On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 15:24:08 -0000, Skip Gundlach
wrote:

FWIW, I just got out of the engine room where I fixed a plumbing leak,
resolved an inverter problem, am chasing an electrical glitch where
the power to the exciter (or whatever delivers positive terminal
current) on the alternator was at the root of our problems, all along
(it will be either a bad wire or a bad switch, or a connection in
between) as jumping out that line results in instant charge and tach,
and, finally, fixing whatever it is which is causing a seep from the
raw water hose somewhere near the intake of the RW pump (I'm taking it
off next).

Skip, you're apparently having fun and learning while you get your
boat shipshape. But it seems to me there is something fundamentally
wrong about your approach to your boat's mech/electrical systems.
Whether the installations were wrong from the get-go, or the product
of piecemealing mismatched components, or of using low quality
components, or you mucking up with your own hands things you don't
have the knowledge to deal with, I don't know.
If it were me I would get better advice on what works best and use it.
There are always cost compromises for most of us, but boating -
especially cruising - should *not* be "fixing things in exotic places"
or whatever cuteism you care to use.
Scheduled maintenance, proper diagnostic gear to use for
troubleshooting, and occasional replacement of broken down parts
should be the goal for cruisers.
Sometimes reading cruiser logs remind me of tales - usually from the
very young - who pick up an '89 Chevy Cavalier in NY for $300 and
set off for California.
They might make the journey, but it is doubtful it will be much fun,
and it will probably end up costing more in repairs than if they had
just bit the bullet and splurged $500 on a '92 Chevy Corsica.
Of course being at sea has dangers beyond being stalled on a road.
I hope I'm not off base here, but I've never read so many accounts of
various breakdowns as I have from you, and I'm a bit concerned, since
I do wish you the best.

--Vic