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Topics - noworries

#1
We're selling our C34, and I was wondering if anybody was interested in our KiwiProp or 155 Genoa.

Nothing wrong with them, although I'm sure it will be easier to get the sail off the boat then the prop.

$1100 for the prop, $1250 for the sail, open to offers.
#2
Catalina 34s for Sale / SoCal 1991 C34 Mark 1.5 SOLD
January 06, 2013, 01:45:57 PM
This Catalina 34 stands out from other Mark I's because it's got the walk through transom, as well as the more powerful m35 engine that became standard with the Mark II. This boat shows pride of ownership, and is sailed often. The boat is very comfortable, easy to sail with minimal crew, and she's fast! You won't find a better price for a turnkey 34' sloop with a walk through transom anywhere! This Catalina 34 has a "Long Beach Special" bow pulpit, allowing you to save money on slip fees because she fits in a 30' slip! SOLD

Dimensions
LOA: 34.5 ft   Beam: 11.75ft   Displacement: 11950lb
LWL: 29.83ft    Ballast: 5000lb

Engine
Universal M35 4 Cylinder Diesel w/ 2184 hours
Cruising Speed: 6.5 knots @ 0.5 gph    Maximum Speed: 7 knot

Tankage
Fuel: 25 gal   Water: 77 gal (2 tanks)   Holding: 27 gal

Accommodations
•   Large V-berth with drawers and hanging locker
•   Spacious salon with upgraded LED lighting throughout entire interior
•   Full size settee and dinette converts to double berth
•   Aft cabin with ample storage with extra cabinet with drawers and mirrored hanging locker
•   Custom Carpet to cover cabin sole
Galley
•   L Shaped with double stainless steel sink
•   Hilerange propane stove/oven
•   Propane tank (2011)
•   Hot & cold pressure water w/ shurflo pump
•   Drop in Refer/Freezer drop in Adler Barbour (2003)
•   Seaward 6 Gallon Water Heater (1997)
Head
•   Upgraded single handled faucet (2012)
•   Jabsco manual toilet (2011)
•   White sanitation hose (2011)
•   Shurflo Macerator (2011)
•   Whaler Gulper shower sump pump (2011)
Engine
•   KiwiProp Feathering Prop (2011)
•   Cockpit mounted engine controls
•   Racor Fuel filter
•   Electric & manual bilge pumps
•   Orberdorfer water pump (2012)
•   Raw water sea strainer
•   Catalina Fuel Tank (2002)
Sails & Rigging
•   2 Lewmar #46 2 speed self-tailing main winches
•   2 Lewmar #30 2 speed secondary winches (starboard winch is self-tailing)
•   Stainess Steel Standing Rigging
•   Harken Pro Furl Mark III Roller Furling
•   Hyde Sails 155% Genoa (2012)
•   T&A Sails 140% Genoa (2001)
•   North Sails 155% Light #1 (Starting to delam)
•   T&A Triple Stitched Main w/ 1 Reef Point (Sail tuned up by Hyde in 2012)
•   Dutchman system on main sail (2012)
•   Boom powder coated (2012)
•   Outhaul replaced with 5:1 purchase (2011)
•   All lines lead to cockpit with Spinlock XTS Triple Clutches (2012)
•   Garhauer EZ-Glide Adjustable Genoa Car System (2011)
•   Garhauer Ball-bearing Traveler 6:1 (2011)
Deck
•   Dodger with Makrolon glass and bimini (2012)
•   Mesh or Canvas connect dodger & bimini for extra shade
•   Square stainless steel bow pulpit w/ anchor roller
•   Danforth anchor w/ chain & nylon rode
•   2nd anchor setup for stern
•   Electric Windlass (1999)
•   Spinnaker Pole
•   Cockpit table and cushions, and canvas covers
•   One Dorade and one solar vent (2011)
Electronics
•   Garmin GPSMAP 182C color chartplotter w/ BlueChart
•   JVC KD-HDR60 Receiver w/ remote (FM/AM/HD/CD/MP3/USB/IPHONE) (2011)
•   Yamaha Speakers in cabin w/ new wire (2011)
•   Pioneer Speakers in cockpit w/ new wire (2011)
•   Standard Horizon VHF
•   Signet Wind, Depth, and Speed
•   Raymarine SmartPilot X5 (2011)
Electrical
•   110V AC & 12V DC electrical system
•   Current Catalina OEM AC DC Electrical Panel (2011)
•   Mastervolt PowerCharger 12/20-3 Battery Charger (2011)
•   Xantrex LinkPro Battery Monitor (2012)
•   House: 2 6V Golf Cart Batteries Engine: 1 12V Battery
Awards
•   2011 Shoreline Yacht Club Parade of Lights Winner
•   2012 First place PHRF A - Labor Day Long Beach to Dana Point Race
•   2012 First place PHRF Dog Days of Summer Race
•   Participated in filming of recent Arrested Development episode (to be aired this April)

SOLD
#3
Main Message Board / Racing your C34
September 13, 2012, 07:14:02 PM
We race our C34, and took first place in our class in the Long Beach to Dana Point race this labor day.

We beat a Cal 33, a Santana 39, C38, C42, and a Schock 35.

Unfortunately we took 3rd in fleet, beat by an Oday 27 and a Newport 28 by about 5 minutes.
#4
Main Message Board / Signet Speed Sensor
August 20, 2012, 09:08:36 AM
I'd like to rig my paddle wheel speed sensor.  I found it on the boat, but the cables been cut off fairly short from the sensor.  I found the thru-hull, but there's no cut cable laying nearby.

Any tips on what kind of cable is used?  if it has a proprietary connector?  I'd like to bang it out tomorrow but I didn't get a chance to inspect it yesterday.  I'm hoping the cable is still connected to the box so I can just splice it...

If it's not a cheap fix I'll probably put money towards a replacement setup.
#5
Before I replaced the sherwood water pump with the ode, the boat would cruise at 180F.
Now if I'm at cruise she creeps up to 190 or so... almost 200F.
Seems like I might be seeing steam in the exhaust.
We were cruising under power and the wife said the back cabin (which was closed) smelled like exhaust.
So my guess is that I've got an issue with my exhaust.
Another note is that I haven't replaced the zinc in the heat exchanger yet (had the boat a year... I know... I'm stupid)
So I'm guessing I've got a date with the heat exchanger and the exhaust riser?
I know a lot of people say the ode pumps less water, but I don't think the problem is lack of water.  I'm guessing I'm just seeing another problem sooner because the symptom isn't being masked as well anymore.
We've got two races before I'm going to start tearing in to anything.
#6
I replaced my worn out clutches with new Spinlock XTS triples... yet my halyards still slip.  Not as much, but I understand there's a way to make the line thicker where it goes through the clutch, so I'm going to have to research how to do that.

So you may want to try making the line thicker before replacing your clutches... might save you some hassle.
#7
Main Message Board / Water pump woes
July 06, 2012, 08:50:49 AM
So I was changing the oil yesterday, and noticed a slow drip coming from the Sherwood water pump, where it attaches to the block.


As I pour over the copious amount of info on the website... and tips/advice?  The rate of water drip is about one per minute.  Is it a quick fix or do I need to replace it with an Oberdorfer?  (yeah I've read it doesn't pump as much water).
#8
I just bought a lewmar 10-12mm to put on my cabin top.  Now that I'm looking at everything I'm thinking about returning it and getting the 8-10. 

Right now I have my main sheet and main halyard on the starboard side.  They are both singles.
On starboard I've got jib and spin halyards.

I believe my halyards are all 3/8", and the only thing I have bigger than that is the boom vang, which I can downsize.

I'm trying to get the outhaul, reef line, cunningham, and some other stuff back to the cockpit and it's mostly 5/16".  So I'm thinking I should have gone with the 8-10, but I wanted to make sure I Wasn't missing something
#9
I just picked up a new Standard Horizon HX851 (Handheld VHF/GPS) and GX2150 (VHF/AIS)

If you put the HX851 in the cradle, it has NMEA cables you can use.  So I tried connecting it to my computer via DB9 female connector to USB-Serial cable  and whenever I hook it up the strobe light starts blinking.  I'm a computer guy so I know I got the computer side right, com port, 4800 8N1, etc.

So I tried hooking it up to the GX2150, which in theory I should be able to pass GPS from the handheld to the fixed mount, and the same thing happens, the strobe just starts blinking.

On the HX851 I turned on some of the NMEA outputs.  Didn't help.
On the GX2150 I made sure it was set to low speed 4800.

On the HX851 green is common.  On the PC I ran green to pin 5, on the GX2150 I ran green to green.
On the HX851 blue is NMEA Output.  On the PC I ran blue to pin 2 or 3, didn't make a difference.  On the GX2150 I ran blue to blue or grey, didn't make a difference.

I've already emailed Standard Horizon... but I'm impatient and it will bug me all day that I can't figure it out.  If anybody can shed any light on this please do!

Links to manuals/product info
http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=85&ProdID=1558&DivisionID=3
http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexvs.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=83&encProdID=A2C2F4EB2A092075389DC4199A79B6C1&DivisionID=3&isArchived=0
#10
I've got to run a bunch of lines aft to the cockpit.  Right now on the port side I've got the jib halyard and a spin halyard.  I've got another spin halyard on the mast.  On the starboard side I've got the main sheet and main halyard.  The boat had a jam cleat for the main sheet, but since I found a spare spinlock clutch cleat on the boat, I swapped it out.

At the mast I have two single blocks on each side... so I swapped one single for a double on the starboard side and ran the outhaul back on that side.  I tried running the main sheet and halyard without going through the deck organizer and it seems to work a lot better that way (less friction).  I haven't done anything else with it (still need to cleat it off somewhere)

So here's what I'm trying to accomplish:
1) DOWNHAUL - Rig a downhaul for the spin pole.  I've got a Harken Folding Padeye to put on the bow.  I'm thinking it should go just forward of the hatch?  Then I have to run it aft to the cockpit and cleat it off
2) OUTHAUL - Cleat off the outhaul in the cockpit somehow
3) REEF 1 - I've got another double block to swap out a single on the port side of the mast, so I can run the reefing line back to the cockpit.
4) TOPPING LIFT - Rig a topping lift for the spin pole... I've got an eye on the mast just below the steaming light, thinking about putting a small block on that, but then I have to figure out how to get it aft to the cockpit.  I'm guessing the blocks from the mast would be too big?
5) SPIN SHEETS AND GUYS - I'm going to use my old fairleads all the way back on the outside track for the spin sheets... and try and do some kind of tweaker arrangement to use the lazy sheet as the active guy... does that make sense?
6) I can't get my main halyard really tight without leaving it on the winch.  The last few inches the line starts to stretch and the clutch won't hold it.  Any tricks for this?  Somebody suggested putting a jam cleat in front of it but there's not much room and there has to be a better way?

Anyhow, if you'd be willing to post pics/suggestions/etc please do.  I want to get the parts ordered so I can get it rigged and fly a chute!


#11
Main Message Board / Xantrex LinkPro
March 22, 2012, 06:10:16 AM
Anybody put one of these on their boat?  A buddy of mine just had one installed and I liked it so much I bought one... but just curious if anybody else has done it and if there were any lessons learned.
#12
Main Message Board / 135 or 155 for racer/cruiser
March 16, 2012, 08:30:38 AM
We race now, we're going to go cruising in 3-5 years.

We've got a tired 140 on the boat.  We do pretty well with it.  We're looking at getting a new dacron sail from Hyde with a racing cut.  Problem is do we want to go with a 155 and furl it as needed, or do we want to go with a 135. 

The 140 we have is pretty good for the prevailing conditions, but when it's light it's obviously not as good.

If I'm furling it to 140 most of the time I guess I'll be sacrificing shape at that point, which will make us slower in the races?  Plus a 155 is harder to tack.

Any thoughts from the folks here?
#13
Main Message Board / Refurbing the boom
January 02, 2012, 11:55:11 AM
So I took the boom off the boat yesterday to fix the outhaul (it doesn't budge, from my research here it seems to have a swivel where it doesn't need one and tangles up inside)

To those that have tried this themselves, is it worth the hassle to strip all the hardware off and paint it?  At first I was thinking about just patching the paint job where it's needed, but now I'm not so sure.  The thought of having to remove ALL those frozen screws is making me wonder if it's worth the hassle.
#14
I've searched the archives, and most of the info is a little dated, so I thought I'd ask to see if anybody has anything new to add.

We've got some issues in the head that we need to deal with:
1) The faucet leaks
2) It seems to me that when we mix hot + cold water, we lose pressure.
3) There is no shutoff on the shower head
4) Because the faucet leaks, it has warped the counter top in the head
5) The shower sump pump rocker switch has become unreliable

Faucet replacement options:
1) Replace the grohe with the same unit and add a home depot shutoff ($90)
2) Go with something like this, which would be nicer because it has a mixer instead of 2 valves ($165)
3) I also found this one for $100
4) This one from the forums for $130
5) Or pull the one on the boat off and see what I can find at Home Depot that would work (is getting a kitchen pullout one an issue?  Will it not fit over the sink properly?  Is there clearance in the back corner to move a single mixer handle?)
It looks like all of these would need the $5 home depot shutoff.

Any suggestions from those of you who've done this before?  I'm leaning towards pulling the faucet and just heading to home depot to see if they have something similar.

This was the best thread I could find on replacing the counter top: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5231.0.html
I like the idea of using starboard.  Not sure if there's anything else to add here, but I was considering putting a drain in the back corner in case there's ever water on the countertop again.  I'm guessing it would just drain to the bilge there, versus sloshing around looking for some formica to bubble up.
#15
Main Message Board / Shot of the interior
November 01, 2011, 09:29:10 AM
I'm a photographer and decided to try a 360 pano of the interior of my Catalina 34.  Here's my first attempt:

#16
My boat doesn't have a working speed sensor.  I have a sensor on the boat that looks like a rat chewed through the wiring.  Where is the speed sensor thru hull typically located?  Under the aft cabin?  That's one of the few places I haven't looked yet (mainly because I'm too lazy to move all the stuff in there)
#17
One of the clam cleats on my upgraded traveler failed shortly after I installed it.  Finally remembered to call today to get the replacement sent out.

I replaced my AC/DC panel with a new one from Seaward.  The light on the Propane switch has stopped lighting up when you turn it on.
I haven't contacted them yet.

Just seems kinda funny to take a 20 year old part off and replace it with something that fails in 60 days.
#18
The seats on both sides of the helm at the stern of the boat open up.  On port there's the propane locker.  On starboard there's the compressor unit for the refer, but there's plenty of space above it.

Is that a common place for it?  Has anybody figured out a good way to utilize that space above it?  I wouldn't want to put anything that would drip saltwater on the refer hardware.  What would be ideal would be a tray that would sit in there, I guess I could build one out of wood but a plastic solution would be great but probably impossible to find.

Anybody do anything creative with this space?
#19
Main Message Board / DC refer questions
August 16, 2011, 02:38:46 PM
my house bank is 2 6V Costco golf cart batteries
my fridge is a Adler Barbour CU-100 w/ BD35 compressor and small vertical evaporator, installed in 2003
We're going on a 9 day cruise

Couple of questions...
how long can we expect to be able to run the refer?  We've done a 3-4 day cruise with no issues... I typically run the motor for about an hour every day to heat up the water and shower.  I'm guessing I never put back everything I take out... but it lasts.

As far as regular DC load, we have the stereo (JVC car stereo), freshwater pump, cabin lights are all LED, anchor light is not on the DC system.

Our refer has a drain in the bottom... is it worth covering that to keep cold air in?  I usually put a big block of ice in the bottom to help lower the load on the DC system... any other tricks?  Put a blanket over the top? 

Also did anybody ever come up with a better ice trays than those vertical aluminum things that don't like to hand over the ice once they're frozen?
#20
Got one end off.

Broke the head of one screw off.  Drilled a small hole down the middle... got a little bigger bit and snapped it off in the hole... couldn't get it out so it's going to take some major surgery now.

Probably end up taking 6 hours to get the old one off and 15 minutes to get the new one on. 

I CURSE YOU SCREWS!!!! CURSE!!!!
#21
Took first place in our club race yesterday.  We sailed against 2 C30's and a J-32 (the J boat is usually the winner).  The new kiwi prop worked great.  Tried to get the traveler upgrade installed afterwards but it looks like I'm going to need a bigger screwdriver.  (Screws wouldn't budge)

Had to really fight the traveler (as usual) so the crew was excited to see the new traveler hardware.
#22
Main Message Board / Buying used sails
July 25, 2011, 08:10:45 AM
I've been thinking about going to Minney's and looking for a cheap sail to use as a #2 or #3 jib when the wind is up.  As long as the foil will fit could you use a headsail from a smaller boat that way?  We raced yesterday and it was blowing 20 knots... I was way overpowered.  Had a new record for weather helm and heeling on the boat ;)
#23
Main Message Board / Garhauer EZ-Glide question
July 25, 2011, 08:08:20 AM
For those of you who upgraded to EZ-Glide, do you leave it rigged on the boat all the time?

Because of the ball bearings on the sliding car I thought I'd eventually risk losing them if I remove it when I'm not there, but then if I leave it on the boat I risk it walking away and would rather not leave it in the sun.

What do you do with yours?  Leave it on or take it off?  I'm in a slip and although I don't hear of much theft they are so shiny and pretty I'd hate for them to walk away.
#24
I started racing with our yacht club and am having a lot of fun learning how to REALLY trim my sails.  My technical skills advance every race.  Of course then we start to see new issues with our boat.

The traveler clam cleats were toast.  I had spares on the boat so replaced them.
Went over to catalina for the rendezvous and had the bolt that holds the gear shifter shear off.  Replaced both of them and carry spares now.

At the rendezvous I bought some cool stuff from Garhauer. 
1) New rail mounted cleat.  I have no midship cleat, but I have an outside rail, so putting this on the rail gives me a midship cleat!
2) Cunningham - bought a rig for a cunningham, which will have multiple other uses (preventer, handy billy, emergency main sheet)
3) EZ-Glide Genoa system - installing that on Saturday
After the rendezvous I got home... found some more stuff to order.
Found the latch on the anchor locker (one of those perko chrome plated zinc POS) had crumbled.  Ordered a Stainless Steel replacement.
The line on the traveler was pretty far gone, so ordered a replacement (100' of 5/16" line from cajun)
Upgrade the traveler - I asked Garhauer about an upgrade for the traveler.  They have one it's $275.  Since I'm putting new line on it might as well just do it right the first time.  Right now somebody has to grab the boom and pull to assist whoever is adjusting it.
The UV cover on my genoa was shredding, so I removed it and tried washing the sail (won't try that again!)
Feathering prop - a kiwi is on the way, I'm way over propped and want to put less stress on my engine/tranny (and sail faster!)

Still need a new genoa and maybe an asym or drifter... hoping to find something at Minneys, otherwise it will be ordered from national.

My wallet is definitely a lot lighter!

We must have made a good impression at the Catalina Rendezvous, they put our picture on the newsletter... too bad that didn't come with a discount code for Garhauer though!

catyacht by No Worries 29, on Flickr
#25
Main Message Board / Props and transmissions
June 12, 2011, 08:10:31 PM
Figured out today that the strange whistling sound on the boat was in fact the transmission/shaft  turning.  I swear I tried shifting it into reverse before and it had no effect... maybe it didn't engage or something.

my tranny is still making all kinds of noises... when under sail in neutral and occasionally in gear when under power.  Going to try the fill/drain/refill trick and hope I don't end up having to pull it.

Raced the boat today and got lots of flak for having a 3-bladed prop on the boat.  Was trying to read up on folding/feathering props... but it just seems like you can't win no matter what.  Motoring performance vs sail performance vs cost ($1300 yikes!) vs increased wear on the cutlass bearing... probably better to just be a cruiser and not a racer.  Our prop is a 15RH12, which is too much for the boat, but not sure if it's worth it to take it off and have some pitch removed vs. go to a 2 blade and motor performance and add vibration... too many choices but no clear winner.
#26
Our boat has the M35 engine.  Occasionally when underway there will be a loud noise from the tranny.  It's hard to describe but kind of like the noise you would make if you had something caught in your throat.  It's a lower frequency grinding type noise... not a whine.  When this happens I kill the throttle and it goes away, then I bring it back up and it's fine.

This happened 2-3 times on a 30NM cruise under power.  When I arrived I checked the tranny oil and the dipstick was dry.  So I added oil to get it up to the proper level.  On the way home it only did it once, but I was hoping for none.

Anything I should do or be worried about?

Boat is overpropped and cruises at 6.5-7 knots in good conditions at 1500 RPM.  I know I need to address the prop issue and it's on my list... but my list keeps growing.  Had the damn jabsco macerator fail (the 4 little bolts that hold it together rust out and then the pump comes apart, dumping crap in the bilge--UGH) so that's getting swapped out as soon as the new shurflo pump arrives.  That only leaves 2 pumps left on the boat I haven't replaced... the water and bilge.
#27
Is Catalina doing it this year?  I emailed Sharon in March and asked to be put on the email list.  She replied back quickly that she'd email me info when it's available.

I emailed her on 5/9 and never got a reply.  

From their website:
Catalina West Coast Rendezvous 2011
Date: July 08, 2011 - July 10, 2011
Location: Two Harbors - Catalina Island, California
Contact: sharon@catalinayachts.com
Information and registeration will be available May 1, 2011.
#28
Main Message Board / Singing backstay
May 16, 2011, 04:34:34 PM
When the wind is aft of the mast our backstay sings... it's like a whistle or tone... it's driving me nuts!

When we did the sea trial it wasn't there, but after the survey (we had to remove the backstay during the survey for a crane to haul the boat) it's been "singing" ever since. 

I'm not 100% sure it's the backstay... it's a weird tone and it's hard to locate exactly where it's coming from.

I don't know much about tuning the standing rigging, but has anybody had experience with this?  Should I loosen something or tighten something or ???
#29
I busted one of the dorades off a few weeks ago.  I ended up replacing it with a Nicro minivent 1000.  It fit the spot without overhanging (no lip to catch a line).  Wish they had it in stainless but oh well.  It's exhaust only, and it's the dorade above the galley so I think that will work great.

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|6880|45749|320600&id=45886

I'm thinking about putting a bigger one with battery in the overhead hatch in the vberth. 

The admiral likes the new vent... and she's eyeing the other one like "you should replace that one too!"... I'll have to watch and make sure she doesn't start wrapping lines around it on purpose.  Maybe I'll get her a vent for her birthday... lol
#30
Main Message Board / Headsail from a 33' Pearson
April 26, 2011, 08:52:13 PM
Last weekend I went out in 15-22 knots of wind and when I got back my genoa was pretty thrashed.  The cover part is torn in 7-10 spots... and I noticed some of the stitching is failing.  The sail is 10 years old and doesn't appear to have sunbrella for protection (if it does it's white which I read doesn't hold up well)

I'm going to go down and pull the genoa off and find out what it would cost to repair it, but I'm leaning towards replacing it.

The boat came with another headsail... I think it's from a 33 Pearson.  It's labeled "Light No 1" and it's made by North Sails.  It's NorLam.

So how suitable is this for my cat34?
#31
Main Message Board / Shower Sump Pump woes
April 19, 2011, 08:51:30 PM
The first time I tried the shower sump it worked... kinda

Last weekend it didn't work at all.  The pump makes lots of noise but it doesn't drain.  At first I could put my finger in the drain and feel a little suction... but then it stopped sucking completely.

So I tried putting a Shurflo Bait Sentry 1100 in to replace it, because I had it.  My buddy did the install while I installed the new DC panel.  After he got it all hooked up it still wouldn't pump.  I looked at how he installed it and think I can re-route the hoses to get it lower in the bilge... but I'm wondering if the bait pump will work or not.  It has no problem running dry but maybe it's not self-priming?

I tried to check for a one-way valve or strainer but couldn't find one.  I don't see any access under the shower pan.  My thru-hull is a T connector that is shared with the head.

Is there any way to get access under the shower pan (where the drain connects, to check for strainers/etc)
Is my problem I need to get the pump lower and prime it somehow, or is it just the wrong pump for this application?
#32
Main Message Board / Source for replacement DC panel
April 11, 2011, 08:31:09 AM
I'm considering replacing the AC/DC panel on our 91.  The AC lights flicker green and the breakers aren't reliable (ie: sometimes you have to turn things off and on multiple times to get them to work)

I already scoured the site for posts about it.  I don't think going with Blue Sea panels would save me any money.  I found this one on catalina direct for $522
http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=1815&ParentCat=49

My question is, has anybody been able to source one for less?  Is it worth calling Seaward?

I'm in California.
#33
Was cleaning the stainless on the boat today and came across this crack.  The other side has a matching crack.

So my questions are:
1) What is this part called?  It's where the forestay attaches at the bow
2) How risky is it to go out in light air (10-15 knots)
3) Can this be repaired by welding it, or do I have to replace it?  Do you have it welded on the boat or do I have to remove it?  (Looks like it would be a bitch of a project to remove)
#34
Still shaking down the "new to me" boat.  The engine usually shifted from reverse to neutral to forward with very short throws, and even felt like there were indents for the different gears.

Today I threw the boat in reverse after I stopped the motor and it felt like something gave way, and the reverse lever now moves too far back (even though it still works).

I recently installed an autopilot and ran cables down the starboard side of the pedestal, but that's where the old cable was so I wouldn't think that would break anything.

Before I dig out everything in the aft cabin (aka storage area right now), do you think I need to be looking at the transmission side or will I need to open up the pedestal to figure out what's going on?  I want to make sure something isn't about to give way and then I'll be stuck unable to shift the boat at the wrong time.
#35
We are you happy owners of a new (to us) 1991 Cat 34.  I've been searching the forums for all kinds of good info, but one thing I haven't found much info on is what to do about lighting in the salon.

The first day we were working on cleaning the boat out and once the sun went down it was really too dark to do anything.

If I turn the cabin lights on, we get lighting along the sides of the boat.  There is no overhead lighting at all.  It would be tough to use the galley or have lighting at the table, since the light is limited to the edges of the boat.

What do you guys do for lighting?  I don't really want to stick battery powered hockey pucks to the cabin top!