Topics

Does anyone know the color of the paint that was used on the table pedestal on an early C34?  There is some corrosion and i don't want to install it on top of the new floorboards in its current condition.

Does anyone with a 1986 model have an owners manual I can have copied?  The 1988 manual on the website has several differences from my boat (i.e., Water tanks).

I am moving from the wet locker to the space under the V berth to gain storage space.  The control for the unit is a Cruisair three knob panel with a bourdon tube and relay box.  I would like to replace the knobs with a programable thermostat sytem.  The retrofit kit from Cruisair is around $600.  I am considering building my own relay box.  Has anyone fabricated their on thermostat / relay system to replace the older control system?

Steve DeLange

While sealing and torquing the keel bolts, I discovered the fiberglass surrounding the floor beam under the mast had delaminated on the aft side.  We cut off some of the glass and found the most of the aft side was completely separated.  The good news is the wood is not rotten.  The bad news is the wood is very wet.  Any good ideas about drying out the wood?  How dry should it be before we reapply the fiberglass?

Steve DeLange

Post 1994/95 Catalina started installing the engine control panel on the pedestal.  Has anyone retrofitted an older C34 with a pedestal mounted engine panel?  I am considering the upgrade and i would like to fill the existing engine panel hole when we start painting the boat next week. 

I have a 1986 C34 that I have stripped the interior for refurbishing.  I am going to replace the cabinets over the dinette and settee with cabinets similar to the current production cabinets.  I am going to install windows like the later boats.  I called Catalina Parts and they wanted to know if I had aluminum frames or not.  The girl couild not understand that I had no window at all.  My question is  - which type of rame do you have on your hull windows, aluminum or plastic?  Would you prefer one over the other?

Steve DeLange

Does anyone know a good surveyor in the Mobile, Ala. area? 

I am marinizing a 16hp Kubota to install in my Catalina 27 and it has this nice little engine driven fuel pump.  Does anyone know why Universal doesn't use an engine driven pump?  I am considering installing one on the M25 while I have it out of my 34.  Any reason I shouldn't? 

What size bilge pump came with the 1986 C34?  I currently have a 2000 gph pump but the hose is too large for the pump.  The line appears to be a 1 1/2" hose installed with a reducer to the pump.  When the pump shuts off, it seems like gallons of water flow back in the bilge.  Do i install a vented loop to reduce tha back flow?  Smaller line?  Any other suggestions?

I am installing new sailing instruments and autopilot.  The wiring for the current instruments is routed inside the pedestal and consequently the wires rub the steering chain.  Is the 1" guard large enough to route the wires inside or do I need to upgrade to the larger diameter guard?

The stern rail on the 1989 models doesn't appear to have the brace in the middle.  Has anyone installed a 1989 rail on an older boat.  I have to replace mine due to storm damage and would like this version.  I realixe the rear mounts are different, but the boat should be the same at that location,

Steve

While I am asking for information, can a tow part polyurethane be applied to the molded antiskid areas of the deck?  Will i need to add an antiskid compund to the paint?  Will it be too slick without the antiskid compound? I am considering painting the deck one color, has anyone done it that way before?  Would you do it again?

Steve DeLange,
1986, #37

The A/C on my boat is installed in the locker aft of the nav station.  Besides a waste of valuable storage space, the unit is installed with the evaporator 1/2 inch from the forward wall without a grille.  I am considering moving the unit to the area under the V-berth on the starboard side aft of the water tank.  I was looking at the installations in the project page but I was thinking of running ducts behind the dinette and settee seat backs just below the shelf.  Has anyone attempted to run ductwork in this area?  I was hoping to install larger ducts that way to improve air flow.

Steve E. DeLange
#37

I know this may be a stupid question, but I have only owned the boat a couple of weeks and I dont have a manual for a 1986 model.  How many water fill ports are there one a 1986 model Catalina 34?  I have one forward for the tank under the Vberth, one amidships for the one under the salon dinette, and one aft, just forward of the cowl vent.  I am curious as to what the aft one is connected.

Steve DeLange
1986,  #37

I was performing fiberglass repair on the bottom of my boat and found a few blisters.  When I opened one of the blisters I found what appears to be body filler (Bondo).  This blister is about an inch above the prop strut.  Does anyone know a reason for there to be body filler in this location?

The PO removed the shower sump pump and allowed the shower to drain into the bilge.  Consequently, I have no idea what pump to intall.  Does anyone know the manufacturer and model of the pump?

Steve E. DeLange
1986, #37

I am repairing a C34 I bought that was damaged in Katrina.  Has anyone replaced the woodwork above the in the dinette and galley that appears to be battens glued to a thin plywood base?  What did you use and where did you get it?


Steve DeLange
1986. #37
Galveston Bay, Texas