Messages

Ron

The Napa part # is at: http://www.c34.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1328&highlight=napa

Please note that the url references on that post are to the old infopop 'site that we no longer use.

The BEST way to get good search results on "fuel pump" is to search on NAPA.  Lots of information and good esperiences on those hits.  I have found that the search engine does better on single words.

[both]

Duh...

I forgot to mention that it could be done both inside and outside.

Sorry

Buzz

There's been a ton of material written on box insulation.  I recommend doing a "Search" on insulation on this message board.  In addition, go to the website home page and click on FAQ on the left hand side, there's some material there.  Projects, I don't think, has much, but you could get to Al Watson's homepage through Projects and see what he did when he took out and replaced his galley counter on hull #55, your (and my) vintage.

You're right about the moisture, but please note that there is little if any insulation in the wall of the box itself.  It's just fiberglass, which is why it needs to be insulated.

It's easier to insulate th outside of the box, but getting behind is a bear.  Lots of different insulation material choices, and some of the newer space-age materials might be better, although more costly - but they wouldn't raise the moisture issue.

As far as holes go, how did the PO run the refrigerant wires to the evaporator in the box?  They had to go through and get sealed.  That's how, if it was done right.  I don't recommend punching any more holes in the box.  Also, plug the drain hole.   Most everyone has added insulation to the outside.

I have a 1986 Adler Barbour and it's still working, although I don't run it unless I'm on board.  I had to replace the fan a few years ago, got it through A-B WAECO in Mass.  Very helpful, sent the fan to a local fridge specialist who delivered it to me in a few days and we had a nice chat and cup of coffee about A-B systems.  His recommendation:  do NOT try to replace only parts of the system, if you need a new one get the package.  This was technical, not marketing, advice.  I recommend that you check the operation of the fan, and make sure that the wiring into the control module is clean - usually it gets pretty corroded just sitting (wherever you have your compressor).

Have a great trip.  Keep in touch, do good work...

Would you put up with this kind of performance from your car?

Intermittent starts are nonsense.  You NEED to find out WHY because it's a SAFETY issue, that simple.  The engine MUST START ALL THE TIME!!!

1.  Do what was suggested above - check the wiring.

2.  Check the damn fuse in the wiring to the starter solenoid.  It got me last summer.  The fuse holder usually goes first.  Of course, this was written up in a Mainsheet Tech Note in 1492!  

3.  Check the ground(s) - ALL OVER especially at the engine.

4.  The alternator sense wire from OEM alternators goes nowhere near the cockpit panel.  I have a voltage regulator (Spa Creek - 1986) and my sense wire goes to the voltage regulator.  I do not know where it goes on "regular" boats without voltage regulators, but there IS A WIRING DIAGRAM for all of you who SHOULD HAVE REPLACED YOUR WIRING HARNESSES, so check that for where the sense wire goes (to AND from).  I'll bet it goes nowhere near the panel.

Therefore, turning off the key as your wife did IS NOT A PROBLEM or any issue at all.

Find out where the loose wire or fuse-holder is and FIX IT.  

So it starts just like your car(s).  

Ken

John Gardner's Electrical System article is here:  http://www.c34.org/projects/projects-electrical-system-upgrade.html

It has pictures of 4 Trojans installed.  I installed 4 of them in a friend's C34 a few years ago and we did not have to make any modifications other than a piece of plywood in the bottom so the batteries would sit flat.

There is nothing better than looking OVER a dodger.  If the dodger is high, you will ALWAYS be looking through it - and I believe that it will take a lot away from "being outdoors."  Also, when motoring on the autopilot, it's VERY nice to just stand up and lean on the aft end of the dodger, with arms crisscrossed and look ahead.  Can't do that with a high dodger.

Our dodger came with Aquavite when we purchased her in 1998.  I thought it was too low, but found it much nicer being able to see above it when standing and sitting on our perch seat at the pulpit, and through it when sitting at the helm or cockpit seats.  Besides, it improves the lines of the boat without having a huge dodger hump in the middle of the boat.

We learned to duck, coming and going.  Ducking helps you to concentrate on going down the companionway steps.  When we replaced our dodger last year, we used the same frame.  The side windows (curtains) of the dodger, when the covers are off, allow the solar vents to work.  We have solar vents on both sides, since the older boats didn't have the hatch over the head.

An aft handrail (either full like Ron's or partial like ours) AND side grab rails are ESSENTIAL safety items.  Do NOT buy a dodger without BOTH of them.

We have a flat top, as suggested, which increases the view (or rather doesn't diminish it).  Much better than a slope.  Our front curtain does zip out, but here in SF we've never needed to do that!

Our dodger is white so we bought a full dodger cover in blue with it for the new one instead of just the snap on curtain covers.  For day sails, we just flip up the front of the full cover and go sailing.  For longer trips we take the whole cover off.  The time to take the cover on and off is no longer than it used to take to remove the curtain covers only on the old dodger.

We're both 5'-10" and shrinking!

Fulvio

There really is no hurry if you've rebedded properly.  The cover shouldn't be needed for any waterproofing, it's just decorative.  If you've filled the holes properly below it, you should be clean.  Your idea, or calling Catalina would work.  Their number is in the recent stanchion posts.

Dan

Try here for a humorous answer:

http://www.c34.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=146&highlight=818

I sent Jerry a copy by email of the original post by Peggie Hall that used to be on this webiste in FAQs.  It was removed since she wrote her book.  You can find the book on the www.catalinaowners.com site, and I understand it's available at West Marine now.  For anyone who's having head odor problems, it's the ONLY good reference source that's trustworthy and useful.

One of the very first things we did for Aquavite when we bought her in 1998, back when I was a neophyte, was to make and install Ron's sunbrella cover for the mast boot.  We read about it in the written material, which consisted of all the Mainsheets from 1987 that our PO had saved and given to us, and the available 1998 website information, which, BTW, didn't have a search engine back then.  The mast boot sunbrella cover is still there and works fine.  You can't go back to cover your old deteriorated boot, but why not make one now, and then do some more reading of the older material and come across more of these helpful gems?

Roc

Mark Elkin wrote:  ''One caution, pay attention to the alternator output. Does it lead directly back to the batteries? Or does it lead to the "common" lug of the battery selector switch? The best route is a direct wire to the house batteries, with just a heavy duty fuse just before connecting to the house batteries. ''

Based on your description, and the original wiring diagram on our boat from the factory, it appears that Catalina still runs their alternator output to the C lug of the switch.  You need to check your manual on that, or trace the wiring physically to assure yourself that that is the case.

What I did was simply move the alternator output to my house bank lug on the switch.  YOU CAN'T DO THIS IF YOU HAVE NO COMBINER, SINCE YOU'LL HAVE NO WAY TO CHARGE YOUR START BANK. I still have the OEM alternator on our boat.  If you install(ed) a higher output alternator, then the right way to go is to run the alternator output to a PDP (positive distribution post - like in Jim's project article) and NOT to the switch UNLESS you've increased the wiring from the switch to the battery bank, since the new alternator will put out more juice and then the existing wiring is too small.  

With my max 30 amp output from the 55 amp alternator, the original No. 4 wire size still works.  Also note that I also had installed a WMP combiner, so my charger output goes to the PDP and then charges the start battery through the combiner.  

So I have TWO charging routes: alternator - to switch lug 2 to house bank and via combiner to no. 1 start battery  AND shorepower charger - to the PDP to the house bank and via the combiner to the start bank.

By switching the alternator output to the No. 2 switch lug (our house bank) on the switch, it's electricly JUST like connecting it to the PDP.  Just think of it as the wiring between the battery and the switch allowing  current to flow both ways: alternator to switch to bank when engine is running and alternator is charging; battery bank to switch and 12 V distribution panel when running stuff.  This CAN happen AT THE SAME TIME.

When I do get around to installing my upgraded alternator and the new external regulator, I will move the alternator output directly to the PDP with bigger wiring.  This is essentially what John Gardner did in his electrical Projects, also published in Mainsheet.

If you still have the OEM alternator there's no reason to question the wire sizing.  Think of it this way:  the wires take the juice from the alternator and send it to the batteries when motoring.  The existing wiring is reasonably sized (some will argue with this based on the 3 percent wire sizing table, but see Ron's post above; plus, mine have been working OK for 19 years!!!).  

Next, think of the battery OUTPUT from the batteries TO the switch and, hence, the 12 volt distribution panel:  either when you are running things on board when the engine is OFF or ON regardless of whether there's a charger connected, you are usually running much less than 30 amps FROM the battery banks TO the load(s) - just add up the draw from the fridge (5 amps) and lights, (1 1/2 amps each), electronics (small) and you'll see that the wires FROM the battery bank TO the panel through the switch is extremely low.

Once you think of the wires AND the way the power is BOTH coming and going, you'll be able to check their lengths against the wire sizing table and see you don't have to change the wires regardless of how big a battery bank you install.  

In fact, you could put in a 1,500 Amp Hour battery bank, but unless you put in 4,000 neon lights and a freezer, you're NOT taking OUT any more that you already are.  Reread John Gardner's material, he is doing pretty much what you and many others are planning.

As far as your new batteries are concerned, I would be concerned that the manufacturer's rep told you they were NOT deep cycle batteries, so if that's true, you should expect their demise pretty early if you employ them in deep cuycle use, since as you know, starting battery technology is different that deep cycle.  In this case, the CCAs and all that are meaningless to us here.  It's simply how the insides of the batteries are built, which only you can find out and decide.

Also, had you assured that the oil dipstick had been fully reinserted?

It's at http://www.c34.org/mainsheet/pdf/Aug_2004.pdf

roc

I know you're a frequent contributor and reader here, so I am not quite sure about your approach given all that we've discussed here, and Jim's Project article.  Ron's right about the advantages of larger combined battery banks, and I've posted Calder's statement about that a few times (here's one thread: http://www.c34.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=973&highlight=calder).  A larger battery bank will provide longer battery life.  Swtiching bteween two house banks daily reduces the life of the bazatteires.  You're better off with a larger house bank and a smaller start battery.  BTW, it'll cost less, too.  

Why put in two new batteries when all you need to do is put in one new start battery?  Complicating things by adding two batteries to each bank seems to make no sense.  There is no major rewiring involved, and it would be about the same to do it this way than would have been the case of adding two batteries.

What I recommend you do is to simply combine your existing 2 4Ds and buy a small separate start battery.  Heck, if you can fit two new batteries in your boat, why not only have to add one?  Then you don't raise ANY of the issues that have been discussed above.  Simpler seems better to me.

For Ron Hill - I just picked this thread up on a search for ''CDI'' in response to your email about our furler.  Start with this thread here and then do that search for 'CDI' to get to the other threads I've posted on our furling system.  (You know the drill   ) Thought this would be easier than retyping the story by having this old thread come up as new again on the board.  Hope this helps, if you need any more details, email me and we can discuss.