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I've got the Rogue Wave powered WIFI antenna - works great.  Runs on POE through a Cat-5 cable from the antenna into my wifi router.  I've run the cat-5 through 1" braided water hose to protect it against chafe and dings where it snakes under the cockpit locker. 

All - thanks for the feedback - these are definitely gelcoat cracks - I've not opened them up to see if the extend to the underlying glass (not my boat).  Inside the lazarettes looks fine - so I am guessing they are more cosmetic in nature.

As always - thanks for all of your feedback.

Geoff Wright
Sundowner III
Hull 1494

Hi - hoping someone has some insight.  Another Cat 34 at my club has some mysterious vertical cracks on her hull on both port and starboard at the aft end just forward of the transom (both cracks very narrow and 3 inches in length).  I don't know their hull number - mine is 1494 from year 2000.  Their boat is 2002, but don't know the hull number.  What concerns me is that the cracks are almost symmetrical - i took three photos from behind and used blue masking tape to indicate where the cracking is.  You can see the the cracks are roughly the same length and same position.  (Again - the cracks are on the sides of the hull - the blue tape on the transom just shows positioning).  I could easily fill the cracks and repair the gelcoat - but I am concerned that since the cracking is symmetrical it might be indicative or a structural problem.  I don't have the history of the boat, so not sure if there was any grounding or collision, but cannot see any evidence of that.  I looked inside both lazerettes and could not see visible problems on the inside.  Could an improperly tuned rig crack the gelcoat?

Thanks in advance.

Ron - yep - wing keel.  I've seen the 'traditional' Catalina smile and this is not what I have - just some mild cracking in the caulk.  Best thing to do would (I think) would be to remove all the caulk and re-caulk - but wondering if I might get away with a fresh layer of Sikaflex 291 on top of the old layer to get me thru the season.  I've got a lot of work to do and just under 3 weeks to launch.

My bolts are good - its just the caulking getting brittle.  and my 'smile' is not as advanced as the images posted.  I am guessing I should remove the old and replace with new versus putting a new layer of caulk over the old?

Graphite and Bronze are far apart on the Galvanic Scale (also depends on what type of bronze you are using).  While the risk of galvanic corrosion is reduced in fresh water, its not eliminated - stray currents in marinas/yacht clubs will exasperate the problem.  Cathodic protection (i.e. a zinc or magnesium anode) on your shaft may help, but with the graphite and bronze in direct contact, you may have a problem.  I'd steer clear of the graphite stuffing....hope this helps.

The hull-joint caulking on my 2000 Cat 34 Mk II (Hull 1494) seems brittle.  There are only a couple of spider cracks in the caulking - so it still looks sound - but seems to be getting brittle.  Is removing the caulking and re-caulking with something like Sikaflex 291 the way to go?  Is this easy to do?

Thanks in advance.

We had our made here:  https://customboatbedding.com/ for our 2000 C34 mk II (hull 1494)

(Had new mattresses made there too...6" memory foam....never slept so well).

Hope it helps.

Jim - thanks.  So aft port lazarette then?  I've got the shore-power breaker there (well - one of two breakers - I also have a shore-power intake and breaker in the bow).  I'll need to take a look in the spring - never notice the isolator before.  Thanks for the tip - I'll check the connections.

All - taking some time during lockdown to learn more about my boat's electrical system (had some gaps in my knowledge).  I've got hull 1494 (34 MK II built 2000).  The wiring diagram in the manual shows a galvanic isolator.  Can anyone tell me where it might be located on the boat?  (Its on the hard and covered for winter right now - don't really want to go looking for it.  Thanks in advance.

Thanks Ken!

Jim - thanks as well - found them on Amazon.  Definitely going to try this sometime after launch!

Another option.

I've basically done away with the plexi shelves. Instead, I've found a more (IMO) flexible and user-friendly option. I bought several mini size white plastic 'milk crate' boxes that stack nicely. That way I can load small items like butter, horseradish (obviously for morning Bloody Marys,) etc, or like-items (beer vs soda) and keep the box better organized than needing to rearrange or get under a plexi shelf.

They're pretty much open-side and open-bottomed so there's plenty of air flow even when stacked or right next to each other. I find it much more convenient to grab a crate containing, say, condiments, than hunting for small containers that get strewn about the box.



These boxes look BRILLIANT! I hate the fact that whatever I am looking for is always on the bottom of the ice box.  The image is a bit fuzzy - can  you get me the name of the manufacturer and the dimensions of the box please?  (No rush - its January and the boat is on the hard until end of April).  Thanks in advance.

My old Standard Horizon VHF died and I bought a new one (SH GX2200 w. AIS).  The old RAM Mic was mounted on the pedestal beside the chart plotter.  I had thought about swapping the RAM Mic, but the wiring was different.  I thought it too difficult to fish the new wires through the binnacle tubing.  Like one of the other respondents to this post, I chose to mount the new RAM Mic on the port side, aft of the cockpit locker close to the manual bilge pump cover.  It was SUPER easy to fish the wiring thru and SUPER easy to mount the new RAM Mic interface.  The old interface is still mounted beside the chart plotter...it really does not bother me and dont see the benefit in trying to remove it and cover the resulting hole.

Hope this helps.

Geoffrey Wright
Sundowner III (Hull 1494)

I've replaced the head pump on my 34 Mk II (built 2000, hull 1494) with a Jabsco pump.  Works great and not too pricey.

All - thanks for all of your insights.  Very helpful.