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1

Main Message Board / Re: Transmission Oil Change on a MK II Boat

« on: May 03, 2021, 04:32:13 AM »

Sooooo.....is anybody else here feeling just a wee bit jealous looking at the access the MK-2 has to the aft part of the engine????? I seem to remember lying on my back (mostly upside down) sort of twisted onto one shoulder to gain access to the aft part of the transmission and coupling on our MK-1 and wondering how hard it would be to take a saw to that cabinet above me to get access like this.....
After seeing this picture I may revisit this thought over the winter of 2021...
Oh what the heck....maybe we'll just pick up a MK-2 and skip the whole sawdust thing!!!!!

2

Main Message Board / Re: First sail of 2021

« on: May 03, 2021, 04:17:36 AM »

Sounds like a glorious day sir, glad you were able to thoroughly enjoy the sail.    We also got out on our first sail of the season yesterday on the Potomac, winds were calling for 10 to 15 and I'd estimate that it was blowing a steady 12 with occasional gusts well over 15. We decided to just putter about on headsail only and were hitting a steady 5.5+ and occasionally sailing along at a steady 6.5!!! I'm just constantly amazed at how well our C34 sails and my wife is much more comfortable on this boat as opposed to our old Bristol. We too are blessed!!!!!!!!!!!!

3

Main Message Board / Re: stringer location

« on: April 21, 2021, 07:59:39 AM »

Definitely no stringers aft of the one under the galley. I fished many a wire and hose under that floor at this point and even stuck my head down there looking aft when the water heater was removed. Nothing but smooooooth hull all the way to the head on one side and the motor mount "tray" along the centerline of the boat. I wish I'd thought to stick my phone down there for a picture or two, but alas....I didn't.

4

Main Message Board / Re: Rigid vang help

« on: April 20, 2021, 05:03:12 AM »

Not a bad idea Ron, right now I'm finishing up making a new dodger (with covers), bimini, connector, stack pack, winch covers, instrument cover, coaming compartment covers, handrail covers, hatch covers and a sun shade for the front hatch while at anchor. But it's starting to look like I'll have a bit of Sunbrella bits left over and I believe that may be a darn good use for some of it, Thanks!!!!   

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Main Message Board / Re: Rigid vang help

« on: April 19, 2021, 06:07:58 AM »

Follow up.
Many thanks to all who helped me figure this mess out. As it turns out it had been installed completely upside down by the PO and not rigged correctly in the first place.....boy did that leave me wondering!!!!
Alex, a special thanks to you for the video, that was most helpful sir!!!

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Main Message Board / Re: Nut size

« on: April 19, 2021, 04:53:40 AM »

Ron, we have a 1988 and a regular deep socket fit nicely, they don't appear to have been cut either.  I think it just depends how deeply the studs were imbedded into the mold on any given day when the keel was cast.

7

Main Message Board / Re: Boot Stripe

« on: April 14, 2021, 04:04:11 AM »

I'm not sure I'd trust vinyl for this job, it definitely won't hold up well to a strap crane if the operator isn't acutely aware of what he's working with and takes special precautions. I've seen the results of that mess and nobody was very happy.
Alex is correct, our Catalina's boot stripe is gelcoat, it should go all the way thru to the glass so polishing it out is probably the best option.
Our last boat, a Bristol 27.7 and had a painted boot stripe applied by a drunk lady at midnight on a Saturday night....it was pretty bad.
I was able to sand it off and then I used Interlux Bright Side single part Polyurethane to replace it. Bright Side holds up well above the water line. We owned the boat for 16 years and I remember having to sand it down maybe one time and reapply due to fading and some chipping but IMHO, that's a pretty good life for a single part paint living just above the water.
Fun story about doing this the first time.....I wanted the water line straight...and it was originally crooked as heck, so I waited until late one evening and used a laser level (the kind that shoots a red line) and mounted it on a tripod, I had three reference points, one at the bow, one at the stern and one at the extreme outside curve of the hull. I played with that level until all three dots lined up with the laser and that gave me a perfectly straight line to mark on the hull....then I did the second side.
I was VERY happy with the result and she always looked great from any angle.

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Main Message Board / Re: A word of thanks

« on: April 07, 2021, 04:51:20 AM »

I asked for that....didn't I???....
Thanks for the link and info to trace her roots.

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Main Message Board / Re: A word of thanks

« on: April 06, 2021, 01:02:28 PM »

Noah,
I like your style sir....that's a good setup!!! I used a Group 27 deep cycle only because it was on sale and cheaper than the Group 24....
Mine is on the other side of the compartment under the large aft cabin floor access hatch, it's located right next to the water lift muffler. The reason for locating it there is because I want to put a divider in between the three access ports under the aft cabin cushions, any water that gets into that area below the prop shaft can slosh around and ruin whatever you have stored under there so separating the areas will keep things both dry and sorted. (future project...)
My setup also leaves virtually no room over the battery for a lid so Noah's approach may prompt me to change my installation up a bit.....
Hey.... there we go again!!!!! And yet ANOTHER great idea plagiarized from this site!!!!!! LOL....thanks AGAIN!!!!!

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Main Message Board / Re: A word of thanks

« on: April 06, 2021, 04:36:40 AM »

Ron, I seem to remember learning very early on that #564 was made in perhaps August or Sept. 1987 as a 1988 year model boat...I wish I knew where that came from but it seems to back up your comment about her being an early model 1988.
As for the wiring harness, yes the boat came with the "upgrade"....although it was very shoddily installed...wires were just cut, twisted together and taped. The fun surprise was that apparently the harness upgrade came with rather long wires....I found the excess coiled up into a thick loop between the fuel tank and aft cabin outer wall. Sooooo......I pulled the entire engine panel, rewired it and shortened and re-routed everything. I added a terminal strip in the engine compartment to make any future work easier to do...and of course while I was elbow deep in there I also did the glow plug solenoid upgrade so that end of the wiring system is already sorted out and working great.
Oh...and I guess I'll just work with the broken eyebrow's I've got...I did hear from the other fellow that he might have one to spare, but I haven't heard anything since then. Not a big deal.

Stu, sometimes you just gotta say "Thanks"!!! And I also did this to reinforce what a valuable resource the C-34.org site is....like folks don't already know that, eh????

11

Main Message Board / A word of thanks

« on: April 05, 2021, 12:56:10 PM »

I just had to do this....as I'm probably known for mentioning in a few of my posts, My wife and I have spent the better part of two years "bringing back" our pretty neglected 1988 C-34 "Ohana" from a boat that as I reflect back, was probably too far gone to be worth the effort. (like that has ever stopped me before......)
This past Saturday I buttoned up yet another pretty major improvement/rehab project and I just feel I need to reach out to many of you and to Rod at Compass Marine ("Mainsail") with a heartfelt word of thanks for the countless bits of information I used to successfully complete this project.
This particular project was upgrading the old and worn out group 27 batteries to a much more robust battery charging/management system including (4) Trojan T-105 batteries...along with a new alternator, Balmar 614-H external regulator, Sterling Battery Charger, Blue Sea ACR-I and Balmar SG200 battery monitor. I also added a new dedicated start battery located behind the engine just underneath the aft cabin berth.
After I ran the last wire(s), I did a final check of all connections and basically realized I was at the point where starting the engine and seeing how I did was all I had left to do.....and guess what???....everything worked as it should!!!!  (Yeah I know....it SHOULD if I did it all correctly.  )
I really do owe this feeling of success to two sources of information that helped me have the confidence to take this particular project on.....Compass Marine ("Marine How to") and the C-34.org message board and Wiki pages. Everything is there.....you just have to be willing to dig to get to the answer(s) you need......and sometimes don't want.
I'm not timid about tearing into anything....It's in my nature...I love the learning, and the work itself....but electrical work just doesn't come naturally to me and is just something I've never excelled at so I approached this project with caution....and a lot of studying.
So again....THANKS!!!! The support of this group, it's members, and to you Rod. You really do have a customer for life. (BTW....also LOVE the Bed-it butyl tape too...but that's another subject entirely. 
Time to go sailing!!!!!

12

Main Message Board / Re: Vberth limber holes/bilge pump?

« on: March 31, 2021, 04:44:02 AM »

Love that bulkhead under the aft cabin area and already have that on my oh-so long list of projects. I think that's a great place for tool storage too but with water sloshing around under there they will live elsewhere until that bulkhead is done. Thanks for the pictures!!!! (inspiration!!!!)
Interesting thoughts on limber holes, as is often said on this forum...YBYC....but I do like the different perspectives.

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Main Message Board / Re: Vberth limber holes/bilge pump?

« on: March 30, 2021, 08:42:41 AM »

And then I woke up and searched the main message board and found the discussions you mentioned....sorry for the false alarm. 

14

Main Message Board / Re: Vberth limber holes/bilge pump?

« on: March 30, 2021, 08:37:48 AM »

I did a quick search of "limber holes" and "limber hole" and the only hit I got was this discussion.    Not sure what's up with that but I'd be interested in reading other opinions.
As for me, I've never been a big fan of trapped water anywhere on a boat except in its water tanks. Water should not be allowed to collect (if an above deck leak forms) in any storage locker, I personally believe it should drain to the bilge for removal by the bilge pump system. It's true I want to know there is a leak (should one form), but finding probably 20+ gallons of water sloshing around under my v-berth because there wasn't a limber hole to the bilge didn't seem like a good overall design execution.

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Main Message Board / Re: Electrical Connections under Pedestal

« on: March 30, 2021, 05:09:07 AM »

Not sure if you have a pedestal guard on your boat but if you're resealing the pedestal I wouldn't ignore those thru the deck penetrations. From what I've learned they can leak as well and often the leak looks like it's coming from the pedestal when the water is actually coming thru those pedestal guard bases.