I don't know the answers to questions 1 thru 4, and the reason I chose the ETEC-60 is so that I wouldn't have to worry about such issues. I get a certain amount of comfort out of having a factory-installed engine. I figured that the odds that the factory would screw it up were a lot lower than if an...

This is either a worthy addition to every sailor's bookshelf or something new from Monty Python.

http://www.amazon.com/Avoid-Huge-Ships- ... cr_pr_pb_i

Be sure to read the customer comments.

I have no fast idle lever on my ETEC-60 either, just pull out (to the side, away from the pedestal) the shifter/throttle and move it forward (in neutral) about 45 degrees. That will get you some throttle when you start it which will trigger the fogging. Mark Okay, that worked. Thanks for the info. ...

I've read the ETEC owner's manual and watched the YouTube video on winterizing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvNBF8Az0ic), but I'm confused. The procedure seems to depend on a fast idle button, but my throttle doesn't have one. I don't see a button or switch in the engine compartment either. Maybe...

Leading the main halyard to the cockpit is about the most worthwile project I can imagine. Now I simply slow the motor, head into the wind, pull the main halyard line through the clutch I bolted onto the cabin, let out some jib, point down wind, switch off and raise the motor and I'm sailing. I can...

I don't think you'd be out of line asking for a fee for an on-the-water demo. Some dealers now do it because they were getting too many people just looking for a free sailboat ride. I'd ask for $50 or $100 and deduct it from the price of the boat if he ends up buying it.

I had a good experience last year buying a new :macm: from John Gerber at Super Sport Marine. He didn't do a hard sell. He seemed real concerned about getting me a boat I would like and actually talked me out of a couple of options he didn't consider worthwhile. I bought from his Nebraska location b...

I read that the Coast Guard has decided to decommission Loran-C this year. Some folks in the aviation community don't like the idea. They say GPS is too vulnerable to disruption or attack, and they'd like to keep Loran-C around as a backup. http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2010/100112loran.html...

This is my first post, so I'll start with an introduction. Some friends got me interested in sailing a couple of years back. I took the ASA Basic Keelboat 101 class last summer, sailed rental boats (Hunter 216s) a few times, then decided to start shopping for my own. I was lured by the MacGregor dua...