Messages

On a different tangent, I am about to order a new aftermarket alternator that will replace my original  Motorola. It is a direct replacement for the Motorola and Prestolite part numbers and I am confident in the selection.
I am not certain,in that it doesn't come with a pulley, If I will be able to order from the seller,but if not, I'm not I'm curious where to obtain a compatible pulley that will accommodate a 3/8 inch belt . I know that others have used their old pulley but I prefer  to keep the old alternator serviceable.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Ken

Regarding the current Mainsheet Cover:
It seems as if there is a line hanging from the port bow.Its tough to win the race with the anchor deployed.
Any thoughts? My guess is that it may be an illusion and it's in fact a marker. It does seem to be disturbing the water, however.
Ken

I replaced my forestay and decided to change furlers to a Profurl.
I have all of the components of the Hood system. There are a few damaged extrusion sections but that aside, it has performed well over the years.  I have never had any trouble with the drum or the swivel and they have functioned problem free.
If you think that you might be interested in these components, please email me at kenheyman@msn.com.

I recently purchased a Profurl C320 furler.
The forestay diameter specified in the Profurl manual is 9/32.  The Catalina specification for a tall rig forestay a is 5/16(10/32).  I called Catalina to discuss this and while the rep and I believe that the small differential isn't likely to prove unsafe, based on the conditions I sail in while exercising a conservative sailing philosophy----there are no guaranteees. I also called Profurl and they confirmed that 9/32 is the max diameter. Im planning on researching the breaking strength differential.
I'm curious if anyone with a Profurl  has encountered the same issue ?
Thanks much,
Ken

Thanks Ron,
Good idea,
Ken

Ed,

Is this common ?

"Hole in keel to the bilge is a garboard hole most likely, for draining the keel when on the hard. Did the PO provide the plug"

Thanks,
Ken

We were away for a good chunk of the Chicago winter. Upon our return, I stopped by our storage yard to do a quick walk around the boat.. All looked well but just as I was leaving I noticed some reflection and a stain originating at the thru hull depth transducer.
Evidently during a freeze some residual water in the Racor fuel filter bowl froze and expanded thereby  bulging the gasket. Then aprox.half a tank of diesel, gravity "downloaded",into the bilge. once the  tank was half empty(or full) the siphoning stopped.
Lessons learned:
Drain residual water out of the bottom of the Racor in the fall. I do this periodically through the season and there has never been much water to drain. Alternatively change the fuel filter in the fall as opposed to the spring.
Turn off the fuel at the tank. This would have greatly limited the spill to the fuel in the filter and lines.
Perhaps buy a "freeze damage" supplemental insurance  cover.  In my case it didn't matter but if an engine block or hear exchanger were cracked by a freeze, it obviously would have mattered as this is direct and not reimbursable consequential damage.
Fortunately insurance covered all "consequential" damage from the fuel spill(cleanup, installation of a new transducer and deodorizing)It did not cover the cost of a replacement gasket or plastic Racor bowl should I need it.
We launch on April 7th and assuming that the transducer thru hull doesn't leak or some other surprise, we should be good to go.
Fair Winds,
Ken

Thanks Ken,
here is a step-by-step I found on Cruisersforum. it's probably on ours somewhere as well.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f13/how-to-repair-an-autohelm-st4000-z326-wheel-autopilot-mk-i-109239.html

and here's another one:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,8623.0.html  [Stu]

This happened to me (us) yesterday. We were snakeing thru traffic that was competing for position to watch the aerial performance practice for the Chicago Air And a Water Show. As we approached the anchored boat field (under power) I disengaged the autopilot to steer manually. ---Nada-- the wheel,wouldn't budge so I checked to make sure that I had disengaged the lever. I had ,but the wheel was locked. After a bout of "that sinking feeling", I realized that I could turn the wheel, albeit with much effort. What did work efficiently however and got us out of a potential jam was continuing to use the autopilot as the primary steering device. We steamed away from the other boats and anchored. I had previously (probably close to 10 years ago)bought the pins that are often responsible for this kind of failure (per discussion on this forum).
I decided not to attempt the repair while we were anchored but instead removed the autohelm from the steering wheel. (Fortunately I had the correct Allen wrench) At this point I'm not sure how much damage there is other than the sheered pins but I suspect I should replace some of the rollers and components ,that I briefly inspected.
Any additional advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Ken

Earlier this year I returned  my "upper vang tube" to Garhauer for a repair as the block stainless cheeks were bent due to rotational forces on the boom(corrected by Catalina in later boats). Initially they were going to simply "straighten them out". I had discussed this with Marc Garhauer at the Chicago boat show. As it turned out they sent me a completely new tube  at the same  cost.
These guys(I usually talk to Marc) have always been remarkably customer oriented and responsive over the years . It's a family owned business that  seems always go the extra distance. When questions  arise there seems to be no limit to the time they will spend  "educating" me over the phone.
The pricing is always reasonable and in fact considering the great service I think I'd be willing to pay a little more- all else equal. In an environment, of all too often, faceless Internet transactions, they are a reminder of quality personalized service.
Ken

Thanks Ken,
A thanks for the "heads" up  I will inspect those components.
Ken

I just replaced the cylinder along with all the "inners"  on my original Groco  HF series head.  Most difficult part of the job was to unseize the three attachment screws at the base. With PB blaster applied in the fall, one screw came out ,with the remaining two this spring. I mailed the whole assembly to Patrick at Groco who was unbelievably helpful( and has been over the years with other head repairs). He assembled the components and UPSed it back'with a total turnaround time of less than a week. Total cost was 78.00 plus aprox. 10.00 shipping.
All I had to do was reinstall the joker valve, align the gasket at the base and attach the 3 base screws and two hoses. I did struggle a bit due to the cramped working conditions and in retrospect, it may have been easier had I removed the bowl (per Stu's  suggestion).
At any rate, with the new components, hopefully  I'm good for another 25 years.
Ken

clearly there is idle production capacity. How much and how it compares to the "glory days" would be interesting to know. I wonder if the factory ever worked double shifts ?----suspect not.
As an aside, If things continue to deteriorate internationally, maybe the plant will be producing tanks(amphibious of course).
Ken

I think you are spot on and that link definitely explains it. It will be curious to see if their pricing changes.,
Thanks all, for your comments.
Ken

I noticed that there is a full page ad for "Gemini Catamarans"in the current issue of Mainsheet.
-----seems a bit odd. I don't recall this sort of advertisement in previous issues, or am I having a senior moment.
Ken