Susquehanna River in PA just south of the RT30 bridge. It is section of the river called Lake Clarke or Long Level.

I no longer have this boat so I can't make a video on this one. I can let you know the set up: My set up was a 100amp lithium ion battery and (2) 50watt stern solar panels mounted on NOA mounts that I modified. For longer trips I also had 2 more 100watt flexible panels that I could quickly add to the Bimini. The stern panels wired into 1 victron solar charge controller and the bimini panels into another. I added a new DC fuse panel for the boat and then feed the existing fuse panel out of that. I had to make all of the exterior solar panels removable because it was a tailorable boat. So I added inlet plugs at each of the panels in the cockpit to pug them into the system as needed. I was using an electric DC skillet, DC refrigerator, and an auto tiller though so I needed the extra power. I hope this helps.

@@livingmatt3729 Thanks! This helps

The autopilot just keeps a heading. There are buttons on it to change the heading angles by +1 or +10 degrees at a time left or right. The degree number on the display is not important. You just get the boat pointing in the direction you want and then hit the "auto" button. The autopilot will then maintain that heading until you adjust it or turn it off.

@@livingmatt3729 Thanks

Adding an autopilot was one of the best modifications I made. It allowed me to single hand much more effectively. It made setting the sails and retrieving the sales much safer. I also enjoyed the longer sailing days more. I could take a break from the tiller from time to time. In a bit of a way it also helped me to learn to sail better. It removed one of the variables "me steering" and allowed me to focus on adjusting the sails and learning the effects.

@@livingmatt3729 Thanks for the explanation

Thank you, It took me about an hour to set up from the time of parking to the time of pulling away from the dock.

I don't have the P18 anymore so I can't show you the solar system in more detail. But I can let you know that the rail mounts are NOA Solar panel mounts. I purchased them from across the pond in England and then modified them a bit for my purposes. They are strong solid mounts. I never had any issues.

Thank you

Thanks, that was the solution I came up with to get the right angle from pairing the manufactures lift bracket with my boats transom. I don't have the metal work equipment to make a new bracket.

We were out for a week hanging out in our little boat for that trip. We didn't have any cooking fuel onboard so everything was electric. Solar panels, 100amp Li Ion battery, auto tiller, 12v refrigerator, 12v skillet, 12v lunch box oven, 12v thermos to heat up water, of course a porta potty, fresh water jugs, safety gear, personal gear, the Bimini to get some shade, and away we went!

We threw a line out behind us that day and sure enough we hooked one. That was fun! We were never more then a half mile off the beach. Just running parallel with it up to the next inlet. I am glad you enjoy them. I enjoyed making them.

We did a bit of loop that day. For the first half of it we sailed in the ICW and for the return trip we went out into the Gulf to sail back up along the beach. There is wind in both areas and you can sail in both.

absolutely, enjoy! I hope you have a great time

No problem, I am glad you found it helpful

Thank you! I sail on a section of the river called "Lake Clark" or "Long Level" located just south of the route 30 bridge. Most of the depth is 15 to 30ft but it does get deeper down towards the dam. The only rock areas to really be aware of are on the north side of this section where there are 3 small islands.

The motor bracket is no longer made. Hasn't been for a long time from my understanding. I don't know why because it is so much better then the spring units. At least in my opinion. I was able to find one being sold as a salvaged unit on ebay.

I'm just south of Harrisburg.

Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed it. I did put together a series of videos from sailing in Pensacola Bay Florida. I do need to get some more footage going forward and perhaps put together some more videos this winter.

Hi there, Yep, I sold her over a year ago now and enjoy sailing my new boat. I wish you the best in finding a boat.

@@livingmatt3729 Yes, I found a nice P18. What new boat did you get?

I think it depends on the type of trip you would enjoy. I know lots of folks who use an open boat and camp on sure from night to night. My preference to to stay on the boat but I also like camping.

Thanks, its always a battle to keep things clean. Most of the time I am loosing to its nice to have a win every once and a while

The bimin fit just under the boom at its lowest point. I had to make sure I got the Bimini set up to accomplish that though. It sure is critical to have the shade

I used Navionics on a Samsung tablet.

Thank you, I agree

no problem, I am glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know about these. Will do

This is great! Thank you for sharing. Its a dream to get out west to check out that area.

That's the trusty porta john

Yes they do. Its always exciting to see them!

Thanks! That was a great memory!

You have a lot of sunshine in Florida so you are off to a great start. My set up was a 100amp lithium ion battery and (2) 50watt solar panels. For longer trips I also had 2 more 100watt flexible panels that I could quickly add to the Bimini. I was using an electric DC skillet and an auto tiller though so I needed the extra power. I forget what the watts usage was exactly on the DC cooler when the compressor was running but I want to say 35 or 40 watts. If your 35amp-hr batter is lead acid then you should only run it down 50% so you have 17.5amps to play with x 12 volts = 210watt hours to work with. 210/35= 6hours of run time on your DC cooler if the compressor was on all 6 hours pulling 35watts the entire time. 12 hours if its only on half the time. This is without any solar input. If on average you were getting 5watts an hour from your solar set up ( I just halved your 10watt set up for quick figuring of shade and wiring losses) then you can figure that your cooler is a 30watt device instead of a 35watt. So 210/30=7 hours or 14 hours if it only runs half the time. So on average you would gain about an extra hour of run time with the solar input. Overall though If you are going to be out for an extended trip of more then an afternoon you will want more solar to keep up with your cooler and I would suggest a larger amp hour battery as well. Feel free to play around with the calculations to work out the right system for your needs. I hope this helps. Matt

It did a great job. I never had any issues making headway even with opposing tides in narrow inlets.

No problem. Yea, the shaft didn't come out of the water all the way unless I did the extra step of tilting it. But for me I wasn't to worried about getting it all the way out of the water. There was a section of the transom that had a plywood core in between the inner and outer fiberglass. I mounted it as high as I could and still have good clearance in this section. You can probably mount it higher with a different boat. I was also switching from a short/regular shaft to a long shaft outboard and had dealt with cavitation so I want to make sure the prop would stay in the water in larger swells. I never had any issues with the OMC cylinder. I really liked it compared to the spring options. I wish they still made them. I hope this helps!

Thank you. I hope you found it helpful!

I had an iPad at one point but it go to old. I then switched over to an android tablet. I think it was a Samsung A3?? All that stuff goes out of usefulness so fast so as long as you have a tablet you will be set.

Hi there, I hope all went well with your purchase and that you enjoyed sailing her this season. Wishing you all the best!

No problem. I am glad you found it helpful!

what do you sail? i'm in louisiana and will be sailing there this summer as well . I'm fixing to purchase starwind 19

@@cletusj.5364 hunter 260 swing keel water ballast boat

@@cletusj.5364 we are doing the beer cruiser 9th -13 of June

@@gluerman233 I will try n make that !!!!!

Hi Michael, Thank you! I installed the raised floor to allow the water that comes up through the swing down keel hole to flow under and not get anything in the cockpit wet. Worked great. Enjoy your restoration! The raised floor is just sitting on the original floor. It is not adhered or screwed down. There are 1/2" thick strips of pressure treated boards sitting down flat on the floor first and then I screwed the deck board to those with short screws so to not go through the pressure treated boards. I ran the PT boards length wise with the boat.

Thank you, it came with the name and I kept it.

It is hard to say because the solar was charging at the same time for a net positive on the battery. Overall I it was not a huge power draw on the system.

Love auto pilots. Back in the 1970’s n 80’s when I did most of my wester Coast ( I live in Puget Sound) sailing ⛵️ n up to Alaska there were not auto pilots n only had compasses 🧭 n paper charts. So nice to have GPS n Nav programs ! Papa J

Thank you! With calm waters at low throttle it moves along at about 1 - 1.5 mph. At about half throttle it is close to haul speed. Hopefully it gets warm again soon!

@@livingmatt3729 Thank you!!

Hi Michael, They are NOA Solar panel mounts. I purchased them from across the pond in England and then modified them a bit for my purposes. They are strong solid mounts. I never had any issues.

Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed it. I haven't made anymore this long but I have a few others in the mix.