Messages

Has anyone installed stern handles by the swim ladder to facilitate boarding the sailboat from a dinghy? My wife has problems going from the dinghy to the swim platform. Handles would be more secure and make for easier movement from the dinghy to the sailboat. Thanks for any suggestions you can provide. Tim Crimmins crimmins39@gmail.com

I am unable to fasten the vent covers on the stern of my 2003 Catalina 34. They are loose and could easily fall into the water. Does anyone have a suggestion to fasten the vents securely in place or should they be replaced with ones that will easily fasten??

I have a bad leak problem in my Lewmar, Ocean series, trapezoidal, forward hatch (over the V-birth) on my 2003 Catalina 34. The water drips from the starboard hinge into the V-birth. The leak is not coming from the two screws that hold the hinge to the plexiglass. I rebedded the hatch frame but the leak continues. Did anyone experience this problem? If so how did you solve it? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

I own a 2003 Catalina 34. Recently I found bad rain leaks in the forward section of the V berth. They appear to be coming from the lower part of the windlass or in that general area. I covered the windlass with plastic to see if the rain was getting into the V berth through the windlass. This did not resolve the problem. I also checked all deck screws and found them tight/secure.

Any suggestions as to where the water is getting into the V berth?

Tim Crimmins

I have a 2003 Catalina 34 and need to remove the Lewmar hatch hinges to repair leaks. I do not see any obvious way to dissemble the hinges.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Tim Crimmins

The insides of the clear covers on the meters (tach, temperature, voltage, fuel) on my Seaward Products engine control panel are dirty making the meters hard to read. This is particularly problematic for the engine hours at the bottom of the tach meter where a considerable amount of dirt has accumulated. Has anyone expereinced this problem and how did you gain access to the inside of the clear covers on the meters? My control panel is mounted on the lower part of the pedestal of my 2003 Catalina 34.

Has anyone done any grounding work on their Catalina 34 to provide increased protection in case of a lightning strike on or near the boat? The mechanic who has worked on my Catalina is proposing to ground the stays and shrouds to the keel. Before I spend the money I want to find out if anyone has done work like this. If so, did it work?

Tim Crimmins

I have a 2003 Catalina equipped with in-mast furling. I would like to replace the in-haul furling line that is attached to the continuous screw (furling) drum. I've just discovered that the bolt that holds the line to the lower end of the drum has either been overly tightened by the boatyard that commissioned the boat and/or that corrosion has frozen the bolt in place. In either event I can't loosen the bolt. Does anyone have suggestions as to how I can get the bolt loose without risking damage to the top of the bolt, which would compound the problem?

I have a 2003 Catalina 34 which is equipped with a Sparcraft in-mast furling system. In recent months I have encountered problems using the system. When I pull the mail sail out or furl it in, the sail repeatedly binds and then releases. I have alway been able to get the sail out and in, but the constant binding/releasing bothers me. The car that runs along the boom moves freely and the sail does not appear to be jamming in the mast. Any suggestions as to the problem, and more importantly, a solution?

I own a 2003 Catalina 34. My wife complains that the top of the icebox/refrigerator is heavy and difficult to use. Has anyone installed hinges on the icebox/refrigerator top to enable it to hinge to an open position? If so, what type of hinges did you use? Also did you use any type of holders to support the top when open? Did hinging the top restrict your ability to reach into the lower levels of the icebox/refrigerator.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide.

Fred,

I believe that what I referred to as the recovery tank you are calling the overflow tank. In any event the tank is a clear plastic container mounted in the large cockpit storage area on the port side of the boat. In any event, regardless as to what you call it, the coolant loss is occurring in the recovery (overflow) tank. Any idea as to where the coolant is going?

Thanks for your reply, Tim

I have a 2003 Catalina 34 with a Universal M-35B engine. After I use the engine for 5-10 hours the coolant level in the recovery tank drops about 5 ounces. I keep replacing the lost coolant but the problem reoccurs after I put additional time on the engine. The cooling system is working fine and the engine starts and operates without a problem. I have have not found any coolant leaks and have checked that hoses are tightly secured. The cap on the radiator does not appear to be leaking. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I am loosing the coolant and how the problem can be corrected.

Thanks- Tim Crimmins