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I have a 1.5 ft x 2 ft copper plate glued to the outside of the hull at the top of the keel and a 1" dia copper bolt goes through it and the hull. Inside the hull, copper wires (1/4"dia) run from the bolt/nut to each chain plate. If the boat stayed in Ontario, I would not bother. My research indicates that it increases your chance of getting hit but reduces the chance of the strike blowing a hole (or many) through the hull. I have heard of very few boats hit around here. The insurance company does not even ask about it. If this was Florida then that may be another matter.

My exhaust outlet may get close the water line, but inside the boat the tube goes up to just under the rail before going back down and exiting. So it would be hard for the water to flow back to the engine. I also have a water lock box to prevent back flow.

Seeadler originally had the same very large ice box on the starboard side. It has large enough for a small family to live in and so deep it has almost impossible to reach the bottom. I cut it out and built the arrangement in the above pictures. I gained lots of storage space and a gimbled stove without loosing the chart table. An ice box was made to fill the cutout in the back of the V-berth.

I have mine mounted just above the spreaders. It is a standard 18" size. I rarely have any problem with it. Sometimes a halyard from one side gets flicked onto the other side but this is not a problem and would only lead to wear over a long time. If I tack with the largest genoa in light winds and pull the sheet in hard before the sail has had time to come across then it gets caught on one side of the dome, but I only have to loosen the sheet and let the wind blow the sail around. I would mount it up the mast if doing it again. I use my radar for seeing ships at distance, so the higher the better. When you mount it lower the range is reduced and the sea clutter from waves increases. If you are only using it for finding close in bouys in the fog then a pole mount would be ok.

The West Marine catalog has a page on the regs. I do not know if the same info is in their web site, but you could give it a try.

I have two different copies. They only have a map. There seem to be six different releases of the book.

ISBN        Publisher
0671666533    Simon & Schuster    1989    Hard cover          drawings – photos
0340523913    Hodder & Stoughton    1990    Hard cover          maps – illustrations
0345368762    Ballantine Books    1991    Paper back      map only   
0340549807    Coronet, UK    1991    Paper back
0345410122    Ballantine Books    1996    Paperback        map only
0613070224    Sagebrush Ed Res    1996    School rebinding

Has anyone read her new book, "I've been around"?

Doing nothing for a year is not as bad as it may seem. Blistering is a very slow process, so your boat will not sink in the next few years. The only way to tell what you really have and how bad would be to grind down one of the larger blisters and see what is in/under it. There should be some good write-ups on the web on how to deal with the blisters. Look up under fiberglass osmosis gelcoat. Try the Interlux web site, I remember them having a booklet on osmosis repairing.

I have a Siemens hard panel. The company is now Shell Solar and the model is SQ75. It is rated 75W max, but that is at noon in perfect conditions, so assume 60watts. Many types are available, hard or flexible, and different sizes and different technologies that have different ratings per square foot and different costs. The best for you really depends on the area you have for mounting, the power you need, if you are stepping on the panel, etc. I think I paid $700CAD for mine 5 years ago. It must be mounted so that shadows do not fall on it. A 1" wide shadow across mine will reduce the output by 30%.

Do you mean wind electrical generator or wind vane steering? Seeadler does not have wind electrical generation only solar panels, but she does have wind vane steering. Indispensible for long distance sailing, single handed or crewed. Electrical autopilots have limitations that make them not as good for long distance, but good for day sailing or light conditions.