This is a definite catch 22 situation - the answer is probably already in a previous post / thread, but I can't find it!

How are we meant to use the search engine:
- How do I search all posts?
(at the moment I set newer than to blank and blank, and older than to 1 day!)
- How do I get more than 200 results - or is that a fixed limit?
- How do I get the results threaded, or is that not possible
(at the moment if I search on 'lifejacket' for example, and the word is used separately 6 times in a thread, each post comes back even though having clicked on the first I will probably read the thread...)
(this is confused even more by the fact that the title of each post found from the thread is not the same necessarily...)
- can I search two disjointed forums
(I can search sections / all / individual forums, but what if I wanted to search scuttlebutt and for sale?)

Is it best to give up and toddle off to Google?

Many thanks.