Messages

Ron,

I have also been reading up on this as I have water coming out of drilled holes in my rudder.  Do you have any idea as to how many boating units the repair will set me back?

Dave

JohnC

As a new owner of a C 34, I would concur with everything that has been said.  I have had my 1988 std rig since May of this year and love the boat.  We have two young children (ages 8 and 10) and feel confident going out with them in 25 knots of wind with the sails reefed down.  I have sailed with just myself and the kids in about 12-14 knots and no auto pilot and full canvas.  I am also not shy about reefing and when the wind is approaching 18 knots I throw the first one in.  The boat will go as fast or faster with properly reefed sails and it will be on its feet and everyone is having more fun.

As a side note this boat has way less weather helm than my previous boat.

Craig,

You can use a propane torch to solder the cables but you have to be careful not to over heat things.  Hold the edge of the flame at the tip of the wire while at the same time holding the solder on the wire next to the insulation.  As the wire becomes hot, the solder will melt and be drawn toward the hotter tip.  Remove the heat from the tip of the wire soon after the solder begins to melt or you can easily overheat it.  Don't over do it with the solder either.  Experiment on some scrap if you have it.  I used this technique and haven't had any problems.  If you need to you can put a small piece of metal behind where you are working which will act as a heat shield.  Also it is probally a good idea to remove the batteries from the area you are working and watch where your flame is pointing behind your work for flamable stuff.

This upgrade reduces the resistance in the charging/starting circuit.  At the amperage that our starters draw and upgraded alternators put out, a small amout of resistance can be quite significant.  You will notice an improvement right away.

We have a cockpit enclosure that zips onto our dodger.  I don't know who made it as it came from the PO.  Most likely it was Catalina as the boat was pretty much equiped as it came ot of the box.  It has a stainess pole that goes behind the backstay.  This supports the roof.  There are then panels that zip and snap into place around the cockpit combing.  It works well and take about ten minutes to put it up.  Our panels have mosquito netting which greatly reduces airflow and increases tempurature.  We also have panels with plastic windows but haven't used them.  I imagine they would raise the temp more with no air passage.

Over all it is a big plus.  It gets you out of the sun while at anchor.  I don't like sailing with a bimini as I can't look up and see how the sails are trimed.  It keeps the bugs out but if it is a warm evening it is warmer with the enclosure up.  It also keeps this dry is there is dew.  If you are at anchor during the day the side panels can be removed and the roof panel used as a bimini.

The down side is that is one more thing to store.  The panels aren't bad but the pole gets in the way.  My plan over the winter is to cut it in one or two places so that it can be stored in a locker somewhere. I will probally use a sleeve to put it back together.  (Has anyone done this?)  Also it is one more thing to put up and take down.  

Sorry, I don't have any pictures.

Speaking of water heaters, mine sprung a leak two weeks ago.  I have read about removing the sink to replace it, however I have measured things and it looks as though it will come out the access door on the side if the trim is removed.  Has anyone tried this?

Last week I had the valve in the old tank replaced.  It was $30 including labor and filling the tank.  Works great.

As Mike said in his reply, the wires should be soldered and crimped.  I replaced all the connectors on my charging/starting circuit this weekend.  It is an easy project.  I still have the factory wiring on a fresh water boat.   When I hit the start button the first time after putting everything back together, I almost fell over the transom as it started so quickly.  Definitely worth the hour or so of time and the cost was way less that the cost of a tow.

Roc

I am in the middle of rewiring my charging circuit and would like some feedback from you.  I have changed the wiring harness, and alternator/regulator as well as installed new batteries.  Things are much more reliable.  Just spent a week and started every time.  Like you I like the simplicity af the dual battery banks.  

My question is do you feel the number 2 wire is large enough?  I have been considering using number 1 or 0.  I know there is probally no harm in using larger wire excet to my wallet.

I bought a C34 this spring, moving up from a sailboat with an outboard.  The boat was on the hard when we purchased it.  When it was launched water was coming in through the stuffing box in a pretty good stream.  Alarming to say the least.  After about five minutes it slowed to the 4 drops per minute that are normal as stated in a previous post.  Water in the bildge on these boats is normal, but I would find out where it is coming from.  It shouldn't be coming from the exhaust.  The owner probally doesn't know where it is coming from.  A survey should be done prior to finalizing the deal.

I would find out if the electrical system has been upgraded.  The stock systems are lacking in the ability to charge the batteries from the alternator.  If you sit at a slip most of the time, as the PO of our boat did, it is OK, but if you go out at all it needs upgrading ie wiring harness, larger shorter cables, bigger alternator and voltage regulator.

Ron
Thanks for the reply.  As I was typing out the post I pretty much talked myself into the multi-stage regulator for the reasons you stated.  This site and the CD have been well worth the money of membership.

We upgraded this year from a Bristol 27 to a C34 this spring.  Love the way the boat sails and the layout.  It is much more comfortable than our b27.  Look into the electrical system before buying an older boat.  It surprised me.  Upgrades aren't difficult if you have some electrical abilities, but take time.  My wife loves the boat also.  I have sailed as the only adult and my 8 and 10 year old kids as crew in 10-15 knots of wind quite comfortably.

Unfortunately I'm in Vermont so you have a pretty good drive to get a tour.

Good luck with the other half.

Thanks for all the help on my previous post.

I am in the middle of upgrading my electrical system.  I have put in a relay for the glow plugs and put in the wiring harness upgrade and re-wired the charging circuit.  I also found a high resistance short in the battery charger of all things.  There has been major improvement but I am looking to make it better

I am looking for some feedback on the multi-stage voltage regulators and are they worth the money.  I know this probably comes down to haw I want to spend my money, in the end.

For the most part our boat sits on a mooring and gets to a dock only for short periods or if we spend a night at a marina when we are cruising.  The motor is run for 10-15 minutes while we get out of the mooring field and out into the wind.  After that it is battery power to run instruments and radios, probably 2 amps at most.  We sail for several hours and then hopeful start the motor to tie up at the mooring.

I have a high output alternator and a heavy duty voltage regulator that aren't installed yet.  I am looking to get lots of amps into my battery in a short period of time.  The question  is will this regulator upgrade make a significant difference?  The shore power battery chargers make a difference so I would assume this wound also but I would like some reassurance

Another simple fix is single sided foam tape such as thin weather stripping.

I guess I should have been more sprcific.  The batteries are going dead after replacement.  Our boat swings on a mooring so we don't get to charge from an external source very often.  It sounds as though I should get a different alternator sooner than later.

Bought hull 608 about 2 months ago.  I have replaced the batteries as the ones in the boat were six years old.  I thought that there might be a short in the system but after going through things last night, I don't believe so.  The electrical system is stock and I have order the wiring harness upgrade and connectors.  I don't have any battery busters on the boat, fridge or radar, so I am wondering if the stock alternator will suffice.  We like to cruise on weekends and a week once or twice a summer.  I am on Lake Champlain Vermont.  Will the upgrade help or eliminate my problem?  From the appearance of the cannectors there look to be plenty of opportunity for voltage loss.  I am also looking at replacing the panel this winter.  Any help would be appreciated.