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Here is an attempt to post a link to my message in the for sale section about a source for building the adaptors:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5531.0.html

It may be uiseful for those who don't/won't/can't build their own, and perhaps are worried about it being correctly spec'd for the high pressures involved. Here in San Diego there are plenty of CNG filling stations for vehicles, which is where the adaptor can be used.

Personally, I am happy for now to have two CNG tanks on board. If I was planning on heading away from the US, I would probably convert to Propane and put a locker somewhere aft (self-draining of course!).

Stu, if the link thing is wrong, please let me know and I will correct it. Thanks.

Just posted details in the for sale section for someone who can build the CNG tank adaptor for you as per the tech wiki - for $119.85. If you are interested, look him up in the for sale section on my post. Made in San Diego, but he will ship it.....

I was investigating getting a tank adaptor to fill my CNG tanks directly from an LPG Gas Station - the subject of numerous threads on the forum. I now know someone who will  make them for you in San Diego and can ship them to you. The CNG adaptor is as per the tech notes description. If you are interested in getting one of these please get in touch with Justin:

harbordocs@yahoo.com
619.977.8167

Cost: $119.85 plus shipping.
(Harbor Docs is a marine tech unit with a shop at Sunroad Marina on Harbor Island, San Diego)

I just finished installing a Raymarine below decks linear drive autopilot today on my 1987 MKI. Memory does not serve me well but I think it is a Raymarine S1 series autopilot. If people are interested I can look at getting some photos and do a tech wiki on it? Here are some points that I found out about and did during the installation:

1. I contacted Catalina and they sent me photos of an autopilot installed on a MKII. In this case the aft water tank had been removed and the linear drive went aft from the quadrant and was attached to a point under the swim step.
2. I purchased a "tiller arm" quadrant extension thingy from Edson. This attached to the rudder post below the quadrant and is the only way they recommend to be secure attaching a linear drive to the rudder post - they do not recommend directly to the quadrant.
3. I installed this heavy metal tiller extension going directly aft of the rudder post. This means that unlike if you install it to the side, the arc of the tiller arm swinging does not affect the water tank, and there is enough clearance between the rudder post and the water tank to fit in this extension without having to remove the water tank.
4. Next was to remove the wooden lid above the quadrant and replace it with wood going all the way to the starboard hull. Of course, I had to also run the wires and install the brain and the control panel, but I also installed a raymarine A50 and have the two devices communicating by NMEA and using the same run of power cable. (note, after the installation of the motor and drive, there was some flexing in this wood, so today I finished off the installation by glassing with expoxy and fiberglass matting the starboard end of this wooden plank to the starboard hull).
5. The motor and linear drive are installed under his new bit of wood and  directly out to starboard of the tiller extension. The end of the linear drive attaches to the end of the Edson extension.
6. I installed the brain box also in the aft lazarrette on the back side of the aft cabin locker. I installed the flux compass in the Bottom of the locker just aft of the nav table - seemed the most central and below waterline place to put it away from batteries and the engine etc.
7. Coincidentally the top of this new long piece of wood that replaces the old quadrant cover is where I will attach strapping and place my newly acquired second CXNG tank - strapped down laying athwartships on top of this new piece of wood, with the linear drive underneath.
This is a fairly quickly typed out post so i hope it makes sense and is of interest....
Comments welcome...
Mark

Waterdog:
Ok, so I am on the list for a mooring to save some money on slip fees. Issue: powering the batteries with no shore power and away from the boat. Answer: solar panels! But, if I am installing solar, why not do it properly to allow me to use it while crusing/at the hook etc and not just trickle charge the batteries.
I was doing some research. I don't have any canvas on the boat, and if/when I have some spare cash (and after I get new sails...) I would prefer to get a dodger as first priority and then maybe later a bimin.
However, I was looking at a way to install solar panels beyind one of those nasty plastic holders they sell with the panels. I would really like a transom arch, but that is too expensive. I was thinking of building my own frame to mount the panels port and starboard on the puship frame, so that panels could be lifted out to the sides or left flat against the pushpit - but then I went back to my boat, remembered what she looked like, and realized that the pushpit frame does not extend far enough forward from the transom to accommodate solar panels.
I want two panels, to generate some decent power. So, I am thinking to kill two birds with one stone and have a bimini frame built (much cheaper than a really nice looking arch) and have the panels mounted port and starboard on top of the frame. I can add the canvas later....
If the panels are mounted each side, I should still be able to look up from the helm and see my sail trim....so long as when I put the canvas on I include a skylight in the bimini...
So, that is my solar panels thought process so far, and it will be stimulated into action if my names comes up for a mooring....the project is limited by available funds, and my first choice would be a transom mounted arch....

Well, we have a 5 year old that is working very well for, but the youngest won't be 2 until May.  I guess it would have helped if my wife had mentioned the ages of our children.

The tether seems like a reasonable idea that we had considered, but it isn't my first choice.  I am worried about strangulation (Why I don't worry about it with all the other lines is beyond me, but it doesn't seem too difficult to control the sheets).  A tether line is going to be moving around a lot!

For both adult crew and kids, I am of the school of thought that I would rather keep them from going overboard/keep them attached to the boat than have to practise MOB for real. Given that, I like to use the automatically inflatable lifejackets with integral harness, plus a tether, to keep people at least attached to the boat. I have purchased two jacklines (i.e. flat webbing that runs fore & aft from the bow to the stern on each side deck, flat to the deck) that can be fitted and allows anyone going out of the cockpit to attach their tether to.
For my 1 year old boy, I have a range of baby lifejackets but I also found an infant sized harness with tether in a chandlery. The harness can be worn in the cockpit without a lifejacket and is more platable to him than the lifejacket. The lifejacket can be put on over the top or alternatively the tether can be attached directly to the lifejacket. I find that if I attach the tether to the pedestal it also prevents him diving down the companionway - he did fall once while at our slip and I was below and caught him, but not before he bruised his lip on the steps. Scary moment!
I guess there may be a risk of strangulation, the theory being that he will be watched while in the cockpit. I think the netting would be a good idea and I like the idea of an additonal tight line a toerail level as descibed in an earlier post. At a boat show, my son (18 months) was next to me on the dock and he sat down next to a banner that was stretched across the edge of the dock. He thought it was solid and slipped through backwards, ending up upside down in the water. I was there in a microsecond to grab his leg and haul him out, but seeing him in there upside down in the water was absolutely terrifying. He came out screaming and I nearly had a heart attack!
Having seen that image, I am not taking ANY chances of him going overboard - so I wpould prefer him attached to the boat and at least with a lifejackert on if he is not wearing the harness. If we are around and about on the docks, he is now be wearing a lifejacket to run around in.....
In California, if kids less than age 12 are not down below, they have to legally either wear a lifejacket or alternatively be tethered to the vessel.....

As a broker, I notice that most boats are now advertising themselves as CE Rated A for "unlimited offshore". Of course, this means that your boat is seaworthy for those conditions (i.e wind and waves as stated, can't remember the specifics...) Therefore, back to Ken Juul"s point: It does not mean that the boat is equipped or capable of crossing an ocean....mainly due to tankage/saftey gear issues.....
We sell new Beneteau fully equipped for coastal or limited offshore cruising. They are extremely well built boats and CE rated A. However, if anyone is buying the boat for extended crusing or liveboard purposes, there are naturally some improvements or additions that can be made... ranging from bimini/dodger, to watermaker, to various types of additional safety gear etc.....

Chedlin: true. A walkthrough transom has a great advantage for draining water out of the cockpit - interesting if the MK1 closed transom makes the structure of the boat stronger? I have been mulling over ways to put additional or wider cockpit drains in my MK1. Although the companionway entrance is large, I have modified my hatchboards to hold them in, and thus keep water from rushing down into the interior ( a pooping not being an event I anticipate in the near future, but with an eye to future cruises!).
I bought some small plastic clam cleat thingys from west marine and put one on each side of the top part of each hatchboard. I then have bungy cord attached at each side of the companionway so that I can run it up through the cleats on the bottom, or both, of the hatchboards. The cleats grip the bungy so that I can cinch down the boards and keep them in place.
I called Catalina some time ago and asked them about the MkII being CE rated A, and there being no rating for the MK1. There are some specific things that you have to do to a MK1 to get the CE rating. You have to have a metal shield on the bulkhead next to the stove. You have to have a backing panel to the engine start panel. CE is a European thing that boats now conform to. He told me words to the effect that "they had not had to change the manufacturing procedures between the MKI and MKII in order to get the CE rating on ther MKII" - the implication being that the MK1 confoms in terms of strength/quality of build, except for the specific needs of the CE rating. Apparently I could get my boat CE rated, by inspection, so long as I have the things done to it (a previous owner did put the stove screen on, unless it was always there...?)
I think that to say any more, he would have had to get his legal department involved in case I took him at his word and headed out into the southern ocean....

And another thing:
Waterdog, thanks for the input on AVS. I have Beth Leonards book on order and I look forward to it. I found your comments about your cruise heartening. I find the C34 to be a great boat and the use of space below is exceptional.
In the UK, the use of the term AVS is far more widespread. Most information about boats will refer to the AVS and if my memory serves me correctly I remember AVS graphs/curves being readily available.
It is useful, but of course not essential - there is a huge debate about what a blue water cruiser is/should be. Modern boats do not have the same characteristics as older, narrow, full keeled boats. I do look forward to reading Beth Leonards comparisons - and so long as the 34 is "acceptable" I would be comfortable equipping mine and sailing further afield. I take all information "under advisement" and make my own calls....
I recently purchased a book called "20 affordable sailboats" off the Lats & Atts website. It was a breath of fresh air - even though it does not include the 34. It talks about reaching back into a past era (70's - 80's) for a gem of a boat that will make offshore cruising affordable and safe. In the foreword there are also some comments that ring true for me, a Brit, and probably for many on this forum: it talks about what is affordable and safe, and warns not to confuse this with what may be bigger, better and more expensive (i.e. make your neighbor envious and go cruising in a floating condo!) - according to the author this syndrome is a North American thing, which for these older 32-38' boats would only be achieved by "coating them in gold leaf"...hahaha!
So, as long as my 34 is seaworthy, equipped and provisioned, I would be happy going cruising. I have a solar panel project in mind.....

I have two young kids - a 19 month old boy who is everywhere and a 7 month old girl. The baby mainly stays below and I have a lifejacket for her when she is held in the cockpit. I use a tether attached to a harness and/or lifejacket when the boy is in the cockpit. I attach it to the pedestal. I do not allow him out of the cockpit and if he could get over the side, he would! I have been researching lifeline netting and prices etc. We also have a dog that sometimes comes out with us. I think it is a good idea. It would, of course, not be foolproof - but I think that as a preventative measure, along with all the other things such as tethers and lifejackets, it would help (and with the dog).
Stu has a great point - the attachment at the bottom, which I assume is only where the netting contacts the stanchions, and it will only be as good as much as the whole thing is under tension.....If we were at, for example, anchor, and he had a lifejacket on, was being constantly watched, and we had netting, I would relax and let him get about on deck a bit.
Related to my ongoing quest for bluewater capability information on the 34, I was in a bookstore recently looking at second hand cruising books and there was (I forget the name) a wonderful looking book with a photo on the front from the 70's of a world cruising family - looking down from the mast onto the foredeck there was the husband doing something and next to him on the foredeck were two naked babies crawling around! I could see netting on the lifelines and also around the pulpit area.

Well, thanks for all the info and responses. I just wanted to respond to Ken Juul, at great risk of becoming a pariah on this forum!
Thing is, I have to say that being new to this forum, and being new (a year now) to my Catalina 34 does not make me new to sailing. I think that this is a common misconception on this forum - new to C34, not new or inexperienced in sailing in general. Simply because I am asking for some information, does not mean that I am ignorant of, or have failed to consider, other aspects. Now, emails and posts do have a way of being miscontrued, so responses on this forum have the potential to come across wrong. I have been seeking information on basic statistics and facts on the 34. I have also been conversationally relating some recent occurrences on my boat....
Personally, I have been sailing for 26 years. I am a commercially endorsed RYA/MCA yachtmaster offshore with time as a charter captain. I am also a yacht broker (Beneteau - www.scyachts.com) - big confession LOL!
So, I am the first to admit that I far from know it all, which is why I am asking questions. I have serviced engines on a variety of boats. I have completed the RYA Approved Engineering Course. But, my engine everheated and being something beyond a normal event, I had a machanic look at it - apparently it was a thermostat problem. The Universal Diesel is not a complicated animal overall, but I don't have a spare thermostat on board......
In terms of the blue water crusining - I am just doing long term research. I have young kids and the boat is perfect for family cruising here in San Diego. I had a bit of a scare when I thought my wife was going to transfer to Florida and I was going to take the boat through the canal and across to Tampa from San Diego...which I would have happily done (and not sold her!)...but that did not happen so I have much more time to research how far I will go in equipping her.
The question is really - research on whether, at some point in the future, I would take my 34, fully equipped, round the world, or across to Australia, or back to the UK, or whether I would sell her and buy some other boat.....
Now, I will dig my foxhole and wait for the incoming....! ;-)

Thanks Waterdog - I don't understand all the stats that you have written yet - need to read that book. Is AVS (Angle of Vanishing Stability) readily bandied about in the US? I comment becasue i don't see it included there in the stats. That book definitely looks worth a read.
Mike & Joanne: I am waiting for a definitive answer from the mechanic. The fresh water coolant was burning off and there was salt water coming out of the exhaust when I started the engine - I was not driving and there may have been a period where the intake was blocked by kelp???
Apparently the heat exchanged was 40% blocked and he was going to test the thermostat.....so I will hopefully get a diagnosis.....

Pearsons Fuel dock on Shelter Island, San Diego. The exchanged my CNG tank for a filled one ($34). They had a spare tank someone had given them and they sold it to me for $70, plus refill at $34. So I walked away with two filled tanks. Yippee!
Still working on someone to price me a cost for making that adaptor from the techwiki - it is beyond my meagre handyman abilities. The adaptor may be a better long term solution - i.e. filling at the gas station CNG outlet - but I assume that to do that I will have to have my current tanks checked and certified.....?

This raises another question tied in with my "blue water cruising" search for information - how prevalent is CNG outside of the States? This could be a practical issue. A conversion to propane may be a possibility, but I would rather not. If I did change to propane, I would look for another solution to a self draining gas locker as an alternative to the photos I have seen of a locker on top of the steering quadrant in the aft lazerette. This seems to block the storage potential of this locker....perhaps off to the side would be better?

I am currently installing a below decks Raymarine autopilot and as part of that we have removed the wood from the top of the steering quadrant and replaced with a longer piece that goes all the way to starboard. The starboard side would be a good place to put in a propane locker? Since I now have two CNG tanks I am thinking that this elongated shelf would may be the best placxe to store the second tank - by fitting straps onto the wood and lashing the tank down athwartships...

Just some thoughts>......

Hi All,
A search for CNG reveals a lot of posts on the subject.
I am specifically trying to find out the following. I am in San Diego and the tank looks like a scuba tank and is fitted under the seat in the aft cabin:
1. My tank appears old and is not certified (or I do not have the paperwork for that). How do I get it certified? It is white painted with spots of rust. It looks original....
2. How do I get a new tank(s) if mine fails certification/I want another one as backup onboard?
3. What is the deal with this adaptor to fill from a gas station - would I need one and if so where would I get it?

The tank has run out for the first time and I need a workable system for CNG refills as I move forward.
(No, I do not intend to convert to propane - and yes I know personally of two people who were badly injured, one losing a leg, due to a propane explosion on a boat, and in that case a lack of propane safety procedure)

Thanks,
Mark

Thanks everyone for your input. Ken gets my award so far for "closest answer to the question posed"! :-)
Background to the question: I am actually British, finding myself in San Diego due to marriage, and in possession of a wonderful 1987 34 MK1. We were out saiking today in fact. (In fact, not being a US Citizen, the Admiral actually owns the boat, so I am just the driver really - as she told me today....)
I am a qualified RYA Yachtmaster Offshore and I do appreciate the comments regarding oufitting the boat for longer passages and abilities of the crew etc....all very spot on....I am simply looking for theory and base facts to consider as part of my decisions about the future of this boat and any plans to go further afield....in terms of how far would I take her and therefore how much to invest in the 34 vs perhaps not investing so much and looking for a "blue water cruiser" (whole other debate, a lot of which I do not agree with..,, being really heavy is not the answer in itself!!!) for the "offshore" part.
So, if anyone has some basic "handbook" type facts about the AVS, capsize angles, sceening etc, that is great. Kens answer was very useful and informatative.
Actually, despite the numbers I would more than likely take this boat as far as I wanted to go....I am not looking for a floating condo like many are, am happy to "cruise in what I have"......for crying out load, I'm English, and I'm amazed that she actually has a shower, of all things....I'm used to bobbing about in the Channel washing out of a bucket of seawater....;-)
P.S. The engine overheated today in the way back into San Diego Bay from a great sail, freshwater heat/exchanger problem most likely, so we put her onto a mooring buoy to let the engine cool a bit while a friend came out to tow us back into the vicinity of our slip, where the engine went on for 5 minutes to dock the boat....some engine repairs to do now, so the "blue water" equipping plans will be delayed by reality for now....