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Just want to make my life easier so open to all solutions.

A lot of good suggestions to think about.  One other thing to consider is recycling the used oil.  My club has a recycling tank that I can just pour the used oil into.  Easy.  I guess one question you want to ask yourself.  Do you want to put the used oil into jugs or have a dedicated system that holds the used oil?
Jim

Ah! Excellent question.  I would say my preference would be into a container that I can then dispose of. 

I can work with a self contained option, but you need to dump it into a container to get rid of it eventually.

It's getting close to that time of year again and I promised myself only the best way to change the oil.

I'm thinking a pump is the way to go but don't have a foggiest idea which one is a good one.

Just want to make my life easier so open to all solutions.

I guess it makes sense to reuse it for the transmission as well. 

[EDITED]

EDITED

(West System has TERRIBLE amine blush - stay away from it.)

I use non blush Mas Epoxy exclusively, and the Mas ratio is more forgiving.  It is compatible with the West additives.
The hardener is what leaves the wax blush-- West 207 hardener is non blush.

I oftentimes mix epoxy in a paper cup and have gone and mixed way too much and of course in a deep cup it gets hotter than you can touch.  I've never come close to paper catching on fire (and wood and fiberglass both have a much higher flash point) melting of plastic and poor cure is a more significant worry.

Edit
One of our C30-ers did a repair on his cockpit sole that had deteriorated/separated in spots--it wasn't a "hard"
job -- he did it from the cockpit side as he has an older boat and (I think) he painted over the repair and may gelcoat it later.
I can put you in touch w/him if desired.

I knew the chemical reaction had a thermal component, but I didn't realize it was that significant.  I'm comfortable doing it as long as I have clear instructions, specific product recommendations, and a step by step for filling in the core.

It's more the later that concerns me.  I have no experience to rely on to help guide me with how much to mix up and put into the void to prevent any damage.  If that part of the repair could be broken down into amounts and steps, I'd be willing to take a shot at it.

For the record, I'm not against having a yard do it either, but I like to evaluate whether or not I can tackle it.  It's bloody expensive to have anything fixed by a yard, and this is just a hobby!

I have managed to get one of the Ryobi meters off ebay in what appears to be excellent condition.

I'll report back when I get a chance to get to the boat.

With respect to epoxy, I have no experience, and would appreciate a bit of guidance.  The 2 brands below seem to be the most commonly mentioned, but which ones make sense for filling the cockpit floor/replacing the plug?  Fast/Med/Slow...? No idea! 😀

https://www.marineoutfitters.ca/index.cfm?category=10060|10075|10696
https://www.marineoutfitters.ca/index.cfm?category=10060|10075|10699

Hi Ron, good to know about that pipe for other projects. However, my SP is mounted on the sprayhood so this isn't an option.

PByrne, yes, I think ziplocks etc are the best option.

Sorry, I was being a bit dim.  It's the dodger you've got you're panel on.  I think the cable clam somewhere on the transom is probably the least intrusive location for the cable to enter the boat.

If using that approach, and keeping your current mounting location, you may consider adding some cable holders (if you can get attractive ones) along the outside of the coaming to the bimini frame, and then from there you can zip tie.  Or, and this is the simplest thing to try, see if it's possible to nicely zip tie the cable from the sprayhood to the bimini frame along the outside of the combing.  Its not a long stretch there maybe it will lie nicely.

Last but not least, consider mounting the panel on the bimini if you have one, not sure from the photo, and if you did, you probably would have thought of that by now! 

I have a cable clam on the port transom just above the davit mount, that the solar cable passes through and I connect that to the panel on top of the bimini.  The cable itself is zip tied for the season cleanly along the bimini framework.

The solar power cable runs from the aft, along the hull to the nav table, and then goes under the floor to the battery area where the MPPT controller is.

On haul out for winter, I remove the zip ties, disconnect the panels, and remove the bimini, fold the frame for the winter.

This works very well, and to be honest I don't know how else you'd want to do this.  The cable clam is out of the way, and you cannot really hide the wires any better IMHO.  You don't even notice it for the season, and it can all be disconnected cleanly.

Maybe this helps for context?  Mine's a 35B.  It vibrates a touch...https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bQR5bexjS8Y

pby : Your vidio definitely tells the story.  Try getting ahold of Warren Tandy (Catalina Yachts @727-544-6681) and have him look / hear your vidio.  He should be able to give you a diagnosis of what is happening and a possible fix.  If warren can't help You might even consider contacting Gerry Douglas.

A thought

I spoke with Warren.  Nice guy.

In a nutshell:

1) investigative drilling from below.  Either 1/4" drill bit working out from the middle in a few spots.  OR small hole saw in the same pattern.
2) if found to be wet, basically create a 'swiss cheese' pattern of holes with large hole saw, not close together, that will allow good access to remove wet core
3) epoxy fill cavity with putty filler(?), polyester, vinylester epoxy.
4) epoy the holes back into cockpit floor
5) sand
6) paint with gel coat from them

I summarized a bit, and I know zero about epoxy so I couldn't provide more details on that, but that's more or less what we discussed.

I'm going to start with rebedding the emergency tiller cover. That's at least an easy way to get a peek at the core without having to drill anything.  If it's dry, then I guess I start drilling.  If wet I'll try and scoop core from there, and move to drilling.

Is it the cockpit sole flexing or an issue with the rudder post and associated bearings making noise, or both? I don't know. But you said "in the past there was a leak at the binnacle feet, enough to wet the cushions..." I again would suggest checking the core in the cockpit to rule out water damage to the core. If you get a high reading on a moisture meter, perhaps drill a few exploratory holes from below into the core and see if compromised. Much easier to cosmetically repair from below. If you eventually need to replace some core sections (hopefully not) there are ways to do it from below and the top. More on that "bridge" if needed, later.

The vid shows it pretty clearly to be the cockpit floor moving.  The floor moving does move over the rudder shaft up/down which is probably what's causing the creaking sound.  Is there something suspect with the bearings?  At this point I don't know, but the deflection of the cockpit floor is what's making the sound.

I have a moisture meter, Ryobi off ebay, coming, but its coming from California, to Ontario Canada via USPS/Canada Post, so it's taking the scenic route to get here..  I'll try the light hammer technique though.  At least that's something.

I had a good conversation with Warren at CY, and he advised the same thing.  Investigative drilling, either 1/4" bit, or small hole saw to see the core better.  He also, said to just epoxy fill, as a replacement for the wood core.

I think the simplest thing to start with is rebedding the emergency tiller cover.  Full removal of the SS ring, and see if the core is damaged there.  If so, maybe I can do the core removal from there, or at least minimize the amount of holes I might have to drill.

If it's not normal, what is the issue?  I'm worried about sailing at this point...

Defiantly not normal.  Although I have never tried bouncing and measuring deflection on Shamrock, it feels solid.  My 2cents would be on a delaminated core.  I do believe it's safe for the rest of the season, wouldn't go much longer than that.  Think long and hard if you want to spend the time, money, and effort into doing it yourself.  IMHO it's not a quick easy fix to make it right. May be time to have a professional look at it to recommend repair and quote for repair.  Now would be the best time for that, before everyone hits them up for winter fixes.
One question.  Is your binnacle solid or does it have some wiggle, squeaks?
Your short video was great, it explains your concerns in detail in 30 seconds.
Jim

I'd have to check the binnacle, but from sailing her, it didn't seem to move. I did have to rebed the pedestal guard foots as they were leaking into the aft cabin.  Could it have been that that caused the delamination?

I'm open to a pro, but how would you fix this yourself?  I'm assuming the core behind the helm to the tiller cover is wet, and that the core needs to be repaired/epoxied.

Thanks! I try to video these things, as it's a lot easier to show than describe.  Also, there may be details that mean nothing to me but something to some one watching.

[NO]

pby : NO the cockpit floor should NOT be Moving!??!  Don't know what to tell you???

A thought

I've recorded the movement here.  You can see the floor in the top of the vid, moving as it squeaks.  If it's not normal, what is the issue?  I'm worried about sailing at this point...

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/psdAQWWWVno

pby : If your rudder "creaks" from vertical movement - then you may need a new nylon bushing the next time you are on the hard!

I have a standard transom and to get rid of my vertical movement I bought a second nylon bushing (sanded is down to make it slightly thinner) and added it over the bushing that was already there.  That extra thickness took out that vertical movement!!!

A few thoughts

The creaking is happen because the cockpit floor is moving.  Is the cockpit floor supposed to move up and down?

Shamrock had a rudder/steering creaking noise when I first got her.  I removed the emergency steering access plate and flushed the top of the rudder post with lots of water while working the steering.  There was a fair amount of dirt.  The Oring on the access plate was bad so I replaced.  That was 15 seasons ago, hasn't returned.
As far as the floor flex.  I have no idea.
Hope that helps,
Jim

Did it creak when simply turning the helm?  It only creaks when you bounce up and down behind the helm on the cockpit floor.  It doesn't creak simply by turning the helm.

The Craftsman stud finder I used to have had 6 or 8 LEDs that indicated the capacitance level. It was good enough to do moisture gradients (and find studs). If you have a cheaper one with only one light it might not be as helpful.

I see.  Yeah I think mine just goes beep beep beep when you get close and solid tone on the edge of the stud.  Not much of a gradient.