Hi Camano owners, I have
hull # 88 and am the second owner. Love the
boat and everything has been great. I live in
Vancouver and brought the
boat up from Anacortes 5 years ago. Some hints I share are
Always make sure the key on the bridge and the key in the
cabin are in the off position, which is the position one back in a clockwise position back from where you turn the key to shut off the
motor. One day i couldn't start the
motor and it was because the key on the bridge was still in the shut off position......I was surprised this wasn't in the manual somewhere. i had to get towed in and it took my 2 days to figure this out.
Another important feature I notice is that the
batteries ( I have 4 house and 1 starter ) were each grounded....This prevented the
batteries from being wired in series which produces more amps and helps the batteries last longer. I have since wired the batteries in series and put a
battery monitor on. It has made a huge difference as now only one
battery is grounded and now the
cabin lights don't dim when I turn other lights on. Also, the batteries are in plastic boxes which is not super but if you are careful to not spill any
water when filling the cells otherwise the acid
leaks through the bottom screw holes of the plastic boxes and drip out and erode important
wiring in the
engine room.
Another hint I recently found out is that to test the tightness of the
alternator belts try turning the fan blades by hand on the outside of the
alternator. If you can turn the fan blades by hand the belts are too loose. Several mechanics test by pushing the belt down but this is not accurate.
Another hint for keeping
barnacles and mussels from growing on the propellers especially the bow thruster blades is to buy a product called anhydrous lanolin
which is bought at most drug stores. It is a product that breast feeding ladies so that the baby does not get stuck on the nipple. This is not a joke as I have used this product for 4 years and it saves an hour of
propeller scraping each
haul out but more importantly the bow thruster is still efficent after sitting 4 months over the
winter. It is important to use a
propane torch to melt the product on as it is thick and you have to melt it onto the
propeller blade after you spread it on with your fingers. Try it you will be amazed.
One question I do have is the best way to empty the
holding tank? I push the button suggested in the manual in the
head behind the doorbut it takes several tries and I have to flush the
toilet at the same time someitme 4 or 5 times with the valve turned to the
holding tank position. Once it does start emptying it goes for over a minute it is just difficult to get the flow going. Any hints?
In summary, check that each battery is not grounded individually and if so change it. Keep an eye on the key positions if it won't start ( it turns over but if the solenoids are off because the key is in the wrong position the motor won't start ) and try the anhydrous lanolin (breast feeding product) it comes in a tube and I buy it at London Drugs. Very important to use the
propane torch so it runs all over the propeller
I love the Camano Troll and it is so well built and unbelievable fuel efficicency ( I divide fuel up cost by number of hours and it is usually $15/hour). I have a
Volvo TAMD41Pturbo 200 hp. I find the most efficent RPMs are 2500 or 3100 and it tops out at 4000. I would love to hear from others about their experiences.
Bruce Richardson of Fjord Dancer.
Re: Need Advice from Camano Owners
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