Hull #940, foot pumps, mast mounted lights

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

Hi, we are new members of the C34 association and have just purchased #940 a '89 C34. At the time of purchase I didn't know it was a tall rig and didn't find out untill I pulled up the boat in your data base. Is there anything special I need to know about the "Tall Rig" other than it having a bigger mast and sails. Also the previous owner took out the foot pump and under the sink I have found an unused hose going to a through hull, nothing connected to the ice box drain. and a hose going to the little spout in the center of the sink. Is the foot pump for the  salt water hose or the ice box drain ot could I use it for both with a "Y" valve. I have since bought a new foot pump from Catalina but don't know what it was connected to. The water heater works good but looks nasty from rust. If I replace it will it fit through the door opening or will I have to take off the door frame? Any help is appreciated

[Steve Hansen]

Hi Mike,
You got yourself a great boat! We have 2 thruhulls located under the sink. The one most buried is for the saltwater wash. The hose comes from the thruhull, to the foot pump, then from the footpump to the saltwater spigot. The other is for the sink drain and I believe our icebox drain is teed to this in some fashion (going from memory). We have a tall rig also. We reef at 18 Knots wind. Haven't had any excessive heeling problems, I use the backstay during the stronger puffs, and never felt the need to drop the traveler down to depower the main.  We also have a wing keel which affects our pointing alittle but the tall rig works great here on the chesapeake especially on the light air days. Catalina really makes a well balanced boat. Steve

[Jim Price]

Not sure which water heater you have on your '89 but if it is square vs. round then it is probably from Seward.  You will have to remove the tirm to remove.  It will come out but even then the clearence is almost nothing but it will fit.  If you have the Seward heater, first determine if the entire heater is shot or if it is only the outside casing, or just the internal tank itself.  Seward can sell you a new water heater or just the parts you need (lot less money than new heater).   

Search the board for water heaters, lot of good stuff.  I replaced just the tank, fittings, and heating element (got that from Home Depot) a couple of years ago.  Spent less than $100 total best I remember.

[Footloose]

Mike and Joanne,

Congradultions on a great boat and you will find this board very helpful.

My boat has a second foot pump that goes from the ice box/refridgerator drain to the sink drain where it is teed in.  This pump is located inside the cabinet and is accessed thru the bottom door.  I believe there is a check valve in the line also.

[Ron Hill]

Mike : You can get your square water heater out, but you must remove the door & frame.  Don't waste your money on a stainless case as the galvanized case water heater has the same in-nerds!
You should have a pump inside the drop down door in the galley that pumped out water from the fridge.  I'd hook that back up and you can "T" it into the sink drain. 
Before you do the new water heater it sound like (rust you say) the PO had some problems with the double sink drain leaking.  You need to go to our PROJECTS page and redo your sink drain system with thin wall PVC pipe.  It will drain faster and stop leaking onto the water heater.  While you've go the water heater out you might also look in projects and see what some of us have done to add a larger drawer or doors and storage under the sink. 
A few thoughts.  Welcome Aboard.   

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

Thanks Ron and all of you that responded. As far as the rust on the waterheater, looks like the sink has actually rusted through somehow! When I look up at the sink from where the waterheater is I can see daylight through the bottom of the sink,so it looks like I'll be replacing the sink and faucet. Is Catalina the best source? As far as the footpump,the old one that the PO removed was to the left of the dropdown door and it stuck through the cabinet to the outside. He claims he removed it because he kept tripping on it. Now I'm wondering if I'll feel the same way when I re-install it. Dod you actually have two footpumps and was the other one inside the dropdown. Do you think it would be feasable to use a "Y" valve to switch between the salt water and the ice box to pump it into the sink?
I just got a note from my insurance company about some items found on the survey when I bought the boat and they are wanting me to correct a non-working anchor light. Is this really a legal requirement? I would think as long as you use SOME kind of anchor light(a portable or hanging type)you shouldn't be required to have a mast head light. Are they standard equipment on a C34? I can't tell if there's one up there or not.

Thanks all,
Mike

[Ken Juul]

The standard anchor light is located very close to the mast cap.  Unless you can get some altitude, the easiest way to check it is  at night.  Still need to get about some distance away or above water level to see it.

[Steve Hansen]

Our anchor light was out when we purchased our boat and the insurance company wanted this fixed. 10 days later lightening struck and blew out the electrical. The electrician climbed the mast to fix it. perhaps a case of beer offered to a friend might encourage them to climb the mast and replace the lamp. Better yet, get out the volt meter and check all connections below the mast, maybe there is a short somewhere down below.
Steve

[Joe Kern]

Getting it fixed or replaced is probably the best bet, but my understanding is that a Davis Mega-Light run up on a halyard meets the Coast Guard requirements for anchoring.

[SteveLyle]

My '86 has (actually, had) 2 foot pumps.

#1 is accessed through the flip down door.  It pumps out the icebox.
#2 1 is inboard of the first one, and the foot lever extends out past the fiberglass cabinet base.  It pumps sea/lake water from the thru-hull just aft of the water tank, to the dedicated spigot between the sinks.

My #2 leaked.  I've never had the need to pump raw water into my sink, so I just removed it. 

Re: anchor lights, on the '86 the anchor light is at the very top of the mast.  I doubt the insurance company cares about the Coast Guard regulations - they probably suspect that if you can't just flip a switch to show an anchor light, you'll be less likely to show it (i.e., you won't bother to run one up a halyard or whatever).

Really, you haven't had the full sailboat owning experience until you've gone up to the top of the mast.  Maybe twice - once to take out the old bulb and figure out what kind it is, and once to take up and install the new one.

Which, of course, raises the question - what kind of bulb do you need so that you only go up once?  Sorry, I don't know.  I do have a spare on the boat, if I do I'll report back tomorrow.

BTW - you'll need a small phillips screwdriver to open up the anchor light to remove the bulb.

[Stu Jackson]

See: "Anchor Light Bulb"  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=103.0

[Terry Forshier]

I have a mast climber coming tomorrow  to check out lights. I have a tri color that is either put togerther wrong or is like no other. When on, it has clear in front and back and red and green on the sides. I think the lenses were put on wrong. Should be red /green front and 2 clear on back. Tomorrow we shall see.
Also I have  steaming light that does not work. Also I have a deck light switch that does nothing but shorts out everything when I punch it. I have no idea where that goes but it does not go on the bottom of the steaming light as my old boat did. There is no light there. ??
As for climbing the mast. ?? First idea was I had a cousin bring his bucket truck by and try to reach it. It extends 40 feet from the truck but could not get up high enough. (it did manage to make some nice ruts in the yard next to the sea wall) We looked at how high up that mast is and the new bosun chair and decided that $90/hour was cheap.
I imagine there are as many mast head configurations as there are boats so everyone is differernt.

[Stu Jackson]

Terry

1.  I think you're right about your masthead light.  See: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/westadvisor/10001/-1/10001/navlight.htm

2.  Steaming light:  I believe Catalina used AQUA-SIGNAL Navigation Lights - Series 25, (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/10001/-1/10001/12585/10001/236/235/9). at least that's what we have on our boat, and have seen on many others of your vintage.  I found that Catalina used lamp wire, of all things, on our boat, when I redid my bow and stern lights.  I also worked on the wiring connections at the base of the mast, and prepared a simple wiring diagram.  Given your experiences with shorting out, if the bulb is missing, you shouldn't have that problem.  What I recommend is that you check the wiring at the base of the mast.  I reinstalled butt connectors and in retrospect, I should have installed spade connectors.  My steaming light only works after the power's been on for about 10 minutes, so I know that the connections up there are pretty much gone.  I intend to purchase a replacement combo fixture, and will most likely rewire the steaming light while I'm up there.  At the present time, the deck light part works just fine, although I wish the steaming light was the one that worked, I hardly ever need or use the deck light!  Go figure.

[Ron Hill]

Mike : I'd get the anchor light fixture replaced as it's a check on a survey and you insurance company will frown on that. 
I don't want to discourage you but changing the fixture could be easier said than done. 
On my 1988 I found that the anchor light wire was tied in an overhand knot around the bolt at holds the mast cap on.  Problem was there wasn't any extra wire to pull up and install a new anchor light fixture!  Had to keep the old fixture running until I pulled the mast. 
You'll just have to go up there and see what you've got and be prepared for either !!   

[Terry Forshier]

The lights on my mast were not like any now in West Marine. The top mast light was not an aqua signal but was a tri color with a strobe and anchor.( no insignia) Upon bringing it down we found the lenses (red and Green)  were just inserted in the housing and had separated as was thought. We just siliconed them in place. The strobe had burned out and the anchor light while it goes on, also lights the running lights. We had to reuse it since no one had an aqua signal complete with foot pad to replace it.
The steaming light and deck light were pitifully coroded and shorted out burning a lot of the wire. A new Aqua Signal relplacement worked well. The windex was fried from sun and Wilma's visit so just replaced it. The VHF antenna up there had lost the extruding wire during Wilma and a new Shakespear antenna made the radio seem like new.
All and all I guess I am good to go. (using my old hanging anchor light at night)