Menu

Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Show posts Menu

Topics - MarkT

#1

A part of my spring time ritual is to loosen the nut on the packing box and check that all is behaving properly. Well this time after adjusting the packing I found a steady stream of water coming from behind the packing box in the area of the stern tube. Needless to say this quickly became a cause for concern. Zip ties, rags and the flow is now a drip.

Next morning we are getting hauled out! The cause of the leak was that the shaft has been running in the bottom of the stern tube and has worn a hole. The shaft is supposed to be centered in the tube and the engine then aligned to the shaft.

The fix that we settled on was to remove the shaft far enough back to cut the stern tube and then epoxy a new one in its place. Then reassemble and go back to sailing. Needless to say the job finished up being more involved. Once the shaft is free of the engine coupling it becomes clear that it would be wise to replace the cutlas bearing while we are doing this. And it is just as easy to buy a whole new stuffing box as it is to rehab the old one. Thank you to all the info in the wiki on cutlas bearing replacement, the only addition I have is to say that the three jaw puller from Advance Auto (free loaner) was invaluable. And why does Catalina choose to use a strut that can't be disassembled from the boat and taken to the press to change the cutlas bearing.

I'm happy to say we are back in the water and the boat motors beautifully.

Mark Tamblyn
#2
Main Message Board / Annapolis Boat Show October 9 -12
October 08, 2014, 07:02:36 AM
I have plans to go to the boat show this weekend. It looks like Catalina will have several boats there to check out. It would be fun to meet some of you folks in person.

Also; What vendors are of interest. I'm always tempted when I pass the Garhauer stand to order more things to make my sailing day easier. The mainsheet upgrade was an enormous improvement. One day my topping lift is going to be retired with a solid vang (I'm always forgetting to release the thing)

Most likely Saturday at the show.

Mark Tamblyn



#3
For the record.
I just got off the phone with Jimmy Conoly at VA Natural Gas. He is the go to guy in Norfolk to get a CNG cylinder exchanged.
(434) 449 0442  (He works from before 6am until 2pm so call him in the morning)
Jimmy informed me that there is now someone in Richmond who will do a cylinder exchange also. His name is Steven Harvey at (804) 513 7856  He has a location just north of I295 and I95 on the north side of town. Anyone making the trip to the bay from Richmond or beyond who has to do a cylinder exchange will be happy to avoid having to go to Norfolk now.

Mark Tamblyn

#4
Main Message Board / Springtime haulout time
March 10, 2012, 03:29:21 PM
So it's that time of year again, we all need to do our part for the economy and help to keep the yards in business. We had arranged a 10:30 time slot to have our boat hauled on Friday (to coincide with high tide).  All was going well, new impeller in the water pump, stuffing box checked, check engine fluids and belt. So I turn the key hold down the glow plug button and then crank, engine cranks for 10 seconds and then nothing, no volts to the engine panel. I'm sort of at a loss to explain this, upon further inspection the ground strap is just fine, volts are being provided to the panel below but here is nothing at the starter motor. A good set of jumper cables and all is forgiven. So the cable from the 3 way switch to the starter motor went bad. This whole fiasco took about an hour or more to get figured out so we are now backing out of the slip with a prop that must have a thousand barnacles on it, I can't believe how we are drifting and unable to motor until some of the growth lets go.  Anyway we missed out on getting hauled out on the high tide but on the plus side we broke down at the dock where it was possible to figure out what was wrong rather than out on the water.

Later in the day I pulled out the cable and it was bad. There must have been a nick in the cover of the cable and it had corroded all the way through. Of course the spot that was bad was under the floor where you can't inspect it. I suspect this has been bad from day one. The engine cranked so much faster with jumper cables than it ever did before...

On another note the Micron CSC I've had on the bottom has been a disappointment and I'm going to try Pettit Horizons which the guy at the yard says he has been pleased with. Does anyone on the Chesapeake have any opinion on this?

It is springtime here in Virginia and after several months of thinking about sailing we get to go sailing again. I couldn't be hapier.

Mark Tamblyn
#5
Main Message Board / Hood RF
February 10, 2011, 11:06:01 AM
Spotted this on Craigslist. (no connection to the seller)

Hood, Seafurl, 915 LD
http://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/2205932332.html

#6
155 Genoa
After some measuring and mislabeling of things I have confirmed my boat is a STD rig. The luff edge of the sail is 43ft 3 in (approx, I don't have somewhere to lay the whole sail out)

This is an older sail with some life left in it. Has a few repairs and a patch on the leach area at the back of the sail. I figure this is where sun was getting at the sail. I reinforced the whole weakened area. It will need a couple of small patches near the foot of the sail. If I have the opportunity I'll do these when I can borrow the sewing machine.

The sail fits a Harken roller furler.

I have a new sail so I'd like to find a new home for this one.

If you are in the VA area and are interested then call me and you are welcome to try it before we make any deal.
Price is negotiable - I'm open to trading boat items of similar value.

Mark Tamblyn
(434) 977 7211
#7
Main Message Board / DC panel Upgrade
December 29, 2009, 08:53:28 AM
I'm considering replacing the DC panel in my 1987 vintage boat. Seaward has the replacement panel as an advertised part so that is my preferred option. I'd love to hear some accounts of what experiences others have had doing this.

I found this thread which is encouraging.
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,1356.0.html

Mark Tamblyn
#8
This past weekend I installed 3 injectors fully serviced by a local shop. What a difference ! The engine runs as smooth as silk now. When I bought the boat in the spring I found two injectors were not seated properly and fuel was leaking by the threads.

I discovered the shop manual for the M25 is the same as the M15 (5411). I rebuilt a 5411 a few years ago so I have the manual. I will scan it sometime shortly so the rest of you can get a copy.

Mark Tamblyn
#9
Main Message Board / CNG refill in VA
April 27, 2009, 12:43:10 PM

Despite the fact that CNG is a good fuel and the system I have works I am considering a switch to LPG. The reason is the lack of filling stations or exchange locations. My boat is located in Gloucester VA and I drive from Charlottesville VA where we live. A location that is open Friday evening or Sunday evening anywhere along the route would be ideal.

The only one that might be an option is in Newport News. Does anyone fill their cylinder there using the adapter?
What have other folks done in my position?

Mark Tamblyn
#10
In the first week of April I will be delivering my new boat down the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore to Gloucester Point VA. The boat is a 1988 model #326. The previous owners had the boat two years and it almost never left the dock so it comes with nothing extra in the way of spare parts. I figure I need some basic spare parts for the engine, impeller, belt, fluids, etc. The question is what things would I be well advised to have that I might not know about already. This isn't my first boat so I'm well aware of the concerns of picking weather windows for making the trip at this time of year. I was on the bay on Sunday delivering my old boat to it's new home. The weather was beautiful but the wind off the water in March is still VERY cold.

She also has a spinnaker pole and halyards etc to fly the spinnaker just no sail.

Mark Tamblyn
Alena #326