Messages

Noah, you could consider getting one or two of those kneeling pads from  hardware store and standing on them.  Or, like I do, run the boat from in front of the wheel. 

FWIW, there are two types of dodger designs.  One is called "California Style" and I forget the name of the other.  When my dodger glass started to go before I moved to Canada in 2016, I had my local dodger guy come take a look.  The glass was going, but the Sunbrella was just fine.  The dodger was a one piece job that I really liked.  He came up with a great fix.  He added strategic zippers so that the front, the two side panels and the top are now separate pieces, so if one went I could replace just the parts not the whole dodger.  While I haven't had to since he did this work back in May 2015 for the new dodger I had built in July 2004, it is something for everyone to consider when building a new dodger.

There's also a 101 Topic on dodger height everyone should read.

Jon's right, that the one I did.  It's in the 101 Topics, Electrical Systems, Energy Budget.

Winterizing an Engine on the Hard (Thanks to Maine Sail) - NEVER connect a hose to your raw water pump inlet - NEVER!!!

https://youtu.be/PKky09u1fGU

Good news!

Don't forget:

Fuel Starvation and The Obscure Check Ball Valve
https://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,10681.0.html

Noah,

No, you're not missing anything.  The choice of going to the LFP option is, I believe, primarily How You Use Your Boat.  And you have addressed that quite well.

The advantages of LFP battery technology are:  1)  greater USEFUL storage in the same ah capacity - LFP batteries can "use" between 100% down to 20% of their rated capacity, whereas wet cell technology can only use half;  2) lower voltage sag as SOC declines;  3) ability to absorb much HIGHER recharge rates.

#3 is why Maine Sail notes that the supporting electrical generating capacity part of your SYSTEM is a critical component of any LFP upgrade.  Absent higher capacity alternators properly controlled this important part of LFP technology is essentially wasted.  That's why, for example, I mentioned the use of low amperage dc-dc chargers as a silly way to deal with LFP.

Noah's comments are a perfect example of addressing a Balanced Electrical System.

Alex's post addresses it well also.  His choice makes just as much sense for the way he plans to use his boat.

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The batteries wouldn't be a problem, but the inverter is a big beast.

KG, in 1998 I installed a big, heavy Heart Interface Freedom 15 I/C.  I, too, was struggling with location.  At the very same time, Capt. Al Watson in Connecticut was doing the same with his Freedom 10.  I was in California and we "met" each other on this C34 website before the forum began in 2001, so we did it by email.  We agreed that the most opportunistic location was under the nav station desk.  Both of us chose to mount it on the sloping side of fiberglass on the outboard side.  On our Mark I boats that is NOT the hull, but a completely separate wall of fiberglass before the hull with a large air gap between.  Since then I have read about some skippers using the wall between the hanging locker and under the desk, too.  We chose that location because it was close enough to the battery box to run the heavy cables from the I/C through the macerator compartment, under the cabin sole, to the battery box.  Here's Al's writeup from the old Projects page in the pre-forum static website: https://www.c34.org/projects/kindred-spirit/inverter.html

The very best primer for lithium systems is Maine Sail's on his marinehowto website.  https://marinehowto.com/drop-in-lifepo4-be-an-educated-consumer/

Cruisersforum.com also has a good lithium section, trust contributor "jedi" above all others, he knows his stuff.  https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f166/

Please be warned:  The amount of misunderstanding of basic battery technology, even before the complexities of LiFePO4, is simply astounding.  Many people didn't understand how wet cell batteries got charged, what acceptance is, or how alternators and regulators work, even before LFP.  Couple that with LFP and BMS and you end up with the blind leading the blind asking increasingly inane and ridiculous questions.  So, when reading on this subject, carefully consider the sources; the good ones like Maine Sail and jedi are worthwhile.  Most people asking seem to have avoided Maine Sail's 101 completely, and keep reinventing the wheel.  I also continue to get a kick out of people putting in huge LFP banks with tremendous acceptance rates and then limiting their charging ability by funneling it down with wonky small 30A dc-to-dc charger, when a 400 ah LFP bank could easily absorb 150A all the way from 20% to 95% SOC.  Why bother?

I undid the hose clamp on the sink hose, but despite all tugging and yanking the hose did not come off the faucet barb (is that what you are calling the "white blob thingy"?). Maybe I suck at getting hoses off, but this dissuaded me from exploring that route any further. I think I mentioned the large glass-bowl fuel filter that is also mounted under the sink. I suspect it will block the muffler coming out that route as well even if I manage to get the sink hoses off. There are very few one-size-fits-all solutions in these boats.

Tugging and yanking on a hose on a barb will NEVER do anything.  That's why the barb is there:   in case the clamp fails the hose stays there.

In addition to Noah's ideas, what I do is simply slice a bit of the hose and it will come right off.  Unless you have absolutely NO extra hose, cutting 1/2" to 1" off a hose is not a big deal.

I also suggest asking before, unless you were at the boat for the "Dachshund removal day." 

Stu,
I did try the sink route but couldn't even get the sink hoses off. After spending considerable time trying to do laparoscopic surgery through the head sink door,  this was the path of least resistance for me. I guess I will reevaluate the options when the time comes to put the muffler back.

That's helpful info, and the kind that you may have asked first to avoid your Dauschund fun & games.  I understand, but then again I don't.  In post #40 I posted a photo of under the head sink (photo courtesy of Ron).  What part of the sink hose could you not get off?  All I had to do was remove the two hose clamps below the white blob thingies, nothing more was needed for access to the muffler (in my case for replacement but what I recommended for removal, too).  Am I missing something?

Muffler is finally out. It felt like midwifing a Great Dane puppy out of a Dachshund, but it did come out the aft berth after executing a 90 degree clockwise turn. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Junaid,

Of course it was a PITA doing it that way.  Posts #1 and 65-70 discussed this.  I'm happy that you got it out, but am amazed that you bothered to do it the hard way after all the input you received.  How are you planning to put it back?

Rant:  Many of us have spent many years with our boats and have built up a reasonable level of experience.  Some of us have actually documented that experience by writing detailed photographic essays of the work they have accomplished.  In addition, many of us follow this forum and are willing to reiterate that experience and help others to the source of that documentation.  In this case, I provided you with my writeup in the very first post in your thread here, and we discussed it further in posts #65-70, and I even went the further mile and copied the removal part of my tech note for you. I also provided lots of information with sketches, Catalina Yacht documents and photographs in this very thread.  We are trying to have you avoid reinventing the bloody wheel, which is what this website is all about.  I'm not your mother and I'm not mad at you for not taking my advice, but it sure galls me when we've made some serious experienced recommendations that appear to have gone completely by you, because you say "It felt like midwifing a Great Dane puppy out of a Dachshund...", which is a really great line BTW!    I tried to help you avoid this entirely.  I'm sorry you didn't bother.  I'll suggest to you to re-read my recommendations, because when you put it back through the head door you'll wonder why you did it the hard way to get it out.  [Rant over]

I'm the guy who came up with the phrase "Your boat, your choice" but in this case, you just chose the harder option.  Good luck with the rest of the work.

IIRC, Ken Kloeber offered great information on fixing your muffler in post #49, as did Noah just above.

Rick,

The "compleat" answer to your question is:

Lowest cost usually comes from mail order sails, often good deals for standardized sized sails for known and popular boats, more issues for you if something is not right.

Higher cost and assured fit come from more local sail lofts who will come to your boat to measure and install and later adjust your new sail.

You can't have both.

[Edit]  In every single one of these "What sail should I buy?" on the internet, a majority of the answers will be folks letting you know what they bought.  What is almost always missing is the route in which they made their choice, first up these ^^ two issues, then the ones below.  It's the nature of internet communications, and perhaps people don't like to write (or blather as much as I do ), where you get WHAT they bought, not the hows and whys.  I also rarely read anybody saying they were unhappy with their decision, it's rare but sometimes folks will make an admission, usually not for a product, though, but for service.

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I don't recall anybody reporting a serious negative sail maker review on this board (the website's been here since 1998, the forum since 2001).

Two quotes is a very limited pool from which to choose.  Sail Warehouse has "stock" Catalina 34 sails, don't know if Catalina Yachts still does.  Roly Trasker has been mentioned here a lot.  I'm sure a search here on the phrase "+new+sails" would provide you with lots of reading material and more choices, and a Google search would list all sail makers in existence.

Details, details, details...it's all in the details, is so very true.  Reinforcing locations, materials and strength...number of reefs...headboard, tack & clew details...leech adjustment line (often forgotten or neglected)...luff slug selection and materials...etc.  Good sail makers have check lists for all this stuff.

Good luck in your searching, your boat, your choice.

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So possibly, Stu (?) may not have hooked his tach to that special terminal.
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Just to clarify, I've not had this problem (I have an MC-612 properly wired).  I was only answering someone else's question about why their tachs could be not operating with full batteries, which have been a recurring question on the internet for decades.  I agree with Jeremy's answer to you, although I think "...when the batteries appear charged to such a low level..." he actually meant high level.

Gulfsailor, glad to hear you figured your issue out, thx for letting us know.

External regulators usually start up in the bulk mode.  That means the target voltage is always higher than the battery voltage, therefore the alternator is being directed by the regulator to output current.  Hence, the tach will work.

What would cause the tach to not function if the batteries are fully charged?

Please read reply #9 on page 1 of this thread.

STU— I assume that your statement "there is no tach signal with full batteries" does not apply if you are running an external regulator.  Or, some other wiring is set-up differently on my boat, as I have never had this issue. I run my engine with 100% SOC on batteries "all the time" and always have a tach reading.

Doesn't make a difference of external vs. internal regulators. Battery sensing: Internal sensed via AO to bank; external via sense wire from external regulator (although IIRC the Balmar ARS5 doesn't have one, but my MC612 does).

EDIT:  Internal regulators do nothing with their battery sensing, it's only the other end of the AO.  Only external regulators with properly wired battery sensing use that battery voltage to adjust output voltages based on the programmed setting.  In all cases output current is determined by the bank itself.

Also just occurred to me:  do you use your glow plugs before you start your engine?