Toronto Boat Show 2008 & EasyGlide jib lead system

[sailingdream]

Anyone else going to the boat show this yr in Toronto? I'll be heading down this Saturday(Jan12). Will be at the Lake Ontario Catalina meetup.

[Momentum M]

I'll be at the show probably Thursday/Friday (17-18)...I try to avoid w-e if I can...plus this year I've  got engagements.
Can you tell me if the Lake Ontario Catalina Ass. will have a display/booth so that I can look it up.  Thanks in advanced...and don't get carried away!!! lollllllll
Serge

[tonywright]

I'll be there on the 20th.

Tony

[tonywright]

Pleased to report that a C34 was on display. Noted a couple of cosmetic changes compared to my 2003. The ports now are shiny stainless on the outside rather than brushed aluminum. The access port for the emergency steering is now white fibreglass rather than stainless, and the brand of microwave is different. Nothing else leaped out as a change from a quick glance through.

Garhauer folks were there from California, and I bought an EasyGlide kit on impulse for the genoa tracks, remembering how a number of folks were happy with theirs on this forum. It saved the shipping cost from California to Canada. I will have to ask Garhauer for some kind of installation instructions, since it came without any of that.

Once again this was a great show for getting access to a number of real experts to discuss possible projects, and guess at the cause of some problems (like the squeal I occasionally get when trying to rev under power over an indicated 2000 RPM. The rep for the PYI dripless seal says highly unlikely to come from that, much more likely a slipping alternator belt... will have to check the tension once the weather allows. Really good people on the Catalina stand as well.

Tony

[Jon Schneider]

Those stainless ports must be quite nice looking.  If I had the energy and a grand or two burning a hole in my wallet, I'd swap mine. 

Tony, you will absolutely love the EasyGlide jib lead system.  It's a whole new way of trimming your jib.  When I bought mine, there wasn't any documentation either, but there's not much to the installation.  You have to unseat one end of the track about a foot and half; do as little as possible just in order to lift up the track to slide on the cars.  I did this on the aft section.  One one side, I had to use a dremel to widen the embedded lane because the car was just a hair to large to glide.  I probably had to shave off about an 1/8th of an inch from the mid to forward section of the deck's edge.  I coated it with epoxy to ensure a water-tight seal, though I doubt that was necessary since it's solid fiberglass there.  It's not noticeable.  I'll attach a picture, of the part of the set-up (best I have), but if you need more, I can shoot some better pix and email them to you. 

[tonywright]

Thanks Jon. That gives me some idea. If you have any more pics, that would be great. Do you use a bungee cord at all?

Tony

[Jon Schneider]

I find I virtually never need a bungee or any line to pull the lead aft except in the lightest of light airs, so no, I don't use one.  I'm sorry, I should have taken some pix today.  I won't be back to the boat for two weeks, but if you want more pix then, let me know. 

[crieders]

If you get the two section genoa cars from Garhauer, you needn't lift up the track at all. Mine work great.

[Roc]

Tony,
You have an '03 MkII so the tracks are like my '00 MkII, in that they are not recessed.  The Garhauer cars should come to you mounted on a short piece of track, so the bearings won't fall out.  To mount the movable cars, place the short track up against the forward end of the track on your boat (can't do it from the aft end, because of the cockpit coaming in the way).  Put some masking tape (I used blue painter's tape) between the two track ends that you have butted against each other to bridge the gap between the two.  Make sure the tape is as flat as possible and that it doesn't have any wrinkles.  Wrap the tape so it goes around the track to the underside.  Try to make as smooth a transition as possible.  Then move the car slowly from the short shipping track, to your track.  It will be tight because of the added thickness of the tape, but it will go through if you just keep putting consistent pressure.  You can do this without the tape, but if there is any movement between the two tracks, the bearings will all fall out. The tape helps keep things together.  Also, if you bought the swivel cams, they need to be installed first.  If not, you'll have to remove the car and start all over again.