Here we go again - just my 2 cents worth (CDN.) ! ;-)
If you want a cowling that will give you ease of maintenance
forever, go with Murphy's STANDARD cowl. It has a fiberglass nosebowl,
and aluminum sides that you can hinge into 4 doors that are easy
to open for maintenance without a screwdriver, and gives good cooling.
Going this route will save about $2,000 over the 'speed cowl', which
needs a prop spacer (moves the CG forward), special spinner, and
a special exhaust system (which might be worthwhile either way !).
You can also use a Thorp T-18 nosebowl from Spruce (about $85),
and build your own.
See photos in file from Rick Harper and Wayne on this style.
If you want a cowling that looks sexy, slightly improves
forward visibility, but makes even simple daily inspections a
pain, and needs rework for good cooling, that doesn't really help
speed, go with the 'speed cowl', and all the associated accessories.
Be sure to buy/build good plugs for the openings, to keep birds out,
'cause you might miss them on a quick inspection - there's no
<easy> way to check the back cylinders ! ;-^)
Certainly don't mean to offend those who have the 'speed cowl',
as I do, but having flown both kinds, <my H.O.> is that the metal cowl
with swing-up & swing-down sides is FAR the better choice if you
plan to fly a lot, especially on floats ! (Try taking the fiberglass
cowl off while floating - it's a big sail, will sink if you drop it,
and there's a very good chance you'll drop a screw or 2 while balancing
it !)
As always, it's experimental, and it's YOUR choice !! :-)
.....bobp
---------------------------------orig.------------------------
At 10:15 PM 1/31/03 -0800, you wrote:
Hello ALL
I am contemplating buying a MAM cowling. Do they fit fairly well (like the
wing tips) or should I be considering building my own?This is also a time
issue. Is buying and trimming faster than starting from scratch?
As always, All comments are greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Murray Cherkas
REBEL 505
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