Topics

Simple question for those with Sail Packs (Stack Packs) on their C34's.
These systems require a set of halyards that are intended to be loosened or tightened.
The optimal attachment point for the turning blocks is located above the spreaders to provide the proper angle to help hold up the sail pack correctly. These halyards are tied off at the mast base with enough extra line to loosen or tighten the sail pack as needed.
The problem with this is that our C34's have nice wide spreaders, so if you mount the turning blocks in their correct spot above the spreaders, the halyards will chafe at the spreaders. Most folks seem to just locate these turning blocks below the spreaders and live with the harsh angle this causes.
Currently my mast is down and I've closed up the old mount holes in anticipation of mounting the blocks correctly, but I really haven't come up with any grand ideas to do this.
Has anyone come up with or encountered a solution to mount the turning blocks above the spreaders and somehow avoid the chafe?

The boat is on the hard and I'm actively beginning on below the waterline maintenance and repairs.
One project is to remove the thru hull just below the drain on the cooler. It is covered up by cabinet modifications and is now unusable, so I'm removing the thru hull and glassing it over.
I removed the ball valve and backed the nylon nut off to the top of the threads and gave it a tap with a rubber mallet.....and it just popped right out....heck, I could have just pushed it out of the hull with little effort, the sealant was just not holding on anymore.
It never leaked, but there wasn't much holding the water back either.
Given how easy it was to remove I decided to re-bed all of the other 5 thru hulls too.
Two more came out the same way, two were a bit more difficult and one required some real effort.
Sooooo....even if yours don't leak, if the sealant is anywhere near 35 years old, it should probably be on your to-do list upon your next haul out.

We had the boat hauled this past Thursday for some pretty extensive bottom work over the winter.
When I got to the yard on Friday, I immediately noticed these cracks weeping  moisture around the strut. Water is also seeping from around the strut itself.
I'm familiar with how the strut is attached from earlier posts but I'm not clear as to the fill method around it
Is it glassed in or was a filler applied to the area?
The strut itself is not loose at all and no water is leaking into the boat. Obviously I'll have to do some exploratory surgery but any knowledge/experience is certainly appreciated.

Our boats come with a blower motor that seems rather useless. The original 3" vent hose(s) run down to below the aft cabin bunk and just end....even when the motor has been running you can start the blower motor and it's only sucking cool air.
Has anyone found a good way to route the pickup for the blower motor to somewhere near the top of the engine compartment?
My thoughts are that this will help reduce the temp in there and that cannot be a bad thing. We sail on the Potomac/Chesapeake and the temps here can reach the mid to upper 90's in the summer so any extra cooling cannot be a bad thing.
Anyone out there done something about this in the past???? I couldn't find anything on any earlier posts addressing this specific topic.

Apologies for the long post...I type very fast.....
Last year I'd posted on a thread that Alex started about his alternator puking and reported that my practically new alternator had also puked, the cause was that the nuts securing the positive post to the rectifier had loosened up inside the alternator (it's an AMPIT-100-ER from Compass Marine) and it started arcing. Since I was away from home on day 2 of a 17 day trip, I was able to clean it up and tighten the nuts down again and continued on my merry way. When I got home I removed the alternator and replaced the partially melted rectifier and nuts and it's been fine....for exactly one year.
This past weekend the exact same thing happened....the tach started dropping to zero.....then it would pop back up....over and over. I shut the engine down and started poking around and once again I found the positive post had loosened up inside the alternator and the arcing has fried the new rectifier.
I'm at a bit of a loss, the system is practically new, I'm using a Balmar 614 regulator with alternator temp sensor and all the wiring in the charging circuit is new and appropriately sized. I can't help but to wonder if there is some sort of heat issue going on with the alternator that is causing these nuts to back off and hence causing the arcing.
I don't want to give up on this alternator, Rod built it and I'm confident it is still good...once I put a new rectifier in it that is.....but I also don't want to replace rectifiers every year either.
Anyone come upon this type if issue before and if so, what was your cure????

I've looked thru the two recent posts about installing the Raymarine M81105 rudder position sensor on both the Mk1.5 and the Mk2 but haven't found anything specifically for the Mk1 (with the aft water tank)...so here goes.
Those two posts have me pretty excited with the hope of improving the performance of our EV1 autopilot. But our 1988 seems to present its own issues with fitting the unit to the quadrant. Does anyone have any pics of their install specifically on the MK1 with the aft water tank?
I need to pull things apart and really look at it but based on the pics I took during the initial refit two years ago...I don't have a lot of room to work with. There is a factory support there to support the propane locker. (rotten place for that thing....but that's a project for another time). This support blocks access to the entire top of the quadrant....which is where it appears most attach the arm from the sensor.
Any pics from someone who's figured this out already will be greatly appreciated.

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!!!!!

Thanks to those that posted in the other topic replying to my request for help with my rigid vang. Originally I thought this one is a Garhauer model....but now I'm not so sure.
Obviously it appears to be mounted incorrectly based on what I'v observed in other photos (the mount on the mast is upside down!!!!) But I'm beginner to wonder if this was originally designed for this boat. If I flip the lower mount it will reduce the length and I'm not sure there is enough travel left to do that.
Just seeking advice from others who have mounted one before and can help me sort this out.

Need a quantity of 2 of the original pull handles found on the sliding doors in the main salon, nav-station, galley and head in the Mk-1 boats.
I just like the look and if you have two that don't have a home, I'd love to hear from you!!!!

Thanks in advance,
Eric Wengstrom

I discovered on Saturday that my 32 year old fuel tank is corroded to the point that cleaning it caused several holes to open up in the bottom of it. Apparently the only thing holding the fuel in was corrosion and when cleaned up, which it desperately needed, it just let go.
So I'm now in the market for a replacement fuel tank for our 1988 C-34. This was one of those things I was hoping to avoid, but I guess that was too much to ask for.....
I've looked back thru the more recent articles and see that Ezell (out of Florida) may be a good choice for a supplier and I've already shot a note of inquiry off to them for pricing and lead times, but I'm curious if anyone has any experience with manufacturers out of the mid-Atlantic area?
Since the current health crisis has us all tied to the dock for the foreseeable future I'm not in a major rush to get this item, and of course some shops may be shuttered and unable to respond, but any insight and or experience is welcome.

Complete original dodger frame removed from our 1988 Catalina 34. This is a two bow frame and includes stainless cabin side mounts and loop mounts on the back bow for tie down attachment(s). It is constructed of 1" stainless tubing and includes all the original fittings. The frame and fittings are in great shape and show little wear.
The reason I'm selling is that I picked up a new frame with grab rails and simply don't need two dodger frames for one boat. We are located in Virginia, the entire frame will travel nicely in the back of a small pickup truck or even in an SUV. (I've seen it done...it'll work!!!) I can also help with delivery if you don't live too far or I can meet you along the way, just contact me to work out the logistics. $225.00/OBO

Curious about something. I've been reading allot about windlass installs on various models and the info on the C34 site is AMAZING!!! Thanks to all for sharing your experiences.
We just purchased "Ohana" in late July 2019. She's an 1988 MK1 with the split anchor locker and these models had no provision for installing a windlass in them.
I'm quite convinced I want to go with an in locker install as Ron Hill did on his boat Apache, I like the offset and other aspects of that particular job. My question is...how has this setup held up over time? I like the low profile design of the Lewmar 700V but the motor is meant to protrude below deck... With the in locker install the motor itself would protrude below the mount and down into the locker itself and I'm wondering if the exposure to the elements has caused any issues (like corrosion) over time.
Thoughts, suggestions...all are welcome!!!