Topics

My 30 year built in Microwave finally bit the dust. It was installed above the Icebox space which has  9.5" opening. I have been unable to find a replacement that would have a height of 9.5" or less. There are several very old posts where others have named units that fit, however the models are no longer available or their sizes have changed. Has anyone been able to find a Microwave recently that fits the 9.5" opening? If so, I would appreciate the name of the model!

My fuel gauge light appears to have a defective Twist socket. Its the original Catalina OEM Engine Panel so I assume these are Teleflex gauges. Does anyone know the Socket Twist part # or are these T10 Twist Locks?

Just removed and cleaned the Heat Exchanger, ready to reinstall. Thinking it may make sense to also install all new hoses. The current hoses are all very stiff wire reinforced hoses. I am not sure whether I need to replace with new wire reinforced hoses or just use the none wire reinforced water/exhaust hoses.  Your opinions will be appreciated.

The Catalina Yachts facility was hit by a hurricane today suffering severe damage. So, don't be surprised if you don't get any response to your inquiries.

My Link 10 has worked great for many years, now all of the sudden the voltage reading is way off, it reads 20VDC for my batteries, yet the battery voltage is 12.6 VDC according to my DVM.
I reset the Link and it then it also showed 12.6 but then within an hour it had gone back up to about 18-20VDC. Now I totally disconnected the link and started all over, but again it moved the Voltage reading back up to about 20 VDC. Is it toast?? Any ideas?

My Engine Hour Gauge is no longer working! The Tach works fine. I checked the gauge connections and cleaned them and reinstalled.
Hour meter still does not work. Can this gauge be repaired?
A new Gauge is over $150 so if there are other options let me know!

My boat was hauled out yesterday for a new bottom paint job, while in the sling the yard inspected the hull for blisters, they found 9 blisters with 2 fairly big. Today they provided me the repair cost estimate for the 9 blisters at $800, 2 of the blisters will require fiberglass mat.
Is this cost reasonable or way out of line? Repairing blisters is not that difficult so I was surprised at the high cost estimate.
Unfortunately there is little choice, as the yard does not allow do it yourself or other contractors to work in their yard. All other yards in this area (St Petersburg/Tampa) have the same rules.

When the boat was new (1990) 4 coats of VC-TAR Barrier coat was put on. It held up well until the last haul out when I had about 4 blisters on each side which were repaired. Now my diver tells me that there is 1 blister on each side. The boat is scheduled to be hauled for new paint in the fall. I planning to have the paint and VC-Tar removed to the gel coat and 5 coats of Interlux 2000E barrier coat applied (about $5k ). Could I simply have the paint removed to the VC Tar and then apply the 5 coats of the Interlux 2000E on top of the VC-Tar?

My Compass light stopped working, finally checked it out and found one wire totally broken off and the other badly corroded. Cut the wire where it was soldered to the feed wire coming up the binnacle.Spliced on new wires leading to the Compass light but found I had no voltage when turning on the running lights. I believe the Compass lights are wired into the running light wiring. Does anyone know exactly where the compass light wiring is spliced into the running light wiring?

Yesterday I started the engine with the back-up starter battery as a test. The starter battery has its own switch and is connected directly to the starter. The house Bank Batteries were turned off. Engine started and ran fine using the starter battery only, but the Tach needle would jump back and forth from 8RPM (Idle) to zero.
I then turned on the house bank switch and the needle stopped jumping. I then turned the house bank switch back off and the Tach started jumping again.
Turned the starter battery off and started using the house bank and Tach was fine (No needle Jumping)
So, it is only jumping when running with the starter. Any ideas what could cause this??

The Boat was hauled a few days ago for bottom painting and I noticed that I had about 5-6 dime size blisters on the port side only on the  lower Boot Stripe.
This is considerably above the water line so its somewhat of a mystery to me. The yard recommended grinding them down and filling and then paint on an entire new Boot Stripe, say the can't match the Gelcoat color. This seems overkill to me and is quite expensive.
Since they are avove the water line, I am inclined to just not do anything, or would it be advisable for me to use a Dremel tool and simply grind them out and fill with Marine Tex Epoxy? 

About one time each month I check my navigation lights. I do this by turning on the switch for each light (Running/Steaming/Deck/Anchor), and watch the Link for amperage draw. The average Amperage draw for the Steaming and Anchor is about 0.7 Amps, the Running Lights have always been around 1.2 Amps. This time however the Steaming and Anchor light each showed the normal 0.7 Amps, the Running Lights however showed a shocking 32 Amps, yet the 20 Amp Circuit breaker did not pop.
I tried this several times and each time the running lights registered 32 Amps.
The Link works correctly as I tested it by turning on various other devices. I don't understand how, if indeed there was such a Amperage draw why the Circuit Braker did not pop and also what could cause such a high Amperage reading.

My original Adler Barbour Compressor will no longer turn on, replaced the electronic Module, but did not solve the problem.
I am now planning to install a new system. Practical Sailor recently rated the Frigoboat Capri 35F Condenser as their top recommended model. They tested the Adler Barbour CU-100, and the comparable Seafrost Models. The Frigoboat Compressor is slightly smaller but it got high marks for quality construction and energy usage.
Would be interested in getting feedback from actual users.

Checked all the former topics, but could not find a specific answer.
Symptom of the problem is that the Compressor will not turn on. The fan runs ok so that suggests that the thermostat is ok. I cleaned the connection plug into the compressor. I don't want to simply buy the expensive electronic module w/o exploring potential alternative failures first. Is there a fuse at the compressor? Has anyone experienced the same symptom? If so, what was the fix?

About 3 weeks ago while motoring in 25-30 knt winds my Exhaust Riser failed, the entire section where the water nipple is welded into the tubing broke off. What a mess that made! I called Ken Roy at Catalina in Largo and he advised me that their metal shop is in California and that I need to return my old Riser to have a new one made.($290)
I shipped the old one back to California and Kent Nelson at Catalina CA had a new one made for me and ready for shipping back within 2 days of receiving my defective Riser, now that is great service.
I received the new Riser and was wondering whether it would make sense to coat the welded area with a high temperature grease or manifold paint to retard future corrosion in that area?

Just came back from the St. Petersburg JSI Nautical Flea Market. Catalina Parts had a large booth there. One of the items for sale was a brand new 26HP Universal Diesel for $5500. Anyone thinking of repowering they may want to contact Catalina Parts in Largo Fl. This is by far is the lowest price I have ever seen for a new Universal Diesel.

I am in the processing of repainting the bottom, never had much luck in keeping barnacles off the prop with various products/procedures I have used in the past.
Pettit has a relatively new product, it comes in a spray can and is basically pure zinc (Pettit Zinc Barnacle Preventer). Has anyone used it in Florida's warm gulf waters, if so what has been the experience?

I have not had much good luck re-fairing the lead keel where the covering had come off. I have tried sanding down to bare metal then applied Interlux Primocon Primer then followed with Interlux Watertite below water filler, then it was covered with 2 coats of Antifouling paint.
The boat was pulled yesterday and my keel fairing did not hold.
I have read on the board that the lead needs to be "etched" first, however no specific etching compound was named. I've contacted Interlux and they no longer are making etching material as theirs contained chromate, they simply recommended the same material/process that I had used, but did not work.
Anyone have experience with refinishing the lead keel and specificall what etching material (brand name) was used?

I have always been cruising at 2500 RPM at about 6 knots, now I just replaced my original 51 AMP Prestolite Alternator with a same 51 AMP Prestolite replacement. Now my cruising speed of 6 knots is at 2200 RPM and I can't even get to 2600 RPM at full throttle, yet the idle rpm is still the same at 750 RPM!
Any ideas what could be the problem?

My Autohelm 4000 lever started popping up. No, its not the roll pin that is broken. I have read all the comments, and finally removed the wheel cover, the original belt was chewed up, so I ordered the Gates belt that was recommended on one of the forum posts. This belt is slightly longer and not as wide, it did NOT work, so that was money and time wasted. I then bought the original belt, somewhat pricey, I installed it, however the lever still pops up. It appear that the eccentric lever action does not provide enough engagement. Is there a way to adjust this belt to tighten it? The drawing I have shows a adjustment locknut, however it is not a locknut but rather a sleeve with 2 small holes. This would require a special tool to loosen this sleeve. Has anyone adjusted the belt? If so, how was it done?

Last weekend while 20 miles out on the gulf, the RPM Gauge stopped working and the link showed no AMP input reading. Checked and re tightened all the wiring to the alternator and panel, still no readings.
The following day I emailed Westerbeke to get the OEM Model number for my original alternator. They replied by providing me their part number #42847 (Not model number) and their price for this alternator of $550.50. I questioned their high price and was told the following: "The reason the Alternator part #42847 is as expensive as it is, is in part due to the fact the Westerbeke disassembles the alternators and makes some mechanical changes to make it work properly and reassembles it. It's a time consuming and expensive process".
I then removed the alternator and found it to be a Prestolite 51AMP Model 8EM2017KA which has now been superseded by Prestolite Model 8MR2091KSS,

I then bought this Prestolite Leece Neville alternator, brand new for $179 from spidermarine.com  Its installed and works perfectly.


The vendor rep also told me that they have a 72 AMP Model 8MR2058PA ($179) and a 90 AMP Model 8MR2069TA, ($199) which many buyer prefer for the higher output and direct fit. Yes, I know of the Blue Circle High Output Alternator, but wanted to keep my installation as simple as possible and not have potential heat problems..

[a better warranty than the AGM has]

My current Battery configuration is 3 Group 27 AGM's in Series and a separate AGM starter only Battery. The housebank voltage has slowly gone down, so in checking each Battery separately I found that one of the AGM's had gone down to 10.8V and charging it alone did not revive it, so it's a goner! My question is; do I replace this Battery with another AGM at a cost of well over $200, or do I replace it with a sealed wet cell battery at 1/3 of the cost and a better warranty than the AGM has?
Since my AGM's were only 4 years old with very little use, I question what the advantages really are to support their high initial cost.
I have a Statepower Charger and checking the charging rates for the AGM and Wet settings I find they are almost the same, the small difference I would think is negligible, thus leaving it set at the AGM setting should be OK for the sealed wet cell battery.
Any comments/opinions?

My aft portside fixed window needs to be replaced. Called Catalina and was told they don't have the pattern anymore to make one and of course don't stock any windows. They could not even tell me the color of tint used on the fixed windows. It appears their California operation is quickly shutting down. The Largo site was helpful but since the Catalina 34 was not made there they have no pattern or glass spec's.
I will make a pattern myself but need to know the tint color used on 1990 era boats. Also are the edges beveled? What is the glass thickness?
I can't take the existing cracked unit off until I have a new one made.
Interesting ,that Cruising Concepts and CatalinaOwners store have the pattern and sell the windows, yet the factory that built these boats does not! Unfortunately they only sell the complete set of four.

I am thinking of installing a Shaft Line Cutter, I had to be towed in from 15 miles out (No Wind), due to a Crabpot Line stalling out the engine (Wrapped around the Propeller).
Has anyone installed one of those cutters? If so, do they work and what brand is recommended?

The Roll Pin on the lever sheared off. I contacted Raymarine for a replacement and was informed that they no longer provide parts or repairs for my early Autohelm 4000 Model. Does anyone know the exact size of this pin so I can find one locally?

Just had the boat hauled for a new bottom job, when the yard was pressure washing the bottom. big section of the covering on the keel wing tops came off right to its lead base material.
I have no idea what material Catalina uses to encapsulate the keel, but its razor thin in some section and certeinly is not adherring well to the lead material. I was thinking of just removing the rest of the covering and applying several coats of thickened Epoxy and then finish with the bottom paint! Any thoughts??

Am experiencing a problem pumping water into the head. Water flow into the bowl is very weak. Replaced the cylinder, o-ring on shaft and seal! No improvement. Checked all the lines for blockage/restrictions--none found! Symptoms point to the fact that somehow I am pumping air into the line via the shower drain opening on the floor as I get a gurgling sound when pumping. This, drain line is hooked up to the shower drain pump, then its output side goes to a vented loop and out the thruhull valve, which also is the head water intake supply source. There appears to be a check-valve between the shower drain line and the pump according to the diagram, would its failure cause air to be sucked in by pumping water into the head? Any ideas?

Since installing a new galvanic isolator this spring, I have not seen any improvement in zinc replacements. The question I have, is whether the isolator ground wiring connection is directional? The instructions do not indicate a directional (in-out) connection. However a dock-mate engineer said they are directional as they are made-up with diodes, thus I may have the wiring reversed. In e-mailing Newmar, they replied it makes no difference how the ground wires are connected. Any comments!!

I have the original main sail that came with the LazyMate flaking system. Several of the small retaining balls with the setscrews have broken and fallen off. I have not been able to find replacements at local sail lofts. North Sail, whose tag is on the sail was of no help. Does any one know a supplier of these round retainers?

Having heard of AC problems on a friend Catalina, I checked out my AC, using a Circuit tester (with the little lights) all outlets checked out correct. Also the GFCI green light showed it was operating correctly in addition the panel green light showed correct shorepower input. OK, I was happy , but just to be sure, I put on my voltmeter and it showed 120V between hot and neutral but also 120V between hot and ground, and 0 voltage between ground and neutral. Now, unless I am mistaken I should not have a voltage reading between hot and ground. So why is the circuit tester showing everything correct? Also any ideas how to "quickly" isolate?? The wiring diagram that came with the boat is pretty useless as it does not match the wire colors on my boat (Shows black but is red, etc) and is incorrect in several callouts,  I am the original owner and have not changed the AC wiring.

I am possibly planning to have the boat trucked back to Lake Ontario from St. Petersburg, Fl. Can anyone recommend reliable and honest Boat Trucking Companies?

Using a circuit tester for my AC outlets, it showed a open ground at the GFI outlet, but it showed good correct ground settings at all other AC outlets.
These outlets are all controlled by the GFI which shows a open ground. Any ideas how there can be proper ground connections at all outlets except the GFI outlet that controls all the others? I would assume therefore, there is no GFI protection on all the other AC circuits!

I just installed my Galvanic Isolator, which is spliced into the ground wire at the shore power inlet. I found that Catalina used 12 gauge wire from the shore power box to the main 30 amp breaker, at least in my boat (1990). This is clearly not to code or safe as it requires 10 gauge wire. You may want to check your wire to insure its the correct size. I am the original owner so no one has tampered with this wiring and I never checked until now.

Bought a Galvanic Isolator (No Installation Instructions came with it) and need to install it. I assume it is connected to the shore power ground wire going to the main breaker. Does it also require a ground wire connection to the engine ground?

Has anyone installed a portable ac unit (inside)? The type that has wheels and exhausts via a 5" hose? It seems that this would make sense, as I could power it with my Honda 2000 and wheel it to where the cooling is needed. It would drain into the bilge. I tried the cruisair but it doesn't do the job.
Bernd

I am mystified as to why  all of the sudden my galley sink  takes forever to drain empty. I have used the "search" feature and am familiar with Captain. Al's changes etc.
In order to correct this problem, I first replaced the check-valve attached to the Reefer drain pump as it was bad, did not correct the slow drain. Then I replaced all the sink drain lines and fittings including sink drain hardware--everything-- still no improvement.Then I hired a diver to check the Thru-hull for barnacles, it was clean, when opened, water gushes in. I then hooked up one galley sink drain directly to the thruhull valve (same as head sink drain hook-up), still no improvement, yet the head sink drains very quickly. What I don't understand is why is the head sink drains so quickly and the galley sink (One bowl hook-up) does not drain.
I connected a clear 1" dia vinyl tube to the thru hull and routed it out and up so I could check the water level when the valve is op end the seawater level appears to be only about 2" below the sink bowl, could this be the cause? But then again I have had the boat for 15 years, thus the water level I am sure has not changed. Bottom line after doing everything I know, to fix the no/extremely slow drain situation I have made now headway! Any ideas???    

Bernd Mueller

I will need to replace my original 150 Genoa. I have checked several sites for prices and delivery time and have found "National Sail Supply" providing reasonable rates and delivery times. Has anyone ordered sails from them? Any experiences with their sails?

Bernd Mueller
KARISTA-1990 Hull 1012

Just hauled the boat for a new bottom coat and found that a good portion of the finish on the keel was gone, exposing the lead. Would re-coating the lead exposed area with a epoxy layer be sufficient or would I need to apply fairing compound?