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Nice job, Lance. I was thinking of doing this to my 36 and found out that H & L Hardwood (supplier to Catalina) makes panels with 1" ash OR teak battens affixed to a thin 4' X 8' plywood sheet. These would be great (and easy) for flat areas. Not sure how it would handle the curvature of the V-berth sides.

Mike

[The lineup will be: 315 , 355, 385, 445]

This was posted on the Cat 36 forum....

"From the 320 Association website,

"I just returned from the factory in Largo - the 309, 320,350, 375, 387, 400, and the 420 have been discontinued. The lineup will be: 315 , 355, 385, 445.
It could be that a unit larger than the 445 will happen as well in the next year or so."


Mike

Hi Lance -

Unfortunately this was all pre-digital, however the upgrades did get a 2 page spread in the Mainsheet in the late 80's. I still have the copy and will see what I can do about the photos. Just think about the dry food locker. Now, take off the lid. Imagine 4 pieces of teak batten screwed into the countertop framing the edge of the opening with the corners neatly beveled picture frame style. Now, take the lid. Imagine another four battens with the same corner bevels screwed into the top of the lid framing the outer edge. If you now set the lid into the opening, you will have the teak edges of the lid setting into the teak "frame" around the opening. You fasten 2 hinges to the teak on the back edges of the inner and outer frame to make it a hinged lid. You tile within the "frame" on the lid and tile the countertop up to the edge of the "frame" on the opening. The tiles and battens both being 1/4" makes it a nice smooth counter. Take my word for it, it's really pretty after you varnish the teak. I wish you were closer, I could do it again in about 1/2 hour. I'll see what I can do about those pictures.

Mike

Hello Lance - I just happened upon this thread and if you have decided that the Admiral must be obeyed, I can tell you that I tiled both the galley and head counters on my previous Cat 36 and the results were BRILLIANT. I will briefly explain what I did, but you are welcome to email me at Homewest@socal.rr.com for more details. Preparation - I removed the sink and used sandpaper to scuff the Formica. I had a friend who had given me the idea and he just tiled up to the refer & food locker edges and then tiled the tops, but this looked messy to me. So, I cut and installed 1" wide 1/4 " thick teak battens to frame both the openings and the lids. The battens were screwed in with the screw holes countersunk & plugged. This allowed me to tile up to the teak framing for a very neat appearance. Before tiling, I varnished the teak frames. Slight digression, but I'll add that in the case of the folding refer lid, I used steel strips from beneath to turn it into one solid lid with new beefy hinges on the rear and a beefier lift handle. Anyway, I then used 2" square tiles and (very important) epoxy mortar to lay the tiles. Note, I did not remove the counter's edge fiddles but rather tiled right up to them. For the lids, I tiled within the frames. Note that with the 1/4" teak and 1/4" tiles, there was a perfect match and the wood almost looked "inlayed" in the counter when it was done. Simply grout and replace the sink. (You can be a bit messy trimming the tiles where they meet the sink hole, as the lip of the sink will cover your mistakes). The head was a snap, just remove & replace the sink. I probably kept that boat for 5 years after the tile was done and never had any cracking. I liked the scale of the 2" tiles, but I have seen it done with standard 5-6" counter tiles and it might be easier with fewer tiles to trim. Anyway, I loved it. Let me know if you have any questions.

Mike

Bob, I did a nice write-up with photos on changing the Lewmar portlight lenses. You can find it in the November 2010 Mainsheet in the Cat 36 Tech section. Waterdog is correct about the button. A narrow knife blade will let you ease it off.

Mike

If it is the Ash battening, I may be able to help. I believe the source is H & L Lumber in the City of Industry, California. They have been a major supplier of teak drawers, shelves, mouldings, etc to Catalina for years. I once inquired of them about the battening with a thought toward doing up my V-berth sides. They sent me a sample and it is actually battens attached to a thin plywood board. Not sure what the dimensions of the "board" is as I didn't pursue it, but give them a call.

Mike

Figures. Nothing "Marine" is ever easy....or cheap.

Mike

I have a bit of rust on my CQR and I'm going to use a product called "Instant Galvanize" by CRC. It's in a spray can and is available at West Marine. I was referred to it by a pretty knowledgeable guy on my dock who used it on his. The can reads: Zinc-rich galvanized coating. Fights rust creepage. Matte gray color. Protects like "Hot Dip" galvanizing. 13 bucks. I should get mine done within a week or so, I'll post how it came out.

Mike