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I too want to do this project..
Any opinions on getting the acrylic cut locally or buying from Catalina Direct?

I'm thinking VHB as well.
Justin and/or Eric...do you know what size VHB you used?
And after taping were you able to just press in the portlight and it set up and cured without a jig?
After that you were able to lay in a bead of sealant to completely fill the gap between the fiberglass inset and the new acrylic?

Jeff,
The bedding area is right at one inch if I remember correctly, I purchased 1" x 1/16" 3M VHB and I do remember that one roll was barely...and I mean BARELY enough to do both sides. Yes, you'll need to position the new window carefully before pressing it onto the tape, the initial bond is quite strong and only gets stronger over time. No clamping was required, the bond is enough to hold the new window securely while doing the caulk work.
I made sure there was enough of a gap for the caulk to stretch/shrink with temp changes and boat movement and spent a good bit of time making sure the gap was completely filled.

Robert, I painted that area flat black.

I also used the 3M VHB tape method and am very happy with the results over 4 years later. No screws, very little mess, etc.
One thing I'll add learning from experience, Mark where the adhesive tape will be on the inside on the window, then sand the surface and the edge where the tape and caulk will actually contact it. Sanding this area prior to installation helps the adhesives adhere better.
I failed to do this on a past project and ended up with leaks. I removed the window, sanded the surface and reinstalled and never had a failure after that.
Another tip is do not cut the new windows too tight, there needs to be enough room for a bead of caulk that will be able to stretch a bit as the boat moves, temps change, etc. Time spent for a good fit on each opening is time we'll spent.
I was able to install all four windows in one (long) day, but it's not really a difficult job if you prepare well.

Not that this info applies in this particular subject, but our 1988 C34 with an aft water tank does not have the fiberglass platform under the aft tank, it is 1/2" painted plywood.
I'd prefer the FRP shelf, but it is what it is.

Ken,
Out of sheer curiosity, how DID you cleanly separate the entire joint, especially in and around the keel bolts when cutting thru the mung????
I worked long and hard to get in around the bolts and all the way thru the joint along its entire length but inevitably I couldn't get all of it so when the keel was lowered it pulled some glass off of the stub, much like what Ben's picture shows.
I'm certainly not looking to do that job ever again but if someone knows something I don't, I'm all ears!!!!

Oh, and I'm in agreement about unbolting the keel and not having any issues....I wouldn't try it but man is that stuff tenacious!!!!!!

That's just outstanding that the bolts were okay after all that. While it cost time and money you absolutely have the assurance that everything is okay below those bolts.
It's amazing how tenacious that bonding agent is, (even after 34 years) that it pulled glass loose rather than just cleanly separating. Mine did the same thing, but fiberglass is repairable so no harm done in the end.
As for those cracks around the bilge, Catalina used a grey gelcoat to fill low spots in and around the bilges, when you sand it you can very clearly distinguish the smell. There is no structural integrity with gelcoat, especially when it's thick and then it is forced to flex....like when you are separating the keel from the stub just an inch or so below it....so it cracks.
I was amazed that on my 88 C-34 that once Catalina installed the Ash into the stub that they then just used one or two layers of glass around the edges, no filleting was done at all and it left an air void below the glass at the turn of the bilge. All I had to do was cut around the edges of the bilge and lift up the keel floor above the wood, no prying effort required. I also realized that the stringers were glassed in along the flat part of the hull, but where it turns into the bilge area there was no glass whatsoever, it was just filled with gelcoat, so that flexing caused the gelcoat filler to crack. It looked bad but it was probably inevitable given the construction method used at the time.
When I glassed everything back in I used epoxy with micro-balloons as a fillet around the edges and glassed the stringers in very securely. I'm confident my bilge is very, very strong now. It should be much stronger than when new and my keel is very securely attached.

Many moons ago I bought those steps from Catalina Direct and installed them myself. They came with stainless rivets, which were pretty heavy duty and took some oooomph to get them to pop. One of mine was a bit loose and with allot left to do with my refit I left it....and never got back to it. I owned that boat for 10 years and the fact that it was slightly loose never made a difference with it's performance. The step worked just fine.

My lovely Admiral is one of those sailors that will put up with heeling over...but only to about 5 degrees and then the chirping starts. (it's good natured chirping...I promise)
So now every time she asks me how far over we're heeling, my answer is always "5 degrees".
It's become our little joke, but she still asks. 
I'd just love to do a custom inclinometer that instead of reading 0, 5,10,15,30 etc. I want it to say 0,5,5,5,5.
Seriously, I'd pay money for that just to see her face when we're rail down and she looks down and confirms that we are in fact heeling 5 degrees. 

Actually Ron, that looks to be right at the joint. See attached photo of when I was test fitting my keel this past spring.

What kind of bearing are you referring to? Would it be the cutlass bearing?
Also, you'll find that it's most helpful if you include the year of your boat, engine model, tall rig, fin or wing keel that will help pinpoint what you are dealing with.
Many changes occurred during the years of production of Catalina 34's so this info helps everyone know how to answer your questions.
If the boat is new to you, welcome aboard!!!!!

Brian, the straightening I mention was actually the bases. People fending the boat off of docks or even the stanchion itself impacting the dock or piling will force them inboard and the weakest spot and first to bend is the base itself. I removed them, brought them home and used pliers and a rubber mallet to straiten them. Pretty easy job actually and now I do not allow anyone to fend the boat off via the stanchions.
If you're talking about a bend in the vertical part of the stanchion itself, that's a different method. I've had great experience with both straightening 1" stainless tubing and also fabricating some parts out of old tubing.
The key is obviously to prevent kinking as you bend the tubing. If you pack it...and I mean PACK it with regular old play sand and then tape the end(s) you can now bend it (slowly) and the sand will help hold the round shape of the tube since it won't compress. I've made new rails for my pushpit on my last boat and this method worked great. I'm pretty low tech and if I'm being completely honest...I went out into the yard and found two nice sized trees growing closely together and used them to bend the tubing. Working slowly and sighting or using a straight edge you'll be surprised with the results.
I do hope this helps.

I built the Sailrite "Sail Pack" a few years ago and did add the small eye above the forward part of the pack and above it.
If you're worried about hitting the conduit I suggest you use a drill bit that is marked at 1/4", or even use a collar to limit the depth of the drill bit. Once you have the holes, tap them out for a machine screw of similar depth and then your conduit and wires will be safe.
I rewired my mast this past winter and encountered no damage to the old wiring from adding the eye.
Hope you love that pack as much as I do, it's been a great addition.

Stu,
Thanks for your reply to my question. I did do a search for "shower sump" but pretty much everything I read seemed to use the term "shower sump" interchangeably with I believe was the shower drain. I did try to access the Tech Notes article you referenced but for some reason my credentials aren't being accepted on both a laptop and my phone. Not sure what's up there but that's another issue.
 
FYI, I'm quite intimate with the plumbing on my boat, I drilled a big hole in the floor to access the area in question. There literally isn't enough room between the bottom of the floor and the hull to get my hand (size LG, not XL) in that hole, I can feel the clamp on the shower drain with my finger tips, but can't see it without a mirror.
My entire inquiry revolved around my curiosity as to where this sump would be placed on a Catalina 34. If anyone has one I'd sure like to see how it's installed, like Dan I think it's a good idea.

Stu,
I understand you to say there is (or should be) some kind of sump box under the floor outside the head door.
I've drilled a 4" hole in the sole under the wood floor for access to the shower drain hose and there is no sump on our boat, in fact the only reason I'm replying is I'm pretty sure that since I can barely get my hand into the space there to access the hose clamp I just don't see where a sump would go??? The shower drain itself is glued or glassed in with a 90 degree elbow that is aimed directly aft to where the hose comes out under the sink, then there is a one way valve and then a few feet from that is the pump itself.
I'm just wondering if others have the above described setup, or do they in fact have a sump down there somewhere? 

Kevin,
What led me to even look at that one way valve was the fact that the exact same thing happened to a friend of mine on his Catalina 27 a few weeks before it happened to me, the info was fresh in my mind so that led me to look inside the valve. As a P.S. to this story, when I popped it off this spring, there was stuff in there again....not blocking it...yet...but it was there.
Cheap and fast fix IMHO, but I get what you're saying about fixing things that aren't broken.