Mailport & PS Advisor

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.

[IMGCAP(1)] In your Oct. 21, 2014 blog on calling mayday on an SSB, I wish you would have included what should be done to configure a Digital Selective Calling (DSC)-capable handheld VHF radio with a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number. If the radio is only used on one boat, thats pretty straightforward (see PS Mailport, October 2011 online), but what should one do if they own a DSC-capable radio but don't own a boat (for…

When I see a boat flying the Jolly Roger, I assume that the owner is ignorant of the murders of and terror wreaked on sailors by pirates in recent years, or perhaps just thoughtless. But I was shocked to see such a boat pictured on your front cover of the December 2014 issue. The owner of that boat, which is flying the Bahamas courtesy flag, and therefore appears to be outside the U.S., also is not following flag etiquette regarding the use of the yacht ensign, which must never be flown in international or foreign waters since it has no standing as a national ensign. (U.S. Power Squadrons website, www.usps.org).

With the untimely passing of the Perfect Home EWHE4 dehumidifier after just 18 months (see PS Mailport, December 2014 online), the EvaDry 2200 remains our top pick for an onboard dehumidifier, and the EvaDry maker has recently introduced a 12-volt plug for the unit. Still going strong after 2 years (see PS, June 2013), PSs EvaDry test unit is still removing water at rated capacity, the fan is quiet, the power supply runs only 20 degrees above ambient temperature, and the plugs remain tight. It has been thrown in lockers, knocked off countertops in rough weather, and frozen repeatedly.

This is a quick note to say how impressed we have been with Vesper Marine (www.vespermarine.com) and its WMX850 AIS transceiver. As you highlighted in your review of AIS units (see PS, September 2014 online), the Human-Machine interface for AIS and anchor alarm is very intuitive and flexible, unlike many of the multifunction displays available. With its very low power consumption, it allows us to keep it continuously on at anchor, for the anchor alarm, and at sea, without concerns about the power draw. As we are cruising full time with a family of five onboard in the South Pacific, we are almost exclusively at anchor or on passage, and therefore, the unit is almost always turned on.