Bruce in Alaska wrote in news:bruceg-
:

best you get lots
of Life Insurance, and buy a Plot before you go out past VHF
coverage.


ESPECIALLY if those are Ficht engines!

On Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:08:56 +0000, bradleyj
wrote:

The only really
important frequency for me is 2182 kHz

Actually not since it is not much used anymore, lots of reasons.

4125 khz is probably your best bet under most conditions. Here is
more information:

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/...ewFreq2005.htm

Regarding engine noise, time will tell. At idle with a good radio and
noise supression circuitry, it may not be that bad. You can get noise
supressed plugs and wires if need be. Alternators can be an issue
also.

Yes everyone, they are Ficht engines. After doing a tremendous amount of research on these motors prior to buying them (including conversations with mechanics who have worked on them), I came to the conclusion that the modifications that OMC made to address the design defects originally present in these motors did the trick. As part of these mods, these particular motors were refitted with redesigned cylinder heads, fuel system modifications and new ECU software. These motors were installed on a NMFS vessel in Alaska for four years. When they repowered their fleet in 2003, I purchased them with about 325 hours on them and put another 100 trouble-free hours on them myself last year. I do the vast majority of my fishing within 20 miles of shore and when I do go offshore, I never go out more than about 100 miles. The chances of both engines failing simultaneously is pretty remote.

If any one of you badmouthing the Fichts has ever owned one and had problems with it I'd like to hear your story. I'll be a bit surprised if anyone can offer anything more than "I know someone who knows someone....". The original design of these motors was definitely deficient and their fix came too late. It contributed substantially to the ruination of OMC, more through the loss of reputation than the quality of their products.

I am going to be installing a 23' whip antenna for a new SSB radio
installation on my boat. My vessel is all-aluminum construction with a
center pilot house. How would you suggest mounting this antenna on this
vessel? I understand that it is important to keep the whip from coming
too close to any metal. This is an obvious problem, since this boat is
all aluminum. Any suggestions or references would be appreciated.
bradleyj

Ho Boy! Lots of feedback again, here. I would try to keep in mind that
the lower frequencies are what will be useful in attracting USCG and
commercial vessels in the 100 mile range. Not too familiar with East Coast
HF traffic, but here 4125KHZ would be useful. On these lower frequencies the
17' whip isn't likely to perform any thing like the 23' whip you mentioned
earlier. Some auto tuners will be jumping in and out of tune as you transmit
with either the 17' or 23' as your craft rolls and pitches in a stormy sea.
I'd opt for the 23'er for 4125 any day.
Look closely at the lower swivel mount you intend to use..... I'm not
sure there are any stainless swivel mounts on the market that will allow
free movement in more than one plane. If you use non-metallic line (I guess
we're talking synthetic braided rope here) for guy wire/line support,
there's GOING to be movement judging from the size and shape of the vessel
in the picture you posted. REAL MOVEMENT! It will surely make short work of
that lower mount.
As a practical matter, when the seas get snotty, and your engines are
swamped out, you don't need a downed antenna thrashing around the gunnels
after the bottom end of the antenna has suffered a failed mount, or one of
the guys has parted.......... now is when the radio is supposed to earn it's
keep. More than one of my old customers can tell you all about why the SSB
using a well anchored emergency battery is worth all the fish you've got in
the box.
I still think the best compromise, by far, is the old hat system of a
two-piece mount on a vertical surface, metallic or not. You may lose a
percent or two of efficiency, but at least you'll have an antenna. If you
absolutely must use guys, (perish the thought), use good stainless steel
aircraft type cable, available at most larger general hardware stores, and
insulators at the lower end of the cable. "Egg" or "aircraft" in-line
insulators work ok, and they prevent the guy wire/cable from being part of
the ground system. From the looks of your picture, the guys are not going to
be long enough to be any substantial part of a wavelength on the lower HF
bands, so a single insulator at the end nearest the pilothouse overhang
would do it. The "egg" or "aircraft" type insulator, if you are not
familiar, is designed so if the insulator cracks, breaks or disappears, the
two cable or wire ends find themselves looped together and the guy only
gains about an inch or so in length.
Another thought, The Shakespeares (smashed by heavy seas) that I've
seen, have the radiating wires, four, usually, imbedded in the fiberglass
shell fairly near the surface. If you drop a plate over the fiberglass to
attach guys, try to provide something to keep the plate from working around
and wearing through to the radiators not far under the gelcoat.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it......
Old Chief Lynn

I was surprised to find your post in this NG, but what the heck. :=)

I have owned and operated a 1998 FICHT since buying it new in 1999. I've
had no parts failures and the only work ever done on the OB was spark plug
replacement and ECU updates.

The engine is quiet, efficient, and clean burning. There is no soot on my
prop hub and the thing never smokes.

There is an interesting thread by FICHT owners on either thehulltruth.com or
boatfix.com forums, sorry I don't remember which.

Butch
"bradleyj" wrote in message
...

Yes everyone, they are Ficht engines. After doing a tremendous amount
of research on these motors prior to buying them (including
conversations with mechanics who have worked on them), I came to the
conclusion that the modifications that OMC made to address the design
defects originally present in these motors did the trick. As part of
these mods, these particular motors were refitted with redesigned
cylinder heads, fuel system modifications and new ECU software. These
motors were installed on a NMFS vessel in Alaska for four years. When
they repowered their fleet in 2003, I purchased them with about 325
hours on them and put another 100 trouble-free hours on them myself
last year. I do the vast majority of my fishing within 20 miles of
shore and when I do go offshore, I never go out more than about 100
miles. The chances of both engines failing simultaneously is pretty
remote.

If any one of you badmouthing the Fichts has ever owned one and had
problems with it I'd like to hear your story. I'll be a bit surprised
if anyone can offer anything more than "I know someone who knows
someone....". The original design of these motors was definitely
deficient and their fix came too late. It contributed substantially to
the ruination of OMC, more through the loss of reputation than the
quality of their products.


--
bradleyj