Messages

Kevin,
Do you have pics of the mod? I'd be interested in the placement of the new leg and where it lands. I've done modifications to railings before but mostly additions, not removal.

Steve,
I'd discussed securing the halyard to the boom but I was concerned with chafe on the outside of the pack from the halyard line.
But honestly, that looks like it could also work too and would be a bit simpler. Since the halyard would be constantly under tension it's tendency to move about should be about nil.
Decisions, decisions......

I bet I speak for all of us with MK1 boats when I say I'd LOVE to see that particular cross bar go. Stepping over that thing is both a PITA and "interesting" when you're tall like me and have to both duck under the bimini and get over the dreaded cross bar.....but it's there for a reason and that reason is the structural support it offers to each side of the pushpit.
That's why Catalina came up with the MK1.5 and MK2 boats, there is more dignity involved with getting on and off those models. 

Well....being completely honest, I'm also protecting the brand new paint on the mast/spreaders from wear. I spent a good bit of time and money painting that tall stick and I'm not going to intentionally rub the paint off if I can avoid it.
I spoke to a friend who has a Pacific Seacraft 34 (they have wide spreaders too) and we noodled up an idea that I think might work.
Attach a pad eye to the mast above the spreaders. (both sides, exact height TBD) Then attach a 2 to 3 foot pigtail with a micro block on the end. The halyard would then be pulled toward the stern and provide the clearance I want between the halyard and spreaders. Actually, doing this should also eliminate the halyard slap you mentioned Alex.
Make sense?

Simple question for those with Sail Packs (Stack Packs) on their C34's.
These systems require a set of halyards that are intended to be loosened or tightened.
The optimal attachment point for the turning blocks is located above the spreaders to provide the proper angle to help hold up the sail pack correctly. These halyards are tied off at the mast base with enough extra line to loosen or tighten the sail pack as needed.
The problem with this is that our C34's have nice wide spreaders, so if you mount the turning blocks in their correct spot above the spreaders, the halyards will chafe at the spreaders. Most folks seem to just locate these turning blocks below the spreaders and live with the harsh angle this causes.
Currently my mast is down and I've closed up the old mount holes in anticipation of mounting the blocks correctly, but I really haven't come up with any grand ideas to do this.
Has anyone come up with or encountered a solution to mount the turning blocks above the spreaders and somehow avoid the chafe?

Guenther,
I'm addressing nothing but engine removal in this reply just in case you decide that is the path you need to take.
I pulled the engine on our boat for heavy maintenance and oil pan gasket replacement. I simply made a stand out of wood the same height as the engine bed, removed the dipstick tube (that was the hardest part) and slid the engine onto the stand. It lived in the galley for a few weeks while all the work was completed and then I rigged up a lift in the companionway hatch to help ease it back into place. I reinstalled the dipstick tube after the motor was reinstalled....again...that part wasn't fun.
Everything was done by me, alone...and it wasn't too difficult to accomplish.
Oh, and the boat was in the water during this project too.
Hope these pics help if you go this route.

Eric— did you get the new coupler faced and shaft lap fit to match your prop at a machine shop locally or do it yourself?

Noah, ever since your reply with that question regarding getting the coupling faced, it's just been eating at me, so I popped that shaft and coupling back out of the boat and ran it by my local (and favorite) machinist and we promptly checked it together....the coupling was out less than 1/1000 of an inch as provided by General Propeller.
If I was impressed with these folks before, I'm even more impressed now.   
Getting that done sure does help my piece of mind too!!! Now to lap that prop. 
Thanks for the tickler!!!

Noah,
I'm lapping the prop and shaft, these items are on my to do list and must be complete before I reinstall the rudder.
The new cutlass bearing is already in place. I've read thru Rods info and it's outstanding!!!
Honestly I should have faced the coupling but I am working with a flexible coupling so I may let that ride.
I haven't checked the run out yet but looking at it visually it appeared to be quite true.

I just replaced our original bronze shaft with a stainless one from General Propeller out of Florida. I'd recommend removing the old shaft and getting exact measurements. I'd added a flexible coupling which pushed the shaft back a full 1" so I simply shortened the original shaft by that and it fits nicely.
The new shaft arrived quickly and included both keys and new bronze prop nuts.
I'm quite happy with this experience.

Gulf and Guys : Whenever you have canvas made Make sure that you specify that the shop use "life of the material thread". You'd be surprised how fast the UV eats up regular thread!!

Ron makes an excellent point here and I want to second that motion. I sewed all my canvas with PTFE thread from Sailrite and am thoroughly pleased with the results. A very dear friend used white "outdoor" polyester thread on his green canvas and he was re-stitching in one year.
My labor was worth the extra cost...and that honestly wasn't much. One large cone did the entire bimini, dodger, connector, three hatch covers, hand rail covers, cockpit coaming compartment covers, engine panel cover and four winch covers and I still have some left on the cone for other projects yet to be thought up.

We have Vetus K-75's all the way around on our M25XP and I'm quite happy with their performance over their three plus years of service.
After looking up the K-40 the rep recommended, I don't see any specs that mention an elongated hole in one of the mount holes. It might be helpful to have a little wiggle room if you need it.
If you do end up going with this mount, please report your experience back to the forum, it would be appreciated I'm sure.

Rick,
The top of the dodger is made exactly like a bimini, it has zippers across the front for the front panels and along the sides for the side panels. Of course there is a zipper across the top on the back for the connector piece. It was a tone of work designing and building it but the versatility is worth it. When the front/sides are removed it provides a nice breezeway for the air to pass thru and can be quite comfortable in hot weather.
Our dodger frame has the hand hold welded across the back and that is outstanding for having something to grab on to when heeling over. I added those side hand rails, I copied this dodger from one that came with our last boat, it worked so well I knew this was the design I wanted.   

I built this bimini/dodger/connector in 2021 and made it so that the front and side panels are removable. They simply use zippers.
We always remove the connector when sailing for an unobstructed view forward.
We have a full dodger for when we want it and can connect both for inclement weather. When it's hot we remove all the windows and enjoy the breeze thru the open dodger and still have full shade.
Quite versatile and easy to use and it doesn't require reworking the frame.
I'd also note that modifying the bimini frame would not be possible on our boat. Look at the boom where it lines right up with the bimini frame.  When sheeted home the boom would hit the frame if it were any further forward.
I can't quite tell from your photo but I suspect you would encounter this issue too.
Best of luck with your project!

Kevin,
I tend to agree after the deep forensic dive I've done on my keel. I love having in depth knowledge of the keel at this point and am happy to share, like I said, my pain, others gain.   
Everyone's boat and everyone's situation is different, but I tend to agree with Ben's choice of opening it up, drying it out and then doing the standard "Catalina Smile" repair along with sealing the bolts in the bilge would be my path.
Another "fun" experiment would be to remove the nut and send some compressed air down around the bolt while someone below checked for bubbles, escaping air, rusty water, etc.
I'd be curious to know if this would reveal anything...other than an obvious path for that bilge antifreeze.

Ben,
What led me to remove the keel this winter was corrosion in the keel bolts, it was especially bad around the tops of several of the bolts and to the point where the tops of the bolts were completely corroded and threads were missing on several, even under the nuts. When I removed the nuts after the boat was hauled and blocked I found that when the boat was originally built and the keel attached, the holes for the bolts was drilled slightly oversized, that would make sense. But I could clearly see moisture in the gaps around the bolts and some corrosion around a few of the bolts going into the stub....so I concluded I could no longer trust the integrity of the bolts and that's why I pulled the keel.
Interesting note......so I pull the keel, and then clean up the bolts to really get a look at the whole bolt, I found that the bolt corrosion was bad above the bilge floor, but not so bad inside the keel stub. Honestly, I still would not have trusted the bolts based solely on the thread condition where it mattered most, inside the nuts....but the bolts themselves really weren't that bad.
A very possible source of the rust you are seeing could be the factory lifting points inserted in the keel when it was poured. There are two of them, one directly below the mast step and one about four inches behind the aft keel bolt. these inserts are not stainless steel and the forward one showed signs of rust. When the keel was attached, there was no special attention to filling or sealing these lifting points...so if water can get to them, they will rust!!!
My pain...your gain. Again, hope this helps you out.