Topics

1987 Catalina 34 for sale including 8 foot Zodiac inflatable dinghy with outboard engine.
Two headsails - 150LP genoa and 116LP genoa - both in good condition.
electrical system re-wired and Blue Seas circuit breaker panel installed.
Oceanus DSC VHF radio with wireless hand held remote
Simrad WP30 autopilot
AM/FM/CD radio installed
Many extras
Located in Port Jefferson, NY
Contact: Vic Suben at vsuben@optonline.net; 631-513-1679

1987 Catalina 34 for sale including 8 foot Zodiac inflatable dinghy with outboard engine.
Two headsails - 150LP genoa and 116LP genoa - both in good condition.
electrical system re-wired and Blue Seas circuit breaker panel installed.
Oceanus DSC VHF radio with wireless hand held remote
Simrad WP30 autopilot
AM/FM/CD radio installed
Many extras
Located in Port Jefferson, NY
Contact: Vic Suben at vsuben@optonline.net; 631-513-1679

Early in the 21st century (2003 or 2004) the aluminum fuel tank in Surprise my 1987 Catalina 34 had a significant fuel leak, and I replaced the tank at that time.  A couple of weeks ago Tropical Storm Isais tore through Long Island (and other places), and somehow caused a new leak in Surprise's fuel tank.  This time the fuel is not gushing out of the tank, but seems to be leaking slowly. So, I suspect there is either a small hole or small crack in the tank.  Instead of replacing the tank,I wonder if there is some sort of external sealant or patch that I might use to stop the leak more or less permanently. 

Please let me know if you know of something I can use to patch the tank.

Thank you, and keep safe.

Vic Suben
Surprise   Hull no. 453

[Surprise]

I have a 1987 Catalina 34.  I was cleaning the teak handrails with steel wool, and stupidly did not clean up ALL  the steel shavings.  Needless to say, with the next rain, the steel shavings rusted.

No I am faced with getting rid of the rust stains.  Please let me have some suggestions on methods to get rid of the rust stains.

Thanks for your help.

Vic Suben
C34  Hull no. 453
Surprise

After running the M25XP engine after the winter layup, I noticed a slight water leak coming from the area where the raw water pump assembly mounts to the engine block.  When I looked closer, and stuck my hand in the area, one of the nuts securing the pump to the block disintegrated in my hand.  Also, it looks as though the threads on the stud are  corroded.  I'm looking for a material that could be used as a temporary repair until the mechanic can come out and do the repair properly.  Thanks for your suggestions.

Vic

Surprise is a 1987 Catalina 34, hull no. 453.  I started to disassemble the Lewmar 30 self tailing winch to lubricate it to stop the occasional squeal when the winch was under load.  When I checked the Lewmar website to find out about lubricants I found that the pictures and descriptions are different from the winch I have.  On my winch, there is a top plate  secured by four screws.  The screws go through the top plate, and the stripper before entering the threaded holes in the winch body.  When I tried to put the winch back together I was unable to get the holes in the brass plate to line up with the threaded holes in the winch body.  I would like any suggestions on ways to get the holes to line up. (Photo attached)
Thanks,

Vic

I wonder if anyone has seen localized pock marks in the gel coat.  In Surprise, the pock marks are in the water line strip and also just above the stripe.  This is only on the port side.  Any suggestions as to the probable cause and a cure are welcome.

Surprise is 1987 Mark I boat with a standard rig and a Furlex roller furler.  Last year I bought a used jib (~116) in good condition.  I used the jib in the last half of the season last year, and although the sail's luff is not as long as the 155 I had been using, I had no problem furling and unfurling it.  This year is a different story.  I've had problems furling and unfurling the sail.  When I observed that the halyard was wrapping around the headstay, I added a pennant at the tack to get the sail's head closer to the fitting just below the sheave.  This set up worked once.  Now the furler jams when I try to roll up the sail.  I am looking for suggestions as to how to solve this problem.

Thanks,

Vic

 

Surprise is a 1987 Catalina 34.  The plastic frames at some of the opening ports in the main cabin and v-berth keep coming off.  Although i replaced the velcro, the frames still come off.  I am trying to find out if there is another way to secure the frames.

Thanks,

Vic

  When Surprise is hauled for winter storage, I will need to replace the prop shaft. I am planning to start by loosening the set screws holding the shaft in the coupling and then  the stuffing box gland nut.  The next step would be to get the cutless bearing out of the skeg. By tapping the propeller's hub I am hoping to get the shaft out of the coupling.  Finally, I would remove the prop and the cutless bearing and pull the shaft completely out of the boat. If you have pulled the prop shaft, please let me know if my planned procedure will work.

Thanks,

Vic

 :cry4`I was about to start replalcing the hose leading from the holding tank to the "Y" valve, the hose  from the "Y" valve to the through-hull fitting and also to the deck fitting.  Although I had seen the plumbing many times during the years I have owned Surprise, I never really LOOKED at it until I was ready to start this project.  I found the plumbing arrangement in Surprise is counter-intuitive.  The head discharge goes into the bottom of the tank.  A hose from a point near the top of the tank goes to the "Y" valve, and from the valve other hoses connect to the macerator, the through hull and the deck pump out fitting.

I am curious to know if anyone else has seen this sort of arrangement in their boat.  Please let me know.

Vic

Just before Surprise was hauled at the end of last season, I had the harbor's pump out boat pump out the holding tank.  When I started to replace the holding tank's hoses, I found there is still stuff in the tank.  So i guess the pump out boat is not up to the task of getting everything out of the tank.  I am looking for suggestions as to how to remove the remaining bad stuff (probably several gallons) from the tank.
Thanks,

Vic Suben

 


The Bomar hatch just aft of the mast in Surprise is cracked at the corner near one of the dogs.  Can the lens itself be replaced, or do I need to replace the entire hatch.  If the lens itself can be replaced, are there any tricks or special metjpds that I need to pay attention to?  Also, where can I get a replacement lens?

Thanks,

Vic

   Surprise is a 1987 Mark I Catalina 34 with the M25XP engine.  The engine is fitted with an Oberdorfer raw water pump. I am trying to find an inexpensive source for an impeller for the Oberdorfer pump.

Thanks,

Vic

I am considering replacing the electrical panel in Surprise a 1987 Catalina 34.  As part of this change, I would also replace the main battery switch.  To select the correct switch, it would be helpful to know the cold cranking amps of the M25XP.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows the current draw of the starting motor.

Thanks,

Vic

Has anyone had to re-wire the navigation light mounted on the bow rail?  If so, how did you get the wire through the rail?

Thanks,

Vic

Does anyone know the dimensions that a reacher /drifter headsail should have for a Catalina 34 with a keel-stepped mast.  Surprise is a standard (not tall) rig. I need to know the luff, leach and foot dimensions.

Thanks,

Vic

I have a Data Marine Link 5000 instrument set (wind, speed and depth) in my boat.  It recently stopped working, and now I notice that the display flashes intermittently with all the characters showing, and occasionally it displays accurate readings for about a minute at a time.

All the connections are tight and all the fuses are good.  The chartplotter on the same circuit works perfectly.

Has anyone encountered a problem like this, and if so what was the cause?

Thanks,

Vic

Has anyone found a convenient way to clean 25 years of dirt and soot from the exterior of a Universal diesel engine?

Vic

 :sleepy:When replacing the pencil zinc in the heat exchanger, should the threads of the brass holder be wrapped with Teflon (plumber's) tape?

Vic

 

Surprise is a 1987 Catalina 34 (MK I).  In this boat the shelves above the berths in the main cabin are hidden by sliding Lucite panels.  The panels slide in top and bottom wooden tracks.  Unfortunately, during this past season, one of the sliding panels was broken.  I have been unable to remove the broken panel from the tracks.  I am looking for suggestions on how to remove the broken panel from the tracks.

Thanks,

Vic Suben
Surprise - C34 Hull No. 453

I am trying to replace the engine mounts in my 1987 Catalina 34.  I followed all the suggestions in the C-34 forum, but now I find that starboard forward and the aft port mounts are frozen to the studs.  It should be noted that it took a lot of Liquid Wrench to loosen the nuts above the engine mounting flange.

Despite hammering on the mounts with anything on hand and copious amounts of Liquid Wrench, the mounts are still frozen in place.  Does anyone have any suggestions on how I might free the engine from the studs?

Thanks,

Vic Suben
Surprise
C-34 No. 453

Has anyone had experience installing engine mounts and a flexible coupling from R&D Marine?  If so, what were the problems/benefits, etc. with the installation and use of their systems.

Thanks,

Vic Suben
Surprise, C-34 Hull 453

It's time to replace Surprise's  cutless bearing.  However, in the process I would like to move the shaft a few inches to make sure that it isn't worn excessively in the stuffing box (getting quite a bit of dripping).  I have plans for a tool that will enable me to remove and install the bearing without removing the shaft from the boat.

If I loosen the shaft coupling, will I need to realign the shaft when I put everything together?  If so, I would rather just pull the shaft out of the coupling.  I am hoping that someone has a suggestion for a method to slip the shaft out of the coupling.

Vic Suben

I recently learned that a company called Strut Pro makes a tool that enables the removal/installation of cutless bearings without the need to remove the prop shaft.

I found out that the tool costs $395.00 plus shipping.  Because cutless bearings generally last about 5 -6 years, it's hard to justify the purchase of one of these tools unless it's shared bya group.  Perhaps there is a group of C-34 owners who would like to chip in to have one of these tools available when needed.  Or perhaps, the C-34 Association would buy it for use by association members.  The cost of the tool could be recouped by renting it whenever someone wants to use it.

If there is no interest in the above options, perhaps someone knows of anyone who has one of these tools, that I might rent or borrow.

Incidentally, the Catalina 36 Association has one of these tools, but it's only for use by C-36 members (I inquired).

Vic Suben
Surprise

Every so often I notice that the level of anti-freeze in the recovery tank has gone down.  When I check the oil, there is no evidence of the anti-freeze/water mixture, and when I pull the zinc out of the heat exchanger, only clear sea water drains out.  Also, there is no anti-freeze in the bilge (signifying a leak from a hose), and the water heater dispenses pure water.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where the anti-freeze might be going?

Thanks,

Vic Suben
Surprise, Hull 453]

 

After changing the oil and running anti-freeze through the cooling system, I happened to check the bilge before closing Surprise up for her season on the hard.  To my surprise and dismay, there was a considerable amount of diesel fuel in the bilge.  Checking back, I found a slow leak in the tank.

I emptied the tank of as much fuel as the pick up tube would pick up, and then proceeded to get it out of the boat.  While maneuvering the tank out of the rear cabin, I had to tip it over, and some of the fuel from the bottom of the tank ran out through one of the openings.

Although I wiped up the spill as soon as I put the tank in the cockpit, I suspect that some of the oil soaked into the sole.  In any event, the boat now reeks of diesel fuel.  Even though I have left a hatch open to air it out, the boat still smells.

My question is this:  Does anyone know of a way to get rid of the smell of diesel fuel?

Has anyone installed a Simrad wheel autopilot?  If so, were there any problems with the installation and/or the autopilot's operation?

Thanks,

Vic Suben
Surprise, Hull No. 453
Port Jefferson, NY

As I stepped from Surprise's coach roof onto the deck, I accidentally put my foot through the screen on one of the opening ports.  Does anyone know who sells these screens?

I am thinking of installing a Simrad wheel pilot in Surprise.  In the aft cabin I looked at the panel covering the pulleys for the steering system and I did not see any wires coming out.  There are a chart plotter, depth sounder, knot meter and wind speed indicator at the helm.  The wires must run somewhere in order to get over to the circuit breaker panel.  If anyone has found the routing of the wires from the pedestal, please let me know.

Thanks,

Surprise's bottom needs light touch-up sanding this year.  I would like to wet sand the bottom.  But each time I have tried wet sanding in the past (with wet/dry 80 or 100 grit sandpaper) the paper has loaded up so quickly that almost as soon as I started the sander, the paper was loaded.

Does anyone have any tips on what I am probably doing wrong? And how to do it correctly?

Thanks,

Vic
Surprise/Hull No. 453

I have an '87 Catalina 34 the lazarette in the stern is very deep & whatever I store in there winds up either all the way at the bottom, and sometimes half way under the cockpit.  So far I have stored cleaning supplies, buckets, etc. in the aft lazarette.  I'm thinking of moving those items to the locker under the cockpit seat, and moving the dock lines, fenders, etc. to the aft lazarette.

Has anyone figured out a way to keep items at a handy level in the aft cockpit so that you don't have to dive all the way in to get what you need?

Surprise has an M25XP engine with a two-bladed fixed (i.e. not folding) prop.  Although there is no noticeable vibration when the engine is running, there is a noticeable grumble when the engine operates in the 2000  - 2500 rpm range. I suspect that the grumble may be caused by insufficient clearance between the tip of the prop & the bottom of the boat.

Is there a rule of thumb about the clearance required between the boat & the prop that I can check when Surprise is on the hard?

Vic & Judy
Surprise
Hull No. 453

As a birthday present I received a new VHF radio with DSC.  Surprise is equipped with  Garmin 180XL chartplotter.  If anyone has a similar chartplotter, I am hoping they can tell me where in the boat I can find the end of the data/power cable.

Thanks,

Vic Suben
Surprise