Mailport & PS Advisor

The Simpson Lawrence Horizon Express windlass on my boat needed maintenance, and I was dismayed to find a note on the Lewmar website that says Lewmar no longer supplies spares for the old Simpson Lawrence windlass range; it advises contacting John McMaster from SL Spares (www.slspares.co.uk).

Any suggestions for an SSB-radio antenna installation on a 32-foot boat with a gaff rig and no backstay? Also, the hull is mild steel, and the standing rigging is galvanized wire, except the forestays, which are stainless.

Spring is a good time to check your fire extinguishers to be sure they havent expired, but if you own a Kidde extinguisher, youll want to also be sure yours wasnt part of the companys recent recall. Well-known fire extinguisher manufacturer, Kidde, in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), announced a voluntary recall to replace certain Kidde fire extinguisher units, according to Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatUS).

In regard to your March 23, 2015 blog on bird deterrents: I moved to Florida a few years ago and was the only sailboat in a 20-slip location. Little black birds infested it right away. I tried flying owls, kites, balloons, sitting owls, snakes, etc., and nothing worked for long. Those little black birds would sit on top of my Windex and spin around, and poop all over the boat.

I was reading a Mailport letter in the December 2014 issue of Practical Sailor, and it led me to your May 27, 2014 blog regarding keel failure. We have a 1977 Islander 28 with a bolted-on fin keel that is creating a safety issue. I am confident I know what the proper repair is (remove the keel and re-secure it), but I am more wondering if youve ever seen anything like this. On the starboard side of the keel, below the keel joint, a square chunk of lead is bulging out of the keel side. Ive had a few surveyors take a look at it, and theyve never seen anything like it either. The keel bolts do not leak-at least water doesn't come in. Thoughts?

In regard to the March 2015 boat review of the Catalina 34: I can confirm what was stated about the weather helm on the boat and the need to take an early reef in the main. That is improved with the elliptical rudder, but an even bigger improvement is a 135 headsail compared to a 150. The overlapping part of the headsail is behind the center of lateral resistance and contributes to weather helm. A flatter headsail also helps prevent the boat from rounding up. But she is a fine cruising boat with strong, simple systems that last and last.And the support from both the owners association and Catalina Yachts is second to none.

Scandvik Marine (www.scandvik.com) recently released a new compact LED spreader light. The successor to the Scandvik spreader lights we tested in the August 2013 issue, the new light is available in flush mount or bracket mount. It is waterproof, features two 5-watt Cree LEDs, and draws less than 1 amp. It is rated for 500 lumens and has a 120-degree beam angle.

I am a part-time live-aboard and sail from Maine to Grenada. I have a mold problem on my two-year-old Shields VAC XHD series 148 waste hose. The sides of the hull are dry and clean, but the waste hose has a lot of mold. Is this due to the cooler seawater in the hose condensing moisture out of the warmer surrounding air? Could I insulate the hose to reduce this problem, and if so, what would you recommend as insulation?

I have a question about your February 2015 foul-weather gear test. You tested and measured the jackets, but you did not mention the actual physical sizes. There seems to be no consistency in sizes from one brand to another. I require a 3X jacket size, and the only brands that sometimes fit are Gill and West Marine. This even changes from year to year. Can you comment on which lines are actually larger?

My daughter recently bought a 1979 Catalina 30, and I was promoted to chief cook, bottle washer, and mechanic. The Jabsco macerator pump needed a rebuild, so I bought a rebuild kit and proceeded to dismantle the pump. I noticed that, in addition to the normal wear items, one of the permanent magnets in the motor housing was loose. It appeared to have been glued in place, so I called the Jabsco (www.xylemflowcontrol.com) technical help phone number to see if it would be possible to glue it back into place.