[attachment=1633][attachment=1633]I been trying to locate the source of a small leak, since I like to have a clean dry bilge. Finally I was able to trace the leak back to the screws holding the exhaust bezel on the outside of the hull at the waterline. Depending on how the boat is loaded fuel etc, changed the severity of the leak. I suspect the screws were bedded with caulk from the factory and it aged over time. Hopefully this will save someone else some time.

Where can I get a replacement latch for the sliding vinyl shade on the overhead hatch in the hard top on my 2004 3200 Open?  I believe the product name is Oceanic.

My 95' 3500 Express did not have a generator but the electric panel is pre-wired for one. Instead of spending who knows how much for a diesel generator install I opted for a 300 amp hour 12v lithium-iron battery bank and a 3000 watt inverter. It does everything I need it to do. I stress tested the system this summer on a 90* day by first cooling down the cabin while on shore power, then going to anchor out to swim all day. I had my V berth AC running at 75* while at anchor, two refrigerators, water pumps, toilet, and the radio going while on the hook. I had 6 hours of capacity running with those loads (which you can monitor in real time with the battery app).

My set up is three 100ah WattCycle trolling batteries with Bluetooth, a Giandel 3000w pure sine inverter, an 18 amp 12v DC-DC converter (it goes between my alternator and the LFP battery bank), and the various cables, switches, and buss bars. I think I'm about $1100 all in on materials (I did the work myself and had some wiring on hand).

I removed the house Group 31 flooded batteries and reinstalled the LFPs in that portside space. I left one flooded battery as a charging battery as follows: wire the alternator to the flooded battery, then wire the flooded to a Victron 18amp 12v DC-DC converter, which then is wired to the LFP bank. You do not need an isolated converter because the boat has a common ground. I went with 18 amps firstly because I didn't want to tax the alternator, though I could have easily gone to 30 or more amps without much issue. Second, I'm not planning to use the alternator to charge the battery bank from 0-100% since I really do not foresee my use being more than an overnight on the hook and going to a port with shore power afterwards. Third, if I did need that sort of deep charge for an extended period (like going to the Georgian Bay in Lake Huron), I'd invest in a few solar panels and an MPPT charge controller to do the heavy lifting rather than burning diesel on an inefficient charge.

At port the bank is charged with a dedicated 40 amp LFP charger. You do not want to use a charger that doesn't have an LFP setting because they float differently than flooded or gel. You will want to wire the plug for your charger directly to your shore power inlet with an inline fuse or on a line with a dedicated breaker so you can turn it off while on your inverter.

I hooked my batteries together with heavy duty buss bars. Do not cheap out and just try to daisy chain them with battery cables because these batteries are sensitive to path of least resistance. You'll find (like I did) that they'll discharge unevenly if you have the load pulling from battery A while the negative is pulling from Battery C. Make sure to install on-terminal fuses for each battery. Mine are 100 amp.

Once you're hooked together, WattCycle's app lets you control the battery settings through their onboard Bluetooth (don't cheap out and get the kind without Bluetooth built in). Make sure to set all three batteries to parallel mode so they can communicate with one another to manage the draw.

Finally, run #10 or better wire to the generator switch on your panel. It worked like a charm. My inverter came with a remote and a control panel, but I find the remote works great and I have no need to see the state of charge on a panel since the app does a better job anyway.

I gained around twice the usable amp hours at less than half the weight since a group 31 is around 55 pounds and these LFP are only 22 pounds. You can flatten the LFP batteries and it really won't kill your life expectancy on an application like this. 

Note: My V berth AC is a new MarinAire 6k BTU 115v unit that replaced the original when it went out last year. It has built-in soft start and the inverter has zero problems powering it. The whole AC set up pulls around 8 amps running, including my 600 GPH pump.

Hope this helps someone else considering an electric conversion.

Just got my 06 Tiara 2900 open.
it has good bones but came from saltwater,  I will be doing a lot of updates and maintenance my self. 
Eager to learn more about this community and willing to exchange ideas.

the boat has about 700hrs and thinking to start with exhaust manifolds and raisers, change a good numbers of hoses.
I moved from a 2000 bayliner 2655 single sterndrive and  I am new on driving twin inboards. would like to hire someone to teach me.

Luis

I am about to purchase a 2001 3500 Open. Both pistons raise the access hatch for the engine compartment fine, but lowering the port one goes down much faster. Multiple up and down to get it to close evenly, otherwise a severe twist. Are replacement pistons available, or is there an easier fix? Thanks

Ok Just bought a 1997 Tiara 4000 Express for my first Lake Michigan boat. Have a 31 foot Baja on the Fox Chain but it has way too much power for the big lake…. So found me a beautiful 1997 Tiara 4000 express with twin Cat 3208 diesels, and will be keeping it in Belmont harbor in Chicago. First diesel powered boat.

Does anyone have information on replacement wiper blades for 2007-2013 3900 Sovran?

Tiara 31 Coronet owners (2012-2018?), I have removed the aft cockpit sunshade that came on my recently acquired boat & would be willing to give it to anyone with a boat it will fit on. It comes with the frame, canvas & 3 piece drop curtain. The frame is one solid piece so it will probably be pricey to ship. I'm happy to send to anyone willing to pay shipping or alternately someone can pick it up in Norwalk, CT.

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Before I just randomly pull this fixture out and screw something up can someone share how to easily remove and replace the small recessed light bulb. It’s in the head on my 3800 Open.

Question for those 4400/4700 sovrans and possibly other models...the metal bracket mounted to the back of my main engine hatch which the top of the gas shocks attach to has pulled out from it's mounting position. The last time I lifted it, the eight screws pulled out of the fiberglass and the adhesive had no adhesion to the metal. To fix it, I sanded down to the fiberglass and sanded the metal then wiped both with acetone.  I then filled the holes with two part epoxy and let cure.  24 hours later, I applied epoxy in between the bracket and fiberglass before screwing into place.  After allowing it to cure 10x longer than the stated cure time, I tried lifting it again and it immediately separated with no epoxy adhesion to the metal bracket. The epoxy specifically lists fiberglass and metal on the instructions.

Has anyone else experienced this and found a good fix?