I'm pretty happy with my 545 as well. I did consider the Raymarine, but the horizontal design would not have fit well on my helm. I'm impressed with how visible the 545's screen is, even in the middle of the day. And I like how it adjusts the brightness automatically depending on ambient light level...

This is what I used... http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|328|49758|112306|316479&id=680929 Our boat had one of these already when we got it... the previous owner (or the dealer) installed it for the anchor light and foredeck/steaming light, so I added another for the wind instrument (I...

Jim, We have not yet ventured out towards Ship Island... our two brief trips have both been to Cat Island (leaving from Pass Christian). However, I did pass Gulfport when I moved the boat from Ocean Springs (near Biloxi) to Pass Christian in November. I didn't stay in the official channel... I just ...

Thanks for the nice comments, all! I should also point out that in the weeks after Katrina, Bill@Boats4Sail organized a collection effort for us which quite a few members here donated to. It was a humbling and touching display of generosity, and was tremendously helpful in getting us through that in...

When Katrina struck, our biggest loss was not that our house had flooded or that my business was in shambles with virtually no income for several months. It was the loss of our favorite family activity, sailing on our 26X, Wind Dancer. We'd owned the boat for about 2 years at that point, but it was ...

Jim, We're in Slidell (roughly halfway between New Orleans and Gulfport). At the moment, we're not doing any sailing... the boat has been in storage on the trailer since the hurricane (but we're working really hard to get back on the water this Spring). But pre-Katrina, our cruising grounds were pri...

FWIW, I have the 4" solar vent installed in the front hatch, and even after 3 years of the boat in storage (in brutally humid conditions), the interior is remarkably clean.

--Michael

Ahh, right - I don't know the smaller motors that well, so I missed that it was 2-stroke. In which case, you'll want to increase the oil ratio in the fuel, as per the normal break-in instructions for 2-cycle motors (usually double the ratio - for example 25:1 instead of 50:1), and vary the engine s...

Moe wrote:You did change the gear oil in the foot, right?

Uhhhhhhhh..... no. Thanks for the reminder!

--Michael

My suggestion now would be to run it for a little while until it's fully warmed up and then change that oil again, because the oil will have become contaminated by the rusty swarf rubbed off the cylinder walls. Then, before storing it again, use a quality fogging solution before shutdown and drain ...

Near the end of our last big trip a month before Katrina, we encountered a thunderstorm that flipped our towed dinghy (along with the little Johnson 3.5hp outboard I had foolishly left on it). As soon as I got home, I flushed it thoroughly with WD40 (after draining the water out of the cylinder!), a...

Ahhhhhh... that makes sense. Woohoo, one less thing to worry about. Thanks!

--Mike

So, our 26X has been in storage for almost 3 years now, and I'm intent on getting it back in the water this summer. Because it's been stored in a location where no water was available, I have not been able to run the motor at all... I'm dreading the ramifications of this. But setting that aside for ...

I'd like to add new cockpit cushions and some flooring for the cockpit and cabin. Can the original Macgregor cushions still be purchased anywhere? We have the original MacGregor cushions, but pretty much never use them (we don't like them because they absorb water). Instead, we just use several of ...

Well, that was easy. My wife just got home from Memphis, and I immediately began my sales pitch for keeping the 26X. As I mentioned before, she seemed to have been warming up to the idea of getting a 26M (both for the "shiny new boat" factor and the bigger rear berth). In addition, the des...