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One other thing you may check is whether your engine box insulation might be intermittantly touching the sending unit on the front of the thermostat housing.  I had this issue and indeed when the throttle was increased the water temperature increased on the gauge.  I put at piece of rubber over the wire/nut and the problem disappeared. 

Hi Mark,

Just to let you know, it is easy to make your own adapter for refilling the CNG tank.  Stu posted all the parts necessary to accomplish this.  It takes a bit of internet searching to find a local supplier and one trip to a machine shop, but I recall I had mine completed in a couple of weeks.

What you would need to determine is whether your state has a public CNG refill area.  Here in Maryland we do.  Many of the buses and taxi cabs and local government vehicles are run on natural gas.  The pump is accessed by using your credit card.  I made my own adapter and have been refilling my CNG tank for several seasons now.  Cost to refill an empty tank .96 cents - not the $50 to $100 charged by those that stock the refilled tanks.  This was money well spent.  Good luck.

D. Gill
#389

Yes.  I removed the aft cabin bulkhead panel and placed the terminal strip on the starboard side piece of wood that supports the CNG tank and is aft of the pedestal, just above the aft H2O tank.  I put the control head to the auto pilot on the starboard side of the cockpit between the aft seat and the end of the starboard seat.  My boat is a 1987.  I then wired in a new seperate 30amp switch solely dedicated to the autopilot.  I placed the "on/off" switch  in the port side sliding door cabinet in the chase that covers the hoses and wires coming from the battery and holding tank etc., just forward of the main electric panel.  I also have a seperate switch there for the anchor wash down pump.  The wires for the autopilot power* were routed through the head and through the port side lazerette.  Hope this is helpful.

*The power to the wheel portion was routed through the pedestal, while the other wiring went to the control head on the starboard coaming.

Ron, you're absolutely right.  This is a very good suggestion.  FPOA has benefited from this regime for many years.   

Hey Ron,  Just for the record, the trans fluid in FPOA is always changed every spring.  So it looks like the good fluid in Stu's photo. 

Another way to remove the emergency tiller cap, if it is seized onto the rudder post, is to use a saw-zall and cut it off.  This worked on the ETC on my boat.  You just need to cut some of the top and front and then pry it off - assuming the bolts are removed.

Hey Jeff,  Thank you for such a comprehensive explanation.  This will be very helpful as I prepare to tackle the same task soon.

What I have done is to add a short length (enough to reach a container set outside of the cabinet) of hose with an in-line valve.  When the ice melts in the fridge I place the hose into a container and open the valve to let the water drain.  It takes a minute or two and then it's done.  The drain hose and valve are then moved back inside the cabinet area.  My fridge drain hose used to be connected to the foot pump and this was not a satifactory set up, in my opinion.   

Hey Stu,

Correct.  The main halyard pulls out of the cam cleat when you do the final hoist from the cockpit.  So no need to go back to the mast.  It really does allow you to single hand efficiently.

Stu,

I have only the cam cleat (non-captive) attached on the starboard side of my mast.  Sorry for the use of the word cleat without the cam...  So, yes once the mainsail is up, the halyard is inserted into the cam cleat and then I go back to the cockpit to finish the hoist with the winch if necessary.  If you single hand at all and have the auto pilot then this task is really easy.  Hope this clears it up.   

Hi Stu and Craig,

What I did was to install a cam cleat.  This allows the hoisting of the main and the use of one's body weight to pull the halyard ~ away from the side of the mast for leverage, cleat it off, return to the cockpit and pull in the slack, then finish the hoist with the winch if necessary (as the halyard will pop out of the cam cleat when the winch is used.  I did drill and tap the screws for the cam cleat attachment.  It works well.   

I followed the directions on this site and made the CNG fill adapter.  I searched the internet for natural gas fuel fill sites and located a natural gas distributor close to where I live.  I have filled the CNG tank twice, most recently yesterday.  I have spent a grand total ~ in refilling of $3.00.  This refill site takes a credit card and it is self serve.  The site is where all of our public buses and other natural gas vehicles fill up.  Check with your local government and see where they fill up.  (The SAFEGAS link is only for the tank exchange)

I really like the CNG as I never have to worry about the fuel finding it's way to the bilge - it's lighter than air.  I did not have to spend the money to retrofit the stove,  build a storage box, add solenoid switches etc.  But what I really like is that I no longer feel like I am being "robbed" by Corp Bros (and their distributors) ~ the previous "only game in town" for CNG tank exchanges.  Hope this is helpful.   

You can specify the Universal engine when you order a new C34.  A friend bought one last year and did just that - he did not want the Yanmar.   

[INSTANT FAN BELT TIGHTENER]

Here is the JC Whitney catalog description for the Belt Tensioner 

Part # ZX156161X
INSTANT FAN BELT TIGHTENER
Quick and easy one-hand operation.

Retail: $18.03
Our Low Price: $10.49 + shipping
You Save: $7.54     

The question asked is whether anyone on this board knows of someone or has a used tank they may want to part with.  Some owners have switched to propane in the past.