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Hi All,

Six years ago I replaced the shore power inlet and boat cable end with the SmartPlug kit for 30A 125v single phase.  I was checking where this cable meets the 50A "Y" adapter and found that those pin connections are starting to discolor despite my regular maintenance of cleaning and applying dielectric grease to slow down the corrosion.

I was hoping that SmartPlug would have made a male cable end that would go with their female cable end and I could just replace the cable ends on the shore power cord and the "Y" adapter.  I don't want to replace the connectors with the replacement twist lock cable ends because I will end up back in the same position.

I have been looking at pin and sleeve connectors as a possible replacement.  These are what I was considering: http://www.elecdirect.com/pin-sleeve-devices/30-amp-pin-and-sleeve-devices/ip67-iec309-pin-sleeve-connector-30a-125vac-2-pole-3-wire-watertight  and http://www.elecdirect.com/pin-sleeve-devices/30-amp-pin-and-sleeve-devices/ip67-iec309-pin-sleeve-plug-30a-125vac-2-pole-3-wire-watertight  They are IP6y rated as "watertight".  Has anyone else tried this or have you just replaced the cables or the cable ends with the standard NEMA twist lock marine connectors?

Thanks,
Paul & Cyndi

I have been upgrading my wiring and have reached the point where I have 4 wires attached to each of the positive and negative batery terminals and need to atach my new SmartGauge directly to the batery terminals as well.  I need to add bus bars to shift two of the wires off the battery terminals but the space is already tight with 4 GC2 6volt bateries.  I am looking for sugestions and pictures on where to mount them.  I considered placing them under the sink on the wall common with the batery compartment but that would require driling holes through the bulkhead.

I am atempting to remove the 6 Lemar opening ports in our 1988 to rebed them and i am having trouble removing the botom 4 screws on all the ports.  I suspect that they are corroded in place.  I have been soaking then with PB Blaster but no joy.  Next step it to try a 18v impack driver.  After that heat. Has anyone else had this trouble and what did work for you?

Paul

All,

WestMarine is selling the Balmar SmartGauge on clearance for $180 through 1-15-2018.  This is a Great price 45% off.  https://www.westmarine.com/buy/balmar--smartgauge-battery-monitor--16030900

Paul

I am re-bedding my stanchion.  I did the vented ones already but I am having trouble figuring out how to move the ash batten panel that is back of the top salon shelves port and starboard.  The stanchions that are near the upper shrouds have their outboard two bolts behind those ash panels. Not sure how they are held in place and don't want to break them.  Anyone know how to move/remove them?

Thanks,
Paul

I have finally  chased down a mysterious intermittent leak in the aft cabin of our 88' MKI.  It was coming from the aft water tank.  It turns out that the two bottom screws on either end of the fiberglass cover for the steering gear had penetrated into the water tank within 3/4 of an inch from the top edge of the tank.  I discovered the leak by chance when I had filled the tank to overflowing and then a few minutes latter went into the aft cabin to get something.  I saw water leaking out below the steering gear cover and from the bottom of the aft wood panel.  I removed the cover, the port panel, and the aft panel to investigate.  If found two spots where the screws had penetrated the tank and over time had elongated the holes from the tank shifting port and starboard by about a quarter of an inch each way.   It turns out that all the screws were 1 inch long. The bottom outer screws need to be 3/4 inch to avoid penetrating the water tank. There is a recess in the middle top of the tank so the middle bottom screw does not come in contact with the tank.

I would recommend checking your aft water tank to see if your boat has a similar situation.

The water tank is manufactured by Ronco Plastics.  I called them for advice on how to repair the tank. 866-973-0597.  They said that the only way to properly repair the tank was to heat weld it and that an epoxy based repair product would not bond properly to the poly tank. They also said if I would bring the tank by or ship it to them they could repair it for about $20.  However the shipping cost to California and back to Texas was prohibitive.  Instead I had them ship some repair material and I heat welded the tank myself.  I would recommend watching some of the poly tank repair videos on heat welding on youtube.  It helped me get an idea of the technique to use in my repair. 

It was relatively easy and I did it with the tank in place using a heat gun and the thinner strips they sent me.  You want to use thinner repair strips so that you don't over heat the tank and deform it's shape while trying to melt the repair material into the hole.  I started by heating the strip end and then applied the strip to the tank while applying heat to the strip and the tank together. once the material gets hot enough it becomes pliable and "sticky" and you work the repair material into the hole until full.  I added a little more material beyond filling the hole to make sure I had a good bond to the surface of the tank.  Think rivet head.  I let the repairs cool and filled the tank to over flowing to check for leaks. No more leak.  I purchased two 3/4" long SS screws and ground the tips off to insure that they would not scratch through the tank again.
Paul & Cyndi

Hi all,

While sailing in 15 to 20 knot breeze in the Gulf of Mexico the eyestrap holding the boom vang to the mast broke on the end closest to the deck.  Looks like a victim of crevice corrosion.  It looks like that the eye strap slides into the mainsail track and is riveted in place.

I see two ways to replace the eye strap:
1) Drill out existing holes and tap for machine screw and mount the new eye strap external to the main sail track.

2) using the main sail slide entry to place a eye strap into the track and slid it down into place.  This would require removing the boom gooseneck fitting from the mast.  Drilling out 8 SS rivets.

My question to the forum is has this happened to anyone else and how did you replace it.  Also any advice on my proposed methods or other ways of affecting a repair would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Paul

Hi,
After 8 months our new Leece-Neville 90 amp alternator failed this morning in Marsh Harbpur, Bahamas.  About 45 min into charging the batteries a strong burnt electrical smel occurred and the volt meter dropped from about 14v to around 13 v.  The tack kept working.  I think the internal voltage regulator fried?  I ran the engine to move the boat and it looked like the alternator was working again until I reached 13.5 v and the voltmeter then dropped to 12.5 v. I am going to swap in the old Motorola 55 amp with the Spa-Creek regulator and have the new one tested.  Being in the Bahamas, not sure on parts avalinility.  I called ASC Supply where I bought it, but the only way to get it repaired under warinty is to send it in.  Trying to make it back to Texas by mid Sept and can't wait that long here. 

Anyone have any experience with repairing voltage regulators?  I am assuming one or more of the diodes in the regulators bridge circuit has failed?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Just changed the oil after 100 hours of motoring on our trip and noticed that oil is leaking past the dip stick at the top of the tube.  Watched it for a while and it is defiantly leaking.  So the question is the rubber plug of the dip stick suppose to prevent this and I need a new one that seals better or is my PVC mod for the crankcase vent causing too much back pressure?  I have the vent hose routed through an oil separator  then to the air intake assembly.  Just recently added the connection the the air filter assembly.  Engine runs smooth and starts easily in cold weather so I don't think I have too much blow by.  I don't have my compression test equipment with me. Was thinking of disconnecting the vent hose to see if this helps.
Paul

Hi All,

I have recently been afforded the opportunity after working for a company for 18 years (layoff & severance) to take a 6 month cruse.  We plan to go from Texas to the Bahamas (1200 miles one way).  Anyway we are preparing the boat for the trip. 

Up until this time we were weekend sailors with the boat in the slip tied to shore power during the week.  We would take a one to two week cruse once a year which would involve only a night or two not on shore power.  The boat had the stock 55 AMP alt with a Spa Creek AutoMack and 2 6v golf cart batteries delivering 190AH.  This was fine for our weekend cursing pattern.   

Now with the extended cruse coming, we did an energy budget and found that 110 AH would be our average 24 hour load.  Most of this is the fridge in the tropics.  Not wanting to discharge the house bank deeper than 50% and have a margin of error we decided to add two more 6v batteries to double the house bank capacity to 380Ah.  We purchased 4 new batteries since the original 2 were 4.5 years young and did not want to mix old with new.   Also realizing that the original Motorola alt is approaching 28 years in age and I did not want to rely on a 28 year old alternator putting out near max amperage using the AutoMac for nearly every day for six months to replenish a 380AH house bank. So I was thinking that if I needed a spare then I should upgrade to a higher amperage alternator that would shorten my charge time on a larger bank and use the old as a backup spare.  Unfortunately, time or budget dose not allow us to add solar as Waterdog did for his cruse.  So it will be a new alt and a Yamaha 2K Genset to keep the batteries charged to at least 80%.

The new L-N was $225 with shipping, great piece of mind if you ask me. Also, I did not want to go to the expense of adding a Balmar or similar external regulator.  As Mainesail suggested, I think it is overkill for my use.  We plan to use the Intercoastal water way to get to Florida which could involve a lot of motoring.  Once we get to the Bahamas, we plan on using the techniques spelled out in "The Gentleman's Guide to Passages South: The Thornless Path to Windward" by  Mr. Bruce Van Sant and this may involve some amount of motor sailing too.

So the question is how do I wire in the new alternator, using its internal regulator and achieve the 14.4 volt sensed bulk charge stage that Mainesail mentions is possible with the internal regulator on the L-N.   I have been reading the "Electrical 101" topics but I did not find a great amount of detail on using the internal regulator.  Looks like most skippers chose the external regulator option.

Currently the alternator output is attached to the starter post which connects through the "C" post of the battery switch.  I plan to remove the wire between the AO and the starter post and add a #2 red wire from the AO to the house bank which has a 100A fuse currently.  Do I need to increase the fuse amperage?  I plan to add an additional #4 ground wire from the alt ground to the house bank.  I thought of adding an additional #4 ground wire from the alt to the engine ground point.  Is this necessary?  Now the tack will connect to one of the two AC taps on the alt. 

My concern is that I have missed any additional wiring requirements and how the voltage drop between the alt and the house bank will affect the bulk charge phase since the internal regulator is sensing the voltage at the alt and not the house bank.  Can I take the sensing leads of the internal regulator and extend them to the house bank terminals like external regulators do and achieve a proper bulk charge phase?  OR... I believe there is a POT on the back of the internal regulator on the L-N that sets it's absorption voltage LIMIT?  Can I merely calculate the voltage drop and set the POT to a higher voltage, say 14.6v to compensate for the voltage drop? I plan to keep the AutoMac physically installed in the boat but with the wiring not connected but laying in wait in case it is needed.

I will continue reading the "Electrical 101" pages, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Paul Shields

Just had my st60+ mast head wind instrument repaired by Raymarine factory.  The wiring in the unit was corroded due to water collecting in the socket at the top of the mast where the arm of the instrument joins the cable.  Raymarine recommended cleaning the socket with alcohol and putting plumbers silicon on the threads of the compression nut that holds the wind instrument arm to the cable mount to keep water out of the connection.  I was thinking that applying dielectric grease to the pins of the arm where they fit into the cable socket at the top of the mast would prevent water from reaching the connection pins and prevent corrosion and shorting out the unit. 

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Mainsail is this a good idea? or is there a better method to protect the connection?

I installed this unit in 2009 after the original unit was damaged in hurricane Ike.  A little over a year ago it started working intermittently and eventually stopped working all together.  I took the unit down last month and sent it into Raymarine for repair.

I have what I think is the original Oberdorfer 202M-15 raw water pump on my m25XP engine.  I replaced the shaft and lip seals 3 1/2 years ago and have replaced the impeller every season with one ordered from Depco.  We use the boat year round and a few weeks ago I noticed that the amount of water coming out the transom was not what it should be, so I ordered a replacement impeller.  I replaced the impeller and the flow rate did not improve.  I investigated further and found a stick loged in the thru hull removed it with a long screw driver after taking off the raw water hose.  Put it all back together and much to my suprise the water flow did not improve.  Took of the pump cover plate and polished it's surface and reinstalled.  Still very low water flow.  Took all the raw water hoses off and verified that they were clear.  Took off the heat exchanger end cap and rodded out the tub sheet with a coat hanger.  Still low water flow.  I even ran the engine with the end cap off the heat exchanger to observer the output of just the pump and low water flow.  Thinking that I had toasted the new impeller, I purchased another and installed it.  Still very low water flow.  So I am thinking that the pump body is so worn that I am not getting a good seal on the back face of the impeller.  Is there any way to recondition these surfaces or am I destin to purchase a new pump?  What is the useful fife of these pumps? 3000 hours?

Well the Groco has finaly outlived it's usefulnes, two master rebuild kits in 5 years and it now needs another.  So I think it is time to replace it.  I have been price shopping for the Raritan PHII and the PH LBA and I found the PH LBA at sailboatowners.com for $314 and the PHII at boatersisland for $316.  Sounds like a nobrainer to me, but was supprised that the bowl is only worth $2?  The last time I looked for the LBA I found it to be in the ~$260 range.  Has anyone seen the LBA for cheaper?

All,

I have been trying to use the search engine to find threads on the Adler-Barbour cold machine.  Mine quit cooling this week and I want to search but I get this error on any search I rey:
2: pspell_new()[<a href="function pspell-new'>function pspell-new</a>: PSPELL couldn't open the dictionary. reason: no word lists can be found for the language "en".
File: /home/c34org5/public_html/bbs/Source/search php
Line: 700

Any one else having problems using the site search engine?

Paul

All,

There is a hurrican Sandy damaged 1988 C34 "Loka" up for auction in Atlantic Highlands, NJ.  Anyone looking for a project boat?  The current bid price is $10,900. Here is the link  http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?slim=broker&boat_id=2560279&checked_boats=2560279&hosturl=certifiedsales&&ywo=certifiedsales&&ybw=&units=Feet&access=Public&listing_id=13304&url=

Paul

Hi All,
Need some trouble shooting help with a 12v power supply for the fridge.  I have just finished installing a 12v power supply using John Nixon's wiki artical to run the fridge off shore power when at the dock to save the batteries and charger from extra work.  Seemed simple enough.  But I can't seem to get a +12v reading from the power supply when it is entergized.  I measure 120.8vac across the N & L leads but when I measure from the common and either the +12 or -12 terminals I get a voltage in the millivolt range.  If I connect the 12+ terminal to the "85" terminal of the relay, I get -12.9 v on the 2 -12v terminals but the same low millivolt readings on the +12v terminal. If i connect the "87" relay terminal to the same +12v terminal on the power supply I still get -12.9v on the -12v terminals and lov millivolt readings on the +12v terminals.  If I dissconnect the "85" terminal of the relay, then I get low millivolt readings on both the -12v and +12v terminals.

The power supply is a Mean Well HRP-300-12 (300Watt, 12v power supply).  The boat is an 88"  MKI (hull #551) so I have the older, more power hungry unit.  The question I have is, am I dealing with a bad power supply or a bad relay?  I have rechecked the relay connections versus John Nixon's drawing on the wiki several times and I am pretty sure that those are correct.  The fridge runs on the battery source through the relay so at least the relay is functioning in its non energized state.  So I am leaning toward a bad power supply.  Do any of you out there with a 12v power supply able to read 12v across the terminals if the power supply is not connected to a load?  Any insite into further testing steps would be appreciated.

Paul

After a lively sail in the Gulf of Mexico in 4 to 6 foot seas and 18 knots of wind, we tucked into an anchorage behind Matagorta island.  It wasa little rolls and inward some thing banging around inside the mast.  Was hard to sleep with all that banging and lancing going on.  In the morning I started investigating.  I found that by looking through the variouse halyard entry/exit openings in the mast I could see Avery conduit moving around and the banging coincided with the movement of the conduit.  I also noticed that there are aluminum pop rivets along the forward port side of the mast.  I presume the these we're used to fasten the conduit to the inside of the mast.  I am assuming that old age, corrosion, and all those waves in the gulf caused a few of those rivets to let go. 

The question I have for all of you is how do I go about reattaching the conduit, preferably without pulling the mast.  Has any one noted what kind of clamp goes around the conduit? A picture would be great.   Anyone about to pull their boat and un step their mast for the winter, be willing to post some pictures?

Had a very intresting experience on the boat last weekend.  We were staying on the boat in the slip and in the middle of the night were awakened to the sound and lights of what seemed like arc welding.  I got out of the v-berth very quickly and scrambled to the dock to throw the shore power breaker.  After some investigation and venting the boat of all the smoke, I found the source to be the battery charger which was mounted under the nav table on the hanging locker bulkhead.  After this experience I have a whole lot of questions to answer.
1) why did the main ac breaker in the electrical panel not trip ( it trips each time I run the water heater and the microwave or toaster at the same time)?
2) why did the reverse polarity light come on during the light show?
3) Fried the microwave and the fluorescent light bulb in the main salon ac light fixture but not the coffee pot or alarm clock, strange huh?

The battery charger was a Charles Marine C-Charger 2000Sp 20A model which the PO bought at WM.  Any one else have one of these or experienced a similar event?  After spending most of the week reading up on battery chargers on this site and tentatively deciding on a Xantrex unit I went to WM.  After explaing my situation to my good buddy at WM, my new purchase decision has been further muddled by WM possibly offering me access to their buyer protection service.  They are possibly going to give me a credit toward another Charles Marine battery charger! 

Now I have to decide that do I really want to accept this offer despite the previous unit could have burned to boat to the waterline or even killed my wife and I in our sleep OR do I proceed with buying another brand/model?

Looking for any information on a better way in general to protect the boat from any battery charger doing the same thing and is it worth the possible savings with taking up WM on their gracious offer?

All,

I am about to repair some spots in the deck/cockpit gel-coat and wanted to know if any one has tried the MAS Flex-mold non-skid repair patterns.  MAS lists the repair patterns for Catalina Yachts as patterns 301, 306, 327, and 317. see http://www.masepoxies.com/How_To/Finding_the_Right_Flex_Mold_Pattern.html.  I am pretty sure that the cockpit pattern is #327, but I am not sure on the diamond grid of the deck is either 301 or 306.  I am inclined to go with 301 but it looks like I will need to make a trip to the boat to measure the pattern on the deck to see how many rows per inch our MK I 34's have.  Looking for your feed back on your deck non-skid repair adventures and will share mine as I progress with this project.

Thanks,
Paul
#551, 1988 MKI

This past weekend a new C 355 finished 4th overall in the cruising with spinnaker division of the Harvest Moon Regatta,  a 150 mile offshore race in the Gulf of Mexico.  See http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=4374&show_manufacturer=1&show_crew=1

My wife and I were able to get a tour of the boat on the return delivery trip and for a second considered trading in ours.

Paul

Cyndi opened the drawer under the sink to find it full of water after using the sink.  After removing the drawer to dry she reached in to see if she could tighten the drain where it meets the sink and it came off in her hand.  Seems the plastic drain broke right at the flange.  Found the exact replacement at WM and bought two thinking that the other would also be due to fail soon too.  Pretty straight forward to swap out the flange.  But getting the 90 degree elbow to not leak where it threads on to the drain flange has been a real nightmare.    The elbow should have been designed with a compression gasket where it meets the drain flange like a house sink.  I tried Teflon tape and plumbers putty to no avail.   Should I use pipe dope on the threads and not back off once they are in position for the hose and the tee between them??  What have others tried?  Please reply with your ideas.

I was researching sailboat charter places in Australia and found this C34 MK II for charter. http://www.skipperaclipper.com.au/catalina_34.php  I have been daydreaming of warmer weather to go sailing in.
Anyone else find C34s in charter fleets across the globe?  If you have please add them to this post.

All,

I have developed a leak in the overhead hatch in the head around the dog/latch.  It seams that 20+ years of sunlight has eroded the plastic head of latch bolt that goes through the lens to the point that the latch no longer pulls the hatch tight against it's gasket.  The o-ring is shot/missing also.  Has anyone replaced this latch/dog before and where do I find parts?  Is it a Bolmer or a Lemar hatch?  I have a 1988 model, hull number 551.  I did a search on the web site and found some hits on the forward hatch.  Is the head hatch just a smaller  square version of the front trapezoidal hatch with just a single dog/latch?  Can I just buy a latch for the front hatch and use it in the head hatch?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi All,

I have and older 34 (1988, hull 551) with the silvery engine instrument panel with the two yellow warning lights.  The oil pressure one is near the bottom center of the panel and the other between the key switch and the right/forward edge of the panel.  I had no idea the the other was a starter engage light.  Mine stays on as long as the key switch is on.  When the engine starts the oil pressure warning light and the buzzer go off.  How does the starter engage light work (theory of operation)??  Any trouble shooting ideas?
Paul

Hi All,

Has anyone found a 12 volt coffee maker that works on the boat when out away from shore power.  We try not to use the stove top during the hot Texas summer because it adds heat to an already hot and humid boat.  Cyndi and I really want that hot cup first thing in the morning!  I have tried the "Burton coffee to go" model that I bought from Wholesale Marine, but we had to send it back because the unit did not work right.  Heated the water, but did not pump the hot water through the filter basket into the pot.  Fellow coffee addicts out there please let us know what you do for hot coffee out away from the slip.

Paul

I was at the local boaters consignment shop this weekend and found a really nice neoprene foam helmsman seat cushion that was made for a Catalina 34 mark 1.5 boat.   It is one piece that spans the whole aft seat and has the hump in the middle over the teak insert.  It is approximately 2" thick in the non-hump areas and 7" thick at the hump.  If you are interested, talk to Paul Yurga at the Boaters resale Shop (713) 614-8884 http://www.virtual-harbormaster.com/

All,

I finally got around to rebuilding my Oberdorfer raw water pump using Ron's excellent article in the May 2002 Mainsheet.  The pump no longer leaks, but now I find that the engine heats up when the RPMs are over 2K.  So at 2500 RPM, temp 180 and at 3000 RPM, temp 200.  Before the rebuild always a solid 160.  The old impeller was intact, so there are no impeller bits in the HX.  The only thing that I can think of is that I reversed the hoses on the pump body.  Can anyone tell me the proper water path?  Does the thru hull hose go to the left or right pump nipple?   After some searching on the web site I found that the pump impeller rotates clock wise (thanks Stu!).  With a clockwise rotation, I would think the right pump nipple.  I do not remember which nipple I installed the thru hull hose to now.  Any other thoughts?

Thanks,
Paul Shields

Hi All,

I was wondering what steps do I take to keep my fuel tank/system clean and free of algae and water.  We use the boat on the gulf coast and it is quite humid and hot here.  I have not had any problems so far and we use the boat a lot.  I fill up the tank every two months or so.  The local marine fuel dock that I use has a good reputation for delivering clean fuel. I replace the Rancor fuel filter last month and the filter hardly looked dirty.  What sort of fuel additives should I use to keep the fuel system trouble free?

Thanks,
Paul Shields

The new 2010 Sailrite catalog came in the mail today.  I was paging through it thinking of all the canvas project's in my future and on page 108 I found a 1/4 page picture of Waterdog's spinnaker!  The caption below the picture reads " Steve's Catalina 34 Completed Asymmetrical Cruising Spinnaker Kit"  Steve is in the foreground of the shot too.  Way to go Steve!!

I finished the recommended wiring harness upgrade without to much trouble and wanted to have another pair of eyes/mind confirm that I properly re-installed the Spa Creek AutoMAC.  The wiring and connectors were in surprising good shape for being 21 years old (1988, #551 c34).  No evidence of over heating or corrosion.  One was cracked though.  Instead of the factory black electrical tape, they were held together with cable ties.  Must have been a PO upgrade/maintenance item.  What really surprised me was the length of the charging circuit wire, just over 60 feet!  There was the factory orange and red #10 wires at 15 feet each and the two extra lengths of #10 wire (about 16 feet each) to place the AutoMAC ammeter in series with the engine control panel ammeter.  The AutoMAC is mounted on the starboard side of the engine box/companion way structure inside the aft cabin.

Now for the wiring.  My wiring before the installation of the upgrade kit differed from the original wiring diagram supplied with the kit.  This was due to the installation of the AutoMAC.  The red #10 wire (+ Bat) was connected to the "B" terminal of the ignition switch and a #10 wire was connected from the "I" terminal (-) of the ammeter to the (+) terminal of the AutoMAC ammeter.  Another #10 wire connected the (-) terminal of the AutoMAC ammeter to the "I" terminal of the ignition switch.  So in essence the charging circuit traveled from the alternator to the engine control panel ammeter back to the AutoMAC ammeter and back through the ignition switch before it continued back to the battery switch.  Wow!  The blue/gray wire for the +12v connection for the AutoMAC was connected to the "B" terminal of the ignition switch.

Now after the installation of the voltmeter in place of the ammeter.  I have removed the orange #10 wire from the wiring harness. The #10 red wire and the AutoMAC gray +12V wire remained on the "b" terminal of the ignition switch.  Moved the glow plug wire from the "s" terminal of the ammeter and connected it to the "I" terminal of the voltmeter. Moved wire that connected "b" terminal of ignition switch to "I" terminal of ammeter to now connect "I" terminal of ignition switch to "I" terminal of voltmeter.  My engine control panel wiring now matches the modified wiring diagram supplied with the kit with the exception of the AutoMAC +12v gray wire connected to the "B" terminal of the ignition switch.  I connected the output of the altenator to the + terminal of the AutoMAC ammeter and the - terminal of the AutoMAC to the + post of the starter.  The engine and panel function as before the upgrade and the volt meter reads a steady 14volts while the engine is running.  Have not tried to use the AutoMAC since the upgrade.  Does this all sound correct?  does the AutoMAC +12v gray wire need to be moved from the "B" terminal to the "I" terminal of the ignition switch?  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Paul & Cyndi
Pablo's Girl #551

I have an 1988 c34 and just recently have developed a cabin top leak through the port dorado vent that is just above the chart table/ nav station.  After doing some searching on the web site for various combinations of "leaks" I came across an article about replacing the traveler and it mentioned a leak from the port vent after drilling through the cabin top to install the 9" traveler bolts.  My boat has the factory installed 9" bolts.  Has any one had a similar leak and did re-bedding the traveler fix it? 

Thanks,
Paul & Cyndi

All,

I am looking for a US source for the Dri-Plug 2-pin connector used by my Autohelm on a 88 MK I.  I want an 2 prong male plug that I can attach a standard 12v accessory outlet to so I can power my q-beam and hand held GPS if I am not using the Autohelm.  The plug is already conveniently placed in the cockpit next to the wheel and I would avoid having to cut/drill another hole in the boat.  I think I can order from them directly using pay-pal (do they currency convert?), but that will be a long expensive shipping cost I would like to avoid.  Need to find someone in the US that bulk imports these connectors.

Thanks,

Paul #551