FOR JIM WRIGHT AND OTHERS INTERESTED IN THE STABILIZER THREAD MY ORIGINAL POST I am just about to make the decision to add stabilizers to my Krogen 42. I am leaning toward Niads and using Stabilized Marine of Ft. Lauderdale. For the Krogens on the list, what size fins are you using and what series? Would appreciate any comments from other folks who are using stabilizers. FROM CAPTN WIL 42 KK OWNER I have NAIADs with 6-ft. (square ft) fins -- one size larger than normal. They are wonderful, no problems. They work well at very slow speeds (1,2 knots) as well as cruising. The only way you know they are working is the ride -- no noise, no bumps, no nothing. Make sure your installer knows how to work with the Krogen hull. There are some major differences in the control systems on different systems. The NAIAD system is controlled by a gyro. It knows nothing about level -- only change. It tries to prevent change. That is important because it keeps the system from fighting if the boat has a small list because of taking fuel from one tank or the wind blowing the boat over slightly. All the systems which try to maintain "Level" suffer from hunting and need adjustments. The NAIAD control system is patented. In addition, there are no electronics in the NAIAD system. That means no possibility of the nasty problems you may have read about on the list from interference. Under no circumstances consider Wesmar. More super yachts have NAIADs than any other. I suspect you will find the cost of all systems about the same. FROM MARTY LIVINGSTON Good quwstion John, On my last boat ( 52 ' trawler ) we had Niads 6 Sq foot fins. Worked great. Now building another 52 foot trawler and trying to make that decision. Why are you leaning toward Niads over Westmar ? FROM BRYANT VANN KK42 OWNER We don't have stabilizers on our K42, but Chris Washburn at Washburns' Boatyard in Solomons, MD has installed quite a few. He might be able to help you. Sorry, I don't have contact info. Good luck with the stabilizers -- we decided against them when we heard about them being a liability for gunk-holing in tight places and because the only K42 that's been totalled was sunk after grounding gently on a reef in the Bahamas, then holed by the stabilizer axle as the tide ebbed. >Are you referring to "Dare To Dream"? Yes. I wouldn't want to blame the incident on the stabilizers though. (As most accidents usually turn out -- it was a result of a sequence of errors/misfortunes............, FROM JIM WRIGHT I hope you'll post replies to the list if they come to you privately. What's a rough cost estimate for installed Niaids? I'm about to make an offer on an old Krogen 42. >DID YOU MAKE YOUR OFFER, JIM? FROM HAL WYMAN 54 KK OWNER In May of '92 I had Naiad stabilizers installed on my Krogen 54, at Associated Marine, on the Dania cutoff canal. The installation was by Q.M.S. marine as I recall. They calculated the appropriate size fin which I do not recall now. They are probably a little conservative on their fin size calculations, so you could probably get by with the next smaller size at the cost of efficiency at low speeds, and the benefit of a less expensive system. IOW, you get what you pay for. AGAIN FROM CAPTN WIL >Have you heard of any problems with stabilizers holing a boat after >striking a submerged object or grounding? Is that what sunk the KK42 >"Dare To Dream". 1. I have not heard about any holing problems. During hurricane Bertha, my fins saved my boat from a floating concrete pier with 3-ft. ss bolts sticking out. I don't know anything about Dare To Dream. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ John Parr Houston TX M/V Huckleberry Krogen 42 ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]