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We had a Selden bowsprit on our 1989 C34.  We mounted the ring up by the forestay.  The rear connecting point was on deck aft of the anchor locker.  Yes, you could not use the anchor locker when the sprit was in place.  We stored it mounted on the stanchions so it was out of the way when not in use. 

I don't know that it and the furler are any less work than using a sock but the work is done before you leave the dock setting it up so it definitely is easier to use while underway.  Plus you don't have to send anyone forward and the furled sail stores a lot more compactly.  The sail does work better poled out forward of the forestay.  You have to weigh those benefits against the cost, which is considerable. 

Yes, that's right. 

I agree with everyone else who said that this sounds like a fuel issue.  I would start by bleeding it at the fuel filter.  That was all we needed to do when we changed the fuel filter.  Opening the little wheel never seemed to make a difference. 

Ben, our boat was #873 and came off the assembly line in September 1988 as a 1989 model year boat.  Yours would have been fairly shortly after ours.  You can determine the exact month by the hull identification number.  The letter that is fourth from the end is the month the boat was built, the following number is the year and the last two numbers are the model year.  Ours was I889, so I for September (starts with A in January), 8 for year manufactured, and 89 for model year. 

Don't know what model of boat you have but my Mark I manual says that the foot of a tall rig 130 percent genoa is 19.25 feet and the 150 percent genoa is 21.25 feet.  Standard rig is 19.33 feet for the 130 and 21.33 for the 150. 

That's a clever idea.  We have an issue with the Dutchman lines pulling up the foot of our loose-footed main when the lines are taut.  How did you secure the Dutchman pockets in the boom track?  I am thinking that a slug might do it like is installed on the clew. 

Are you sure you don't have air in the fuel line?  If I remember correctly, there are two bleed valves.  One is on top of the fuel filter and the second is a wheel in the fuel line.  The bleed valve on the fuel filter is easy to miss.  Air in the fuel line was the issue every time our engine turned over but would not catch.  If the engine is turning over slowly, I also would look at what voltage is getting delivered to the starter. 

Let me just say what a complete PITA that must be.  Your poor boat is just sitting there, minding its own business. . . .

My sincere condolences on this really bad luck.  You deserve at least a new boom for your pain, suffering and general inconvenience.

If there is still any question about the manufacturer and model of the mast, our Charleston Spar mast had that information inscribed at the base.  Might be worth a look, if you have not done so already, given you have the mast down anyway.  I was surprised to see that Forespar made masts at any point in time.  Looking at Rig Rite, for example, they don't list Forespar as a mast manufacturer. 

I also would suggest that you use your insurance company as your advocate in the claim process.  You should not have to pay a deductible if they do not pay out a loss but their role should be to make sure that your boat gets fixed appropriately and that the other guy's insurance pays for it. 

We replaced the pedestal guard twice on our C34 - first to 1 1/8 and then to 1 1/4 because we needed more room for wires as we added additional instruments at the helm.  We got the new binnacle bracket each time.  It is stainless so I think it would be hard to drill out.  Maybe you could use a Dremel to grind it out but stainless is pretty tough stuff.  I suggest cobalt bits and a cobalt hole saw for drilling the new holes in the guard. 

One thing I would caution you on is the interference with the transmission and throttle handles as you move to a larger diameter guard.  The transmission would not go into forward when we moved from 1 inch to 1 1/8th - thank goodness we checked that at the slip before we backed out the first time.  We were able to adjust the transmission cable at the engine to make it work but it was not easy, as I remember. 

Catalina had a video playing at the Annapolis Boat Show of the concept for the new Catalina 425.  It looks to be a significant departure for the company from past styling.  Only one window above deck.  Three rectangular windows below decks.  Self-tacking jib with option for tracks for an overlapping headsail.  Twin wheels so similar to the 400 in that respect.  Other features looked similar to the "5" series boats. 

I guess maybe you could do it with a keel-stepped mast.  You'd have to drill through the mast and tap into the existing conduit, pull a chase line up with one of the lighting/antenna wires, and then use the chase line to pull the radar cable and the lighting/antenna wire back down and through the base of the mast.  It would be a challenge.  I guess I always like to take the mast down every couple of years to do an inspection and re-tape cotter rings, etc. plus I am not a fan of heights so I was glad to do it on the ground. 

Our radome is mast-mounted.  I am interested in the comment about the rigger who said that he could mount it on the mast with the stick up.  I ran the cable from the radome through new conduit installed in the inside of the mast and down through the compression post with all the other wires from the mast (VHF antenna and lights).  It was a pretty tight fit getting those wires through compression post.  I may lack imagination but I am pretty confident that there was no way to run the cable inside the mast with the stick up.  You would be able to run the cable on the outside of the mast but then you still have to get it inside the boat at some point. 

I do agree that the cost was basically the same comparing mast mounting to a pole on the back.  The mast mount is less expensive than a Garhauer pole but you have to pay for the cost of stepping and unstepping plus there is the cost of the additional cable (approximately $125 for the extension).  I chose to go with the mast mount because it gets the radome higher and for personal preference on the appearance.  But if you have a large overlapping headsail like a 150 or a 155, I would very seriously consider the stern mount because a large genoa will drag a lot over a mast mounted radome.  Our 135 drags a bit but so far it has been fine. 

Jim, if it was me, I would get competitive quotes from JSI in Florida and a competitor like the Canvas Store.  JSI may have done your canvas originally - Catalina outsourced a lot of their canvas work to them over the years.  You may even look to see if you have a JSI tag on your dodger.  A friend had his canvas replaced by the Canvas Store over the winter and they did a great job at two-thirds the cost of a local quote.  He mailed his original canvas to them and got the replacement back in a month.  Obviously, not a possibility if you also are replacing the tubing.  I had a winter cover made by the Canvas Store and they did a great job.

I would seriously consider upgrading from Strataglass to Makrolon or something similar.  We had a Strataglass window shatter after only three years of use when a sheet snapped against it in cold weather.  A local vendor told me that Strataglass gets very brittle with age.  It also is more prone to scratching than a competitive product like Makrolon. 

That seems like a lot to me.  We paid in the range of $4K for our similar canvas replacement but it was a couple of years ago.  For that price, I would make sure they are using fabric similar to Seamark (Sunbrella with an extra coating underneath for additional durability and water repellency), the upgraded thread and Makrolon for the windows (not Strataglass or similar clear vinyl, which does not last nearly as long). 

You can likely find a better deal by using one of the larger non-local canvas shops and sending them your existing dodger, bimini and connector.  I have a friend who did that and was very pleased both with the results and the cost savings.  You do run the risk that something will not fit quite right and then you have to send it back to be fixed.