Electrical

• Remote Thermometer - Radio Shack: I like this gadget. It registers current temperature in the cabin on the main unit and also from up to 3 remote sensors. I used one in the refrigerator to make sure that's working OK and one in the forward cabin. Unfortunately, the one in the refrigerator got "stuck" saying that the temperature is too low. Now, according to the manual, "too low" is below 0 degrees, and my freezer had never been that low. Also, I took that sensor out and its now reading "LLL" (too low) in the ambient temperature of 85. I've tried changing the batteries and hitting the reset button, but nothing seems to work.

Plumbing

• Watermaker - Little Wonder Modular by Village Marine: I had to wait to write this since I was very POed at the unit/company. I had to buy a new membrane in Trinidad because the unit wouldn't produce acceptable quality water. The WHO (World Health Organization) standard is 500PPM or under and mine wouldn't make anything less than 800ppm. I think this problem goes back to the installation when I disovered the recycle/discharge valve handle pointed backwards, but a friend has the same unit and it also started making poor quality water, and his is pretty new. When I went to have the membrane replaced, I was very glad I brought the entire pressure vessel in since the replacement membrane (that should have been standard sized) I would have bought didn't fit. As I watched the technician replace my old membrane, he took the new one out of the bag and fit it in my unit. It was an inch too long. Fortunately, there was a new Village Marine pressure vessel there also and he took the membrane from that to replace mine. Although the membrane was new, it still only made water at about 300PPM, which the owner of the shop said was about the best I could expect from a low volume pump. Most watermakers with new membranes will make under 200PPM water, but they need a powerful pump to drive them.

• Oil pressure sender - Faria: I can't really complain about this as it's probably original but it just started leaking oil one day. It was just difficult to find a replacement in Trinidad. Luckily I was in a place that could get one at all. If you ever need to get one of these (not just a switch, but a sender for an oil pressure gauge) make sure you know the maker of the gauge, usually marked on the face, and a comparable one. I was told originally to replace the gauge as well as the sender since they are supposed to be "matched" but a knowledgable technician said he could cross-match my sender with a brand that he could get in.

• Lazy jacks: I FINALLY got these to work the way I wanted them to while still being able to stow them against the mast when not in use. I mounted 2 small cleats on the mast near the gooseneck to hold the lines forward and they also serve to hold the main tensioning line when I want to lower the sail. The only time they are deployed is when I lower the sail, otherwise they are pulled forward against the mast and out of the way.

• 2-stroke outboard - Yamaha 15 Enduro: I bought this engine in Martinique and after running it for a few months, we're very happy with its performance. It is a bit hard to start in the morning sometimes, and unless I get it on the first pull, it may take 4-5 tries, but it always starts eventually and once its warm, it always starts immediately. The owner's manual is much better than the one I got with the Mariner 8 years ago, and there is plenty of power. The only down sides are that it uses a lot more gas than the Mariner (to be expected) and its much heavier. I had to increase the purchase on our hoist to let Diane raise the engine onto the stern.
• RIB Dinghy - Caribe C10-X: We bought this dinghy in Puerto La Cruz and have not regretted it. Although its very heavy (167 pounds), it will plane easily with the 2 of us aboard and a fair amount of groceries. Even when I can't get it on a plane, like when I'm carrying jerry jugs of fuel, it still keeps us drier than the Avon did since the bow is out of the water more and the tubes are bigger. We did have to modify the way we raise and lower the dinghy to the deck for a passage, but its not a big deal. Actually, the boat is easier to drag onto the beach since the fiberglass bottom has less friction than the hypalon fabric bottom of the Avon.