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Had the tank professionally (Precision Fuels in Seattle) cleaned out, etched, and coated with two coats of epoxy & fiber for $300. Tank went into a roto-molding device that spun & rotated it for a couple days with acetone and hard media (which I assume was a fancy/ expensive term for a handful of nuts & bolts) until it was scrubbed clean. Another spin with a coat of epoxy, a spin with chopped fiber, and a final spin with another coat of epoxy. At this point they tell me that other than the fittings the interior tank is stronger than the original exterior aluminum. Before re-installing I'll be gluing (5200) 1"X1/4" strips of semi-hard (not foam) neoprene down the hull side and across the bottom of the tank. This should allow an air gap, space for leaks to flow, and a vibration buffer between the tank and the shelf or hull.

Also ordered and doused everything with PureAyre. Not 100% sold yet, but it's already vastly better than Fabreeze.  Once the epic level rains we've been experiencing stop and I can air the boat out a bit we might just be OK.

Thanks for the ideas an suggestions everyone!

Definitely a pinhole leak in the fuel tank. A low spot in the shelf collected just enough water from condensation and probably leaks from the port locker to allow the tank to sit in a film of water. The actual leak was very small, but even a small drip over a long winter can cause problems. I suspect there the amount of fuel lost was well under a gallon, which is all it took to make a mess and give my boat and everything in is a lovely eau de diesel.

I have the diesel tank out of the boat for repairs, and I'm considering adding some airflow under the tank when I put it back. The plywood shelf the tank sits on is poorly glassed and part of the tank sits in moisture. The shelf also has a raw edge that has soaked some diesel, so I can't glass over it without removing & rebuilding, which I won't have time to do until Fall.

I'd like to get some airflow under the tank when I put it back in. I'm considering putting a thin, hard commercial rubber doormat with holes or channels molded in under the tank. Should be easy to cut, resistant to oil/ fuel, free of electrical/ galvanic corrosion issues, and provide some airflow without introducing anything that would rattle or bang around.

Anyone see a downside to this?

We replaced the sails on our Catalina 34 standard rig and have the old sails available for sale or trade. They came off a '87 boat, but I doubt they are the original sails, so I don't know how old they are. These are UK sails, loose footed, double reefed, full batten main. Foam luff 150% head sail with Pacific blue Sunbrella. There are no sail numbers, but there is a Catalina 34 logo.

These are used sails. I've had them cleaned and restitched in the past by North in Seattle. Last year we were going to have the sun cover replaced since it was so dirty, but they said it's been stitched back on a few times and that they didn't want to put a new one on without cutting the sail down. About then we decided to launch on a refit of the boat, so we just bought new sails.

The sails are a bit little dirty, have some minor stains, and a small repair or two. They have a lot of life left though. As a matter of fact, they were out last Saturday blasting through winds we probably shouldn't have been out in anyway. I took good pictures and would be happy to email them if your interested.

Rough measurements:
Main: Luff 37, leach 39, foot 11'9"
Main: Luff 43, leach 40'8", foot 21'3"

Sail are located in Seattle/ Tacoma area

Haven't had time to research used prices yet so will entertain offers.
Have a lot of boat & bicycle needs/ wants that I'd consider in a trade or trade/ cash trade/ pay you mix:

New mainsail cover (StackPack)
Sunbrella fabric (Pacific Blue)
Adler Barbour refrigerator compressor or recharge work
Stand up paddle board
Portable freezer (ac/ dc Dometic style)
Sailing dingy
Alfine 11 or Rolloff bikes or wheels
Backhoe/ excavator yard work
Companion way doors
Acrylic forward hatch
or?

34Noeta@comcast.net

Cruising into BC doesn't mean beer, it means stocking up up hard ciders to bring back for the Admiral and freinds

Replacing the drains with standard, cheap plastic drains from Home Depot was one of the best things I've done to the boat. Takes a little creativity to get it all in there, but the drains are great.

I've been using the tacktick wireless instruments for a couple of years now. There's a lot I love about the system, but there is a quirk or two.

Coming back from the Gulf Islands my system shut off.  It did the same thing a year ago in the same area. At the time I assumed it was faulty wind sender unit and replaced it. This year the new unit did it again in the same area. By the end of the day it came back on, showed correct data, and workled perfect again.

Any other TackTick owners experience someting like this? Would love to compare notes in general with other owners.

Funny timing. Was just wrapping this project up today. No pictures, but will describe it.

On previous boats I made a cover that utilized tent poles that arched over the cockpit Conestoga wagon style. Couldn't do that on the C34 because of the topping lift, back stay, and lazy jacks.

On Noeta I took two pieces of Sunbrella. Three of the sides  have your basic grommets in the corners and about every two feet. The top has nylon webbing loops with small carabiners clipped on. The 'beeners and loops were installed to clip to the back stay, topping lift, and the first set of jacks.  The bottom aft corner clips on to the end of the push pit railing. The other grommets bungee to the life lines.

I set this up as two separate pieces. That way I can put 1/2 up  as a sun shade and leave the other side open. When both are up there is a gap between them where rain can come in.

I'm only dealing with the rain on the aft portion as the  very little rain will come in where the shades rest against the main sail cover. That section is also above the dodger.

For the gap in the back (boom end to back stay) I've installed the female half of twist locks on the Sunbrella. To cover the gap I'm trying to find some opaque flexible plastic (think flexible cutting boards) I can put the male ends of the twist locks on.  This will block the rain, but also allow some diffused light in if we end up sitting out a rainy day at the dock.

If interested I'll take pictures when it's done.

I replaced my old dorades with the Nicro Solar vents. One pushes and one pulls the air. It's made a diference in the freshness of the boat, and also helps with condensation.

OK, installed a new roller, side cleats, etc.

Then I noticed that removing the center line cleat means I have no place to tie down my anchor.

My question is this: Is the back (aft) wall of the anchor locker strong enough to mount a cleat for the anchor line?

Chris,

I was able to determine it was the sender by grounding out the terminals. Put the key in and turned it on. One at a time grounded the two sender terminals. Don't remember which one, but grounding one made the gauge jump, so I assumed it was the sender.

My boat has a Beckson inspection port (4" hole) in the lazerette floor above the sending unit. Didn't matter though, the send angled out of the hole just fine.

I replaced the sender just a couple weeks ago.

Took the bulkhead panel (port) off in the aft cabin. Had the old sending unit out and the new one installed and working in no time. The sender itself was a generic 12" sender from WM.

After it was all over I walked away with thee two observations:
1. Was one of the easiest & cheapest boat jobs I've had to do for a long time.
2. There is no way that the gauge could be accurate enough  for anything more than casual information. Started adding engine hours to my log.

Anyone ever replaced the foam in the salon cushions? My fabric is great, but the foam is really broken down. This is especially true of the dinette.

If anyone has replaced the foam I'd love to get a rough idea of price before I start hauling cushions around or waste someone's time coming to the boat.

Tried soap, heat, stretching, and everything else I could think of. By the end of the first day I thought it just wasn't possible.

I ended up using an oak wedge and a lot of muscle to put the gaskets in my Becksons. Was probably on of the physically hardest things I've done on the boat.

The result though was that this was the first Winter I didn't tarp the boat. The ports just didn't leak.

Had a similar issue in that I'd get a mild shock when grounding between the faucet and the chain plates. Then I noticed the same small shock when grounding between the pushpit and the wheel. It wasn't strong or constant, and I spent a huge amount of time trying to trace it issue. Started by replacing the old charger and kept going. Nothing helped.

Finally I just connected the multi tester to the wheel and started touching things with the other probe. Finally isolated it when I disconnected the lifeline gates and found current between the pushpit rails and the wheel, or between the pushpit and any other ground.

In the end it turned out that a washer on a bolt for the pushpit had been installed over the wire for the aft reading light in the aft berth. Over the year the compressed insulation finally gave way, and the push pit would get charged, but only if the cabin lights were on.

It's always the littlest things that cause the biggest issues...