Messages

When I bought my C34 the previous owner had made a smaller round table to replace the standard table when cruising with just 2 people. I wanted to try it but the replacement does not have a mount on it. I went to West M and looked at what they had which was a  plastic pedistal mount (called a spider) for chairs that went to 2 5/8 inch diameter. the diameter of the pole is 2 3/8 inches so it was too big. I went to Home depot and no luck. Anyone know where I can get a bracket for this? Maybe an RV store?
While at Home depot I looked for cabin lighting like described in the thread about that. When I asked the sales person if they had any 12 volt lights he looked at me like a deer in the headlights. RV store too? I have really searched the web and do not find anything that I liked very well as replacements. I went to the Bedi LCD site and saw their stuff but it was all lightbulbs that you use to convert existing lights to LCD. Practical Sailor did not recommend or put down these bulbs, only mentions them as as reliable source for bulbs.

In our, new to us, 1988 C34 we found that the interior lilghting was not bright enough for older eyes to read in the main cabin. We also played games with the grandkids in the evenings on our annual Kids week on the boat and could not see the cards and games very well. We have the 2 way lights , push one way, bright, the other way dim. The V and aft cabins have the little cylindar lights that are bright enough but who wants to go to bed to read?
What have the rest of you done in the way of upgrades? On our last boat we used several flourescents as replacements but were really never thrilled with them. They did fill the cabin but the cabin in the Old ODay 30 was quite a bit smaller.
I see there are now LED bulbs but do not know how they would be for reading. What I would really like is one of the lights I see advertised for reading that give a soft glowing light with no eye strain. Probably do not make them, for 12 volt operation.
Having undergone a detached retina and several surgeries on one eye earllier this year my vision is much poorer than most so I need all the help I can get.
Did anyone put in an overhead light that would fill the cabin? Also has anyone put in those little "courtesy lights", (led's)
along the floor like night lights? I heard these were nice when getting up at night to check the anchor, head visits and so forth.
Terry

I noticed on our last trip that I had very little hot water pressure from the gally faucet. a trickel. Today I went out and checked it out. Seems the metal tube that runs up from where the water heater hose connects up into the faucet itself had "calciumed up inside" I ran a wire up through it and opened it up. It was like salt coming out. When I reattached it ran with a full stream.
on my boat #570 the line comes out the water heater and splits into 2. One for the gally and one for the head.Easily seen opening the door by the water heater

Here in Naples we are thankful that the storm is past us already. Friends from our sailing club were at the Tortugas last week and all sailed to Key West and hunkered down at marinas there. the storm passed well to the West giving them only 45 to 50 mph winds and heavy rain. We all hope this will not be another sesaon like the last two. Terry in Naples

I have been used to  Yanmar diesel and now that I am a new 34 owner need to better unbderstand the Universal xp25. I have had the engine checked out and it runs well, does not overheat, no drips of fuel or oil noticed. Here are my problems.
First is starting. I am not used to glow plugs as my old Yanmar did not have them. I turn the key , count slowly to about 30 then release and push the starter button. Several times the motor would start on one cylinder or two cylinders then finally hit on all 3. When this happens should I wait or turn off and redo the glow plug warm up or try to wait it out until they all fire? Now I am wondering if I really waited long enough for the glow plugs.
Second is docking speed. I have been controling speed by disengaging the transmission, coasting then pushing ahead. At under 10,000 the engine wants to stall out. Last week it stalled as I was approaching my dock and although we were going very slow the momentum made it very difficult to stop the boat. Like a dummy I did not have a line ready to cleat off and the wife and daughter and grandkids tried to reach out and home the pilings alongside. It was not a hard landing but made me aware that this was a much bigger boat then the old ODay 30. I need to have a line ready. My dock is easy, behind the house in a very calm cul-de-sac canal end. But, docking at marinas in wind and tide will be much different.
Lastly how much fuel should I burn in an hour. I think I read somewhere that at cruising speed it shouold be about 1/2 gallon per hour. (I know it varies as to the throttle bnut say I am at aout 2200 to 2400 rpm.) I think I have the oroginal 3 blade prop that comes with the 1988 boat. 

good job, feel proud.....Terry

oops, I did mean 3/8 and down from 7/16. Sorry I wrote from memory and did not get the maunal out.

I recently changed my main halyard. The line I changed out was larger diameter than the one I replaced it with (5/16) . (this is the original recomendation in the manual) Now raising the mainsail is much easier as the line slides through the cam cleat amd lead holes and pulleys much easier. I think the old line was binding in the holes and cleats. Going the other way (changing to larger diameter) you may find the line binding up.
Terry

mine is in the locker beside and under the chart table.  outlets are run to aft cabin, head, main cabin and forward.

I emailed a Honda rep and he agreed with our findings that there was 60 volts per side and that makes 120 V. He said it would light the reverse polarity light.( as it did)  He also said that it shouild work fine and not cause any damage.
As far as I am concerned "case closed"
Thank you all for the input.

The electrician is my cousin is an owner of one of the largest electrical companies in Naples. He has worked on boats for years. He will be sailing with me. We did check polarity on all the circuits and checked with the post I switched and with the feed from the house. We removed the pannel and checked those circuits. We tested using the shore power cords in all the recepticals as described above.  All were ok. The generator was checked and found to send the electricity as explained above. The HONDA 2000 IU is an inverter/generator. I do not know the big differences but it clearly sent out about 60 volts on the meter from each side of the plug in making a 110 amp outlet.
One thing we found is the little red battery switch light always stays on blinking. This light is below center on the panel. Also with the Perko switch on OFF, shore power unplugged and all circuit breakers off I was getting some electrical bleed off and showing 4 amps on the indicator. Does this mean the switch is bleeding current?
always something (Roseanna sanna danna)
Terry

I had an electrician come today to check this "reverse Polarity" situation. It appears that the problem was in the HONDA generator. (if it is a problem) HONDA does not have a set up putting 110 volts on one side and a ground on the other. Instead it separated the voltage into 55 volts per side. (each plug in side containing roughly half the volts needed to make the 110).
The plugs ins on the boat are fine and work ok when plugged into the shore power whether on the post or an adaptor plugged into a extension cord from the house>)
I am told that I am good to go using the HONDA 2000 to run the AC. Also I am told the Coast Guard is now frowning on people carrying portable generators on board. The main problem, being improper ventilation.
Terry in NAples

When I first brought the boat to my dock I plugged in the shore cord(s)and the "reverse polarity " lights came on. I went to the dockmaster post and reversed wires on the main supply connector and they went out. I have a splitter for two 30 amp cords. (One to the boat and one to the AC unit)Today I attempted to see if my AC unit would run with my little HONDA 2000 generator. It did run it, but the "reverse Ploarity" light came on when plugged into the generator. I then plugged the main boat shore power cord into the generator and got the same readaing on that pannel."reverse polarity"
The instructions under the light on the "board" say to disconnect immediatly if the light come on. So what is going on here? Ideas?

The lights on my mast were not like any now in West Marine. The top mast light was not an aqua signal but was a tri color with a strobe and anchor.( no insignia) Upon bringing it down we found the lenses (red and Green)  were just inserted in the housing and had separated as was thought. We just siliconed them in place. The strobe had burned out and the anchor light while it goes on, also lights the running lights. We had to reuse it since no one had an aqua signal complete with foot pad to replace it.
The steaming light and deck light were pitifully coroded and shorted out burning a lot of the wire. A new Aqua Signal relplacement worked well. The windex was fried from sun and Wilma's visit so just replaced it. The VHF antenna up there had lost the extruding wire during Wilma and a new Shakespear antenna made the radio seem like new.
All and all I guess I am good to go. (using my old hanging anchor light at night)

I have a mast climber coming tomorrow  to check out lights. I have a tri color that is either put togerther wrong or is like no other. When on, it has clear in front and back and red and green on the sides. I think the lenses were put on wrong. Should be red /green front and 2 clear on back. Tomorrow we shall see.
Also I have  steaming light that does not work. Also I have a deck light switch that does nothing but shorts out everything when I punch it. I have no idea where that goes but it does not go on the bottom of the steaming light as my old boat did. There is no light there. ??
As for climbing the mast. ?? First idea was I had a cousin bring his bucket truck by and try to reach it. It extends 40 feet from the truck but could not get up high enough. (it did manage to make some nice ruts in the yard next to the sea wall) We looked at how high up that mast is and the new bosun chair and decided that $90/hour was cheap.
I imagine there are as many mast head configurations as there are boats so everyone is differernt.