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A different topic regarding winterizing - tying off the halyards when the boat is under cover.  To avoid banging against the mast, I have tied them to temporary shroud cleats (install for winter and remove in spring).  This past year I noticed that the cleats left a slight indentation in the shroud wire.  It may not be meaningful, but I will be cautious about any further damage to the shrouds.  All of the online information recommends running a messenger for winter storage.  This is not hard, but it is one more chore and something else to go wrong come spring.  Alternatively, I have seen one boat in our marina that tied a line to the turnbuckle, wrapped it around the shroud up through the cover and then tied off the halyard.  It seems like it should work, but wonder if anyone had experience with this or another way to tie off the halyards with a boat cover.       

I have a 1990 (MK1 w/ open transom) and also installed it on the starboard stern corner outside the cockpit rails.  I have a second collar with longer bolts attached to the upper cockpit rail to lessen overall stress with a single collar tied to the lower rail when 50+ pound outboard is on the lift.  Probably just belt and suspenders.  We keep the upper hoist section below when not in use.  Very easy to install.  The lower tube doubles as a flag holder. 

I was able to get the end stop free with a large crescent wrench to turn the screwdriver.  It is a two person job with one to keep the screwdriver in place and the second to leverage the wrench.  Worked well for me. 

It is a mixed bag in Oxford, Md.  Our boat was launched last week, but under the Governor's orders we can't sail.  Fishing is permitted.  Our marina allows us to work on the boats as long as we maintain social distances.  Other marinas in town have launched boats, but owners are only allowed to check the lines after working hours.   

I followed Ron's instructions to use Limeaway to clean the raw water side of the heat exchanger.  We  have a Yanmar 30GM and it is very easy to fill using the raw water pump outlet hose.  My neighbor in the marina also recommended cleaning the coolant side of the heat exchanger using radiator cleaner purchased from an auto body store.  I have not seen this step mentioned by anyone.  Does anyone have thoughts or experience as to whether this is worthwhile?     

We have a 1990 C34 with the threaded cover plate under the aft seat, a 3' steel pipe extension, and a 1' long emergency "tiller." The previous owner warned about difficulty using the factory emergency tiller, so we wanted a better alternative.  In order to create better leverage, I have used an axe handle (approx. 3 ft. long) with a 10" x 10" plywood (5/8 thick) triagular gusset bolted to the "head" end.  One side of the triangular gusset is bolted parallel to the axe handle leaving one side to run perpendicular.  To this side, I bolted three 1" conduit clamps which have been squeezed in slightly to minimize any play around the tiller pipe.  Temporarily remove the plastic end cap on the short pipe supplied as an emergency tiller and the "tiller" slides into the conduit clamps.  Replace the cap and the leverage has been increased significantly.  Due to the interference from the wheel, you can only pull the axe handle aft to steer and you simply rotate the handle to the other side to steer in the opposite direction.  We have tested the rig and it seems to work fine in a pinch.  It should get someone through an emergencey.  It is not pretty, but put it in the bottom of your cockpit locker and hopefully it is never used. 

Joe Feyder
1990 C34
Kairos
Chesapeake Bay
Deale, Md.