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Hi all,

I have been searching for well over an hour now, including what seems like every forum entry, the 101's, "Replacement Filters, Belts, and Lubricants", FAQs, including "ENGINE FILTER / FANBELT / AIR INTAKE EQUIVALENTS" with zero luck.

Anybody have some dimensions for the engine and transmission Crush Washers?  Inside and outside diameters, thickness?  What I read says they should be aluminum; is copper okay?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

My crankcase drain plug is leaking, and I really should do the transmission oil.  Just trying to save multiple trips to the boat.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

PS: Not been active on the board in forever, sorry, been busy with fun car stuff and my Catalina has been great not requiring anything significant for some time.

[Shore Charger]

Okay all you smart guys out there.  I think I've read all of Electrical 101 (thanks to everyone who contributed, great information).  Some of the stuff is a few years old, so thought I'd ask....

Wondering if anyone would care to comment on my next upgrade.  I do a good number of weekend trips and run refrigeration so I like the idea of a bigger house bank than I have now.  Start Battery is completely sorted out.

Time to replace my old Group 27 batteries and install a Battery Monitor.  Also concerned about my original 25 year old alternator that ran pretty hot last year, so I'd like to upgrade that as well, and I think an external regulator may be in order.

I suspect a 90-100 amp alternator fused after my ProIsoCharger with 125 amp fuses would be correct?

Please see the information below, attached schematic and let me know what you think!

Shore Charger
I already have the Xantrex XC3012.  No intention of replacing it.

Combiner
I already have the ProIsoCharger 120 1-3.  No intention of replacing it.

House Batteries
Four Trojan brand Model T105 or similar, rated at 225 Amp hours each so the four in a series-parallel arrangement 450 Amp hours

• By comparison....
  12 V Group 24 batteries apparently have 105 Amp hours each.
  12 V Group 27, (Interstate SRM27 I have) apparently has 96 or 100 Amp Hours.

Alternator Options
Not to overtax my little 25XP, I'm thinking 90 or 100 Amps and then run at Belt-Manager 2 or 3 (as MaineSail mentioned here at the bottom) http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/alternator_conversion&page=2

I like the inexpensive option of the Leece-Neville; wondering if they sell the appropriate one already set up for external regulation?

• 90 Amp Leece-Neville 8MR2070TA   http://www.prestolite.com/pgs_products/n_alt_results.php?item_series_id=104&series_name=8MA-8MH-8MR
  100 Amp Balmar 6 Series   http://www.balmar.net/6-series.html
  Blue Circle Auto Electric M-7102-HD. Could not find a website, but Stu put up their phone # 888 932-2423.  I think there may need to be some modifications made to this alternator?

External Smart Regulator Options
In all honesty, I may be one of those people who do not actually require an External Smart Regulator, but I am very concerned about overheating my alternator and if that is the only way to protect it, I feel it would be worth the money.

Balmar  http://www.balmar.net/regulators.html

• Either the ARS-5-H (includes wiring harness), or
  The Max Charge MC-614-H (includes wiring harness)

Or
Xantrex
http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/power-accessories/alternator-regulator.aspx
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Xantrex-84-2006-01-12V-DC-Multi-Stage-Alternator-Regulator-/141184324415
Ample Power (looks expensive)
http://www.amplepower.com/products/sarv3/
Sterling
?

Any insights are greatly appreciated.

[can]

Has anyone had any experience with the US Marine
"Fluid-trac 2 Wire Level Sensor (Resistive Emulation)" sending unit? (no moving parts)
See attached PDF.

Richard at US Marine confirmed....

• It can be used with diesel, black water, or fresh water.
  It is programmed at the factory for depth only; they stock units programmed for various depths, but don't seem to custom program for shape unless there is a min order of 100 senders.
  It will work with my existing Teleflex gauge or any gauge that reads 33-240ohm, which seems to be the industry standard here in N America.
  It is a direct replacement for our original senders, however a focus tube is sometimes required if the angle of the sender to the fluid is greater than 5%.
  Mounting the unit 3 inches from the edge of a 12 inch deep aluminum diesel tank will work but a focus tube is always a good idea as it only reads what is in the tube.

So, I suspect the vast majority of us have dealt with Teleflex a few times and maybe other companies and have resigned ourselves to measuring fuel by hours rather than with the gauge.

I've ended up dipping my tank at the end of each year and carrying a jerry can of diesel all the time but have now had enough of that.

If no one has any experience with this unit or even a similar one, I'll be the guinea pig and pick one up for launch in spring.  I will report back.

Hey all,

Finally getting around to labeling all of my wiring and my search of course had me back to review MaineSail's excellent input here... http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6911.0.html

Coincidentally I have the exact same Brother Label Maker, but of course my terminal ends are already installed so heat shrink won't work.

I know the labels will fall off if not covered with something.  Does anyone know of a good quality transparent tape that will hold up without turning to mush, yellowing, or becoming brittle and flaking off?

Thanks,
Steve

  And before you say it Stu, Yes, I do have detailed drawings of my entire electrical system.   

I've read as much as I could find on this forum and on-line and am having some difficulty deciding on what size electric bilge pump is appropriate for the / my C-34; I've seen anything from 750 GPH up to 3700+ GPH.

It has been suggested that a single electric pump will not handle a catastrophic event; a high capacity manual diaphragm pump is recommended as back-up in emergencies.

If I read correctly, ABYC seems to fall in line with that being the purpose of an electric bilge pump.
"22.2 SCOPE
These standards apply to all boats equipped with electric bilge pump systems intended for control of spray, rain water, and normal accumulation of water due to seepage and spillage."

This all makes sense to me, and I completely understand that you off-shore guys want larger pumps, but I'm curious what would be the minimum size recommended for a fresh-water sailor?

Steve

Read everything I could find about this but couldn't find conclusive info about these two points...

1. When removing the Cutless Bearing (prop shaft is already removed) do you pull it out towards the bow or does it matter?

2. After installing (I have the two set-screws) do you bother indexing the bearing with an awl, punch, or small drill bit, or do you just tighten the set-screws?  It was recommended that I use a small drill bit.

In case anyone is curious of pricing, I just got a Johnson / Duramax Marine Cutless Bearing "BACK" 1x11/4x4 at the Toronto Boat Show for $40.

Thanks,

Steve

After haul-out this year I see that some of the fairing material around my (suspect original installation) through-hulls has come off.  It appears that the adhesive and old barrier coat underneath is still intact and it was faired after the barrier coat was applied. (yes the PO applied VC-17 over the other stuff, CSC is it?; I know squat about barrier coats)
[attach=#1]

Mainesail's excellent article http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/replacing_thruhulls&page=1
about refitting thru-hulls showed the process for the flange-type.  Mine clearly are not that type and I think Paul & Cyndi Shields reply to an earlier post http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6270.0.html
reply #2, outlines just how to do it with the tapered thru-hulls.
[attach=#2]

So I was wondering.... Is it worth it to...
1. pull those old through-hulls out and replace them? and / or
2. replace them with flange-type thru-hulls?
Or should I just clean it up and re-fair it with something???

I've had no leakage, but it doesn't seem like a tough thing to do (at least the tapered ones).

I may do the bottom in the next few years so perhaps that would be a good time to re-do them completely.

Suggestions please?

Steve

Just in the process of updating my electrical system.  Looks like I'm going to require some heavy duty wire for things like the inverter (2 guage) and of course the standard 4 gauge battery wires ++.

Has anyone used, or does anyone know of a reason a person could not use Welding Wire in these applications?  Obviously it's not tinned, but it seems every other aspect is good, jacket material, as well as temperature ranges.

Thanks,

Steve

I did a search, but perhaps I'm not phrasing it correctly.

Anyone know of an option to the SS replacements offered by Catalina Direct?

http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=475

$64 is not terrible; just wondering about options?  My old plastic levers have really served their time.

Thanks,

Steve

Okay, it's time for me to replace the hoses from the engine to the water heater.
I think I've read all the excellent posts here on that topic but at the risk of displaying my lack of knowledge in hydrodynamics, I'll just put this out there....

I was wondering why one couldn't move the 3/8" to 5/8" adapters from the engine compartment to just before the Seaward EHM6-SM heater?  That would allow the use of less expensive hose to run the majority of the distance.

I've thought of a few potential reasons this may not be best, but not sure how significant they are...
- More likely to kink
- More resistance to flow (although some of the hose is already 3/8, so I'm not sure how much more resistance there would be)
- More heat loss
- Two important connections hidden from sight

That written some benefits might be...
- Ease of fishing (not really significant)
- Ease of insulating (some basic pipe wrap from home supplies store)
- Cost    (what?  me?   cheap?   naw!)

Thoughts?

Steve

Hi all.

Anybody every used or had exposure to the ProMariner ProIsoCharge Advanced Digital Charge Distribution and Battery Isolation System?

It digitally controls power distribution of a boat’s engine alternator.

After reading and researching everything I could get my hands on, someone just told me about this relatively new device.  Here are a few descriptions…

http://www.greatlakesscuttlebutt.com/index.php?src=news&refno=269&category=Press+Room&prid=269

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|328|6421&id=1512226
Sorry I can't get this link to work properly; copying and pasting the entire line into the browser seems to work.

http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=75299

Without getting into a big discussion of the best way to set up a complete electrical system, this device would suit my needs perfectly.  It will direct alternator charging to what I consider my highest priority, the start battery and any extra electrons, especially once the start battery is topped up will all go to replenishing the house batteries.  This in conjunction with my Xantrex 3012 might just be the ticket.

If anyone has used one, I’d appreciate any feedback.  If no one has, perhaps I’ll have a review for you in a few months.

Thanks.

Re: Mañana, 1988, #625

I've checked everywhere for a similar situation and haven't found anything quite like what I've got on Mañana.

Situation;
•   The deck around three stanchions appears wet for up to about 12" away.
•   Moisture Meter readings are consistently at 7 or 8% on virtually all of the deck except in these three spots where it goes to 15%.
•   The deck below one stanchion is especially weak and has certainly de-laminated.
•   The deck surface is in really good condition otherwise, so I much prefer to effect repair from below.

With all the reading I've done and speaking with some clever people I've come up with this plan and request any further suggestions and opinions please.

The idea is to...
•   cut a "D" shape out of the inner liner (slightly elongated from the image) to allow a repair piece of plywood to be slipped over the lip of the inner liner
•   carve out all rotten plywood
•   make plywood repair piece with stainless steel backing plate routered and epoxied into bottom of plywood – needs to be routered in because if mounted proud it would interfere with the inner liner installation later
•   insert repair piece with fibreglass matting bridging the inner liner surfaces (between the plywood and inner liner)
•   reinforce vertical lip of liner with fibreglass matting and epoxy
•   refinish the scar on the inner liner

One guy I spoke with highly recommended vacuum bagging to ensure good penetration seeing as it will be a repair from below.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.
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