Messages

Hi everyone:

could somebody recommend a good set of tools to work on the stuffing box' packing and lock nuts? I always strugle using my regular pipe wrenches...

Thanks,

Juan

Hi everybody:

I noticed that rain water is coming inside the boat through the mast. I can see the water marks along the mast when I stand inside the boat. Somebody told me something about the mast boot? do I have to replace this thing? or can I just fix it with something? How do I decide what is the appropriate thing to do?

Thanks for the advice.

Best,

Juan

thanks guys, yes, it looks too risky...

Jim, I might try it one day...I am affraid, however, that the while the boat might pass, I will have a heart attack in the process...
Amazing video, thanks!

Juan

Guys,

the bridge at Choptank River in Maryland limits traffic to 50 feet vertical clearance. The head of the mast of the Catalina 34 (standard rigging) has a distance from the W/L of 49.7 feet. Has anybody gone below this bridge? or any bridge with a limit of 50 feet? Is it safe? too risky?

Thanks for your inputs

Juan

Guys, thanks a lot for the responses.

It was the fuse in the electrical panel as well as the "fuel holder" that fell apart in my hands. Something similar I found on this thread: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6525.0.html

I changed them both.

Best,

Juan

Hi guys,

my ice box stopped working last weekend. I have no idea if the problem is the thermostat, the compressor, or what. I don't even know where the compressor is located...(not easy to find). Any guidance on how to address this issue before having to call a technician would be greatly appreciated.

Best,

Juan

Hi guys,

my boat has some yellow stains across various sections of the hull. Do you have any suggestions of a product to remove these stains?

I would like to polish and wax the hull, but it seems that I need something different first to remove these stains. Also what kind of polish and wax do you normally use?

Thanks,

Juan

thanks guys. Very useful!

Juan

Hi guys:

the screws in my engine panel (at the cockpit) do not keep the panel tight anymore. I cannot use larger (thicker) screws because they will not fit through the wholes of the metal panel. Any good ideas on how to fix this issue?

Thanks,

Juan

Hi guys:

anybody with the "Catalina Smile" problem?, what appeared to be a crack in the leading edge of the keel about 8-10 inches below the hull.
When I bought the boat (5 years ago) it already had it. Never did anything about it, and still it looks the same, but I wonder if I should anything. In addition, the port side of the keel seems to have a crack too. The boat is on the hard and I can see that there is a small trace of water coming out right from the middle of the keel (not from the hull). Odd, normal?

Somebody told me to check the keel bolts and replace them if necessary...what?, are you serious?, I said..

Thanks for the insights.

Juan

Thanks guys, this is really helpful. 

Juan

Thanks a lot guys!

Any tips on how to change the water pump impeller? I couldn't find instructions in this website.

Best,

Juan

Last winter (like any winter in the past 5 years) I winterized my boat. For the engine this means getting rid of the water inside the engine and putting anti-freeze instead. Yesterday, I forgot to open the valve that let water come into the engine, and so I turned the engine on. The engine started without problem. It was working for about 20 minutes before I noticed white smoke coming out of the exhaust. Of course no water was coming out. At that moment I opened the valve and 1 minute later, the smoke was gone and water started to come out of the exhaust as normal.

I ran the engine for one additional hour and move the boat from place to place, and everything seems to be fine. No problem with the engine, good acceleration, etc. I wonder, however, if the fact that the engine was working for about  20 minutes without water may have done something to it that I might see more in the long run. Should I be concern or these engines are so tough that they can handle this kind of stress..

Hi Guys,

Last spring I got an estimate for blister repairs in my boat in the order of 10-12K. Of course these are professional services. They said the boat has many blisters. The various readings are below.
I am trying to avoid spending that much money on the blisters. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to do the job myself. So I was wondering if any of you knows somebody around the Chesapeake Bay area that might be interested in the job without asking for so much money?

Thanks,

Juan

Readings:

Moisture: 30 (Gelcote), 30 (Mat)
Barcol: 15 (Gelcote), 25 (Mat)
Thickness: 31 (Gelcote), 89 (Mat)

Hi there:

the drain in my galley's sink is clogged, I think. When I was dishes, the water stays in the sink and only goes away very slowly (eventually all the water is gone). It has been getting worse during the last 4 months.

I guess something is clogged. The question is how do I go about it? Do I pour a product through the drain? Could it be that something is wrong with the seacock? (I check, it is open, so that is not the problem)

Thanks for the advice.

Juan