Category Archives: Boating tips
Installing the Livescope Transducer
In Episode 3 of our boat slipping saga, we fix more mistakes and install our new Livescope Transducer (LVS32). If you missed the first two episodes you can watch them here >> EP1 and EP2. To recap, we took the boat for a pre-haul outrun, then pulled her out discovering a few “issues”. Before drilling…
Essential boat maintenance tasks
Episode 2 in our essential boat maintenance series kicks off with us hauling Mood Swings out. You can watch Episode 1 here. We arrived at the boatyard at 6 am due to the tide. The goal is to get her in the slings with minimal tidal run and enough depth to get up the creek.…
Annual Boat Maintenance for Mood Swings
For those that follow us on social media, you’d know we pulled Mood Swings out for annual boat maintenance last week. Typically this involves a haul out and slipping the boat. It also typically involves going way over the budget! Because after you have pulled her out, a ton of new items get found. And…
Delivery Day: Preparing for our Boat Adventure
This week we had a delivery day from Garmin preparing for our boat adventure. Because as some of you may know we are planning some big trips in our game boat Mood Swings. It has always been our intention to travel in her to remote destinations with the new Blue Boat in tow. But it…
Electric motor support bracket
After years watching my electric motor bash the deck when we hit chop, I’m surprised I never thought to add an electric motor support bracket. Electric motors are in my view one of the best inventions since sliced bread. But boy do they cop a pounding. Perched on the front of the boat, it gets…
Storms at sea in small boats – real life stories
Last week on our return to Cairns from holidays, we were caught unawares by an electrical storm at sea. One minute it was just wind and rain, and we felt pretty safe in our Black Watch 40, Mood Swings. Nek Minit – lightning flashed all around. To make it worse, the clear zipper ripped and we…
Choosing the right propeller for your boat
Choosing the right propeller for your boat can be a bit hit and miss. Considerations include boat design, weight distribution, running characteristics (RPM) and how and where it will be used. When choosing the right propeller for your boat you’ll also want to consider the material used (aluminium or stainless), number of blades and pitch.…