to adhere the plywood to the fiberglass transom.

Thanks all

 

Replacing carpet on a pontoon boat

The carpet on my pontoon boat is going bad or is worn out. Is this something I can do myself? If so, could you post the steps to get the job done. I am handy with tools and I think I can do it, but some instructions would be great.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Boat upholstery materials

Can anyone tell me where to get good marine vinyl for redoing my upholstery?

Many of the supply places won't sell to individuals.

Replacing stringer questions

I'm about to replace the stringers in my boat because the stringers are rotting out. When I replace the stringers what do I need to do about the new stringers where they contact the boats bottom hull. Do I use silicone caulking to be a "shock absorber" or use foam tape ?

Cleaning Boat Upholstery

My pontoon boat cover ripped last winter causing a lot of mildew on my vinyl upholster and the carpet.  I used “Mean Green” (a product of Dollar General Stores) and a strong solution of bleach on the upholstery and carpet.  The upholstery came clean and the carpet is looking better.  I used full strength liquid bleach on the worst mildew stains on the carpet and it worked pretty well.

After reading the information on the Lakeside Canvas web site, I am concerned that I may have removed the protective coating on the upholstery and weakened the vinyl.  There is no apparent damage to the upholstery, however, but I am afraid that I may have lessened the life of the upholstery.
I have a few questions:  

1.   Is there anything I can do to replace the protective coating to the upholstery or at least prevent further damage?
2.   Also, how can I preserve the carpeting and prevent damage to it as well?
3.   We are having a “snap on” mooring cover made for the boat to be used during the boating season, but I am interested in your instructions for a Winter Cover for the boat.  How effective is this type of cover in protecting the boat during the winter months in Southern Indiana ? 
4.   Our Bimimi Top is canvas.  I would like to protect it as well.  Any suggestions?  

Thanks for any input you can give me, Jim Janssen

 

Snap studs in the boat

I just fixed a few of the loose snaps in one of my fiber glass boats using Urethane glue. It really works great, but make sure it's wet when you set the snap stud. Go back every few minutes for an hour and wipe up the glue that runs out.

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