Messages

Ron,

The float is accurate when you realize it measures inches of fuel not gallons. Since there are fewer gallons in the bottom 25% of the tank than the top 25% it just means the needle on the gauge is going to move faster so it should be checked more often although I don't think too many people operate in that bottom quarter. You should probably consider the bottom quarter to be your reserve or time to find a fuel dock.

Ideally if you could start with a dry tank you could measure how many gallons it takes to reach the 1/4 mark then the 1/2 mark etc. The problem is nobody wants to run their tank dry so that most important bottom 1/4 can be accurately measured, it's also not a good idea with a diesel motor. So unless you prefer to do burn rate calculations probably best to keep a sharp eye on the gauge should you find yourself at the bottom side of the gauge.

krafty,

The owners manual should come with the boat along with a maintenance manual for the motor usually kept in the nav station. If it's missing I'd want to know why. At 700hrs the motor is basically just broken in. You should be able to tell if there's a problem with the furler during the test sail. It wouldn't be a bad idea to remove both panels in the aft cabin before the surveyor gets there.

Greg,

I've had trouble twice with the fuel gauge both times it was the sending unit. Sending units are cheap and can be found at any chandlery.

However you go this is going to be a major project I don't see the point of unnecessarily complicating it by moving the traveler to the dodger top. It seems like it would be much more awkward standing up working off the top of the dodger rather than crouched in the cockpit where you can get really good purchase. Without the traveler the dodger only has to support itself with traveler it also has to support an undetermined sailing load and as we know that load has the ability to rip an unmodified traveler right off the deck. I'm not saying you can't do it I'm just wondering if you should do it.

Chris,

Depends on where you sail, if 155s are common where you sail it's probably considered a light airs area. If that's the case there are probably more tall rigs in your area. If you sail in an area like San Fran Bay with heavy airs you'll see more shorter rigs with smaller sails. There are always tradeoffs between large and small sails. The high cut 135 provides better forward vision but performance will be reduced, a 155 deck sweeper is a great performer however visibility from the cockpit is reduced and peeking around, falling off, or heading up may be necessary to maintain good visibility. You'll have to decide which sail works best for you. FYI when I was racing I had a 155 deck sweeper which I recently replaced with a high cut 135 since I'm no longer racing.

The rotten egg smell is caused by the water molecules reacting with the molecules on the inner metal surfaces of the tank. It's pretty common when the water sits for a long time a typical fire apparatus (pumper) carries 500 gals of water in an aluminum tank and when the water hasn't been changed for awhile the smell is impressive when putting out a small brush fire. Changing the water in your water heater will solve that problem.

You've only got so many water sources and the discolored water further limits the options. The discolored water could either come from the sink or it could be clean water dripping on to something dirty and then running to the bilge. The sink and pluming would be the most likely culprit, if it's under the sink the water heater would also be suspect. I'd start by pulling all the covers and drawers to get access. I had a leak sink drain fitting and it filled the drawer under the sink with water and when it dripped into the bilge it was pretty funky looking.

What's that layered wafer looking stuff in the first picture?

Mick,

So the pump failed once on anchor and once on a mooring, both cases you'd have to have a spare on board to take advantage of a shut off valve. That's a pretty expensive piece of kit to be carrying aboard for something that's not a real emergency. If you don't carry a spare you'll have to go get one which will likely put you in proximity to a pump out. I get it you want a shut off valve there so do it, your boat, your choice and all that. Even with a shut off valve you'll still have to deal with the mung in the pump, the hose to the pump, and the valve.

Eric,

I appreciate the recommendation, it's probably not a bad idea but at this point in my life I'm trying to stop fixing things that aren't broken. A piece of hose jammed in the one way valve is rather a freak occurrence and those things are hard to plan for since they happen so rarely. If the pump had been on auto you'd probably had never known you had a problem. In place of a vented loop you could install an addition one way valve but what are the odds of it ever happening again.

Baysider,

The fittings for my scupper hoses are the same size on both ends. My bilge pump hose runs straight back to the transom exit fitting, no loop, no access from the head.

One picture worth a 1,000 words.

Baysider,

I've had to remove my tank a number of times for various reasons so I've gotten pretty good at it not that it was my goal. On top the vent and fill lines are fairly easy to remove then I twist the fill elbow inward, it makes a good handle when you're horsing the tank out. Drain the tank by pulling the hose off the supply line elbow, you can access it though the opening in the floor. If the supply line elbow is too tight to remove by hand you can pull the tank forward to the notch in the bulkhead and gently loosen it with a crescent wrench. Next disconnect the throttle cable at the motor, the shift cable should be long enough. Then pull a nice loop in the cables so you can pull the tank forward until the starboard corner clears then it's just a matter of wiggling it out. I pull the tank out on the starboard side because there's a lot more work around room, on the port side you're working between the tank and the port side bulkhead.

Baysider,

The original HD hoses Catalina used for the scuppers are a real PITA to replace and I would imagine even more so on the sugar scoop but there was a reason they did that, they obviously decided that was not a good place to cut corners.

I'd recommend removing the water tank before attempting to replace the scupper hoses.

Dan,

Yes, I do know what's fun, that ain't it!

Brian,

I too suspect an air lock, not unusual when you change your coolant. Run the motor if the heat exchanger remains cold to the touch it's air locked also known as a big giant air bubble. It's easy to eliminate, run the motor with the radiator cap off, once it starts to warm blip the throttle a few times up to around 1500rpm that will drive any trapped air out the radiator opening. You may want to put some rags around the opening because when the air bubble hits that opening it's going to bubble up and take some coolant with it. The H/X should start to warm immediately indicating the air bubble has been cleared. You'll have to top up the coolant afterwards.