Messages

1989  Hull 854 for sale.  $38,500  Feel the desire to go bigger  Located on Bay of Green Bay, Lake Michigan
Fresh water only.  1299 hrs  excellent maintained.  2000w inverter with remote. 4-batteries 1-4D, 2-group 27, 1 Group 24 all AGM.  Newer 40amp charger with remote.  1.7 cu.ft. new Norcold 12 volt fridge under nav station.  Full Batten main with battcar system, newer 150% genoa with roller furling.  Dodger with sunshade.  newer VHF antenna wired with RG8.  Furuno 16 mile radar masthead TV wired with RG6 coax.  newer microwave.  newer anchor light LED.  All interior lights LED.  Salon and V-birth opening ports with sunshades.  Snap on screens on overhead hatches.  Custom cabinet over sink houses radar display and galley dishes.  Newer toilet. newer water heater with exchanger.  newer Standard Horizon with RAM3 full function cockpit mic.  Autohelm 4000 with remote.  Pedestal compass.  Datamarine Dart4 with repeater display on pedestal. Digitar Wind.  Cockpit shower, deck washdown pump.  Manual windless  Carry on AC.   wittspig@plbb.us or leave message at 920-846-3843

My original A/P on my 1989 is a 3000 I think.  I was going to replace it this spring with a linear drive below deck A/P but ran into a couple snags.  This involved new autopilot, radar, wind, depth/speed/temp and display.  Not wanting to spend another 5-7 hundred on a new offset pedestal guard with larger tubing for wires and connecters I have to design a communications conduit at the pedestal.  Installing a below deck tiller arm and the linear drive base is another challenge for me.  Disassemble the rear of the aft cabin and remove the water tank, LP box etc. just became a little overwhelming and looked like it would delay my launch too much so I put it off until haul-out.   So I'm glad to see you've been able to repair yours and I'm open to all suggestions and criticism.

Steve

visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com

Hello All. 

When I fill my aft water tank and it gets full water spits out the vent onto the cockpit floor.  I have never seen any sign of water from my vent for the forward tank.  I found this to be a stanchion vent as in my waste tank.  One difference is, the stanchion that has the waste tank vent in it also has a small hole on the lower inboard side of the stanchion for the vent to breath.
My water tank stanchion vent has NO such hole and the two lifeline passages appear to have an insert sealed through the opening.
My question:  How does the vent breath?  Should there be a hole in the stanchion?
When the tank fills, water will geyser back up but never any sign of water from the vent.

Steve

I know my book called for 3/8 but the PO had 7/16 on so I stayed with it.  I just replaced my Genoa 2, Spinnaker and main halyards with New England Sta-Set 7/16 and it travels fine, without issue, through all sheaves and hardware.  A little more money that he 3/8 but not cost prohibitive. 

Good Luck

Steve

Visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com  and www.warbirdsix.com

Patrice:

I don't remember when I looked at your boat at Coney's, are your halyards 3/8 or 7/16?

I have to use my winch to hoist the sail all the way and will involve a pause or two while doing it.  Trust me, I'm not that out of shape.  I can hoist the sail with little effort at the mast by hand easily over 4/5 of the way before switching to the mast winch. 

While hoisting from in the cockpit even the slightest drag by a furling line will make the task much harder.  I literally will reach over the dodger and pull furling lines by hand to avoid any drag from them.

Lubricating the track isn't an issue with me.  I have a harken battcar system which I highly recommend to anyone.  Just be careful lowering the sail because it can come down in a second or two.  You can even lower the sail while going down wind.

Steve

Visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com  and www.warbirdsix.com

Hey All

My manual calls for 3/8 halyards.  I currently have 7/16 which I want to replace.  I've read posts from the past discussing the two but haven't seen anyone address it from this angle...... My boat is a 1989 so I have the two 90 degree angles on my halyards to the cockpit thereby making is just short of an Olympic event to hoist the main from the cockpit.  So bad, I installed a winch on the mast and do it from there (not fun up or down in bad weather)  Could the 7/16 add to the loss of advantage while making the two direction changes resulting in the near ripping of hardware out of the deck while attempting to hoist the main?  Would the small diameter 3/8 line have less loss during the turns?  All my sheaves work fine.

I slept through my engineering and physics classes.

Steve

Visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com   and www.warbirdsix.com

Mine appears to be leaking from under the frame.  doesn't seem like gasket would have access to that area.  Don't want to sound lazy but if the outside trim ring covers the gap between the fixture and the opening wouldn't it be just necessary to remove the trim ring, check and add adequate caulking, then replace the trim ring?

Steve

Thanks Stu   I did a search via Google and then in the forum but as I said my search skills are remedial.

Typing now from my iPad bluetooth keyboard, feel like the first day with new fingers


Steve

Here we go everyone; remedial question #688 from Steve;

About the only leak (rain induced) I seem to have is the forward opening port that opens to the cockpit from the aft cabin.  It's not terrible, but I sleep on that side and feel the Captain should have a dry berth.

Question:  Has anyone taken these opening ports out to re-bed them?  If so are the vulnerable to breaking?  Are there any tricks involved?  They only appear to have screws on the inside so I"m assuming they screw to the outer frame part. I would really like to re-bed verses replace.  These are the only opening ports on my boat that have reliable screens that really work!

Another question:  Has anyone installed an opening port on the hull in the aft cabin?  Newer boats seem to have them there.  Would it require adding core material between the outer hull and the liner?

Any suggestions and help to the boating impaired (your's  truly)

Steve

visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com  and  www.warbirdsix.com

Using them in relationship to either shrouds or the mast to judge the sail was the explanation he gave me.  The problem I have with that is that if we are to furl to a desired size of say 130%,  then any angle one looks at a mark aligned with either a shroud or mast would be different unless there is an exact position one has to view from and a fixed reference on rigging on the boat.   

I will send a link to this thread to the sailmaker and really would just like an explanation that is real or admission that they were applied wrong and a plan of remedial action.  Am I being a d***head by expecting that???


Steve

Hey all

I was just about to cut my throat due to the constant falling off of my opening port trim rings!!!!!   GGGRRRRRRR

Then I finally looked and saw that there was poor sizing of the opening from the time the boat was built.  My dremmel and a little dust and all the trim rings fit perfect now.  I did replace some of the velcro also with fresh stuff.

Steve.

Now if I could only figure out how the screens go on right I'd be happy.

Steve

Visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com

excuse my lack of artistic ability but:

If my image show up.   the blue foot marks are where I expected them but they were put where the red marks are.

Does anyone know how I would use the red marks?????

Steve

Hello all fellow 34-skippers!!!

I must tap the collective knowledge of all you experienced sailboat skippers.

Last year I ordered a new 150% Genoa.  Part of my order was to include 3 marks on the foot of the sail designating '130', 110', and 100% as a guide to tell me where I happen to furl the sail.  I've had these added to head sails that I've had made for my 27' Catalina and my 31' Allmand in the past.

Previously these marks were on the foot of the sail starting from the tack working back towards the clew.  When I furled to the first mark, I still had 130%, the second 110% and 100% when furled to the last.

On my new sail, the marks start close to the clew and work towards the tack.  I called the sail-maker and was told many sailors like the marks that way.  I have yet to figure out what to reference them to.


Does anyone here have furling marks on the foot of their sail from the clew working forward?  If so, what do you reference them too.

Sincerely
Steve

Please visit us at:  www.ocontoyachtclub.com  and www.warbirdsix.com

Help-Help-Help

I've been struggling with the age old decision, keep my boat (1989 C34 hull 854) or sell and move up to a 36 (I'd love a 350 but budget won't go along)

Keeping my 34, I've decided to upgrade the electronics; new depth, speed, wind, autopilot, radar and GPS.  I've been leaning to B&G because I like the wifi module and really like the 4G broadband radar.  The problem is autopilot.  I have an Autohelm original 1989 era vintage wheel autohelm.  It works good (except rear quarterly seas) but it has the old interface NEMA box and that works poor.  It seems that other than the Raymarine EV100 there aren't any wheel mounted choices.  Ok, that brings us to a below deck drive. 

Is it a huge job to install one?  Will I end up butchering things below deck to get one installed? What is the best choice of a drive, controller, etc?

I've seen a few threads dealing with horror stories of autopilots, strip gears, failed heads, repetitive failures if not precisely installed.

I'm not a mechanic, but I've installed a tiller autohelm (easy install on my 27' Catalina tiller steering years ago) and two hydraulic units on boats.  One on my 30' Sea Ray Sedan Bridge and on on my 3270 MotorYacht.

Any suggestions, comments, recommendations would be deeply appreciated.
Thank You all in Advance!!

Steve

visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com and www.warbirdsix.com

Jon
Sailboats in my past include a kit, Lugar Tradewinds 26,
a Catalina 27 then an Allmand 31 and now my Catalina 34.  I evidently wasn't diligent with spraying on repellent this last year because although I found out too late, it appears I was savagely bitten by the "Twofootitis bug" sometime over the winter.  Considering selling my 34 and moving up in size always brings about apprehension and one of the biggest fears is not having a comprehensive owners forum available such as here on c34.org.  Good luck in your search out west.  One thing for certain, if you get a C34, you will have at your disposal the absolute best owners forum with extremely knowledgeable members that have compiles volumes of helpful references as well as tremendous knowledge.  They have helped me in ways that I know I'm just not capable of contributing back in kind.

Steve

visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com  and www.warbirdsix.com