Messages

Andy,

The N95 is a particulate mask and won't do much to block the smell. You can find a good inexpensive respirator for around $35 at Home Depot or most building supply stores. While you're there it's a good idea to pick up an extra pack of filters.

Regarding Top Gun's holding tank, no it's not the original. Several years ago it developed a big crack in the side you can imagine how that went or maybe you won't want to. Catalina supplied me with a new exact replacement from Ronco. For that project the respirator was worth it's weight in gold.

FYI, I'm on my 2nd or 3rd head pump (that doesn't count rebuilds) and 3rd or 4th macerator pump as well as various hose replacements so my respirator has come in handy.

Andy,

Whenever I do work on the sanitation system (toilet, holding tank, hoses) I always wear a respirator. Working in such close quarters the fumes can be quite overpowering to the point where I've actually gotten a headache, to say nothing of working with the horrible smell. Using a respirator you don't smell a thing.

Justin,

Good advice from Jim, start a priority list and it will grow fast. Unless there's an actual problem I doubt the motor mounts will be very high on the list. I think it's more of a "well it's about time" kind of thing. I've got an '87 also that was recently out of the water for new bottom paint a prop shaft and some other things. Since my motor mounts are also originals I got the well it's about times so I asked the yard guys (that I trust) about their replacement. After they pull the boat they do a complete inspection and make recommendations. The head guy said they would replace them if that's what I wanted but didn't consider it necessary. He said the rubber was not crushed down or turned to jelly and was still soft and subtle with no cracking, in other words he said "they're still doing their job". As long as your M/Ms are like mine with the season approaching I'd sail the season and do an accessment at the end of the season.

BTW,a nice upgrade would be moving up from a C25 to a C30 moving up to a C34 is like moving up from a destroyer to an aircraft carrier! Enjoy.

Eric,

Totally understandable in your case, with corroded tops the only way to check the condition of the bolts was to drop your keel and inspect. It was probably as much for peace of mind as it was for the repair. Fortunately for Eric it doesn't sound like he's gotten to that point.

Eric,

Solid plan, when you pull the boat next fall you can see how your fix is holding up. Based on my experience where my boat only comes once every four years I'd say your fix will probably last two or even three seasons.

High Current,

As anyone on this board will tell you that's the famous "Catalina Smile", yours doesn't even look that bad. It's your boat, your call of course but I wouldn't drop the keel to fix it, seems a bit like killing ants with a sledgehammer. I'd just open it up with a grinder let it dry out and fill it with the fairing material of choice (I prefer West Systems) and you're good to go. Since your boat comes out of the water every winter you get to check it annually. When my boat goes into the water I'm not going to see that smile for another four years and in the 36 years I've had my boat it's never been a problem just a maintenance thing.

One more thought when you drop the keep it's basically reattached the same way it is now is there any guarantee the smile won't reappear at some point down the road?

Jim,

I'm always leery of any product with word "Magic" in the title. Color matching is always a problem (especially white) and I found results at best are not as bad as it was. And as widespread as the spider webbing is in Derek's case not very practical.

Derek,

The reason the topic doesn't because it's mainly cosmetic rarely structural. "Spider webs" are just nature of the beast when it comes to most fiberglass construction. Cars as well as boats, I've seen a $100,000+ sixties Corvette with spider webs that he wouldn't remove for fear of effecting the originally. If it's something you find can't you can't live with you can grind the deck down to fiberglass and apply a new gelcoat but of course talking about LOTS of time and money and it's quite likely they will reappear sometime down the road. Or, like me, you can just think of it as patina!

Graham,

When it comes to the elbow joints I'd use one or the other but not both, I prefer the tape. When it comes to coolant hoses I just push them on dry and never had a problem on boat or car, clean surfaces of course.

Tim,

You read online people questioning the safety of fill valves? I think I'd take that with a grain of salt. All valves, cylinders, lines and attendant equipment are federally regulated, as an example all high pressure cylinders have to be hydrostatically tested every five years, if you check your cylinder you'll find a current date stamp. The original reason for installing a CNG system on boats was for the safety factor.

Also I can't imagine a CNG system having any effect on the resale value of a boat. When I'm shopping for a boat I'm looking for big ticket items; new sails, updated electronics, dinghy and motor, among others. If I found a boat that checked all the boxes the last thing I'd be concerned about is a CNG system which if I didn't want it could be switched out DIY for a few hundred dollars.

Northinlet,

Get the boat home first then you won't have to do anything from memory.

Dan,

CNG is compressed natural gas it's the same stuff used to heat homes and fuel gas stoves. The advantage of CNG is it's safety factor, it's lighter than air and will exit the boat vertically if there's a leak while propane is heavier than air and can collect in the bilge. I get CNG from the fuel station in my marina and it's done on a tank exchange basis. The tank is located under the seat in the aft cabin originally there should be a gray gas line with a valve, gauge, and screw on fitting on the end of it. Also with CNG fittings the threads are reversed, left tight, right loose. If you plan to use CNG but have no tank you'll have to buy one to start the exchange process.

Justin,

The Catalina is a cruising design, you can make it perform better but you can't make it a racing boat. Maybe for your needs you might want to take a look at a J-boat, it's far easier to turn a racing boat into a cruising boat than the other way around. That excellent skipper is correct a well handled boat will almost always perform better, but if that excellent skipper is racing another excellent skipper it's usually those "minuscule adjustments" that make the difference.

Stu,

I would imagine a tall rig would be a real handful in the Bay.

Justin,

I used to race Top Gun in a "fairly" stock class but there are still a number of things you can do to make the boat point higher and go faster. But like all forms of racing it just depends on how serious you want to get. If you want to point better on the cheap simply loosen the rear lower mast shrouds then crank down the fronts followed by loosening the forestay while cranking down the rear which will put a slight bow in the mast. You'll be amazed at how much better the boat will point. But in racing it's usually not just one thing but a combination of things required to achieve the desired performance. Also a lighter boat is a faster boat that will tack and jibe quicker. And you can lock the prop straight up and down. After that things begin to get more expensive like an actual backstay adjuster, a new set of sails with a loose foot full batten main and a 155% deck sweeper jib, etc. I don't recall the actual improvement in degrees but it did point significantly higher making it faster against the field.