Closed the year by closing on a 45C

[Freeebird]

It was a great run, and the boat performed flawlessly. 20-22 knots most of the way and 32-34GPH. The crab trap incident was one we could have certainly lived without, but it may very well have been a blessing in disguise. Not only did it let Bob, the other Bob, and Captain Ron experience the prime rib at Coinjock, it may have actually saved us a day (or even three) off the trip with the weather going to hell but giving us that one day window for the final leg of Cape May to New Haven. It was WAY nicer outside on Sunday than it was inside on Friday and Saturday, and LIS was like a mirrored lake. It was definitely fun going through NYC again as that's the ONLY way to see it.

We could have easily (and most likely) been held hostage at Ocean City which was our intended spot had we gotten out of Coinjock without any hiccups. First, (I won't mention Bob having to...) it was having to go into the lock with a tow, which took extra time, then came the train thing. I did the math afterward and saw we couldn't make Ocean City before dark, and there is nothing in between. I kinda hate we missed Bubba's Marina, though. Never been there, but it seemed to be calling our names.

It was a pleasure to finally meet Bob in person after all these years of exchanges on here, and he and the crew were great to hang out with. Bob even bought me a bottle of Grey Goose to show how considerate a guy he really is. It would seem that "somebody" thought it was a prerequisite. Drink half a bottle of Grey Goose at a Hats on Hatt's party, and you're labeled for life!

[Freeebird]

Yes, I got a call from Bird yesterday asking about marinas in Solomons. They are probably past Annapolis by now.

Any second now, they'll fire up the second engine and really make some time.

Actually, it was a text followed by your call of, "who is this?"

Too bad you blocked me on Facebook or you could have seen pictures and everything.

[Freeebird]

Oh yeah, at the risk of taking this into a technical direction, does anyone have any experience with single lever, electronic Morse controls?

Bob mentioned (with photos) earlier that these are set up on either side of the helm (definitely not a like from me), and when I first saw them, they looked like the traditional cable controls like I have on my 41 except not on the same fixture. Putting them into gear let me know very quickly (or maybe I should say very slowly) that they were electronic. To say they are vague would be an understatement, and I swear they could be showing to be in reverse but still in forward on a couple of occasions. In short, I very much practiced the old bit of not approaching anything at a speed greater than I wanted to hit it, as quite frankly, I never knew what the hell it was going to do. The look on my face that Bob described when he said he wanted to dock the boat was more one of relief than anguish. It's been a VERY long time since docking a boat made me nervous, and this was a very tight slip. BTW, Bob handled it great backing it into the slip, right up until it bottomed out.

The only electronic controls I've used have been the Mathers MicroCommander's which, short of the awkward delays, presented no problem. I've never seen electronic Morse controls like these, and they even have the neutral, pull out position on the lever to raise the idle speed. Not necessary with the Cummins, and I didn't check to see if they actually functioned. Could it be that the PO converted manual controls to electronic?

[Boatsb]

So a bottle magically appears when your around. Makes me think it was then grey goose fairy.

[rsmith]

You sure they were electronic? I’ve seen these single lever Morse before and if they’re worn or not adjusted properly they get sloppy. I just replaced all my cables with the 0flex and they are better than the panish cables we had when the tower was first put on.

[Freeebird]

You sure they were electronic? I’ve seen these single lever Morse before and if they’re worn or not adjusted properly they get sloppy. I just replaced all my cables with the 0flex and they are better than the panish cables we had when the tower was first put on.

Nope, I'm not sure as I didn't look to see, but they acted like electronic controls. They are definitely sloppy. I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned in the survey. I don't think I'm stepping on Bob's toes as I know he doesn't care for them either, at least in that arrangement.

[Cricket]

Don't think those are Morse electronic control heads.
Kobelt makes a single lever control that is far superior to the Morse units.
It would be an easy swap out if there's only 1 control station, Kobelt model 2046.
Available in all sorts of configurations with different handle types and finishes, had the "T" handle in chrome.
We had top mount before we added the PB helm pod and then ordered the same controls with an extended shaft for the side mount levers.
Best of all NO pot or other mystery metals, only bronze and stainless, the detent is really good so can feel where you are when shifting.
Haven't touched ours since 2001.

https://www.kobelt.com/products/mari...eads-push-pull

[Bob Bradley]

I haven't opened it up yet to check, but I believe I was told that they are mechanical levers with short cables to a control box on the bridge that translates the cables to electronic signals to the engines. I'll report back once I dig into them. Right now I'm still trying to get the VacuFlush up to snuff.

[Cricket]

Probably similar to what we have with the CATs, short cable that attaches to the "beer can" for the throttle.
Our gears have mechanical shift so the cables go down to the ER.

Think you will end up loving the single lever controls, so much simpler around the dock and also getting aggressive on a fish when needed.

[richard buttine]

Great boat good luck