Messages

Hi all,
I'd like to add under counter lighting over the fridge and stove. It looks like the Mk I's had a fluorescent fixture there, but from my admittedly limited experience that light was omitted from the IIs. Hence no wiring to attach a new LED strip to. Has anyone added under-counter lighting in a Mk II galley, and if so how'd you run the wires? There doesn't seem to be a straightforward path.

We did the same trick with the Costco memory foam on our 30, and it worked great. The princess stopped feeling the peas. So far the 34's cushions have been comfortable enough (with a couple of polartec blankets for extra padding) that we haven't needed the memory foam, but we wouldn't hesitate to go that route again.

Pardon the question from the spinnaker nube, but this thread seems timely.

I was talking to my sail guy about getting a whisker pole for my 135 to improve downwind performance, and he said I'd be a lot better off with an asymmetric spinnaker with a dousing sock. He felt it would be easier to deploy than the pole, various guys, and the genoa, would provide better performance, and be easier to take down with the sock than de-rigging the pole. I always thought spinnakers were a PITA, esp. for short-handed sailing. Are the asym's that much easier?

I really don't think he's just trying to sell me a new sail, BTW. He knows he'll get my business with one sail or another. Thanks.

Hi all,
I recently checked the 6V batteries on the C34 we bought last October. These are Trojan 105s manufactured in July 2004 (date stamp G4 by negative pole) so, at nearly eight years old, I figured a replacement was in order. Here's the voltage and specific gravity of the batteries and each cell, after letting them sit for 24 hrs with no charger or load at ~75 deg F.

House batteries: A1 inboard fwd, A2 outboard fwd, B1 inboard aft, B2 outboard aft.

A1: 6.39 VDC, (1) 1.281 (2) 1.281 (3) 1.291
A2: 6.31 VDC, (1) 1.266 (2) 1.261 (3) 1.226
B1: 6.39 VDC, (1) 1.291 (2) 1.288 (3) 1.291
B2: 6.36 VDC, (1) 1.276 (2) 1.286 (3) 1.276

So the bottom line is they still seem to be good. At least for another season (A2 is suspect). I'm getting prices closer to $120 apiece locally, so while the Costco ones are attractive at $80 I'll probably pay the extra 50% for the Trojans. $160 amortized over 8 or 9 years ain't much for something so critical and with a proven track record.

Hi Ralph,
Sorry for the late reply. I think the "Mike" threw me off until I re-read the message. We're at the Bay Club on Shelter Island. We've been there about 4 1/2 years with our '85 Catalina 30, and were able to keep the same slip with our "new to us" 34.
- Mick

Roc/Steve,
The original owner sailed out of Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard. (In fact he still does, but in the Catalina 42 MkII STARLIGHT.) He provisioned the boat with the Maxwell VW500, which has both a chain and rope gypsy on the same head, because he planned to sail to the deeper anchorages of the Channel Islands. My guess is that the VW500 it was an option Catalina offered, along with a beefier bow roller. Since we have it we might as well use it! Going full-chain is - to me, anyway - the logical next step.

Thanks all. I already have the Kong 644.10 (5/16-7/16 chain) anchor swivel which claims a SWL of 4400#. The 1/4" G70's SWL is around 3200# so the swivel *shouldn't* be the "weak link." The CQR already twists in two directions (shaft pivots, built in shackle) so I'm hoping that also reduces the kinkiness.

I'm starting to realize anchor swivels are their own religion. A long-term cruiser I know looked at my ground tackle and told me to immediately get a swivel. A WM salesman I've known for a long time said "It doesn't matter what chain you buy. Here's your point of failure" while he was holding the same swivel I had bought a month ago. Sheesh!

I know I could get away with my 80ft of chain and 250ft of 5/8" poly, but I have the chain gypsy on my windlass and the idea of not worrying about chafing (other than the bridle) and multiple points of failure is really attractive to me. There must be SOMEONE in this group with an all-chain rode!

Many of the Channel Islands anchorages can be 40ft or more. I'd hate to get caught in a situation where I HAD to anchor and didn't have enough rode to do it securely.

I'm considering the 1/4" G70 as opposed to the G40. The SWL is about 500 lbs more than the G4, and the weight's about 15% less. Of course the cost difference is another story, but this is probably one of those areas where you don't scrimp...

Just to close the loop on this. The Catalina rep in Marina del Rey, Tim Braue, found the missing hatch boards in the back of a his varnisher's locker. Apparently they had been taken off the boat prior to sale, but never were put back on. Or varnished, for that mater. :) Anyway, my wife and I drove up last weekend to pick them up. Thanks, Tim!

Hi all,
My recently-purchased '99  has a 35# CQR, 80' of 1/4" HT chaib, and 250' for 5/8" Nylon 3-strand for the primary. I would like to go to an all-chain rode with 300' of 1/4" HT, but I have a couple of concerns. The first concern is weight: 225# of chain plus a 35# anchor seems like a lot to put on the nose of a relatively small boat. Am I going to compromise performance? Second concern is the windlass. The Maxwell V500 has a maximum pull of 500#. I realize I'll never be lifting the entire length, but given all the other factors that come into play is this cutting it too close?

Does anyone have a similar setup they could comment on? Thanks much!

I talked to "HL" at HL Wordworking in LA. Since they made all the C30 and C34 (and probably C36) hatch boards he didn't see a problem making one more.  (Isn't that about 12,000 total?). Cost would be about $250, which isn't too terrible. Yes of course I'll keep the plexiglas. I already made temporary board out of plywood so I could fix the plexi ones, so then I'll have three. Can't have too many of these things ...

I'm hoping before I have to spend the money the originals turn up. Last report is that they were in a former owner's locker in Marina del Rey.

Hi all - my first post. Be kind ...
We just bought a MkII and the original owner replaced the teak hatch boards with smoked plexiglas. The original boards didn't make it through the chain of successive owners, and we'd really like to have those teak boards back. Does anyone have a good aftermarket source for these boards (or have any for sale)? I understand the CA company that made them (H&L Woodworking?) for Catalina no longer makes them since Catalina moved all their operations to FL.