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Does anyone have recommendations on eliminating excessive play in a Edson steering wheel.

My steering wheel has developed a lot of play with the spokes where they enter (connect) into the central hub.  i have tightened the central hub bolts and it seems tight and flush around.  however, there is play with several spokes at the point where they enter the central hub (i probably have about 1/2 inch of play (fore and aft) at the outer circumference of the steering wheel.  i am almost tempted to wrap some plumbing thread tape around the spokes to see if this might stiffen the wheel spokes up.

i have put quite a few miles on my boat (5,000 during the past 18 months) and in some fairly strong weather and sea conditions. i suspect this has been a contributor to the above situation.

thanks very much for any input you might provide.

tom madden
Saint Mary II
Hull # 1768

i thought you all might appreciate an update on the 2009 baja haha, which i just completed in saint mary II.   i know many of you have been following Steve Dowling's update from the beautiful Black Dragon, so i will limit my comments to those that i think are of most interest.

most important to note, my catalina 34 performed like a dream.. she was just PERFECT.  as some of you may know, day 3 presented the haha fleet with challenging conditions.  the wind built to 35 knots with 15 - 20 foot seas at about 12 second intervals. the fleet tried to avoid these conditions my hunkering down in san quentin for night 2, but we ended up just sailing into the worse of it.  having said that, saint mary II handled it perfect.  about noon we put a single reef in the main and then had her double reefed by 1300, it was easy to tell the conditions were building fast.  we poled out the headsail (a 135) and tried to pretty much keep the wind at 150 degrees, which pointed us at cedros, where we were headed.  autopilot did a great job during the trip, but could not come remotely close to handling these conditions.  we had a 3 man crew, so we steered her for the next 16 hours or so.   she performed perfect.  SM II is a 2007 catalina, with a wide transom ... and she surfed just wonderfully down the big waves.  we had 5 jerry cans (water & diesel) tied down midship on each side, which seem to improve her balance and handling in these conditions.  also, we used our aft water tank first, which seemed to help her to surf.  i was amazed at how well we had her surfing down the big waves.  the top speed we hit was 14 knots!  we hit 12 and 13 many times ... and at times were maintaining speeds over 10 knots consistently.  the main message i am trying to deliver here is the boat is wonderful when rigged properly and with competent crew (me excluded of course.)

night 3 was the most fun, but every day was fun also.  we carried two spinnakers, a symmetrical and an asymmetrical.  the both serve their own purpose and performed wonderfully.  i had a 135 headsail, leaving my 155 at home (it just seemed to hard to fold my larger racing headsail.)  i kept my dinghy on the foredeck right side up with a cover over it.  we used the dinghy as the place we kept our spinnakers, this was a great idea and helped to keep the boat neat down below.

i'll stop here.  if anyone is interested in more, i am happy to correspond with anyone, i believe you can see my email in my profile.

it was great to meet Steve Dowling and his wonderful family on Blackdragon.  i also met two other members of this message board from the SF area (both know Stu, and they were crewing on a 47 foot catalina.)  we all got together, and looked at each other's boats.  so this board continues to pay huge dividends, i thank all of you for the input you have provided me.   SMII ended up taking second in her division... ok, the haha isn't the transpac... but we are very proud just the same.

tom madden

i've signed up for the 2009 baja haha in my 2007 C34 Saint Mary II.  i'm in the process of going through a wide range of maintenance reviews and checks as preparation for the race.  one item i'd appreciate input on is the methods you all have used to carry jerry cans of fuel.  i figure i need to carry 10 five gallon jerry cans to help give me the range i need on the return trip (specifically to get from cabo to turtle bay (i know i can get fuel in mag bay, but would like to avoid the 40 nm detour.)  i believe i can carry five cans on both the starboard and port sides between the midship stanchions.  i plan to attach a starboard poly sheet planks between to stanchions attached with u-bolts.  i plan to then secure the jerry cans to the planks.  i'm also considering place a few padeye's (folding) on my deck near these jerry cans to further secure. 

with that long intro in mind, i'm wondering if anyone has any input for me on securing jerry cans.  i feel i need to have 50 gallons of extra fuel (75 gallons in total), so any input on how to take this much extra fuel is appreciated.

finally, i'd appreciate input from anyone that has done the baja haha in a catalina 34.  i know for sure that several unexpected issues will arise, so any input is appreciated.  there is enough space here for me to list out all my prep, but i know i can benefit from all input.

in advance, thanks much.

tom madden

one thing to consider in assessing your speed using GPS (which measures speed over ground, not the speed thru the water) is the impact of the current you are in.  if the current is going the same direction as you ( for example, at 10 knots ) then your SOG will be much better than your speed thru the water (i.e. hull speed.)

I have a Raymarine Smart Pilot X-5 Wheel on my 2007 Catalina 34.  I have been experiencing a situation where the clutch engagement lever slips down (from the "up" clutch engaged position) after about 5 - 10 minutes of use.  Note that the lever doesn't slip back all the way, but it does slip back about 75% of the way (to the down disengaged position.)  Also, after slipping (as described) the autopilot wheel still works just fine (i.e. with the autopilot system.)   i have flushed out the Smart Pilot Wheel with fresh water after each use.  Also, my wheel works very smoothly with the clutch lever disengaged.

At first, i thought my clutch needed tightening, but after doing so the lever still slips.

I appreciate any comments you all may have.  i'm not sure if i should be concerned with this situation since the autopilot seems to work just fine.

thank you very much, in advance, for you inputs.

tom madden
newport beach, ca

i am in the initial phases of planning the rigging for a symmetrical spinnaker (note that i'm already rigged for and use an asymmetrical spinnaker (a.k.a. gennaker.) 

i'd appreciate input that anyone has on what they feel is an optimum setup for catalina 34.  specifically, i'd appreciate input on areas such as:

1) length of pole and composition material
2) preferred jibing method (i assume "end-for-end"?),
3) type of mast fitting utilized,
4) pole end fittings (type and composition material )
5) pole storage method (on deck, on stanchions, on mast, other)
6) did you install additional winches from standard Catalna configuration

also, please let me know if there are additional considerations i should be thinking of.  thanks so much for your help, i appreciate your input very much.

tom madden

[as an update to my own question, here is a link to an Edson Installation & Maintenance Guide that provides lots of useful info & drawings on the wheel and steering mechanism]

does anyone have information on wheel removal?

i know i may need a gear puller to get it off the shaft.  also, i know there may be a key that i need to remove.  however, i'm not sure of the specifics nor do i have a diagram or drawings of my wheel mechanism assembly.  its an Edson wheel, but not sure of the specifics.  i've also been told it may be a good idea to to use anti seize past (i.e. w/o the key) when reassembly and to just hand tighten the nut (so removal is easier in an emergency situation.)

any input is much appreciated.  somehow, removing this wheel seems like brain surgery to me, so i want to make sure i do it correctly.  thanks so much.

note that i don't have an issue with my wheel, except that i want to perform routine maintenance to both the wheel mechanism and auto pilot smart drive unit.

as an update to my own question, here is a link to an Edson Installation & Maintenance Guide that provides lots of useful info & drawings on the wheel and steering mechanism http://www.edsonmarine.com/support/PDFs/planning/EB381SteeringGuide.pdf

I have a 2007 34ft Catalina MKII, hull number 1768.

i have been trying to find a resource that explains the operation of the hot water heating system.  there seems to be zero information in the owners manual on this system.  from reading posts on this site and reviewing my system, i can determine the system heats water by using the heat of the engine (when running) and with an electrical system (i believe) when the engine is not running.

i'd like to get a more thorough understanding of this system (e.g. flow of water to the engine and back, regulators, how the electrical system works, how the electrical system is turned on / off, etc.)

if anyone can refer me to a source of information on this i would greatly appreciate it.  thank you very much.

tom madden

i have a 2007 Catalina 34ft MKII, hull number 1768.  i just returned from the Newport to Ensenada race.  it was great to see a 30ft Catalina won all the top trophies (yes! beating all the big maxi class boats on adjusted time.)  it was my first Nte & i finished 7th in my class of 14 with a time of 24hr15mins (we sailed the entire time, zero engine use.)  so, i am very pleased with my boat.

however, one nagging problem the entire race was fixing leaks in my water system.  what makes this even worse,  its not a new issue... i've been wrestling with it for months.  it seems if i leave my water pump (for the water system), its just a matter of time until a leak occurs (i.e. a leak in the tubing) or a tube gets blown of a fitting (i had this happen twice near my hot water tank and i know the clamps were tight since i tightened them my self.)

i beginning to think i either have a bad pump that delivers too much pressure or i have a way to adjust the pressure level within the system and i'm just not aware and not doing this correct.

i appreciate any input anyone has this issue.  thank you in advance.

tom

p.s. if anyone wants to share details or course strategies (and results) on this years NtE race (i saw many Cat 34's listed)  i am happy to start off my sharing mine.

i have a 2007 34ft catalina mkII, hull number 1768.  i have a regular (non furling) mainsail.  while sailing today in 30 knot wind (with my mainsail reefed) i blew out two plastic sliders (holding the mainsail luff to mast, attached to the track.)  the plastic sliders that broke were above the reef point, probably the third and fourth slides above the reef.

it seems to me these sliders should not have broke, even though they are made of plastic.  the breaks appeared to be caused by pressure of the sail in these strong winds.  i'm certain i had the mainsail properly reefed (i have a single slab reefing system.)

i am wondering if anyone has any experience or input on this issue.  i'm set to get the mainsail fixed tomorrow, but was hoping to learn from other experiences.

thanks in advance for your help.

tom madden 

[i want to thank every one for their input. my problem turned out to be the check valve (small rubber piece) inside the antisiphon valve. i believe my root problem was running my ice drain sump pump without opening the through hull seacock valve. this caused to check valve to get forced out of the top whole ( i think, since it was missing.) i installed a new antisiphon valve and all is well now. many thanks to those providing input. thank you! tom]

i have a 2007 catalina 34ft mk II, hull number 1768.

i've began experiencing a problem where water spurts out of the top of the antisiphon valve when i use my ice box drain sump pump.  my ice box drain systems seems clear (no clogs) and the sump pump seems to be working correct.  when draining the ice box, i close the valve from the shower pump. 

the outgoing drain water seems to be getting backed up in the outgoing hose between the antisiphon valve and ice box drain outlet through hull seaacock.   have double checked to make sure the ice box through hull seacock is in the open position.  i've also disconnected the hose on the outgoing side of the antisiphon valve and have blown into it.  i can blow the water out and can even hear the bubbles i'm creating under my boat as i blow (no comments please.)  however, after i blow the water out it seems that water comes rushing back in through the seacock (i can taste it and its sea water.)  so, i'm not sure if the sea cock is to work this or if this might be my problem.

hopefully i've described the problem clearly.  i appreciate any input very much.  thank you in advance.

tom madden
i want to thank every one for their input.  my problem turned out to be the check valve (small rubber piece) inside the antisiphon valve.  i believe my root problem was running my ice drain sump pump without opening the  through hull seacock valve.  this caused to check valve to get forced out of the top whole ( i think, since it was missing.)  i installed a new antisiphon valve and all is well now.  many thanks to those providing input.  thank you!  tom

Jim

thanks for the great input.  i will rig my boat with a dedicated gennaker / spinnaker halyard forward of the forstay.  the asymmetrical spinnaker (aka gennaker ) i'm getting is designed to be used that way.  my sheets will be 70 ft long to allow the lazy sheet to get around. wind angle is also important in staring the jibe.  i've done this maneuver on other boats and have seen some good training videos on this on both UK Sails and North Sails web sites.  please contact me via email if you'd like more info on these training videos.

btw, i see you sail out of Erie, PA.  i'm from Pittsburgh, but now live in Newport Beach, CA.  i understand Lake Erie can be challenging.  thanks for the input, i appreciate it.

tom

Ron... thank you ... it sounds like our nav lights are in the same place.  maybe i'm concerned about nothing, thanks for the input.  tom

i'm in the process of buying a gennaker for my 2007 34ft MK II and rigging my boat to fly this cruising spinnaker. 

the sail maker has pointed out to me the the bow pulpit nav lights are likely candidate to get torn off or broken with gennaker sheets as the boat is jibbed. also, i know this to be the case as i saw this happen recently on a norhtern channel island cruise (on a 42ft catalina i was crewing on.) i was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on steps i can take to protect my bow nav lights from the gennaker sheets? 

i have thought of two ideas: a) have a bracket frabicated around the nav lights to keep the gennaker sheets away or 2) remount nav lights on the bow deck, totally out of the way.  i got these ideas after walking around the marina i'm looking at other sailboats.

any input is appreciated.  i'd like to thank you all in advance, thanks so much.

[Explore. Dream. Discover]

Steve, i can't say it better than Mark Twain:

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones that you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

i wish you the best, ... tom