New Products Continued
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I received this from a member in
Virginia. Just wanted to drop you a note in regards to
boat apparel. I was looking for someone to do a couple
of shirts with a picture of my 4207 and I contacted a couple
of companies. Most of them were charging anywhere from
$150 to $200 set up fee and then the cost of shirts and the
logo. I contacted UniFirst Uniform Company the one time
set up fee was $25.00. The cost of putting them on a
shirt or other items is about $5.00 an item. I sent them
a picture and they embroidery the boat from the picture.
By the way there was no minimum order. Just wanted to
let other members know there are places to purchase embroidery
items that you would not think about going.
I deal with Tom Brightwell and I sure he
would be glad to assist you. Here is his telephone number
(804)264-8198. The number I gave you was his home telephone,
he works on the road during the day the best way to contact
him is leaving him a message or calling in he evening hours
(Eastern).
GPS - I've been looking for a GPS for
my car and I need to update the GPS on the boat. I may
have found the best of both worlds in the same unit.
Garmin offers a GPS antenna (Model GPS 18) along with detailed
maps of North America for about $130. The GPS Antenna
connects to a computer using an USB cable. According to
Garmin, I can add Blue Chart software with this antenna and
get detailed charts for use on the boat. The Blue Charts
run around $160. If I bought a dedicated notebook
computer for the boat (on sale for about $700), the antenna,
and the software, the total cost is about $1000 for a better
system than I could buy for $1900. I'll let you know
more after I try out the Blue Charts on the boat.
New Volvo IPS Drives - I
received a call from a member about the new Volvo IPS
drives. He said that he wouldn't buy them and gave me
three reasons for you to consider. 1. How durable are the new
drives? A standard outdrive (according to my caller)
last about 600 hours. For an average boater, that's about
5 years of use. It seems that the standard propulsion
setup lasts a longer period of time. In any case, we won't
know the durability of the new drives until it may be too late.
That is, the new drives may begin to fail for heavy users and
cause a further loss of value as brokerage buyers try to avoid a
costly replacement. 2. How does one service the IPS
drives? The gear oil in a standard outdrive MUST be
replaced every year, especially if the drive is kept in the
water. Does the boat have to be pulled to service the
outdrive? If not, can it be easily serviced from the
bilge? 3. If you have problems with the IPS, will
there be service technicians trained to service them?
It's hard to find good service technicians for anything.
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Saturday Night Out - New York
City Area
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| We
had 18 people at the New York City Area Saturday Night Out
hosted by Diane and Joe Lipowski. Diane and Joe picked a
restaurant on a retired lightship, in New Jersey, just across
the Hudson from Manhattan. Diane wrapped gifts for eveyone
who attended and Roz Harris sent along the recipe seen below.
The photos of this event were taken by Sue Shilling and can be
seen by clicking
here. |
Recipe:
Chocolate Surprise
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Category:
Dessert
Submitted: Roz Harris
Source: "My Own Concoction" -Roz
1 Pkg mini Tootsie Rolls
1 Pkg mini Snickers
1 Pkg mini Almond Joys/Mounds
1 Pkg Reeces Peanut Butter Cups
1 Pkg White Chocolate Reeces Peanut Butter Cups
1 Pkg Hershey Kisses
Place all ingredients on large tray or in large bowl and mix
assortment thoroughly. Serve immediately. Can be kept at room
temperature indefinitely or for as long as ingredients are not
consumed: feel free to add or delete favorites at your pleasure.
Best at end of summer when fresh chocolate goodies are available
for Halloween consumption at your local supermarket. If needed,
a trip to Hershey Pa. can always be arranged. |
Raritan Update
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| We finally got the official
word from Raritan about using Concentrate in the head tanks and
KO in the holding tanks. The short answer is DON'T.
Raritan said., "these 2 can not be combined as the
concentrate will kill the K.O. you can use C.P. to clean the
bowl. You can use C.P. in place of the Concentrate if you have a
dispenser. The mixture rate of CP to water is 1 to 4.
This is actually good news since CP is somewhat less
expensive than Concentrate |
Member of Carver Owners Club Helps Intracoastal Waterway
Association
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Don and Carole Thieme, owners of a Carver
356 ("Carole Anne III") and Thieme Creative Media - a
marketing communications, graphic design and website development
firm -
have created the first ever Membership Marketing Kit for
the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA).
Don reviewed a wide assortment of reference
documents on the history and challenges facing this major
waterway artery on our eastern seaboard.
He recommended how the Association's goals
should be articulated in eight separate handouts. They include:
Mission, History, Dredging Funding History, Who Needs to Join,
Economic Impact of Waterway, Costs of Neglect and How the
Waterway Helps our Environment.
Carole then created an overall design
approach for the Kit's Handouts.
She also designed a 65th anniversary logo for the
Intracoastal Waterway that runs 1,100 miles from Norfolk to
Miami. This logo is
now being offered on a variety of items e.g., tee shirts, tote
bags, etc. The 65th
logo was featured in the January 2005 BoatU.S. Magazine.
For more details, see http://www.thiemegraphics.com/marketing_smpls.htm.
This will also lead you to the site where you can
purchase outerwear with the 65th logo that in turns
supports the goals of the nonprofit AIWA. |
More Good News
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| Don and Carole Thieme, have
struggled with fuel problems with their Carver 356, equipped
with Crusader Engines. Here's the latest. "The
final (we hope) resolution on our fuel delivery issues? Shady
Oaks came through for us and wrote a check for $3,700 to Drum
Point Marine for the new fuel rail installation and all the
other diagnostics - paid in full. And a commitment - in writing
- from Tom Frank, the president of Shady Oaks, that they will be
with us all the way if there are any further issues." |
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Exhaust Connection Problems
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| As we get
ready for the next season, there are two things that members
wrote in about that you may want to check on your boat.
The first is the fittings associated with exhausts. Here's
the note:
"I had a serious exhaust problem that
could have caused not only a sinking but death to one of my
passengers.
"This was due to the hidden exhaust
connections that had rusted and failed . These were located
behind the aft walls where no one would inspect. Before every
trip I have licensed Diesel mechanic inspect my boat for
potential problems
" (This occurred) on my 2000
406.which could have caused a death I (am asking
Carver Boat Corporation) to provide the written procedure
to remove the the rear walls and bed to inspect the cheap hose
and exhaust connections which should not have failed in 4
years."
Several of us have experienced problems with exhaust
connections and I'll keep you updated.. |
Substandard Fasteners Used Below Waterline
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| The second
recommissioning issue that came up is related to fasteners used
below the waterline. In general, stainless steel fasteners
are the standard, because of their resistance to corrosion and
galvanic destruction. I've received a few reports of newer
boats that had swim platforms and trim tabs fall off while
underway because the fasteners corroded an failed. For
photos of one member's problems, click
here. I need to stress that this may not be a Carver
problem, but could be the fault of the installer of the failing
components. |
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Upcoming Events
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| Saturday
Night Out - We're going to one of Patsy's favorite
restaurants on the middle Chesapeake Bay, Mike in Riva,
Maryland. We'll get together on March 19, starting at 6:30
pm, at Mike's Restaurant on the South River on the Riva Road.
Mike's offers great crab dishes and nice views.
Reservations are required, although there is no penalty if you
have reservations and cannot attend. Again, you do not
have to be member to attend the Saturday Night Out. Please
email webdude@carverownersclub.com
to make reservations.
Fifth Annual Chesapeake Bay
Rendezvous - June
10, 11, & 12 at Inner Harbor East Marina, Baltimore.
We have 40 slips reserved and are trying to find more. We
do not have cost for individuals yet, but are working on it.
Chesapeake Bay Cruise - If
you are interested in cruising south of Baltimore to the
Tidewater Virginia area after the Baltimore Rendezvous, let me
know. Here's where we plan to stop, which is subject to
change:
- June 12 - South River
- June 13 - St. Mary's City
- June 14 - Tides Inn
- June 15 - Norfolk,
Williamsburg, or Portsmouth.
- June 17 - Onancock VA
- June 18 - Crisfield, MD
- June 19 - Solomons MD
- June 20 - Oxford MD
- June 21 - St. Michaels
- June 22 - Home
We have a couple of
suggestions for Tidewater marinas. You are welcomed to
join us for part or all of the time.
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Featured Article - Featured Boat
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Where to retire? The short answer is Florida for
the best year-round boating and the best tax
considerations. This month's Featured Article by Dave
Bishop explains some of the reasons Florida is so
attractive. Now, if we can just earn enough to retire.
Jim and Sue Shilling purchased a new boat last fall and now
need to sell Boss Lady. She is a beautifully
maintained and enhanced aft cabin. We need to help them
sell the boat before hosta (Sue tells me it is some kind of
flower thingy) season comes in.
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Changes to the Web Site
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One major change we've made is to relax the restriction on the
number of photos you can post on your boat's web site and on
your Boat For Sale listings. I'm still testing this but
hope it will be available soon.
Along with this change is ability to log your cruises (along
with photos) on the Club website. We hope to be able to
let you print out a book at the end of the year that captures
your year's cruises.
I rushed the Maintenance Log portion of the web site and
created several problems for early innovators. Sue
Shilling and I spent a day testing and correcting many problems
and I am still working on one of them.
Again, send me your suggestions on how to make the web site
better and a better value for you.
Another quick note about this subject. The Club Store
offers a wide selection of marine products (over 30,000
different products, although we only have about 5,000 listed) at
very attractive prices. Even after you factor in shipping,
you still save. Compare our prices on almost anything and
you'll be surprised at how much you can save. If you are
concerned about shipping, you can "place" an order and
calculate the actual shipping charges. If you don't find
what you are looking for, drop me a note. |
Computer Tip of the Month
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| Right
Mouse Button - Ever wonder what the button on the right side
of the mouse does?
Clicking the right mouse button presents a shortcut menu of
frequently used functions.
You right mouse click to present the menu of choices and
left mouse click to chose one of the functions. Here are a
couple of quick examples. Say you want to copy part of an
email. Highlight the area to be copied, position the
cursor over the highlighted area, and click the right mouse
button. You should see Cut, Copy, Paste, etc as a list of
menu options. A second example is that clicking the right
mouse button while playing Solitaire (on Windows XP) moves the
cards home automatically, saving a lot of time.
People who use the right mouse button find that it saves time
and, in some cases, helps you complete your tasks by limiting
your options. Try the right mouse button the next time you
need to copy or spell check.
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Accessories Marketplace
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| One of the most successful features on the web
site is the Accessories Marketplace. In some cases, items
have been sold within hours of having been posted. Used
dinghies are especially popular. If you list your item for
sale and use me as a contact (which is a good idea), respond to
me when I have a question or an offer. Recently, I called
and emailed a member about an item for sale and waited weeks
before getting a response. |
| Safe Boating
Dave Bishop, aka webdude@carverownersclub.com
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