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The shaft has two notches (and a key).    The coupling bolts go into the notches.    Both bolts must be completely removed for the shaft to come out.   It looks pretty bullet proof.   I think they know what they are doing.

How important is it to lap the prop on the shaft?   If I skip this step, will life as I know it come to an end?   

I did read some good stuff about making sure the prop isn't sitting on the key.    Put prop on mark end of travel, remove and pull key, put prop back on and make sure it seats the same.    That seems like a good idea.   

Here is what the coupling looks like...

VM Dafoe.  I would give you their website address, but uh, there isn't one...

Even the coupling was a custom job with their own casting.     No set screws.   Kind of a split collar with through bolts keyed into slots in the shaft.  I better take a picture...

First haul out since repower.   I had been having some vibration at higher revs.   Decided to bite the bullet and replace cutlass bearing.  There is some play.   I thought it was time.    Boat yard suggested they would likely cut the shaft out to do cutlass bearing rather than messing around with coupling etc.   I wasn't sure I wanted these guys touching my shaft so to speak. 

The old bronze one was scored near the packing gland, so I decided it was time to do the whole thing.  The yard recommended a machine shop for the shaft.   Having read Mainesail's notes on shafts and couplings, I was a little particular about whether the machine shop knew what they were doing.

Was I ever surprised.   The owner's grandfather, a boatbuilder, died in 1930.  Grandma ran the shop through the depression until the oldest boy finished school and started full time.   Somewhere in the 40 or 50's they decided to drop the line of Palmer engines and focus exclusively on shafts.   That's all they have done for 70 years or so.   They're on their 4th generation.   It was huge shop.  One lathe bed had to be 24 feet long. 

He patiently listened as I made my requests for the interference fit, dressing the end of the coupling, etc.   As though there was some other way to do a shaft.  We had a long chat about alloys.   A day later I have thing of great beauty at a reasonable price.  The place was so old school they ran my credit card through an imprint machine and dialled in the number on a touch tone phone to get an approval code. 





 

Shower drain?   

We are giving up our slip at our favourite marina, Thunderbird.    I think we have had a boat there since the early 80's.   Really nice marina.  Great harbour.  Close to the islands of Howe Sound.   Really expensive.   $7800 per year for a 35 foot slip. 

I turned 50 this weekend.   We want to pull the plug and go sailing and live on a small fraction of the cash we currently burn long before we reach our 60s.  Can't flip the switch and do it all at once.   We gave up cable TV, home phone, alarm monitoring six months ago.   So now we are giving up the fancy slip.   35 foot slip in the new marina is almost half the price.   Over 5 years, the differential could pay for a year of groceries, diesel, and rum.  Maybe 2 years of rum.     

Small wrinkle.   The new marina doesn't actually have a 35 foot slip.   The 51 foot slip I have taken is till $700 cheaper.   So I am on the waiting list as the smaller slips come available. 

You don't think the 51 foot slip would cause any kind of temptation do you?    Seems a waste to have all that extra length...   

Nice.   

You understand of course that people in Boston hate you.   And people in San Diego are scratching their heads wondering what we mean by first overnight of the season...

I realize there is a difference between a Catalina and a Baba for example, but I got a kick out of the 1,500 nm trip story and to hear the failures he had. They really weren't much different than I've read from people on "true bluewater cruisers" like a Baba. Capability going up and down the west coast of California to Mexico was another question I had, and sure enough got an answer to that. Maybe the comments about the boat not being durable in the Cruisers forums, are exagerated?

Trust me, i could break all that stuff on any brand of boat!   Although the guitar string may have been a uniquely Catalina problem.  I am not sure.   My guess is you won't find comments on durability from a disgruntled Catalina owner...

I knew there was real winter elsewhere, but now I feel bad.  I am not going to post the pictures of the daffodils and irises in the garden.   That would be cruel.  

Howe Sound in February.  Not quite T-shirt weather, but my neighbour did mow his lawn today..

We got a set of these that we hang a stand up paddle board on.  They are excellent.

Yes the Ryan Seacrests used to be my dream when I thought about a cruising boat!   Stoutly built.   Canoe stern.  Cutter rig.    Rudder on a skeg.   Nice lines.  Everything they tell you you should have on a blue water cruising boat.   

Then I went cruising.  The Valiants, Pacific Seacrafts, and probably the  Hewlett Packards fell off my list.   I am much more interested in larger cockpits, decent access to the the water, decent performance, decent layout.    Optimizing for ocean passage when 90% + of the time is spent  on short runs and at anchor entertaining doesn't make a lot of sense to me.   

Tracey's favourite so far is a 1999 Beneteau 44 centre cockpit with a a walk around queen.    The new boats we saw at the boat show mostly don't compare to boats they made ten years ago.   I develop a skin rash when I go in the modern "kitchen" of a Beneteau and there is veneered cabinet door with slidey hardware to open the cheap bar fridge.    Ugghhh..

The only boat we saw at the show that was new that we thought we would love to have was a Catalina 445.   But that's a bit beyond our budget so we'll find a nice used boat at some point in the next few years.   

The frozen wasteland called Canada isn't all bad.   Second sailing weekend in a row with beautiful sunshine. A lovely run into Snug Cove under genoa alone drifting along at 4 knots.  Tied up next to us is a nice Island Packet.   Tracey is developing a keen eye for the offshore worthy.  "is that a Hewlett Packard?"

Yes dear.  That's a Hewlett Packard. 

As long as she wants to drive them, she can call them whatever she wants. 

I had to move mine aft about 6inches.  The factory position doesn't allow for a decently swept back dodger. 

waterdog (aka Steve Dolling) posted a tip years ago:  he ran the ductwork under the mirror but above the counter in the head.

Actually no.   Mine is in the aft locker.    Duct runs into the head area and Ts with a 2" duct to the aft cabin, under the counter in the head to the hanging locker with a 4" drop at the base for the main salon, under the nav table exposed and behind seats above the access hole with a feed to the v-berth.   No ducting is visible unless eyeballs are below the nav table.   Fuel is a direct pickup from the tank.   Exhaust is high out the transom.   I have a hinged bulkhead in the locker so loose gear does not contact the unit.