Boat Yard Service Desk

Have you got a problem with your boat you just can’t seem to fix? Let us know about it. Send an e-mail to inbox@pmymag.com and our resident expert on all things nautical, Capt. Bill Pike, will try his best to help you out.

QUESTION 1: I recently purchased a 1996 Sabre 36 Express, which we cruise in Maine and will take south this fall. The helm deck is wrapped by a windshield, with a soft-top overhead. We love this arrangement, however, it gets awfully hot sometimes, almost like a greenhouse. Even a little breeze would help. Is it possible to retrofit this manufactured windshield to accommodate an opening center windshield? The later Sabre models have them.

QUESTION 2: We have dual controls onboard. A set of Morse transmission controls for the twin CAT 3116s to the left of the wheel and the throttle controls are to the right of the wheel. What’s involved if I want to retrofit to a single-lever system? I’m concerned about a high-speed shift since the transmission controls are right along the passageway to the cabin and beside the handhold. It’s a natural place to want to place your hand. Your direction is appreciated Capt. Bill. QUESTION 1: YOU’RE IN LUCK, John. According to Sabre Yachts, the windshield on your 36 Express was built by Taylor Made Systems ( www.taylormadesystems.com) of Gloversville, New York, “the world’s largest manufacturer of windshields for powerboats.” We contacted Taylor and were told the company has a “custom division” which can work all sorts of magic. Depending upon your specific needs, it’s quite probable that Taylor can either sell

— John Rice South Portland, Maine

you an entirely new opening-type windshield for your boat or perhaps sell you parts to modify what you have. The person you want to call at Taylor is Andy Coco. His phone number is 518-773-9433.

QUESTION 2: WELL, YOU ARE IN LUCK YET AGAIN, John. Given what you most likely already have onboard for engine controls, we’d say your best bet for a single-lever replacement is the “MT-3 Twin” single-lever engine control from Teleflex Morse ( www.teleflexmorse .com). There’s a good chance, say the folks at Sabre Yachts, that you have a Glendinning synchronizer spliced into your existing control system, which will mix nicely with the MT-3. Your local boat yard should be able to make the conversion quite readily. But prior to contacting the yard we suggest calling the tech guy at Teleflex Morse since there are several control options that may work for you. The guy’s name is Jim (he wanted us to withhold his last name) and he’s at 610-495-7011, ext. 2. And by the way, while looking into this issue for you, we bumped into our old friend Rob Panish of Panish Marine Systems ( www.panishmarine systems.com), maker of high-end mechanical single-lever controls. While Panish felt his products might be “relatively expensive and perhaps oversized” for your needs, he theorized that replacing your existing cables with Panish cables could seriously smoothify your system. He’s most likely right.

— Capt. Bill Pike