hedonist44

Good choice for a base camp. As we creep closer to the winter months, exploration and road trips are a must. Get settled in over the next month or two and then branch out. There is a lot of beautiful country up here in the North.

Ditto on that !

A lesson for all. Hotel room has a safe, let the lady SEE you lock your stuff away. Easy really.

I got a better idea, lock the lady in the safe when your sleeping.

For those of you wishing and hoping and predicting that one day there will be a revolt against corruption, you all live in la-la land.

Opinion polls conducted by Abac continue to support this attitude.

The percentage of respondents who did not mind corruption by a government as long as they also benefit from it was 64 in January 2011, 64.6 per cent in November 2011, 64.7 per cent in January 2012, and 63.4 per cent in June 2012.

With those sorts of statistics, corruption isn't going to come to a grinding halt any day soon. And....ask any of your Thai friends for their opinion. Most will likely vent anger and disappointment. Ask them what they'll do about it...they will just shrug their shoulders.

Which is because they dont hold all the cards/ guns /tanks/ planes but ONE DAY like all revolutions it WILL happen.

Yeah, and one day Toto will find his way home....

and the point of that little bit of nonsense was ..............??

Well, at least he'll never have to worry about being sued for stealing intellectual property...

Question: Would YOU trust a Thai train driver to go 250K per hour? On Thai-made curves? Through Thai-made rail crossings?

Just a consideration...

And YOU apparently do trust a Thai pilot to go 800K per hour, between Thai made airports, staffed by Thai traffic controllers.

next.

Absolutely! One has no association with the other actually.

Thanks, but they are in Chiang Mai. I called them, and they gave me a Bangkok Phone number, which is the ESRI dealer at Sathorn Rd.

But maybe they can help.

ESRI is the dealer and I bought my Zumo 550 there about 3.5 years ago. Mine also went completely dead one time and I took it in and had it going again the same day. Can't remember exactly what it was, but I seem to remember it being the battery. Just call them first and schedule a time and day to take it in and you should be back on track in no time.

btw,

the Thais do not call my boat for a longtail boat, (Haeng Yao)

my type of boat is referred to as a two-section (soong dtoon) boat in Thai

what they call longtail boats are those diesel powered ones you see in central Bangkok

that take tourists to croc farm, snake farm, floating market, orchard farm,

etc etc on the canals on the Thonburi side of the river

I think you've done a great job so far in the build of your boat and you should be very pleased with your self, I would be:) Keep up the good work and please keep updating us land locked country hicks as to your progress:)

Millions of inboard ski boats don't run on the Chao Praya where there is so much silt, plant life and plastic bags in the water that can make your day into a nightmare. Besides the silt playing havoc on your pump impellers, how'd you like to making a run up river and then having a plastic bag get sucked up into your intake? You wouldn't notice it until it was too late and your heads were warped. And that's just if your lucky.

I was replying to those who said it would not work, nothing to do with actual water conditions but now that you bring the subject how do the other water cooled long tails that run on the Chao Praya go with an open cooling system ?

I don't own one, wouldn't know. All I know is if I did own one, I wouldn't do it.

Your sitting in water so why even run a radiator ?

There are systems which run piping from the rad into the water along the hull, and cool this way. High drag tho'

The best reason to run a rad is an enclosed cooling system, which you can keep clean and with the proper PH balance. It also allows for accurate operating temperature of the engine, with the side benefit of being able to incorporate engine oil cooling into the system.

right,

but piping outside or under the hull ain't really feasible on high speed boats (I think)

Millions of inboard ski boats says there is no need for a sealed cooling system.

Millions of inboard ski boats don't run on the Chao Praya where there is so much silt, plant life and plastic bags in the water that can make your day into a nightmare. Besides the silt playing havoc on your pump impellers, how'd you like to making a run up river and then having a plastic bag get sucked up into your intake? You wouldn't notice it until it was too late and your heads were warped. And that's just if your lucky.

Get a proper shroud for the fan, too.

shroud????? sorry, but whats that? some cover to prevent the fan from taking air from above/below/the sides of the radiator?

Yes.

I think that my magic-wand change would be to see one of the Gulf-based airlines start flying direct into Chiang Mai, at least a few times per-week, with one of their smaller aircraft !

CNX-DUB is 2811 miles and CNX-DOH is 3051 miles, so we are just about in-range for a 2-class-configured A321 (range 3200 nm), to fly non-stop between Chiang Mai and the Gulf, with onward-connections to Europe & the World !

Whichever airline does this first can lock-in all the farang-residents & tourist-traffic, using their loyalty/ff-card, for at least the first few years.

And they will save us 3-4 hours each-way, and B3k-5k return, compared to our travelling via Swampy as at present, so they could offer us lower-fares than at present or charge slightly-more than BKK-Gulf, and still have a price-advantage !

Qatar & Emirates already fly to Phuket, so when will it be Chiang Mai's turn ? I have a dream !

You are joking I hope !

He was scentenced in 1981 to 20 years. Wasn't that over 30 years ago now ?

It's the US system, they like to condemn some people more than once for a given crime !

BTW, prisons graveyards are crowded, where in more humane countries old people are released to die "free" ...

He doesn't deserve to die free! I hope he dies at 110 still in his cell.

"That is excellent mileage. Were they the Dueler H/P (TRD) or the standard Fortuner Dueler H/T?

Any other Dueler H/P users with comments on tyre mileage and perfomance?"

​They were the Standard Fortuner Dueler H/T. I now have Michelins bolted onto her and like the ride much more. Will I get the same milage as before, don't know and not sure I care. It rides great and feels very safe doing a good clip on the highway though Lampang and coming into Lamphun when driving to Cm for the monthly trip home.

Thailoht, I had my Yokohamas swapped front to rear at 30,000 km. Have not rechecked alignment yet but probably should.

Tyre manufacturer sometime quote indices for tread wear / compound softness but they are not consistent. The easiest crude comparison is the speed rating. Many of the standard light truck tyres like the Bridgestone Dueler HT are S rated. The more performance oriented tyres are rated higher like the V rated Yokohama Parada Spec-X. While either is fine, the higher speed rating usually means a more expensive performance oriented tyre that will wear faster.

I have Dueler H/P V rated on my Fortuner sportivo standard fit, had them checked last week was told only about 40% worn and that's after 55/th kl and no I don't drive slow. Toyota recommend 30 psi all round I put in 29 as it's feel's better. But they are expencive around 10,000bt each

On my Fortuner I got 140 kms out of the original set of tires and they could have gone more, but the brakes needed to be changed so did it all at one go. I like a softer ride plus I'm out in the field a lot running in soft sand and mud so I run 32psi in the fronts and 29psi in the rear. Works great for my application.

I'm entertained by the fact that the tip has become the story TV is amazing

SO!!!......how much should the tip have been then?

I for one was not all that bothered by the fact he got screwed by his friend

You sound very nice, just the type of person the OP got screwed over by no doubt

Not at all. I just don't hang with people who would even think of doing that to "a friend" so it doesn't bother me when it does happen to someone else and they have to run to the forum to cry about it. But nice try on the personal attack

I'm entertained by the fact that the tip has become the story TV is amazing

SO!!!......how much should the tip have been then?

Not amazing at all if you think about it. Most people here can not relate to being treated as the OP was by his so-called "friend" as they most likely have better friends than that and it's never come up as an issue. The very low tip on the other hand is something we have all seen here in Thailand at one time or another I would think, thus all the comments. I for one was not all that bothered by the fact he got screwed by his friend, but did take note of the tip that was not exactly in proper proportion to the bill? I found that to be more interesting than the story.

Seat boat in Pattaya will have anything you want, interior or exterior and navigation lights. No I don't have a number

Here are a few more options that seems to fit with your thinking.

http://www.cpperformance.com/m-50-lightning-headers.aspx

Nice blown SBC - any chance of pic of complete boat ???

If you are just having the exhaust pipes straight out, whether bent up-straight or down, remember when the boat is left for periods of time the exhaust pipes must be on a downward angle so rain water will not accumulate and enter the manifold/valves etc.

This can possably be achieved with the angle of the engine on the gimble??.

It is a great project and am looking forward to seeing pix and actual in Dec.

Yep, point down at a slight angle or put a trap ''doors'' on, like big rigs.

the pipes are very short and pointing slightly upwards

my initial thinking was to arrange for wet exhaust,

in order to reduce the sound a bit, it is quite loud

thought of arranging the pipes in a U form, to avoid water back in the mill when stopping

will think a bit further about this, see how much space there is etc.

there are a number of things I want to do before wet exhaust

Sorry, just posted some pics of different exhaust you might consider, but then I think you know what you want already and won't clog this thread up. Your ride is looking very nice, good job!

@ Ferangled: You clearly have never been in a Thai classroom, nor could you possibly have been around Thais generally. You have way, way over-exaggerated the significance of the head-touching issue. It doesn't apply really at all if the individual doing the touching is socially more advanced than he/she touched and it is very haphazardly adhered to anyways. I second the poster who said you need to toss out the guidebook. I have seen Thai teachers strike their charges ON THE HEAD OR FACE hundreds if not thousands of times.

Also, what head trauma are you talking about? The teacher's head trauma? It sounds like you didn't read my post very well. You're making up events and you tell me to "get a grip" when I commented on the very, very frequent lament from elderly Thais (at hearing stories like this one) that Thai culture is crumbling. I personally don't have any feelings one way or the other, so I'm not sure I still need to "get a grip".

Are you trying to justify the actions of the belligerent older brother (who was not in any way involved in what originally took place)? That's what it sounds like. This is Thailand. Period. They use corporal punishment in schools. Period. Get over it.

+1 and Thank You!

Was that a yes or a no then? Seems to be a running theme on here that intelligent discussion is lost.... perhaps this makes it easier for you...

Would the brother (edit - and other students) have assaulted the teacher had the teacher not first assaulted the two students?

Point number 1: where was your intelligent discussion, must have missed it?

Point number 2: If you compare a minor clip round the ear with a mob beating then you are a sick individual. Probably your father didn't discipline you because of his prosthetic hands that he had fitted after playing with homemade bombs. I hope he hides the rifles and handguns when you visit.

Still dodging the question in favour of taking ever cheapening shots eh? Yes or no, quite simple

I'm not dodging the issue, it's not a yes or no question. You are bandying about the word assault and to me the teacher administered a disciplinary smack, he didn't trash the kids face which in my mind constitutes an assault. In my time I had plenty of clips from teachers when I stepped out of line and never once did I get my family to put any of them in hospital.

Yes, the teacher was in a position of authority and had every right to discipline the kids even though not from his school. A disciplinary clip is exactly that and no more.

You conveniently missed the original assault here didn't you P?! No one was assaulting anyone until the teacher decided that head blows (slaps, cuffs, punches however you want to phrase it) were appropriate responses to the use of bad language by two minors who were not under his responsibility or care.

If I saw a teacher or adult cuffing a little brat around the head I would assume the little brat deserved it. In this day and age I would also assume that the kids would kick the shit out of him as well. Three minors by the way. You keep saying two. It was three. Did you actually read the article in its entirety? Doubt it.

I agree with you in how to take care of a situation as a bunch of kids assaulting the teacher. I was however commenting on (tominbkk's) post "Next time I see your kid messing up and I clip him round the ear, you are ok with that"? Maybe I misunderstood his post. I took it as if in his opinion, he saw my son doing something wrong, if it was OK to clip him around the ear. That would not be the same as you or me stepping in to help a teacher in a gang bang of a brawl. I will not tolerate someone off the street clipping my kid, but will accept it from a teacher, until the teacher is proven wrong.

Sure - I was taking it to an extreme, but imagine that your kid comes back saying "nasty man threw me against a wall just now". What would be your response? Only after I have my operation to have the bullet removed from my spine you find out that the kid was involved in something a little more than he told you about. not happened, but If a kid stands in front of me shouting abuse in my face with his gang around him, I would most likely cuff the little brat. You come trundling along saying "oiii why did you hit my kid" and I say "I did not hit him, I cuffed his ear because for 10 minutes, him and his pals surrounded me, screaming abuse and threats at me, so I cuffed the little shit" what would your response be then?

In this situation I would accept your actions certainly. That is to the extreme and one can only hope it doesn't ever involve your own kid. I think we're clear on things now:) Thanks!

Asking and slapping are two different things. I don't care if a non teacher ask my kid to behave, but if non teacher slaps or touches my kid in anyway, then it becomes a different story. Please do not mix the two up.

I do not mix the two up. not at all saying they would, but if your little cherubs were beating the crap out of teacher as part of a gang, I'm not exactly going to stand there and say "excuse me young men, would you mind awfully not kicking him in the head, he's already unconscious and the bleeding is quite profuse". No, I would pick them up, throw them against a wall or in some way subdue them so that a) the person under attack is safe, and 2) the little bastards are not in a situation to attack me. might sound extreme, but a gang of 14 year olds acting like a pack of dogs is just as dangerous as a gang of men.

I agree with you in how to take care of a situation as a bunch of kids assaulting the teacher. I was however commenting on (tominbkk's) post "Next time I see your kid messing up and I clip him round the ear, you are ok with that"? Maybe I misunderstood his post. I took it as if in his opinion, he saw my son doing something wrong, if it was OK to clip him around the ear. That would not be the same as you or me stepping in to help a teacher in a gang bang of a brawl. I will not tolerate someone off the street clipping my kid, but will accept it from a teacher, until the teacher is proven wrong.