Maybe Pascoe's not as knowledgeable as I thought... :(

[MikeP]

I have posted here many times that IMO Pascoe has the best info around re boat maint, etc and that his view of stuff was pretty much in the "can't go wrong doing what he says" category. I have pretty much done whatever he says to do about any particular boat issue.

But in reading an article of his re electrical stuff I found (several times) a statement that if you put a wet cell battery on a concrete floor, it will be dead in two weeks. That was true in 1920 but it hasn't been true for a lot of years now.

So since that statement is wrong, it makes me then wonder what else may be wrong with what he is saying. I was disappointed to see such an obvious error. I used to treat him as "the authority," but now I guess I'll look at him as just another opinion to consider when researching stuff that I am not knowledgeable about myself.

[krush]

Why you put him on a pedestal is beyond me...but he's been wrong on many occasions, especially on the engineering and engine side of things.

He's got a lot of good information, but he thinks he knows everything. Nobody can ever be an expert in everything.

[MikeP]

"Nobody can ever be an expert in everything.
"

I thought you and I were!



You are right - I "started out" in larger boats with him and talked to him several times re different boats/issues, etc, so I guess I treated him somewhat as a mentor and assumed more than was appropriate.

[captddis]

I think Pascoe is right on most things, I disagree with him on a lot of mechanical aspects.
No one should blindly follow someone's advice without thinking things through. I put a lot of thought into things before I do them. I decide what makes the most sense to me for my application and what I know from past experience what works and lasts.

I always believed that those who can do, and those who can't tell others how to do it.

[rsmith]

Why you put him on a pedestal is beyond me...but he's been wrong on many occasions, especially on the engineering and engine side of things.

He's got a lot of good information, but he thinks he knows everything. Nobody can ever be an expert in everything.

Better watch out your dealing with blasphemy here.

[OBXTucker]

Not to change subjects, can I ask our resident experts about the battery/concrete floor comment.

I was always under the same impression and have them resting in the garage on 2x10's.
What changed over the years in their construction?

[MikeP]

The reason it's not an issue is that the case material used today (or for quite a long time for that matter) won't leak any current/chemistry.

Of course, if you have a battery that is dirty and with spilled electrolyte on the surface/sides, then you do have a path to the concrete. But a clean battery does not. Batts do discharge on their own, regardless of where they are sitting. But I leave car batts disconnected for up to 7 months and, when reconnected, they start the car instantly with no sign of reduced ability due to the 7 months of self-discharge.

But I was trained the same way - to never put batts on the concrete floor. To hear the stories some old mechs told me, you'd think that just sitting the batt on concrete for 10 seconds while you cleared shelf space for it would instantly render it useless.

[bigbill]

i leave them on the concrete at my shop for months at a time and never have a problem. i was always told not to do it ......from older people

[GJH]

I think Pascoe made that comment about 10 years ago. But regardless I find his writings most useful on things like ergonomics, safety and structural issues. I think his book "Mid Size Power Boats" is invaluable for someone setting out to buy a bigger boat, particularly the discussions about design and systems more so than about brands of boats and engines. Nigel Calder is my electrical god, and I have a couple or three mechanics who are my engine gurus.

[lumina]

Hi all,

It just so happens that i bought a copy of Pascoes Mid Sized Power Boats this past summer after a difficult time finding it.

Ended up paying $100 for it.

Will sell it for $60 plus shipping.