Messages

Pictures of my modified vents.
Ron, not gonna lie, stainless vents would be nice but they're a few boat bucks away at this point.
Oh, and Kyle.....love the way your crew photo bombed your boat pic!!!!

I did source the original Vetus vents and base much like Alex did. I'm rather partial to the original look....but, I found that the vents are a bit too flexible for me and as others have stated I was always worried about the traveler line or jib sheets snatching one and tossing it over the side.
I solved this problem by sourcing a stiffer piece of plastic and glued it inside the vent at the bottom so that it's MUCH more difficult to remove each vent without actually unscrewing the vent from the base. I'm pretty sure I used a piece off of a black drain pipe or one of the associated fittings sold for them, it's the corrugated kind used for drainage around your house for the insert, I just remember taking the vent to Lowes/Home Depot and noodling around until I found something that fit well.
I'll try to get a picture and post it for this thread when I'm at the boat next.

Is it staining that's bothering you? If so, most stains are on the surface of gelcoat and using a very fine wet sanding paper will cut right thru the stain to the clean gelcoat beneath. Even very stubborn rust stains just vanish when wet sanded.
If it's not staining that's the problem, what gives????

My two cents.
Anything for sale that shows to a potential buyer as "well cared for" will both move faster and possibly command a higher sale price. If it shows like it's been just used and rarely looked after, that might put a potential buyer off completely.
YBYC but I try to take very, very good care of my boats (and pretty much everything else) and I've been able to sell my boats in hours, not months.

We had to replace our original tank in 2020 due to pin holes. Before I took it to the dump for recycling I cut it in half because...well...why not?!?!?
Here's the guts of the old tank clearly showing its construction.
I did put two clean out ports on the new tank on either side of the baffle. One was installed by the manufacturer and I added the second.

I too want to do this project..
Any opinions on getting the acrylic cut locally or buying from Catalina Direct?

I'm thinking VHB as well.
Justin and/or Eric...do you know what size VHB you used?
And after taping were you able to just press in the portlight and it set up and cured without a jig?
After that you were able to lay in a bead of sealant to completely fill the gap between the fiberglass inset and the new acrylic?

Jeff,
The bedding area is right at one inch if I remember correctly, I purchased 1" x 1/16" 3M VHB and I do remember that one roll was barely...and I mean BARELY enough to do both sides. Yes, you'll need to position the new window carefully before pressing it onto the tape, the initial bond is quite strong and only gets stronger over time. No clamping was required, the bond is enough to hold the new window securely while doing the caulk work.
I made sure there was enough of a gap for the caulk to stretch/shrink with temp changes and boat movement and spent a good bit of time making sure the gap was completely filled.

Robert, I painted that area flat black.

I also used the 3M VHB tape method and am very happy with the results over 4 years later. No screws, very little mess, etc.
One thing I'll add learning from experience, Mark where the adhesive tape will be on the inside on the window, then sand the surface and the edge where the tape and caulk will actually contact it. Sanding this area prior to installation helps the adhesives adhere better.
I failed to do this on a past project and ended up with leaks. I removed the window, sanded the surface and reinstalled and never had a failure after that.
Another tip is do not cut the new windows too tight, there needs to be enough room for a bead of caulk that will be able to stretch a bit as the boat moves, temps change, etc. Time spent for a good fit on each opening is time we'll spent.
I was able to install all four windows in one (long) day, but it's not really a difficult job if you prepare well.

Not that this info applies in this particular subject, but our 1988 C34 with an aft water tank does not have the fiberglass platform under the aft tank, it is 1/2" painted plywood.
I'd prefer the FRP shelf, but it is what it is.

Ken,
Out of sheer curiosity, how DID you cleanly separate the entire joint, especially in and around the keel bolts when cutting thru the mung????
I worked long and hard to get in around the bolts and all the way thru the joint along its entire length but inevitably I couldn't get all of it so when the keel was lowered it pulled some glass off of the stub, much like what Ben's picture shows.
I'm certainly not looking to do that job ever again but if someone knows something I don't, I'm all ears!!!!

Oh, and I'm in agreement about unbolting the keel and not having any issues....I wouldn't try it but man is that stuff tenacious!!!!!!

That's just outstanding that the bolts were okay after all that. While it cost time and money you absolutely have the assurance that everything is okay below those bolts.
It's amazing how tenacious that bonding agent is, (even after 34 years) that it pulled glass loose rather than just cleanly separating. Mine did the same thing, but fiberglass is repairable so no harm done in the end.
As for those cracks around the bilge, Catalina used a grey gelcoat to fill low spots in and around the bilges, when you sand it you can very clearly distinguish the smell. There is no structural integrity with gelcoat, especially when it's thick and then it is forced to flex....like when you are separating the keel from the stub just an inch or so below it....so it cracks.
I was amazed that on my 88 C-34 that once Catalina installed the Ash into the stub that they then just used one or two layers of glass around the edges, no filleting was done at all and it left an air void below the glass at the turn of the bilge. All I had to do was cut around the edges of the bilge and lift up the keel floor above the wood, no prying effort required. I also realized that the stringers were glassed in along the flat part of the hull, but where it turns into the bilge area there was no glass whatsoever, it was just filled with gelcoat, so that flexing caused the gelcoat filler to crack. It looked bad but it was probably inevitable given the construction method used at the time.
When I glassed everything back in I used epoxy with micro-balloons as a fillet around the edges and glassed the stringers in very securely. I'm confident my bilge is very, very strong now. It should be much stronger than when new and my keel is very securely attached.

Many moons ago I bought those steps from Catalina Direct and installed them myself. They came with stainless rivets, which were pretty heavy duty and took some oooomph to get them to pop. One of mine was a bit loose and with allot left to do with my refit I left it....and never got back to it. I owned that boat for 10 years and the fact that it was slightly loose never made a difference with it's performance. The step worked just fine.

My lovely Admiral is one of those sailors that will put up with heeling over...but only to about 5 degrees and then the chirping starts. (it's good natured chirping...I promise)
So now every time she asks me how far over we're heeling, my answer is always "5 degrees".
It's become our little joke, but she still asks. 
I'd just love to do a custom inclinometer that instead of reading 0, 5,10,15,30 etc. I want it to say 0,5,5,5,5.
Seriously, I'd pay money for that just to see her face when we're rail down and she looks down and confirms that we are in fact heeling 5 degrees. 

Actually Ron, that looks to be right at the joint. See attached photo of when I was test fitting my keel this past spring.

What kind of bearing are you referring to? Would it be the cutlass bearing?
Also, you'll find that it's most helpful if you include the year of your boat, engine model, tall rig, fin or wing keel that will help pinpoint what you are dealing with.
Many changes occurred during the years of production of Catalina 34's so this info helps everyone know how to answer your questions.
If the boat is new to you, welcome aboard!!!!!