Messages

Ron,
I remember Liquid Plumr came out with a product that you pour down the drain to clean out the trap and pipes.  It was a bio-type of product.  The commercial on TV showed how it naturally ate away at the 'colesterol' on the pipes.  As for holding tanks, there is a product that I use called K.O.  Can be found at WM.  There is a link on our site that talks about sanitation maintenance and the use of bio products that manage odor.

Roc-

I have a sherwood pump and can get to the backward facing bolts with an angled box wrench.  I've had no trouble taking the cover off with this tool.  I believe someone else mentioned this method in a previous thread on a similar subject.

Roc-

If you say it's a cross between head and diesel, maybe one problem is diesel leaking somewhere.  Is there a leak at your fill cap?  Where the vent exits the boat at the thru hull?  All the hose clamp connections from the tank to the engine? Filters?  Fuel pump? (I had a leak here because the factory used teflon tape for the threads which is not right for a fuel application.  Bought loc-tite sealer and that did the trick).  The fittings screwed into the tank (i.e. sender unit, cut off switch)?

For the head smell, check if the hoses are permeated (rub with a hot moist cloth, if it smells then your hoses need to be replaced).  Test the holding tank vent too, maybe that could be saturated.  Check all clamps from toilet to holding tank then to macerator and out.  Pump out deck plate connection to hose may leak during pumpout.  Using sea water to flush can smell because critters die inside the bowl, you should leave the boat with a fresh water flush before locking up (not fresh water dumped into the bowl, but sucked in via the intake hose so water gets inside the bowl).  Stagnant water in the bilge can smell worse than the head.  Try giving it a good cleaning (good to the point that you could eat out of the bilge).  Is the area clean in and around your stuffing box where sea water inters from the packing?

Do your sink drains totally drain, or can they hold stagnant water?  I replumbed my galley sink drain because the hoses for each sink came out at a 90 degree angle, then tee'd in the middle, then straight down to the seacock.  Water would sit in the horizontal hose area.  I turned the tee on it's side to create a 'V' so now the horizontal hose sections have a downward bend to them.  Now the drains run clean.  Do your sink drains leak gray water?

Does your ice box drain leak?  How about the shower sump drain?  Do any of your deck fittings leak?  This could cause mold and mildew to grow inside lockers, etc.  Could there be mold in the cushion fabric or foam maybe from leaky chain plates or hatches?

If I think of more places, I'll send another reply.....

Hope this helps...

Roc-

I suggest you find a surveyor by asking other sailors (which you are doing through this site), or talk to marina owners, marine service people, etc, even Boat/US can be a source because they advertise this service...but don't rely heavily on the referrals from the broker.  Not to say that brokers are shady characters, but, they do have alot at stake in the sale.  I think it would be best to find an 'independent' surveyor that you pick on your own and not the one 'suggested' by the broker.  I believe this would keep everything about the transaction clean and amicable.

I hope your search goes well.  The Catalina 34 is a great boat!

Roc-

I've changed my impeller twice.  I didn't remove the two hoses that are on the cover.  I just removed the three screws and worked the cover off.  You can pull it far enough to get in there to remove old/install new impeller, o-ring and gasket.  What I do is use a wire tie around the new impeller to bend the vanes in the correct direction (look at the old one before removing).  I slip it about half way in, then cut the wire tie.  According to the Universal directions, only finger tight the three screws, start the engine so things line up by themselves, then tighten with a wrench.

Roc-

My forward water tank inspection port does have an O-ring.  So does the inspection port on my holding tank.  The tanks are made by Ronco, call them up and see if they can send you one.  Or you can try to get one from a plumbing supply shop.

Roc-

Exide says that it's ok to equalize the batteries.  However, I defined that what I see is grey-ish paste over the fins and the tech guy said that's the normal stuff that they put on the plates when the batteries are manufactured.  Sulfation can be seen when the electrolyte becomes cloudy.  Mine is water clear, so he said I have no sulfation problem.  He said that equalizing the batteries will bring them both up to the same voltage.  The process is to keep the battery at 14.8 volts or higher (14.8 being the ideal voltage) and keep it there for 120 minutes.  I then called Pro Mariner.  The Flyback 20-3 charger that is installed in my boat does not have an equalization mode because Pro Mariner does not advocate doing this process in an enclosed boat (explosive gasses).  So, my question, without taking the huge 4D's off the boat, does anyone have any suggestion what type of unit could I get to bring the batteries up to 14.8 volts?

Thanks,
Roc-

I have the factory Pro-Mariner charger.  I know people have had problems with these, but mine has been ok.  From what I understand there were some bad chargers installed in boats.  As I said, mine has been good and goes through the 3-stage charge procedure (I can tell from the gauge on the unit).  I'll have to check my owner's manual and see if it talks about equalization mode.  If anyone has done this with the Pro-Mariner, I would be interested to know.

Thanks,
Roc-

I have two 4D batteries in my 2000 C34.  Always use distilled and never have to add more than a few tablespoons in each cell.  Over the winter, I usually turn the charger on every couple of weeks to keep them topped off.  Last week, I checked the voltage with a multi-tester.  I noticed 12.66 volts in one battery and 12.76 in the other.  It's been about two weeks since my last top off.  Whenever I have checked this in the past, both batteries have always been within 0.01 from each other.  I checked the water level, all ok.  I did notice that there is some caking on the plates (sulfation??).  I checked Calder's on this and there is something about an 'equalization' procedure, but it's a bit confusing (and sounds dangerous).  Has anyone tried this or should I talk to the marina and have them look at it. Any idea why one battery was 0.10 volts lower??

Thanks,
Roc-

My autopilot fluxgate compass is mounted in the cabin.  Port side, under the settee, near the holding tank.  That's how it came from the factory.
Roc-

I placed mine on the forward facing side of the covers for the rear storage area, on either side of the pedestal.  These are the seats that flip forward so you can get to the rudder quadrant, etc.  I bought poly planar low magnetic speakers.  They sound great because the locker area acts like a big speaker cabinet.  I mounted them as high up on the surface so they wouldn't be prone to being kicked when moving about the cockpit.  It was between this method and the new NavPod 'speakerpods' that they make to install speakers under the stern seats.  I didn't go with the speakerpods because I felt they would be more prone to sea spray while sailing.  The one's in the cockpit seem to be more protected.  Also, the wiring for the speakerpods would be harder because you need to fish the wire through the stern rail.  My installation was very easy to run wiring.

Roc-

Keep the bilge clean.  Stagnant water in the bilge can start to smell like a sewer and make you think it's the head, when it's not.

Roc-

What you can try is to cross out the "hold-harmless" clause and sign the slip contract with that change and see if the marina will accept that. The other option, which I plan to take, is to find an insurance carrier that will not void the policy even if you sign your rights away due to a hold-harmless clause.  There are insurance companies which will have this as part of their standard policy, but realize that some don't.  Zurich is one of them that covers you for this as standard policy.  I'm seeing if others will add this to theirs, and if so, at what cost to the premium.  My advice is, read the whole policy.  Understand how things will be replaced, i.e. will they replace damaged items with new equipment or used, etc...

Roc-

Many marinas have a 'hold-harmless' clause which says that the marina is not liable for any damages.  It may read something like this: "Member (i.e. you, the slip renter) shall indemnify and hold Owner (i.e. Marina) harmless from any and all costs, liabilities and damages incurred by Owner as a result of personal injury or property damage caused by the storage of the vessel at the Marina...unless caused by Owner's negligence...."  For example, the marina's dock burns down from an electical short, and your boat with it, they are not responsible.  The dock master puts a boat next to yours, it catches fire along with yours, they're not responsible.  So you say, no problem, I have boat insurance.  Then you look at your boat insurance policy and it will have a statement saying if you waive your rights against another party (i.e. the Hold/Harmless clause), your policy is void!  In your policy, it would be under a heading stated as 'Subrogation (Right of Recovery)' or 'Impairment of Recovery'.  What they are saying is if you make an insurance claim, the standard procedure is that the insurance co. pays you (that's how it works).  Then, since it's the marina's fault, the insurance co. will try to recover the cost from them....BUT, if you sign the agreement which holds the marina harmless from any liability, then the insurance co. can't recover the funds paid to you.  By signing the hold harmless condition as a slip renter, you now took away any possibility for the insurance co. to recover from the marina.

Check out your insurance policy and the Terms and Conditions you signed when you rented your slip.

I learned all this from looking into new insurance carriers (and reading lots of fine print).

Any feedback/advice/comments from C34'ers that are attorneys would be appreciated.

Roc-

Could the water be coming from inside the anchor locker?  On my boat, there is the forward tank deck plate, an inspection port to access the windlass (which leaked and I had to rebed) and another inspection port forward to access the bolts for the anchor roller.  Or could it be the drain at the bottom of the anchor locker which is supposed to let the water flow out.  Maybe there is a crack there?  There are many areas in and around the anchor locker where water can enter.  Possibly, your boat is on a slight slant which makes the water come from the bow area and run on the starboard side.

Hope this helps.
Roc-