Messages

Trailering to the body shop

Thank you everyone. It has been allot of work, but defiantly worth it. If we had not done the work ourselves then the restoration would not have been viable.
Yes Steve it would be a rough ride to the coast from the Okanagan. Luckily I have the trailer Not to many people can say that their C34 can do 100km/h.
Norris we really enjoy your old boat and it gets used almost every weekend April to September.
We also have a partnership in a Santana 525 race boat and use the C34 as a mothership to tow it around to regatta's.

I will add some pictures but due to file size I will post them separately.

Dave.

Just to give the people and (PO) Norris Johnson who are familiar with the story of the C34 Mariposa an update.
Mariposa was a Hurricane Ike victim and has now been completely restored and now rests happily in her slip in Kelowna BC Canada.
It was a huge undertaking including building a trailer and towing the boat up to Canada from Texas. Then with the help of my crew (one is a Kiwi shipwright) will pulled the boat apart and put it back together again. Luckily for Mariposa Norris went down after the hurricane and put heaters on the boat to dry it out. From what I can tell not a lot of water got into the boat. So the interior, electrical, mechanical were in great shape. Most of the stainless rails and stanchions were gone. There was a large piece of deck on the starboard side rubbed off and after the tempory patch came off we found that the boat hull was not damaged. We rebuilt the the deck in that area and repaired many scratches and gouges to the topsides. Under the waterline there was no damage except some minor scrapes and we removed all of the the antifouling back to the bare hull to inspect for damage. Then applied of many layers of epoxy barrier coat and new antifouling. We towed the boat to a local body shop that has a huge paint booth that is designed for RV's and they primed and painted the topsides. We also made up new standing rigging and rigged the boat with a spinnaker pole.
As for the future of ex-Marriposa now renamed (by the proper ceremony) Aussie Rules II we will be cruising on Lake Okanagan then hope to follow in a few years the track of Steve Dowling's Black Dragon and head to down the west coast to Mexico and beyond.

Dave.

John,

If your still have your espar hydronic heater heater I would be interested in purchasing it from you. I could also get it picked up from Victoria. You can PM or email me at davehayes500(at)hotmail.com

Dave.

Have you looked at the Webasto, Espar or Dickinson Marine diesel heaters? I have a friend who installed a Webasto AT2000 airtronic in his C38 which works well for him in Victoria BC. I am looking at installing a Webasto TL-17 hydronic heater. With the hydronic system you also heat your hot water tank and engine for cold weather starts. You can also plumb it with a shut off valve to run the webasto in the summer to just heat the hot water tank.
It is more involved to install than an airtronic system but I won't have to cut large ducting holes in the boat. I have an A/C system that I will be removing so I have registers and some ducting that I will use.

The C34 has allot to offer. Solid construction, well thoughtout comfortable interior, open transom on the newer boats, large cockpit, properly sized hardware, manageable sail plan, just to name a few things. They are also nice to look at with a nice sheer line.
There are many C34's that have cruised coastally and some have crossed oceans in safety.  
The first thing I noticed when I stepped on a C34 that it didn't move much. It felt solid. Then I pulled the floor boards and checked the keel bolts and structure, again it was well done with propper cross beams, good size bolts and a sump that wasn't a deep black hole. The rig tied into the structure of the hull thru rods and mounts to a glassed in horizontal aluminium angle that is then tied into the hull and liner. The electrical system is adequate and I think improvement can be made to it.
My boat is a hurricane survivor and we took my boat apart and put it back together again. I have seen parts of the boat that only the builders have seen. In my opinion there are no nasty suprises hidden in a C34. It is a solid honest boat.

Which ever boat you choose you should sail it first because you have to be happy behind that wheel.

Dave.

I have a C34 MKII with a std rig, wing keel and we race in the spinnaker fleet in an area that has mixed wind but generally less than 10kts. If the you get a regular 10kt + winds in your area then the C34 will sail to its rating. Less wind than that it won't and you will be left watching the fleet sail away. My boat weighs more than Catalina says and is closer to 14,500lbs (dry and empty) than the stated 12,550lbs. We do have some fun racing the boat but we just don't expect to go out and win a bunch of races with it. It is a very comfortable boat with lots of volume and stowage so you just need to figure out if you want comfort or speed.

Dave.

Terry,

I am glad that you have got it figured out. The part that you are describing is the delivery valve (nozzle) and the delivery valve holder
( large round piece with a hex for a wrench ) The delivery valve holder should be held with a wrench when you loosen the injector line (fuel tubing) or you will create a leak. There is a clamp between the delivery valve holders but they can loosen off over time. Be carefull not to over tighten the delivery valve holder as it can seize the fuel injection pump plunger and you don't want to go there. It can cause all different types of problems. There should be a torque spec for the delivery valve holder. Also if you can help it don't use teflon tape on any high pressure fittings eg. injector lines as you can get tape gumming up the injector. On the low pressure pipe fittings a Permatex thread sealant paste with tefon works well.

Good luck,

Dave.

Wayne,

If you are going to extend your inside track you have to have something solid between the deck and the inner liner or you will compress and or crack it.

ozzie

Wayne,

I have seen inside the cap rail of a C34 mkII and there is a piece of 1 x 3/4" wood in the middle and the curved top of the rail is 1/4" fiberglass. The rest is a bondo type of material (not stuctural) filler. From what I can see Catalina drills and taps the bolt holes for the track in the cap rail and thats all that holds it with no nut under it.
The deck at the side rail under the non skid is appox. 3/8" plywood and fiberglass. In my opinon not strong enough for a pad eye unless you could put a backing plate under it.
I also do not agree with putting shakles into chainplates. Chainplates are not designed to have side load placed on them and shackle pins can work loose.
Preventers also tend to break booms. Have you considered using a heavy rubber preventer? That way it could hold out the boom and if you have an accidental jybe it will slow the boom down but not break it.

ozzie

Here is some info on how to bleed the fuel system.
I think your original problem was a slightly loose injector and carbon had built up under the seat.
It is possible and I have seen it before that the original copper washer is still under the injector. I would recommend that you take out the injector and with a screwdriver scape in the bottom of the injector hole and see if it looks like cooper the old washer is stuck in there.
A fuel injection shop can quickly test your injectors to eliminate them as a possible problem.  
Before reassembly give the engine a quick spin over ( if you only have one injector out make sure all other injectors are bolted down ) to clean out the holes and clean fuel will squirt out of the injector lines and clean out any dirt or paint.
Keep everything as clean as possible.

Also have a look at the exhaust when it is running.

Possible problems.
Black smoke - restricted air flow, dirty or worn injectors, over fueling
White smoke - low compression,  a dripping injector , coolant ( head gasket )
Blue/Black smoke - oil burning (valve guides or engine problems) , timing
No smoke - no fuel

Good luck,
ozzie

Universal M-25


   BLEEDING THE FUEL SYSTEM:

It will be necessary to bleed the fuel system to achieve a steady air free flow of fuel if any of the following have occured: Models M-12, M2-12, M3-20, and M4-30 have self bleeding fuel systems.

1. Running out of fuel.

2. If fuel shut off valve is left closed and engine runs out of fuel.

3. Replacing fuel filter.

4. Fuel injector nozzle or injector pump repair.

5. After repairing or replacing any fuel line.

6. Before putting engine back into service in the spring, if fuel system has been drained.

7. Replacement of electric or mechanical fuel pump.

8. Any time air is permitted to enter the fuel system.

BLEEDING PROCEDURE:

Be sure to have some means available to catch or absorb any fuel escaping during the bleeding process so that it will not accumulate in the engine compartment or bilge.
1. Be sure there is a sufficient supply of fuel in the fuel tank.

2. Open the fuel shut-off valve at the tank.

3. Start the electric fuel pump by turning the ignition key to the "ON" position on models 18,
20, 25, 30, 50, all models after 1986.

4. Model 15 has a mechanical fuel pump. Therefore with decompression on, turn engine over with starter. Crank at 10 second intervals while doing steps #5 and 7.

5. Slowly loosen the air bleed plug on the fuel filter, letting air escape until an air free flow of fuel is evident. (1986 models see item 7).

6. At this time, tighten the air bleed plug on the filter.

7. Slowly loosen the air bleed plug on the injector pump, letting air escape until an air free flow of fuel is evident. Units with a self bleed return valve, open for a short period then start engine, as soon as engine runs smooth close valve. Model-12 has continuous fuel bleeding.

8. At this time, tighten the air bleed plug or knurled knob on the injector pump.

9. The fuel system should now be properly bled and ready for operation.

Refer to starting instructions before attempting to start the engine after bleeding the fuel system.

CAUTION: Excessive cranking with sea cock valve open can cause water accumulation in the muffler and possibly back up into the engine. Drain muffler as needed.

Good job Paul & Cyndi your boat looks great. It is very satisfying to restore a boat back to life that might have been written off. You get an idea on how heavily built Catalina 34's are when you have to fix them.

No worries Hawk let me know when you are in town and we can go for sail.

Ozzie

and another.

another one