Messages

I have a challenging problem I suspect others may have faced and solved.  I broke off the handle of the black plastic sliding door for the port side storage behind the settee.  I am a veteran of this problem as I broke one of the starboard handles a couple of years ago.  Last time I popped out the plastic piece, cut a new square leading edge, drilled a couple of new holes and replaced the handle and popped the sheet right back in.  This time I cannot get out the broken plastic door.  I can only assue that either the wooden tracks have come closer together due to wood swelling or something bigger like flexing of the hull now that the boat is on the hard.  It is clear that if I try to bend the sheet it will break before it comes out.  If I do break it, a new one of the same size won't fit in.  Does anybody have any ideas on how I can solve this?    Thanks in advance for any help.
Brian McPhillips

I picked up  a Kidde brand from Lowes this Summer, don't recall model number but it was the only one running exclusively on AA batteries.  So far we've used velcro backing to move it around.  It goes in the aft cabin when my daughters are in there while we are motoring, over the galley when nobody is aft making it easier to hear from the wheel.
Brian McPhillips

I had my boat hauled for the Winter a couple of weeks ago and found the propeller shaft Zinc missing.  This has never happened before and I have no way of knowing how long ago or why it fell off.  I launched in mid May so worst case is that I have had no Zinc in place 5 months.  The boat is in salt water.  I have always heard how important the Zinc is and now am wondering (worrying actually) what might have happened without it in place.  I would appreciate any advice regarding this situation, ie any areas I should look for excessive corrosion or other trouble.  Thanks.
Brian McPhillips

Reply to Tony Benoit: 
You have it exactly right.  I have never had any tangles around the gooseneck.   I don't know the  length of the line-I bought it several years ago-but easy to determine with a tape measure anytime the main is fully raised.  The boom cleat is still in place, unused at present but I have a plan to try this for the double reef line aft-I have a hook at the goose neck for the luff cringle.  I don't like the idea of having two paralel lines covering the whole distance for single and double jiffy reefing, too much line (the first one is already very long, the second would be even longer).   I hope to get to the boat tomorrow, I'll take some pic's and  post them if I can figure it out. 
Brian

I currently have a single line set up that pulls down the first reef cringles at the luff and leech simultaneously.  I'll try to get some pictures later this week but I'll describe it in < 1000 words if I can: the bitter end starts in the reef block on the starboard side of back end of the boom, goes under the boom, up through the leech cringle port to starboard, back down to the starting block where it is routed forward along starboard side of boom to block at front, routed up to the luff cringle starboard to port, down to a block at base of the mast and back to the port coach roof winch.  A second block a little forward of the starting one above could be used for double reefing.  The block at the front of the boom is actually a double block to route the 2nd line up to the luff double reef cringle although I have never used this.   Hope this helps.
Brian

I mentioned this to my local sail maker and he immediately said I needed a jack line (another meaning for this term).  He removed the slugs up to the upper reef cringle and put in a spiraling line that alternately went through  new small cringles in the luff and through the eye of the slug. With the main fully raised the luff is snug on the mast as always.   I have jiffy reefing so when I drop the main part way from the cockpit and pull on the reefing line, the jack line slackens, the luff of the sail falls back from the mast and the sail is pulled snugly down to the boom.  All slugs stay above the track stop and when the halyard is tightened there is no downward tension.  I can reef in about a minute from the cockpit.  It's probably the best improvement we've made to our boat. 
Brian McPhillips

I would greatly appreciate any advice  on the best way to hove to in the Catalina 34.  I have a 1988 with a 130 genoa.  I learned to sail on a Vanguard 15 day sailor and we were taught to tack, back wind the jib and luff the main with the tiller steering hard back into the wind.  Last Summer, 20 years later,I find myself in 29-33 knots wind on a beam reach with 3-4 feet of chop towing an inflatable.  The inflatable flipped and efforts to right it proved futile.  Whenever the reefed main luffed even a little, the vibration in the rigging was frightening. I had to drop all sail and motor at 3 knots for 3 hours to my destination with this sea anchor.  I suspect a proper hove to maneuver would have allowed us to bring the inflatable on deck and resume sailing.  Thanks in advance for any shared experience.
Brian McPhillips

We can't imagine a better boat dog than our Labradoodle Maggie.  She swims voluntarily in Massachusetts water 12 months a year, doesn't smell when wet, doesn't shed, has the bladder control to make th 7 hour trip to Provincetown without accident and also loves all other dogs and kids.  After a swim we hoist her 50 lbs easily grabbing her West Marine dog life preserver using our Garhauer outboard engine davit-truly a riot to behold!

I just checked the Centek web site, I'm prettiy sure it was the Vernalift # 1500060, they have a table and you just match up the inlet/outlet diameters.  They make them to order and I recall mine came in about a week.  I had to order it through a third party, Defender as I recall. 
Brian

For what it's worth, on my 1987, # 584, I had a leak from a corroded lower drain and when I removed the muffler the inlet was in worse shape than the above pictures.  I bought the Centek Vetus muffler-about half the price of a new Cataline, smaller dimensions resulting in much easier installation.  Launch isn't until next week so I can't report on how it works yet but it looks good.
Brian McPhillips

When I purchased my boat 5 1/2 years ago, I received bad advice, that the Cetol on my exterior teak needed no maintenance.  Now for the past year it is all peeling like neglected house paint.   I'm ready to strip it and probably retreat with the new Cetol Natural product.  I heard about Citrus Strip, a reportedly less toxic stripping product.  Anyone ever use it?  Any other advice for this project would be greatly appreciated as I am heading towards uncharted waters. 

I just took delivery on a 130 Genoa from Cruising Direct, the discount arm of North Sails.  From what I understand, there is no real difference in quality or construction.  They are made by North with the same designs and fabric choices.  The substantial savings (and it was substantial!) comes from offering stock designs for common models without the personal delivery and test sail you get from a higher end loft.  The service on the phone was excellent, delivery prompt.  They had made at least 10 of these for C34 owners in the past.   I won't launch until May but so far I am very pleased.
Brian McPhillips

Since our recent discussion I have removed my Aqualift Muffler.  Several problems identified-the petcock drain was clearly corroded with part missing, mine doesn't look like pictures of others I have seen.  Also, I didn't have a hump hose described elsewhere but rather a straight black fairly rigid hose to the muffler intake making removal very difficult.  The muffler intake was a little soft at the top, easily compressed with finger pressure, firm but with a surface defect visible just above the box.  The black inlet hose which fit snugly to the exhaust outlet above is clearly a size too large for the muffler inlet below.  There is evidence of slight leak around this inlet site/clamp and the hose was squeezed tightly by  the clamp aroud a stack of rubber O-rings to keep it snug.  No leak was found around the muffler flange at the base. 
So, I'm wondering what's the best approach?  The petcock replacement is obvious but the soft top of the muffler inlet along with a hose mismatch is concerning.  Has Catalina made mufflers with different inlet sizes?  I wonder if a prior owner bought a size too small and jury rigged it.  I
If replacement is the best option,  I saw a new Aqualift muffler from Catalina is about $250 with Centek Vernalift mufflers advertised on the web for less than half.   I'd appreciate any thoughts/guidance again.  Thanks
Brian McPhillips

Thanks to everyone.  The leak seems to be from the lower right stop cock area but I didn't see anything functional, something must have corroded off or vibrated off.   This all happened over labor day weekend and I recall trying to tighten something with a ratchet wrench after I sealed the leak and I heard the dreaded crack of tightening one turn too many.  Sounds like the answer is to remove the muffler and inspect/repair/replace it.   
Brian

This Summer we used our engine much harder than usual due to a long cruise with little wind.  On the last day I discovered a fine jet leak from the lower right ?bolt of the water lift muffler under the head sink.  It looked corroded, I did an emergency epoxy glue patch and finished the trip.  The next time I checked the bilge the formerly clear water had heavy black particulate matter, a dramatic change I never saw before.  There was no obvious new odor and no floating oil.  Shortly after, on my last motor to haul the boat, I thought the cabin smelled of diesel exhaust.  Anybody have advice regarding what is going on and what I have to do between now and May when I relaunch?  I know the easy answer is call a diesel guy, but I like to save $ when I can and learn by doing things myself when practical.   Thanks in advance.
Brian McPhillips