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I had luck with these hoses and others when I borrowed my buddies 'hose expander' to slightly increase the size of the hose opening. If you can locate one it works very well. Good luck.

Hi Patrice - I follow the same routine Roc describes with good success. I also don't use lake water to flush, only tank water. As Roc said, all recommended by Peggy Hall here on the C34 site and has proved again to be great advice. I can also add that if I catch a small odor, I add 1/2 again more Odorless to the tank before getting to a pump out.

I found this on the West Marine web site:

ABYC Requirements for Diesel Fuel Filters

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Recently we learned a disturbing lesson from a very experienced local marine surveyor. It seems that an obscure reference in the ABYC Standards mandates that all fuel filters used on diesel engines withstand a heat requirement if they are mounted in the engine compartment. We started to become more concerned when one of our technical writers, who lives aboard his Catalina 30 sailboat, got a package from his insurance company. It contained a survey for him to fill out, asking among other things, about Dahl and Racor filters with plastic bowls. The insurance company included a disposable camera, and requested photos of the filter. After researching this situation with the folks at the ABYC and at Racor we discovered the following:

ABYC standards for inboard fuel filter installations for gasoline or diesel engines require that filters installed within the engine space must be able to pass a two and one-half minute heat test as defined by ANSI/UL 1105. Unfortunately, Gasoline and diesel filters that meet this requirement are generally equipped with a metal bowl. Filters with plastic sight bowls must be equipped with a metal heat shield to pass the test. Boaters with diesel engines who prefer a filter with a see-thru bowl should select one of the Turbine Series by Racor, which includes the heat shield. Racor spin-on filters (with metal bowls) for diesel installations are available by calling 1-800-BOATING.

Regarding the question about plastic fuel bowls, I changed out the primary filter two seasons ago with a plastic fuel bowl Racor and recall researching and finding a plastic bowl is OK if placed outside the engine compartment but metal had to be used if inside the compartment adjacent to the engine. The location of the C34 primary filter in the head means the plastic unit should be fine and as Stu noted, better to visualize the fuel.

I don't mean to hijack this thread with another thought - just adding to this conversation. I installed this Racor pressure gauge a few seasons ago and do not now routinely change out the filter every year because I found I didn't need to. The absence of an increase in pressure at the gauge indicates the filter is good for more time. So far, so good.

My first time C34 experience with finding the leak for bilge water eventually lead me to a slight crack and loose fit of the anchor drain hose that was leaking a lot of water. I replaced the hose and only have to deal with the usual down the mast amount of water now. Good luck.

Hi Phil - I'm intrigued with the Dahon folding bike and it fitting under the v-berth area. Did you consider at the time of purchase if it was important to get a geared version of the bike or the simpler "coaster" style? I like the simplicity of the non-geared version but wonder if the gears would make for easier climbs and other speeds.  Thanks.

LOL, Mainesail! The comment at the end by the Old Man Working At Billings is absolutely priceless! 

Wow - I don't think I ever heard of IMAR - I thought I was looking at glass in a hard dodger in those pics, Mainesail. That is incredibly clear.

Ken - congratulations on your return to better health. The tone of your post tells me how much you feel blessed to have avoided a major event. Most people experience the "silent", asymtomatic heart attack without even knowing it occurred, or if with minor symptoms, often passing it off as heartburn, or flu or something other. You should be congratulated on two fronts, 1 - for sharing this with us and 2- for being the self advocate you were in seeking the diagnostic CT Scan.  As a former specialist in a teaching hospital's cardiac catherization lab, I can't tell you how different the outcomes were for so many others. This is a wonderful story to tell. 

Wow - looks great. I'm in need of a renewal and would be interested to hear about the paint, color match, and application. Nice pic. 

I should also put in a strainer as suggested. Did you use one like this?

I could have been more helpful with my OP by adding I was racing in JaM and not spin class.  Thanks for the lenghty replies. Definitely helps with the upcoming race strategy. The polar has the C34 with 150% running at higher angles as the wind picks up. I'll try to pay more attention to boat speed and course angle for the upcoming races. Someday soon, that asymetrical I keep eyeing will surface.

Using the Google search feature mentioned in today's post by Stuart and Mick, I typed 'site:c34.org Downwind Racing' and found there were many good links to the C34 site for my original post question - one is the link below. This is a great search capability I didn't realize existed. The information, once again, is already on the C34 site.   

http://www.c34.org/faq-pages/faq-polar-diagram.html

You may already do this but if not, every so often I spray Sailkote in as much of the mast track as I can reach and liberally on the main sail slides to help ease a lot of the strain. I still jump the main at the mast and pull her up from there with the line tailed in the cockpit and it goes much easier.