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MAINSHEET

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 1

Winter 2015Volume 33 • Number 4

6

10

14

COLUMNS:

5 COVER STORY – WISH YOU WERE HERE… FROM KEN FISHER [C42]

6 VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE BY FRANK FALCONE [C400/445]

8 SAFE JOUNEY BY RICK MENZEL & TODD

ANDREWS [C34/355]

10 SAILING’S MUST-DO LIST BY BRUCE WHYTE [C350]

12 FLEET BUILDING BY ROY HINRICHS [C25/C250/Capri 25]

FEATURES:14 PURE GOLD BY AL FRICKE [C36] At age 70, there is less time to check off

postponed bucket list items. The horizon looks closer. A circumnavigation of Vancouver Island had been brewing since my wife and I cruised a larger boat in Pacific Northwest in 2007/2008...

14 PROMOTING INTEREST IN SAILING BY STEVE COOPER [CM440]

Sailing as a form of sport and/or recreation is starting, once again, to become more popular in the midwest United States...

TECH NOTES:16 A Mainsheet exclusive! Technical

information for your boat that has been approved by Catalina Yachts for accuracy.

ASSOCIATION NEWS:38 Stories and news that’s specific to your

Catalina sailboat.

Share Your Stories with Us!EDITORIAL:

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION:

MOVING?

ADVERTISING:

PRODUCTION:

MAINSHEET

2 C ATA L I N A M A I N S H E E T

Printed in Canada

International All Catalina AllianceAssociation News & Tech Notes: Donna Ferron, 484-678-4592, [email protected] Catalina 470 National Association • www.catalina470.orgAssociation News: Julie Olson, (650) 504-5304, [email protected] Tech Notes: Joe Rocchio, [email protected]

Catalina Morgan 440 National Association • http://catalina440.orgAssociation News: (Outgoing) Lorell Stewart, (214) 280-4449, [email protected] Association News: (New) Robin Joseph Tech Notes: Mike Simpson, [email protected]

Catalina 42 National Association • www.catalina42.orgAssociation News: Ken Fischer, 503-473-7252, [email protected] Tech Notes: Gene Fuller, [email protected]

Catalina 400/445 International Association • www.catalina400.orgAssociation News: Martha and Dan Bliss, 717-676-7635 (cell), [email protected] Tech Notes C400 Hulls: Olav N. Pedersen, 713-907-3301 (cell), [email protected]. C445 Hulls: John Clements, 631-804-9199 (cell), [email protected]

Catalina 380/385/387/390 Int’l Association • www.catalina380.orgAssociation News: Kathy Ahillen, [email protected] Tech Notes C380, C390 Hulls: Michael Gilmore, [email protected] C387 Hulls: Tom Brantigan, [email protected] C385 Hulls: Chuck Couture, [email protected]

Catalina 38 International Association • www.catalina38.orgAssociation News: Chuck Finn, (518) 226-0584, [email protected] Notes: Steve Smolinske, [email protected]

Catalina 36/375 International Association • www.c36ia.comAssociation News: Lauren Nicholson, [email protected] Notes C36 Pre Mk II Hulls: Larry Robcke, [email protected] C36 Mk II Hulls: Nick Caballero, [email protected] C375 Hulls: Francois Desrochers, [email protected]

Catalina 350 International Association • www.catalina350.comAssociation News: Bruce MacGregor Whyte, [email protected] Notes: Bill Templeton, [email protected]

Mainsheet is the official magazine of Catalina Yachts sailboat owners — read by thousands around the world. To submit association news or tech notes for publication in Mainsheet magazine, contact the appropriate association officer for your boat size listed below. Your article might be selected as a main feature or an editorial column, so please consider including a few beautiful photos to accompany your text!

SUBMISSION DEADLINE DATES TO YOUR ASSOCIATION: March 1st, June 1st, September 1st and December 1st.

Managing EditorFrank ButlerPresident Catalina Yachts

Publisher / EditorJim Holder803 Wesleyan CircleEvans, GA 30809Phone (706) 651-0587Fax (706) [email protected]

Associate EditorCarol VandenBerg803 Wesleyan CircleEvans, GA 30809 Phone (706) 651-0587Fax (706) 651-0533

Technical EditorGerry DouglasDesigner & EngineerCatalina [email protected]

Technical articles published herein are the advice and opinion of the individual author solely. Catalina Yachts, Catalina Mainsheet and/or the National Associations are not liable or responsible in any way for their contents or conse-quence.

Database CoordinatorLu Ann SmithNanosec Services(479) [email protected]

To reserve advertising space contactJim Holder803 Wesleyan CircleEvans, GA 30809Phone (706) 651-0587Fax (706) [email protected]

Advertisement of items in Catalina Mainsheet does not imply endorsement by National Associations.

CATALINA MAINSHEET (ISSN 1527-9073) is published quarterly by Eagle LTD. 803 Wesleyan Circle, Evans, GA 30809. Periodical postage paid at Evans, GA 30809, and additional offices.

SUBSCRIPTION to Catalina Mainsheet is available through payment of your One-Design or All-Catalina Association Dues.See page 4.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Catalina Mainsheet, 803 Wesleyan CircleEvans, GA 30809

SUBSCRIBERS: Send address changes to your association. See page 4 for addresses.

1911 Huguenot RoadSuite 301Richmond, VA 23235(804) 897-0495 phone

email:[email protected]:www.landisproductions.com

www.mainsheet.netMainsheet magazine is also available as a password-protected digital download in PDF format so you can print specific pages for archiving in your boat’s 3-ring binder or for easy reading on your favoraite digital devices. Download this issue today!

Catalina 34/355 International Association • www.c34.orgAssociation News: Jack Hutteball (Fleet 5), [email protected] Notes: John Nixon, [email protected] (Associate Technical Editor): Ron Hill (Fleet 12), [email protected]

Catalina 320 International Association • www.catalina320.comAssociation News: Rod Boer, 215-675-8286, [email protected] Notes: Chris Burti, (252) 753-4214, [email protected]

Catalina 310 International Association • www.catalina310.orgAssociation News: Bob James, 614-481-6744, [email protected] Notes: Jesse Krawiec, [email protected]

Catalina 30/309 International Association • www.catalina30.comAssociation News & Tech Notes: Max Munger, [email protected]

Catalina 28 International Association • www.catalina28.netAssociation News: Dave Brower, 949-278-0926(H), [email protected] Notes: Dick Barnes, [email protected] Catalina 27/270 International Association • www.catalina27.orgAssociation News: Peter Zahn, 410-431-5045, [email protected] Notes C27 Hulls: Judy Blumhorst, [email protected], 925.997.0786 C270 Hulls: Phil Agur, 530-677-6229, [email protected] Catalina 26 National Association • www.members.tripod.com/capri26Association News: OpenTech Notes: Open C25/250 & Capri 25 Int’l Association • www.catalina-capri-25s.orgAssociation News: Brian Gleissner, [email protected] Notes C25 Hulls: Paul Zell, [email protected] C250 Hulls: David Gonsalves, [email protected] Capri 25 Hulls: Open Catalina 22 National Association • www.catalina22.orgAssociation News: Rich Fox, 317-815-8599, [email protected]

Visit the association’s websites for full lists of association officers.

Winter 2015 password: W334

This is the third edition of the new format for Mainsheet. As stated in our first issue, we aim to continually fine tune and improve as we go along. One point I want to stress, Mainsheet is, as you know, a quarterly, and therefore we want recent and viable material. Fleet news as such that only relates to local events and happenings are not of great interest to the general audience. Very often these events are from a fleet newsletter. They could be six to nine months old, whereas a fleet website carries more timely information customarily. Fleet news of a general nature that truly is news will be published in a column titled “Fleet Building.”

One other note, if you send an article for your association section and don’t find it right away, we may have changed the headline. Carol loves to give things an intriguing twist. It could be up front in a column or feature section. Well-written and interesting articles get pushed to the front to make for a more “Catalina Family” magazine.

Thanks for all your diligent work and keep those cards and letters coming. –Jim Holder [email protected]

Course Correction

PUBLISHER / EDITOR MESSAGE

This photo was taken in late June 2015 in Milton Harbor, located in Rye New York on Long Island Sound right after dinner. The view is looking North West at Hen Island. The kids and I were on a mini three-day cruise coming from the Morris Yacht & Beach Club on City Island, which is our home club. We spent the night at American Yacht Club as transients, and had a great time. What a beautiful club! The people could not have been nicer! The next day, we took a 5 minute cab over to Rye Playland and rode every ride at least two times! –Steven Frommeyer

ABOUT OUR COVER:

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Mail completed form to the appropriate address listed above along with payment for your Association’s annual dues —make checks payable to your Association.

o NEW o RENEWAL o ADDRESS CHANGE DATE ___________________________________________________________________

Did you purchase your boat new?_______________ Month/Year__________________ If No, name and address of former owner ___________________________________

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Your Name____________________________________________________________ Spouse ______________________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Phone (_________)______________________________________________________Bus: (_________) _______________________________________________________________

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Boat Name_________________________________ Boat Length_________ Hull No. ________ Sail No._________ Keel: o SW o FX o W Mast: o TALL o STD

Berth Location/Marina ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Join an Association or Renew Your Membership

Catalina 470 www.catalina470.orgCatalina 470 c/o PO Box 9207Fayetteville, AR 72703Annual Dues: $25 (US Funds)

Catalina Morgan 440 http://catalina440.orgSteve Cooper24507 W. 110th St.Olathe, KS 66061563-340-2045 cellAnnual Dues: $25 (US Funds)

Catalina 42 www.catalina42.orgCatalina 42 c/o PO Box 9207Fayetteville, AR 72703Annual Dues: $25 (US Funds)Two years: $45 USThree years: $65 US

Catalina 400/445 www.catalina400.orgCatalina 400/445 c/oPO Box 9207Fayetteville, AR 72703Annual Dues: $25

Catalina 38 www.catalina38.orgBob Kirby Annual Dues: Mail-$25.00; Credit Card-$26.00

Catalina 380/385/387/390www.catalina380.orgBob Bierly 80 Thompson Court Reedville, VA 22539 Annual Dues: $25 Two years: $48Outside US: $35 (US funds) Outside US two years: $68(US funds)

Catalina 36/375 www.c36ia.comMembershipGary Bain749 Court St.Auburn, Maine 04210Annual Dues: $30Supporting Member(no Mainsheet): $20Three Years (includes CD): $90

Catalina 350 www.catalina350.comCatalina 350 c/o PO Box 9207Fayetteville, AR 72703Annual Dues: $25

Catalina 34/355 www.c34.orgStu Jackson557 Crestmont Dr.Oakland, CA 94619-2319Annual Dues: $25 Two years $45

Catalina 320 www.catalina320.comCatalina 320 c/o PO Box 9207Fayetteville, AR 72703 Annual Dues $30

Catalina 310www.catalina310.orgCurt Sawyer440 E. 62nd St., Apt 7ANew York, NY 10065Annual Dues $24All Others $28 (U.S. Funds)

IC30A/309www.catalina30.comIC30A c/o PO Box 9207 Fayetteville, AR 72703 Annual Dues $25 US / $30 Other Two Years $45 US / $55 other Associate Member/No Mainsheet $15 US

Catalina 28 www.catalina28.netCatalina 28 c/oPO Box 9207Fayetteville, AR 72703Annual Dues: $20Canada/Mexico $24 (US Funds)All others $27 (US Funds)

Catalina 27/270 International Association www.catalina27.orgCatalina 27/270 c/o PO Box 9207Fayetteville, AR [email protected] Dues: $25Canada/Mexico $30 (US funds)All others $30 (US funds)

Catalina 26 www.members.tripod.com/capri26Mark Shockey10513 Wallingsford CircleDayton, OH 45458Annual Dues: $26All others $26 (US funds)

Catalina 25/250 & Capri 25www.catalina-capri-25s.orgCatalina 25/250 & Capri 25c/o PO Box 9207 Fayetteville, AR 72703 Annual Dues: $22 All others: $28 (US funds)

Catalina 22 www.catalina22.orgDora McGee3790 Post Gate DriveCumming, GA 30040Associate Member/No Mainsheet Annual Dues: $25.00 $14.00 for 4 issues of Mainsheet

Catalina 18Erik Van Renselaar2 Brengle CourtPetaluma, CA 94954

Catalina Owners without Organized Associationc/o IACA Members PO Box 9207Fayetteville, AR 72703Annual Dues: $15

Association members enjoy a wealth of benefits to make the most of your sailboat purchase, including a subscription to Mainsheet magazine! Associations are designed to enhance the enjoyment of owning a Catalina in a number of ways. They are composed of members worldwide who are all committed to Catalina sailboats and seek the camaraderie and support of like-minded individuals. Members include racers, cruisers, weekenders, hobbyists, and all manner of Catalina sailors. In areas where many Association members live near each other, Associations often help facilitate local fleets, whose local participants support one-another and encourage participation in local events and activities. Visit your boat’s Association website today to learn more!

Wish you were here…Postcards from C42 members around the country.Edited by Association Editor Ken Fischer

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Cover story:

Bob & Bev Duff, Chase the Clouds

#776, at anchor. Pelican Bay, Caya

Costa State Park, Lee City, FL

Steve Frommeyer, Lo-relei #681. American Yacht Club, Milton Harbor, Long Island Sound, NY.

Harold Redden, Perseids. On the hard. Nice new coat of bottom paint. Waxing in progress.

Ron & Colleen Betzing, Desperado #708. Mission Bay, CA.

Monte & Joyce Grove, Solaria

#906. New boat parters on their

inaugural cruise in the San Juan

Islands, WA.

For me and Silver Eagle, our 2002 Catalina 400 Mark II, #247; last year was the year for the mother of all bottom panting jobs. It turned out that from 2002 until about 2009, I had not been using ablative paint on the bottom of my boat, which resulted in consid-

erable paint build up over those years. Then, after 2009, I started applying ablative paint, which worked as advertised, sloughing off gradually. However, the older paint under-neath the ablative paint was not holding up and was flaking off the hull taking the abla-tive paint with it. The result was a bottom full of large areas of no paint at all and other areas where the combination of the 2 paints together seemed to be fine. What to do?

Well, the first and easiest solution was to lightly sand and apply more ablative paint.

The thinking here is that over the years, the older paint would continue to flake off taking the ablative with it and, after 2 or 3 cen-turies (conservative estimate), the bottom should look pretty good. Since I tend to be somewhat impatient, the idea of waiting 300 years for the bottom of my boat to look good was, I donno know, excessive – maybe!

Ok, I bit the bullet and went for the full bottom restoration – gulp, the mother of all bottom painting jobs! Using the excellent talents of a local media blasting company (one man operation) with extensive expertise in blasting boat bottoms, I had the bottom of Silver Eagle completely blasted clean of all built up bottom paint; numerous layers, indeed, built up over many years. He did the job in two days complying with all state, federal and local environ-mental regulations – a real site to see, for sure! On the first day, he installed thick plastic sheeting under the supports holding up the boat and all around the boat. Then, he lifted the sides of this thick plastic and taped it to the hull about half way up the topsides-. The result of this preparation effort was a complete under- the- hull enclosure from which there would be no escape of any flake or chip of bottom paint or of any blasting media.

On the 2nd day, he blasted the entire bottom of the boat and the rudder with a dry media that has the ability to remove all (and I mean all) paint but does not harm the underlying gel coat. This finely crushed glass media, not volcanic ash and not soda, was carefully applied to the hull with a pressure of about 80 pounds per square inch (psi). The result was a clean, white bottom just like the day the hull came out of the mold. There was no gouging of the gel coat anywhere on the hull and no paint remaining at all when the job was finished. It’s interesting to note that on the evening of the 2nd day, after the blasting was complete, the contractor called me at home to tell me that the job was finished and that the bottom had absolutely no blistering problems or any other types of defections. He said, “It looks like the day the hull was built – brand new!” This is, most certainly, quite a testament to Catalina’s outstanding construction practices!

Ok, now what? Taking his advice, I decided to apply a barrier coat followed by ablative paint. I chose Pettit 4700/4701 High Build for the barrier Coat. It’s a 2 part epoxy which must be applied under fairly strict weather conditions – no rain in the forecast – tough to achieve in New Jersey!! Lots of prayers were mixed in with the High Build. I applied 3 coats of this Product with a roller.

MAINSHEET Columns

View From the Bridge:

Bottom Painting TimeBy Frank Falcone, C400/445 Commodore


Sheeting and prep work Barrier Coat

Hull After Blasting

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Applying the first coat was a chore. Lots of time and elbow grease were required. The application of subsequent coats went on a bit easier, but it was still no ‘walk in the park’. So, what about where the supports are holding up the boat? What to do there? You can’t paint under them, right? Well, as I learned, you must roll on the High Build up to the edge of the support pads which will leave an ‘epoxy free zone’ under each of the supports.

Also, in order to insure proper adhesion between the barrier coat and the ablative paint, the first coat of ablative must go on while the 3rd coat of barrier is still ‘tacky’, not wet but ‘tacky’! And, of course, no rain in the forecast – more prayers! Also, for each application of barrier coat, it’s essential to work quickly and efficiently because the epoxy, as you’re working, is getting harder and harder to apply. It’s epoxy. That’s what it does! As a breather and rest period for this project, it’s OK to let time go by between coats of barrier coat. It’s not essential to apply the 2nd and 3rd coats while the previous coat is still ‘tacky’. Just the interface between the barrier coat and the ablative requires a ‘tacky’ surface.

After the barrier coat was applied, I was ready to apply the ablative paint. I used Pettit Hydro Coat. This is the first time I used this new product and everything I’ve read about it, so far, is very positive. We’ll see how it holds up in the Chesapeake Bay. I applied 2 coats. I’ve been told that 1 coat = about 1 year of service. So, 2 coats should get be through 2015 ad 2016, right? Hopefully! We’ll see how it works. OK, so, once again, what about the supports? Here, when applying the ablative, I left about a 6 inch perimeter ‘ablative free zone’ around each support pad. So, when this part of the job was completed, there were 2 colors obvious around each support pad; the grey barrier coat (You can buy white if you want to. I chose grey) and the blue ablative paint.

After the entire application was dry (I waited about 3 days), I asked our yard crew to reposition the support pads onto the new surface on the bottom of Silver Eagle. Before doing so, I provided sheets of clean cotton cloth to the crew to go on the pads before they were placed on the new surface. With the initial pad areas exposed, I was able to blend in the 3 grey barrier coats with the dry barrier coat making sure to apply the 1st ablative coat over the 3r barrier coat while the 3rd barrier coat was still ‘tacky’, not wet, but ‘tacky’. The 6 inch perimeters allowed for this blending of both the barrier coat and the ablative paint.

The blasting project cost $2200 and the barrier coat, paint, painting supplies, incidentals and taxes cost about $800. So, for about $3000, Silver Eagle has a new, clean bottom just like when she was first launched. Also, I have the peace of mind knowing that there are no structural or blistering problems with the hull. And, best of all, I didn’t need to wait for 300 years to achieve this goal!

In retrospect, I’m happy that I had this crushed glass blasting job done by an excellent contractor and that I did the painting myself. As we all know, there’s great satisfaction in completing projects on our boats. Also, I’m quick to, emphatically, add that the concept of ‘one and done’ also applies here! From now on, if what I’ve learned about ablative paints is true, I’ll just need to wash down the hull with a garden hose and repaint about every 2 or 3 years or so. The 3 barrier coats were the ‘one and done’ part of this project. We’ll see. Only time will tell!

Hull, Barrier & Ablative The Result


MAINSHEET

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld explaining why operations in Iraq had not gone quite as planned he stated, “We knew what we knew, we knew what we didn’t know, but we didn’t know what we didn’t know.”

My wife Nancy and I had just purchased a 1990 Catalina 34 and we invited our friend Todd Andrews, a skipper himself, to help sail our new craft from Westbrook, Connecticut to Cape May, New Jersey. Rumsfeld’s statement would apply to our voyage.

Having never sailed salt water, Todd and I spent nights and weekends pouring over charts and guidebooks, tide tables, etc. to prepare ourselves for the trip. We felt we had done our homework and we looked forward eagerly to our first adventure on the “big blue.”

If we “knew what we knew”, we also thought “knew what we didn’t know.” We had never sailed at night, let alone in the busy ship-ping lanes of the East Coast and we were deter-mined to be prudent. We picked up the boat in Westbrook and make our way along the coast in cautious hops—down Long Island Sound to the East River, through the legendary Hell’s Gate to New York Harbor and then across the harbor to the Atlantic itself. From the Atlantic Highlands we would proceed down the Jersey coast first to Manasquan, then to Barnegat, and to Cape May and finally to Solomon’s Island.

The first day began with fog over the marina. As Midwesterners, we expected the fog to burn off as the sun rose, but we soon learned this was fog of a very different sort. We motored gingerly out of the marina, down the channel and were swallowed up by the fog. New to GPS we had made our first waypoint not the marina but a random spot in the Sound about a quarter mile out. Between us and our waypoint was a breakwater of very solid granite. The thought of sinking my “brand new” Catalina 34 only ten minutes into our first passage was, to say the least, unsettling. I yelled, “Todd, which way do I turn?” From the bow he replied, “Rick, steer due east, course nine oh!”

The crisis passed, we reached our way point and were on our way. The balance of our trip down the Sound was uneventful and we passed under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, through “Hell’s Gate” and across New York harbor without incident. We rounded Sandy Hook outward bound for Manasquan. The day was sunny with a light breeze so we looked forward to an easy run. But neither of us noticed the fog bank following us or we were willing to look reality in the face and deny it. By late afternoon we reached Manasquan but were engulfed in the fog. The setting sun gave off a diffuse red-gold light, morphing the little children frolicking on the beach into ghost like sprites. We could see neither the marina entrance nor the harbor buoys. We could hear the surf slap against the rocks of the breakwater and caution was the order of the day. We decided to “out run” the fog and continue to our alternate rest stop at Barnegat.

Sailing through the fog we arrived at Barnegat at midnight but the fog there was even thicker, completely blotting out the harbor buoys. We searched an hour for the harbor entrance without success. As discretion is the better part of valor we pressed on to Atlantic City. Using the GPS we sailed all night from buoy to buoy through dense fog down the coast until we picked up the approach buoy to Atlantic City. We were tired and perhaps clueless, but neither of us had given much thought to the growing cloud of steam that followed us down the Jersey coast. Just as we turned shore-wards on at Atlantic City, the engine struck up an anvil chorus. Todd pulled the engine kill switch and I dropped the hook in about 25’ of water. As Todd hit the kill switch I

Safe Journey:

We don’t know what we don’t knowBy Rick Menzel & Todd Andrews, C34/355 International Association

Freighter off Jersey Coast Rick Menzel, left and Todd Andrews, right

New York City

Columns

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knew the problem. Back at Westbrook, another skipper had cautioned me on the dangers of “eel grass,” and its propensity of clogging the raw water intake of a boat. Trying to find the entrance to Barnegat we had probably vacuumed the bottom clean of the vile grass which then blocked the boat’s raw water intake. Cleaning the filter was fast and easy but clearing the rest of the line was a challenge. The angle of the valve housing prevented us from ramming the line clear. But, if I were to go over the side, and attack the problem from below, I would have a straight shot at the obstruction and we would be on our way.

I, the self-sufficient cruiser, came prepared. But as soon as Todd saw me fumbling with my mask, snorkel and fins, he adamantly refused to let me leave the boat until he had secured a line around my waist. I protested as I felt more like a Golden Retriever ready for a morning walk than a salty sailor, but I finally agreed to the request of his overly cautious request. Rope securely fastened, I stepped off the transom and into the clear cool Atlantic waters and was immediately whisked away to the length of the tether like a fish on the line.

“My life flashed before my eyes.” I didn’t realize that we were anchored in four knots of outbound current generated by the now ebbing tide. It was daybreak but the fog was still so thick we could barely make out a boat no more than thirty yards away. Swimming against the current was all but impossible. With Todd pulling and me hauling hand over hand I was retrieved and Todd repositioned the safety line to the port side of the hull, just opposite the engine through hull. With a few short dives the eel grass was removed from the through hull.

Two hours later we were sipping the suds at Trump’s Atlantic City marina and relating the story of our adventures to my wife Nancy. Rums-feld’s statement once thought of as classic Washington double-speak now had real meaning to us. We knew how to land, reef and steer the

sloop. We didn’t know how to use a GPS (at first) or even how use Auto Helm but we were ready to learn. What we didn’t know was that we knew nothing about the fog found along the East Coast. A very personal lesson for us was how strong the outgoing current was that morning and whether I would be able to swim back to the boat if Todd had not first insisted he tie myself to that line. We didn’t know how far out to sea the current ran and what boats, if any, that might have come to Rick’s rescue. How long can you last in 62 degree water? We just didn’t know.

But we knew what we knew. In just four days, we had learned more about ourselves, the boat and the sea in than we could have learned in a thousand hours of classroom lecture. If we were not yet entitled to call ourselves “old salts,” we had taken our first big steps on a long journey from Minnesota’s sweet water to the world of the blue water.

Schooner, Port Washington NY

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Sailing’s Must-do List:

450 Years YoungBy Bruce Whyte, C350 Association Editor

It was March 2015. We were returning to our homeport of Bruns-wick, GA from the Bahamas on a friend’s C42. We overnighted at the St Augustine City Marina for a break from the hook. While there we learned of the celebrations being planned for the 450th Anniversary of the founding of St Augustine, the longest continuously occupied city in the US.

A full weekend plus of activities were planned, most of which were no charge events. The majority of events (the main stage) were held at the western end of the Bridge of Lions, next door to the Marina. So on the spur of the moment we booked a berth in their marina and asked our good friends Rory and Mary to join us.

We had a serious discussion about the weather forecast as it sug-gested the chance of thunderstorms every day of 60% - 90%. Based on past experience with weather coastal forecasts, we decided to go anyway. We left Brunswick on Thursday, September 3rd heading for Fernandina Beach in our boat, C350 number 357, Aussie Mate. She is a 2005 model that has very few additions but which included AIS and a bottom cleaning the day before we left. The latter added at least a knot to our speed.

Cruising down the ICW can be challenging in Georgia due to min-imal depths such as Jekyll Creek. We motored through this area at mid water without touching so considered that a good omen to start. After turning south from the entrance of St Andrews Sound and with winds from the east, we pulled out both sails and had a beam reach along the entire backside of Cumberland Island hitting speeds of 8.5 knots over the ground with an incoming tide. We continued past Fernan-dina Beach and anchored in South Amelia Creek in the middle of the

marshes. Quiet. Alone. Humid. BUT, and it is a big BUT, no mozzies, no see-ums and no alligators! Spicy coconut chicken with pineapple for dinner and some vintage Chateau Cardboard to wash it down.

Next day, motor sailing towards St Augustine, we grounded in the middle of the ICW, the infamous (to us here in the south) marker 73-74. Shoaling in the middle of the channel, less than 4 feet about 90 minutes after low tide. No way around the eastern side, but 9+ feet of water on the western side although you need to be only 10 feet from the western shore. This shoaling is noted in Active Captain interfaced with Garmin Blue Charts. We arrived in time for the 1530 hours raising of the Bridge of Lions and into the Marina, slip 17. Two days of aver-aging 6.1 knots over 16 hours. We calculated we used 0.8 gals per hour motoring at mostly 2,300 rpm.

After fully dressing The Lady Aussie Mate, we grilled lamb chops added orizo, to background live music of Mavis Staples followed by Aaron Neville from the main stage. Then hooked up the power, turned on the AC and passed out.

Saturday morning we finally had our first thunderstorm. It lasted all morning but since our cockpit is enclosed, we just enjoyed it. Took the well worth while grand trolley tour of the City so we could orien-tate ourselves, then checked out some of the numerous art galleries in downtown, ate too much in some of the small cafes and sampled their sangrias, both red and white.

Sunday started with brunch at Centro on King St. followed by ice cream from a local Italian gelatoria. After that hard work, we headed off to the sangria festival in Aviles St. Sitting outdoors for an hour or two watching the passing parade and running of the bulls.

That evening we went to the Flamenco, Classical Spanish Dance presented by Ensemble Español based at the North Eastern University in Illinois. The only way to appreciate the dancing is to look at some videos, (a couple are on the C350IA photo gallery section).

Monday we turned into a lay day doing laundry, catching up with other boaters, helping many leave since it was the last day of the weekend and we had nothing else to do. Undressed the boat and prepared to leave the next day.

We left the Marina in time for the 0730 opening on an outgoing tide and raced out of the marina and headed north towards Fernandina Beach. We had planned on anchoring near Brick Hill River that eve-ning, but a single thunderstorm finally caught up with us around 1400 hours at the Amelia Island Yacht Club. We persisted for a while but it became too humid, the rain too heavy, visibility miserable and the Fernandina City Marina looked like a decent place to stay the night.

So we were forced to eat another basic meal, this time of spaghetti and spicy meat sauce with salad. Of course that was supported by appropriate red wine(s)! However, it was tempered by the fact that we had to traverse Jekyll Creek again. Low tide at the Creek was 1300

MAINSHEET

Aussie Mate dressed

Running of the bulls

Columns

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 11

hours, so we left Fernandina at 0530 arriving at Jekyll at 1100. Still, only one foot below the keel. There is no way to know which side of the Creek is the deepest as it is a wide shallow basin so you just cross fingers and move through slowly (see Active Captain).

We arrived at Brunswick at the amazingly early hour of 1130 hours, moored and relaxed. Overall a trip of 192nMiles, 30.75 hours, 28 gallons diesel resulting in 0.9 gals/hour and 6.3 knots at an average engine rpm of 2,300. The C350 is a thrifty cruiser, but also an extremely comfortable one even with 4 people on board. And what can you say about a city of 14,000 that was so hospitable, tidy, clean and proud of its heritage. Over 100,000 visitors sampled St Augustine which was 5 star in our rating.

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A high performance shape is craftedusing Gary’s 37 years of sailmakingexperience.The latest sailmaking softwareinsures his vision is translated into abeautiful three dimensional shape.A computer driven plotter/cutterinsures our shape is accurately cutfrom carefully chosen cloth.Quality craftsmanship with attentionto detail creates a beautifully finishedsail you’ll be proud of.Call our friendly staff for personal help with your next sail order or visit us online at www.catalinadirect.com.

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• As mentioned earlier, the main events took place next door to the marina. Saturday evening we had back row seats to Emmy Lou Harris and Rodney Crowell

• A fireworks show worthy of 450 years of 40 minutes, set to music and spectacular. It is the first time any of us had seen fireworks that spelt out numbers (450 in red) or names (USA in red white and blue)

• At only $78 per night, it was a bargain for one couple let alone two couples


Fleet BuildingA Mainsheet column to share your ideas on what works to build your fleet.

Rendezvous • Cruise Ins • Raft Ups • Boat Tours On-the-water concerts • Shared projects • Renew friendships New introductions • And more!

What’s new with Fleet 101By Roy Hinrichs, Lake Worth, TX

Catalina 25/Capri 25 Fleet 101 (also known as Fleet LOL) is hosted by the Lake Worth Sailing Club in Lake Worth, Texas (a small town just west of Fort Worth). There are currently 12 Catalina 25’s within our group and all are actively sailing on Lake Worth. The Lake Worth Sailing club has been in existence since 1935 and cur-rently has over 75 members on the books. That equates to 75 families of all ages that regularly participate in this club. The club is private with locking gates and has its own launch ramp and boat hoist.

Lake Worth is a smaller, fresh water lake located on the west fork of the Trinity River. It has a surface area of approximately 3, 489 acres and is relatively a shallow lake with the maximum depth showing as 22 feet and the average depth between 8 and 10 feet. Lake Worth filled on August 10, 1914, becoming the “largest municipal park in the world” as declared by the Fort Worth Parks Commissioner. Since then Lake Worth has been an integral part of Fort Worth’s economy, water utility, and recreational history.

The club boasts of nearly 30 Catalina 22 owners with the Catalina 25 becoming more and desirable, as we continue to grow our group (and realize that the lake is deep enough to support these larger boats). There are also many other sailboats including a fleet of Sunfish, Catama-rans, and other board and single hull sailboats. Some of our Catalina 25’s are rigged for racing, some are stripped with the bare essentials, and some are very nicely configured for weekend camping out on our lake.

Camping: On Lake Worth are two small islands. Both are part of the State Parks. These are Goat Island (famous for the scary Goat Man of LW) and Willow Island (covered with grass and reeds). Each of these are great hideaways for camping on your boat. The club often does a “raft-up” overnighter at Goat Island. This usually includes a nice bbq dinner at the club before everyone ventures out to the raft up. Lately we have had the use of one of our members 30’ hard-top pontoon boat as the central raft-up vessel which provides for a great meeting place for those very late night discussions as we gaze at the moon and the beautiful lighted scenery of downtown Lake Worth.

Sailing: Sailing on Lake Worth is very challenging at times, espe-cially when the winds suddenly decide to shift and throw you off your course. Opportunities for all levels of sailors exist with the ability to sail completely under the I-820 bridge, down to the dam that is located just east of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base - where you can watch some of the latest jets take off and land, or the ability to sail around both islands. For such a small lake, there are definitely many opportunities available to the sailor.

Lake Worth Sailing club also hosts several Regatta’s each year. These include a Sunfish, Catalina 22, and a special race for St. Jude’s Hospital. The club also provides sailing opportunities through our Sailing 4 Heroes program, to wounded veterans who participate as part of their recreational therapy program through the Ft. Worth and Dallas Veterans Administrations. The North Texas area has quite a few Catalina 25’s still in full operation, even though these boats are no longer being made by Catalina Yachts. You have to wonder if we are now part of an elite antique boat category since many of our boats that are still in operation, are over 40 years old!! The great thing about our boats is that parts are still very much available from Catalina Direct. So, how do you find out more about these beau-tiful boats? One way is to frequently visit our forum at http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/ where you will find many of our owners posting articles and asking questions about our boats. There is even a Swap Meet section for selling or buying of our boats and boat parts. You can find more information about the Catalina 25 National/International organization on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Catali-naCapri25) There is a Catalina 25 Owners Group page on Facebook at (https://www.facebook.com/groups/617580098259588/)

Information about the Lake Worth Sailing Club is found at www.lakeworthsailingclub.org The bottom line is that this Catalina 25 fleet lives up to its name/number (Fleet 101 or Fleet LOL). You will always find a Catalina 25 sailing on the lake on the weekends and all visitors are welcome to come out and sail with us as crew. The club has sailing activities every Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoons.

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W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 13

We set off from Nanaimo on July 3, 2015 after two years of daydreaming/planning and two days of provisioning and readying the boat for a long voyage. Not a half hour into the Straits of Georgia, the boat was on her ear despite heavy reefing, and it was then that we discovered that the dishes and coffee maker were breakable. An hour later the sun-rotted furling main clew web broke. Aside from the chart 2 plotter/radar quitting, everything on the boat kept working or was fixable. The charter company was highly responsive to the broken clew and it was repaired per-fectly in the marina at Campbell River.

Overall, the worrisome passages turned out to be a piece of cake on this particular trip. One person (obvi-ously not a boater) begged us not to go through the Seymour Narrows because “boats get swallowed by the whirlpools there.” Following the cruising guide

recommendations, Desiderata had an enjoyable ride through, at one point hitting 13kts SOG! A non-sailor marina operator told us not to enter a particular cove in the Broughtons because a sail-boat had recently gone up on the rocks. She had pictures to prove it. There was no problem entering with the assistance of crew on the bow and it proved to be a wonderful anchorage. Another fellow told of seeing ninety foot fishing boats disappear behind swells that mound up over the Nawhitti Bar (at the top of the island). Again using the cruising guide advice, watching the weather and tides carefully, we motor sailed through both the bar and the “dreaded” Cape Scott (top end of the island) in calm seas. Going early before the wind had time to build, sometimes-hairy Brooks Peninsula was rounded. After that, it was good downwind sailing and easy motoring through all of the major inlets

At age 70, there is less time to check off postponed bucket list items. The horizon looks closer. A circumnavigation of Van-couver Island had been brewing since my wife and I cruised a larger boat in Pacific Northwest in 2007/2008. With my first mate now unable to handle “wild and wooly” adventures, adult children, four grandchil-dren, relatives, and friends jumped at the chance to crew on the six-week adventure. Nanaimo Yacht Charters was selected due to its location, reputation, ease of travel there, willingness to accommodate such a long rental at reduced rates, flexibility, and Desiderata (Catalina 36 2006 Mk II hull # 2264) was available. We own Jubilee (Catalina 36 2000 Mk II hull #1867) in San Francisco Bay (Fleet 9) so it was a great fit.

It was eerie sailing on a boat that was virtually identical to my own. We even stowed our stuff in the same places. There were definite pluses to this approach, as I knew where every thing was. Switches, through hulls, lines and sheets, holding tank issues, head issues…they were all the same.

This bucket list item “exceeded expec-tations.” The challenges, dramatic scenery, necessity for self sufficiency in extremely remote areas, and super quality time with family and friends in unfamiliar circum-stances all added up to pure gold. I would be happy to answer emailed questions at: [email protected] Al Fricke Half Moon Bay S/V Jubilee Catalina 36 Mk II #1867

Pure Gold

By Al Fricke • C36, Jubilee

Capes, Points, Sounds, Inlets, Rocks

(& More Rocks)


MAINSHEET Feature

Vancouver Island (permission granted by Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide)

East Nook, Tranquil Inlet, Clayoquot

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 15

By Steve Cooper, Secretary & Treasurer CM440 Association

Sailing as a form of sport and/or recreation is starting, once again, to become more popular in the midwest United States. A recent article in the Kansas City Star newspaper highlighted the various lakes and marinas in this area along with encouraging news about a dramatic increase in interest in sailing, cruising and racing.

Since I was unable to sail this entire Summer with my wife on our usual Lake Michigan/Lake Huron cruising adventure, I started to investigate local sailing lakes. To my surprise, one of our larger lakes named Perry Lake, near Lawrence KS, had two marinas with a surprising number of cruising sailboats - several Catalina 30s, 320s, 36s and a 387. Most of the smaller lakes have C scows and MCs and Light-nings racing on the weekends.

I encourage you, as Catalina owners, to continue recruiting young people and to get them involved early on. Pictured is one of my two grand nephews in the Seattle area learning to sail in Opti-mists (similar to Catalina Sabots) on Lake Washington. That is how the love of sailing gets started!

It really is up to us to encourage our young family members and young friend’s family members to start sailing. If you generate interest early, our sport/recreation will have a bright future.

Promoting Interest In Sailing

and sounds that make the West Coast of the island so attractive. Worries about the long stretch from Barkley Sound to Victoria (through the Straits of Juan de 3 Fuca) evapo-rated as dense fog lifted. There followed an exhilarating dead downwind hull speed+ romp with an advantageous flood tide.

Each section of the trip had its highlights. The first mariners (from Iowa and Illinois) got to experience the Broughton Archipelago on the way to Port Hardy. Initially, the views were obscured by smoke from forest fires, but later the islands were in their full glory. The second set of crew (Seattleites) enjoyed the most remote part of the trip, over the top and down to Clayoquot Sound. Our twelve-year-old granddaughter gained commendations for saving the day when she happened to be on the bow whale watching and grabbed both the clew shackle and pin as they dropped to the deck. We could go days at a time seeing only a few sportfishing boats. We were the only vessel in almost all of the anchorages,

some of which held just one boat anyway. We caught and ate salmon and rockfish and slurped down buckets of clams. Surprisingly, our crab and prawn traps usually came up empty. One day we spent hours drifting silently amid grazing gray whales. The look on my granddaughter’s face was worth the expense of the entire trip. Another change of ship’s company in the Tofino area brought kayaking up freshwater streams along with sightings of a mother bear and her cub. As we wondered how bears know when it is low tide, our fifteen year old granddaughter, not missing a beat, piped up: “They must look at their iPaws!” An all male crew (Colorado and California) navigated the boat through Barkley Sound, the Broken Group, and ultimately to Victoria. Desiderata ended back 4 in Nanaimo after a short tour of the Gulf Islands, on schedule with the final motley crew (Massachusetts). We were greeted at the dock by staff who exclaimed: “Didn’t you just leave?” which was, indeed, what it felt like.

With the big Raymarine chart plotter and radar gone, I was very glad that we had two and sometimes three extra electronic chart packages aboard on various iPhones and iPads (Navionics and iNavX). Together with the Dreamspeaker cruising guides and a full set of paper charts supplied by the charter company, we navigated successfully in some very challenging, rock strewn, inhospitable places. We had the anchor down in the vicinity of sixty times as we explored spot after spot. The holding was always excellent. Most of the anchorages were so landlocked that they were mirror calm. We averaged .57 gph (it would have been higher but we were often idling as we trolled for salmon). There was no problem getting diesel or water so there was no need for jerry jugs. Our two kayaks saw heavy use. Major provisioning was done with crew exchanges in Nanaimo, Port Hardy, Tofino, and Victoria.

Fleet 9 Burgee flying, Empress Hotel, Victoria

Grandchildren added spark


Sometimes the systems we rely on just don’t behave the way they should – or per-haps, more accurately, the way we expect that they should. In the last 50,000+ nm of cruising, I have come across some perplexing problems with Onward’s raw water cooling systems

for both the main Yanmar engine and the Fischer-Panda generator. Both have had simple solutions that came to mind once I stopped thinking that they should behave the way I thought they should. The following

suggestions may be useful to keep in mind should you encounter “strange” behavior.

The problem arises when there has been enough wear on the raw water pump surfaces that come in contact with the sides of the impeller. This normal wear can be enough to reduce the pump’s ability to pull enough of a vacuum to move a bubble of air through the intake system and the pump. When the pump chamber is full of water, with its higher vis-cosity and lower compressibility, it is moved through the system just fine.

The first time I encountered this problem was with the Yanmar. Onward was traveling south on the ICW near Ft. Pierce when it was overtaken by a very large sports-fisherman. It passed us close by with a huge wake (sound

familiar?), but I was able to quickly come hard to starboard and cut through the wake into the quiet zone thus avoiding the salon being “blenderized.” Shortly thereafter, the engine overheat warning signal came on and I had to shut it down.

Fortunately, I was able to quickly set sails and sail into a nearby marina. There my investigation led me to believe that the huge amount of foam in the wake of the sports-fisherman had been sucked into the raw water intake and formed such a large air bubble in the strainer loop that the raw water pump could not rid itself of it. I fixed the problem by closing the intake through-hull valve, filling the strainer with sea water, then closing the strainer before reopening the

Raw Water Cooling System IssuesCATALINA 470 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

MAINSHEET

C470 Association Technical EditorJoe Rocchio

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Life After SolarCATALINA MORGAN 440 NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONintake valve and starting the engine. Normal

raw water flow began immediately. It is pos-sible that a loosely-tightened strainer cover added to the problem.

During Onward’s annual summer visit to Nantucket for 2015, the Fischer-Panda gen-erator fell victim to the infamous eel grass that flows back and forth in the harbor. The raw water intake elbow got plugged and the engine was shut down by the temperature safety interlock. Unfortunately, when I checked the raw water impeller it was damaged. I quickly replaced it and cleaned the intake line. How-ever, there was no joy; raw water did not flow when the generator was restarted.

A good friend Bill Kimbell suggested using the high pressure air hand pump for the RIB to back-flush the system. So, first to assure there was no blockage in the inlet line, the raw water inlet hose was removed from the raw water pump and the hand pump connected to the inlet elbow with the inlet through-hull valve closed. The hand pump was able to push air and water through the line indicating there was no blockage. I was then concerned that the missing vane of the pump had moved along to the heat exchanger and was blocking flow. So, with the intake through-hull valve closed and the cover of the raw water pump removed, I disconnected the raw water hose from the exhaust elbow and connected the high pres-sure hand pump filled with fresh water to it. I forced water through, back-flushing the heat exchanger tubes and pump until there was full flow out through the raw water pump. Now, having verified the ability for raw water to flow through the entire system, I reassembled it, opened the intake through-hull valve, and started the generator. Again, no joy, there was still no raw water flow.

I was perplexed to say the least. Then I remembered the problem with the Yan-mar’s cooling system related above. So, I again removed the raw water feed hose at the pump, opened the raw water intake valve, and put the hose end well below the waterline until full water flow was achieved. I closed the intake valve and reconnected the hose, now full of water and no air bubble, back to the pump intake port. The generator started and ran with full normal raw water flow. Success!

The lesson: while a new raw water pump can move air bubbles through the system, it apparently doesn’t take much wear on the side surfaces to become ineffective under the right conditions. A simple manual priming of the intake line is an easy fix – once you stop assuming that the pump performs like it did when new. Periodic replacement of warn cover plates should help reduce at least half of this problem. –Joe Rocchio, [email protected]

Special thanks to Judy Durnford for submitting this article. –Mike Simpson, [email protected]

You may remember I am a B. C. ER nurse, single grandmother and living on my CM440 for almost 5 years. It is really my second boat having previously owned a C27. I learned to sail on Lake Huron on a Sunfish and then an Albacore. I sail the gulf islands from Sydney to the Broughtons and currently I have a few months to work at the Alert Bay hospital on the north end of Vancouver Island and then have a wish to travel to La Paz for next winter. By the way, I need crew.

Some of you already have a solar addition on your boat and I am not an “electro techi”, but this was my 2014 addition to Paloma.

For 5 years I have cruised the inside passage of the pacific west. With unlimited anchorages, I lean towards the solitude of the gunkholer. Anyway, you get what I mean.

This created the endless monitoring of the battery charge. I do not admit to being a technical expert on electricity and so will leave that to the experts however, I do know what it means when the battery voltmeter reads 11.2 volts.

I was obsessed with maintaining the battery charge. Turnoff the freezer at night, change all the lights to LED, “no you can’t charge your IPADs!”, new gel batteries, bigger

alternator. Still, I had to turn on the Honda generator. This was so annoying and loud.

Luckily, I attended the Catalina Rendezvous that year at Thetis Island and after networking the participants I introduced myself to an owner who was importing semi-flexible panels at a fraction of the previously quoted prices. I cal-culated my boat’s requirement with an online chart. The panels can be clasped on or with Velcro, sewn to the existing canvass. This saved an

arch installation. I think the panels do not detract from the boat’s appearance and become virtually invisible.

My “lucky to know” shipwright and racer took over for me...4 hours later I was ready to try the new system.

After being on the water this year since May, I have not used shore power until 5 September because I am back to work and need an electrical heater as I work 12 hour shifts and do not want to leave the diesel Hurricane on and, of course, I need my hair blow dryer. The system is paying for itself and the bonus is “movie night is on!” no matter where I am. –Judy Durnford, S/V Paloma

Solar panels (4 x 100 watts) ................................................... $385 x 4 = $1540

Controller ..................................................................................................... 300

Canvas work ................................................................................................. 200

Wiring ............................................................................................................. 25

Labor (approx 4 hours) ................................................................................. 160

Total ......................................................................................................... $2225

Previous quote

Arch ............................................................................................................ 7000

Solar complete installation .......................................................................... 7000

Total ....................................................................................................... $14000

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 17

CM440 Association Technical EditorMike Simpson


In this issue we highlight a beautiful table added to an older C42. With some modifications the same approach could be used in any model or any age boat. I received a project note from Nick Wigen about a dining table upgrade he completed recently. Nick is the long-time owner

of his C42, Ursa Minor, a 3-cabin mkI, and he sails in the Pacific Northwest. He has made many great upgrades to his boat and is a prolific contributor to the on-line C42 user group. –Gene Fuller, [email protected]

The original table was a drop-leaf trestle type that offered several disadvantages. We had enclosed the storage shelf on the outer port side, but with the leaves up it was dif-ficult to slide around to get to them. With the leaves down it was not possible to use the seats since there was no leg room. Even

with the leaves up there was limited leg room due to the central storage box that formed the main structure. For most of the time we have owned Ursa Minor we have not thought kindly about the table.

After a number of ideas were developed and rejected for a replacement we finally hit on a single pedestal design that would solve most of the problems.

Normally it is just the two of us on the boat so we do not need the full table except for dinner or when we have guests over. The new table is the same dimensions as the orig-inal when fully deployed but half-sized when folded. The design was a bit of a challenge. We required a solid platform for the full table with the single offset pedestal, yet it needed to be easy to expand and contract. A shallow drawer at the end provides a firm platform to support the fold-over leaf while doubling as a storage place for cards, dominos, and other small items. The file cabinet glides are super heavy duty rated for 500 pounds. I tried standard 150 pound units first which were firm enough but probably would not have

withstood someone falling against the table. These would hold an elephant. The top of the drawer edges are covered with cushion mate-rial to prevent scratches to the table top. This is the material normally used for the bottoms of table legs to prevent floor scratches.

The pedestal was made from steel and finished with auto body paint. The top and bottom plates are 1/4” plate and the column is 3-inch schedule 40 pipe. Aluminum would probably have been a better choice, but I do not have aluminum welding equipment. Our boat was built before the water tanks were moved below the floor so I was able to through-bolt the base with 3/8” flat-head bolts and fender washers below. Anyone adding this sort of pedestal to a boat with sub-sole water tanks would need to check the clearance and perhaps come up with a dif-ferent mounting arrangement.

The hinges are commonly called “sewing machine hinges” which can fold 180 degrees. These are stainless steel obtained from Bosun’s Supply.

We selected maple for the table for a couple of reasons. The default choice was teak, but we like the look of maple and it also brightened things up a bit. It didn’t hurt that I recently finished a new set of maple kitchen cabinets and had some extra maple just lying around. The table surface is 3/4” inch veneered plywood with solid edging and fiddles. The finish is a satin clear urethane that is normally used as an automotive clear coat. I have been using it on various wood working projects for a few years and have found it to be easy to use, durable, and non-yellowing.

We have been using the table for several months and have found it to work very well. It is nice to have seats readily accessible during the day. With the fold-over design it is not possible to have fiddles when the table is opened, but we haven’t found that to be a problem. Most of our anchorages in Puget Sound are pretty quiet. –Nick Wigen

MAINSHEET Tech Notes

New Main Salon TableCATALINA 42 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C42 Association Technical EditorGene Fuller

Table in folded position Heavy-duty dual-purpose drawer

Hinge arrangement

Table in open position Fabricated pedestal

We selected maple for the table for a couple of reasons. The default choice was teak, but we like the look of maple and it also brightened things up a bit. It didn’t hurt that I had some extra maple just lying around.

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 19

I would like to thank Bret Phillips (JoyRide #205) for the article he authored in the last issue. He put a lot of effort into that article. When I read it in the Mainsheet, due to the way it was published (which I have no control over), it kind of came across as if I wrote it. I helped edit it, but it’s all Bret’s hard work. I just wanted to clear the air on that as well as take this opportunity to invite all members to submit articles for the rest of us to enjoy. And now for a supplement to the AIS article by Steve Dublin. –Olav N. Pedersen, [email protected]

As a C380 sailor (hull #84) who has used AIS during several trips from South Florida down through the Bahamian chain and on to the Caribbean, I would like to offer this supplement to the article on AIS installation.

While the target’s course and speed pro-vided by AIS are valuable collision avoidance info, we’ve found that knowing the target’s name, which radar does not provide, can be even more important. This is especially true at night. The reason is as follows: Should you decide, on your own, to take evasive action when you are legally the “Stand On Vessel”, your action may at best result in confusion on-board the “Give Way” vessel. Prior to AIS, we found that attempting to contact a container ship by VHF, without first knowing her name, was problematic. For example: A hail on channel 16 such as: “Southbound motor vessel, this is the East bound sailing vessel Caretta approx. 3 miles SW of your present position over” would rarely result in a response. We were often

left wondering whether they even had us on their radar. However, once we were able to hail the target by her AIS provided name, we almost always received a prompt response. This assured us that the target knew we were out there. Whenever necessary we could sub-sequently work out an agreed upon course of action to ensure a safe CPA.

I’ve become a firm believer in AIS. I think any Skipper contemplating a blue water passage should give the installation of an AIS receiver a high priority. –Steve Dublin, USCG 100 ton, USCG- Aux. Navigation Instructor

A supplement to the AIS article by Steve DublinCATALINA 400/445 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C400 Association Technical EditorOlav N. Pedersen

C445 Association Technical EditorJohn Clements

Prior to AIS, we found that attempting to contact a container ship by VHF, without first knowing her name, was problematic.

All of our new engines are fitted with theserpentine belt drive system for thealternator as standard equipment.

RELIABILITY AND MORE!


One of my larger ($$$) projects last spring was the installation of a hard dodger on my C387. Though I won’t mention the company that created it (good craftsmanship and poor customer relations), I have learned a lot about what makes the hard dodger a good invest-ment and what issues captains should think about before they spring for this costly upgrade.

First of all, we love the new hard dodger. Our old dodger’s glass was scratched and becoming opaque and difficult to clean. The new dodger has a thicker Strataglass ™ that is sparkling clear and without the wrap-around nature of the old Eisen-glass that caused wrin-kles and distorted the vision. The downside of this thicker glass is that it doesn’t roll up easily for storage. When you take out a panel, you need to store it flat which can be problematic. We tend to store it on the rear berth

for day-sails and move it into the salon when we are spending the night.

My favorite design feature of the new dodger is that it uses bolt rope connections around the perimeter of the dodger. There are two tracks, one for the glass and one for the sacrificial cover. If I were I to do this again, I would specify three tacks - one extra for the center panel. With just two tracks, it is difficult to get the center panel in without taking out one of the panels next to it. Then again, we often take all the panels out when we sail just to get the added breeze here on the hot and humid Chesapeake. Another captain with a C380, just leaves the panels out for the entire season!

Another important benefit of the bolt rope approach is that we have a single sacrificial cover that extends from one side to the other. What this means is that when it rains and the boat is in the slip, water doesn’t get between the sacrificial and the glass thus keeping the glass clean. With our old canvas dodger, rain would get behind each of the separate covers and the glass would always collect the dirt from the rain.

The sacrificial is held on at the bottom with snaps on the glass panels. One modifi-cation we made to the sacrificial was to add fasteners to the middle which could then attach directly to the hull when the center window was left out. This keeps the rain from draining onto the sea hood where we have at times had leaks into the cabin.

What we are planning to create is a new panel that matches the size and shape of the sacrificial but made of UV screening to keep the bugs out. Maybe I’ll sew this over the winter.

Each of the new glass panels are joined on their sides by standard zippers. Even on our old dodger, the zippers were sometimes a chal-

lenge getting them connected. They are also a problem for our new dodger and an issue that has yet to be resolved. What I would recom-mend to people who are planning something like this is to discuss the zipper issue prior to signing on the dotted line. Since the Strata-glass panels are stiffer, it is very difficult to get the zippers started because there is so little give to have room to make the join. What I think would work better is to have zippers a little longer at their beginnings, i.e. extend beyond the glass, to provide the slack neces-sary to get the zipper started. This approach was taken by the company that did our boat cover and it works quite well.

One drawback that we have found is that the structure that holds the hard dodger to the stainless frame sticks down below the frame and tends to catch you in the head when you are ducking down the companionway. For the moment, we have covered them with the foam you can purchase from Home Depot for childproofing your house. In any case, it is something to check and to think about when you are looking for vendors.

Since we often sail with no glass panels in at all, it was important that the dodger remain stable without them. With our canvas dodger, you really couldn’t take everything down. Additional structure was added to provide more strength and rigidity to the dodger. This is a must if you are plan-ning such a project particularly if you are going to take all the glass out! Something has to hold up the top without anything securing the sides to the deck. I have heard that you can walk on it but I haven’t tried that. If someone wants solar panels, though, it would provide a good location.

One element we have, we would never do again. During the fabrication process, I was asked if they could put a blue rope light on the underside of the roof. I said “Why not” but once I saw it, my wife laughed and said it made us look too much like some gaudy power-boat. I disconnected it..

Finally, we did the dodger in white rather than in dark blue. What this has provided us is less absorption of hot sun and a cooler, brighter area below.

So…bottom line is that we recommend the project to other 380 owners. We have better vision with the glass in, an easier transition to no glass for better ventilation, and a cooler more reflective surface than the dark blue Sunbrella. Enjoy. –Tom Brantigan, [email protected]

Note from Catalina Yachts: The hard dodger described in this article is not a Catalina Yachts factory fiberglass dodger. –Gerry Douglas

Hard Dodger RecommendationsCATALINA 380/387/390 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C380/390 Association Technical EditorMichael Gilmore

C387 Association Technical EditorTom Brantigan

C385 Association Technical EditorChuck Couture


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W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 21

Generally most of us have a checklist to one degree or another for those items on the boat that directly contribute to our enjoyment, safety and satisfaction as boaters. I think it would be a safe bet that most people pay some attention to their engine, maybe it’s a simple fluids level check or a

visit by the diesel mechanic for an annual service. The list of items on a boat that need servicing and attention can go on for pages and many of those items it is sad to say only get attention when they fail. It doesn’t take long for one to come up with a short list if you only take the time to sit and think what would happen if X failed on a trip? Imagine you’re out with family or friends enjoying a nice remote anchorage a few days away from a marina and one of your quests pops their head out the companion way and states “the head isn’t working”. Well quite honestly that would stink! So much of the maintenance and work that I have done and do on Peregrine stems from our preparation for Transpac back in 2011. I spent count-less hours going over and over what if this broke, what if that needed replacing (albeit I forgot to ask that question about my new water maker.....Point made). I have rebuilt the head on Peregrine at least five times since we purchased the boat. Peregrine came with the Groco HF series marine head and I am assuming that it was standard equipment. Should your boat have a different head the premise of the article is still relevant although the details will change.

Groco offers a rebuild kit complete with seals, springs and gaskets to totally rebuild your unit. Going back to 2011 and Transpac preparation I rebuilt the head. I went down to the local marine toilet store and bought a rebuild kit, later that night I sat at my work bench and started rebuilding the unit. Wouldn’t you know that after the store was closed and I was putting it back together… I over tightened a screw and broke a plastic housing. The next day I went back to the store and bought another rebuild kit because they don’t sell the parts separately and later that night went back to work. Crap! I broke a different piece! Down to the store the next day for their last repair kit. At this point I had three repair kits, I decided to punt and buy a new pump handle assembly already assembled. I installed the new unit on the boat along with a new rebuild kit. Then

I got to thinking about the two kits on my work bench and the unrepaired assembly. I used the two kits to rebuild the assembly so now I had a spare ready to install and a rebuild kit as well on the boat. I took the spare assembly and zip tied it to one of the discharge hoses under the head sink and forgot about it. That was until last summer when my wife and I were in the remote reaches of beautiful Barkley Sound in British Columbia. Yes you can see where this is going, she popped her head out of the companion way to inform me that the head wasn’t working. It seemed that after 4 years of abuse by a crew of 6 the seals were worn and the gaskets were leaking. When we got to our anchorage on went the rubber gloves and 20 minutes later the whole assembly was replaced with the spare that was conveniently zip tied to the hoses under the sink.

The Groco repair kit can be found at groco.net and as memory serves me is about a hundred dollars. I will offer the advice that if you repair yours take special care when you disassemble to look at each piece and lay it out in front of you so that you can put it back together the way it came apart. There is a gasket p/n HF-1 with a brass washer there is a correct orientation for its instal-lation and the directions are not that clear and the schematic doesn’t offer much help. Other than that, DO NOT over tighten when putting it back together. The only other part that is a bit tricky is getting that darn little braided packing around and shaft and far enough into the grove so you can tighten the cap down.

Don Casey has an excellent article on BoatUS at http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/marine-toilet-maintenance.asp for monthly maintenance of marine heads. To summa-rize the main points, flush a pint of vinegar slowly through the head once a month to dis-solve scaling, and Muriatic acid to dissolve calcium build up. Read the article for more thorough instructions and amount of time to let the solutions set. Then flush cooking oil through the head to lubricate all the moving parts. I was amazed at how well the vinegar and Muriatic acid worked not to mention how easily the head operated after being lubricated.

The article also goes into a few more steps on how to determine how well your hoses are doing to prevent the permeation of odors. When I first got the boat it always had that old boat head smell no matter how clean I kept the head or how many times I scrubbed the entire area. I replaced the hose in 2009 with the higher end Sani-flex sanita-tion hose and which I highly recommend.

The two main reasons are first and foremost after 6 years still no head odor and it was such a breeze to work with during installa-tion it is extremely flexible and easy to work with. It was well worth the additional cost over the more rigid hoses which seemingly take a gorilla to muscle through tight bends.

During the course of our ownership of Peregrine I have made a few other upgrades to the head that I’ll put out there for anyone interested. The boat came with four through hulls dedicated to the head, the head dis-charge, a sink discharge, a head inlet and a macerator discharge. Let me interject here that I am one of those Captains who does not like holes in my boat! And if there has to be one… I want to control how and when it is open. If you ever have had the misfortune to go below and see water sloshing above the floorboards… you probably share my aversion as you try to figure out under a lot of stress where the hell the water came from! We glassed over the head inlet, sink discharge and the macerator discharge and installed a sump tank with bilge pump in the bilge (manufactured by Dura-weld, http://www.dura-weld.com/).

The head inlet is now fed off a tee from the engine intake with a backflow valve installed. Some may advise against this, but in my experience of over 1000 hours of motoring since the retrofit we have not experienced any problems with the engine. Occasionally, I have to slowly pump the head to prime it but other than that no problems. The macerator discharge is tied into the head discharge as is the sump tank which handles the head sink and shower sump. When we would do long multi-day races it was always disgusting to go into the head on a star-board tack and have that water in the sump filled with all those missed shots to the head sloshing up my boots and foulies. This was because way the sump was configured the pump could never completely drain the sump and when on starboard there was no chance at all of it being evacuated. I had to install a drain fitting in the bottom of the sump which due to limited access was a bear, but now it works wonderfully.

Head Maintenance and UpgradesCATALINA 38 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C38 Association Technical EditorSteve Smolinske


I also installed a tank gauge in the holding tank conveniently located in the head. The next photo shows the valves to the through hull for the sump tank and the macerator.

All that is now required is to open the through hull, open the valve of the tank to discharge and then to turn on the appropriate pump. I do not have vented loops installed as my new configuration allows crew to use

the head, flush and close the water supply handle on the bulkhead. Any time the system needs draining, the crew or guests alert me to the fact that the valve is reading the tank is full and I (and only I) open the through hull and pump the system. This insures that the flush closing through hull is always closed. No longer am I having to explain how to open the through hull or worry about an unaccounted for hole in my boat! –Steve Smolinske, [email protected]

CATALINA 38 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION (continued from previous page)


Any time the system needs draining, the crew or guests alert me to the fact that the valve is reading the tank is full and I open the through hull and pump the system. This insures that the flush closing through hull is always closed.

www.marinersins.com

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 23

C36/375 Pre MkIIWhat I love about

our member website is that it gives us a lot of insight as to what others have done and projects we can “do our-selves.” If you search the site you will find article upon article, explaining in great detail, the steps needed to get a job done. The knowledge base of our member community and detailed answers to questions can help guide you through any project you set your mind to completing yourself. I have personally tackled several projects over the last few years to better equip my, new to me, Catalina 36. I can always count on getting good information and accurate answers to questions that come up during a project, and in most cases, it is coming from a skipper who has completed the project already. I find that the website forums give me the ability and confidence needed to complete most jobs and to dream of the ones I have yet to start!

When you purchase a used boat you can’t help but wonder what has been done by the previous owner throughout the years that they owned the vessel. I was lucky enough to find a vessel that had been owned by one family since the day it was new, and to get a marine surveyor to look over the vessel, before parting with my cash by making the purchase. Still, one owner working and modifying a vessel for over 25 years can make some questionable upgrades and modifications, to say the least. This was confirmed on the surveyor’s report. One of the most nagging concerns the surveyor and I had, before I purchased my boat, was the electrical system. Many of the connections and installed systems were incorrectly wired or grounded. Also, there were too many wires connected to the battery switch; wiring standards state that no more than two wires, to each lug, are permitted. I had five wires connected to one lug alone! Furthermore,

many of the systems’ wiring had deteriorated with corrosion and bad connections being the norm, especially in the bilge area. When opening the electrical panel hatch, the image pictured below was revealed…NOT GOOD!

And so, after my purchase, the process began. Step one was to test all connections and make sure the fixture or system con-nected worked. All wires and cables were tested and labeled in the process and marked clearly with white tape and a sharpie marker. There were a lot of dead wires not doing anything, so I toned these out and removed

what was not in use. Then the inspection process continued with a visual inspection of each wire, to ensure it had not been damaged in a prior upgrade attempt. Wires in the bilge area were replaced with tinned wiring; when-ever I replace a marine wire in a vessel of our vintage it is replaced with this type of wire. Tinned wire resists corrosion and doesn’t oxidize, and the plating helps to protect the copper underneath. This wards off additional wear and tear that would detract years off the life of a bare copper cable. This is espe-cially true in instances where the operating

Electric Panel UpgradeCATALINA 36/375 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C36 Association Technical EditorPre Mk II hulls Larry Robcke

C36 Association Technical Editor Mk II hullsNick Caballero

C375 Association Technical Editor C375 hullsFrancois Desrochers

OFFICER MESSAGE ____________________________

Looking Back Bob James, Association Editor

Well, we are into winter in the Midwest and the boats are on the hard. We are more than a little bit jealous of our members in warmer climes, however, we can take some solace in the fact that our bottoms are clean and theirs might be growing weird stuff to be removed at a later date.

The 2012 sailing season was hot, stormy and over too quickly for Winter Dream’n and the Admiral and Captain. We launch in early

May each year and spend the next several weeks loading stuff on the boat and looking for a relatively calm day to put up the sails. By the time we are ready to sail it is time to head north to launch the C22 at our cottage on Washington

Island, WI. Back to Lake Erie and we get in some nice June sailing before the heat builds in July and August. And, boy did it build this year. More than any of our 12 years with Winter Dream’n I wish I would have ordered AC.

The hot weather also encourages storms and this year was no exception. Our marina (Catawba Moorings) recorded winds of 70 kts during one short lived blow and another storm producing significant hail. The hail damaged more parked automobiles than boats but we were not as lucky as the hail trashed our wind vane and wind sensor on the top of the mast. I don’t “do” masts so the Raymarine rep retrieved the sensor and it being repaired as I write this.

One thing I wanted to do this year was to anchor overnight more and we accomplished that. We love to get to an anchorage in late after-noon or early evening, pull the grill out and have a relaxing dinner and drinks while watching the sun set. Our only problem this summer was

grilling up a rack of ribs with lots of great tasting BBQ sauce. Tasted great and required that the grill go home with us for a laborious cleaning. Good ribs but not that good.

We are looking forward to the 2013 season and I will have my “to-do” list prepared as I write a note for the spring issue of Mainsheet. I would love to hear about your sailing year, the great locations you visited (like Bill Lew-is’s week at Catalina Island in this issue)and your musings about your life on your Catalina 310 “the jewel of the Catalina line”.

C310

W I N T E R 2 0 1 2 43

Commodore Kevin Quade 904 E. Highway 50 O’Fallon, IL 62269 [email protected] Hydrophilic Hull #191

Secretary/Treasurer/Web-MasterMark Zabawa506 Winding Brook Ct.Lake St. Louis, MO 63367Phone: [email protected] Impulsive Hull #211

Mainsheet Association Editor Bob James1826 Glenn AvenueColumbus, OH 43212Phone: [email protected] Dream’n #118

Technical Editor Bill Lewis 514 Geneva Avenue Huntington Beach, CA 92648 Phone: 714.960.5367 [email protected]

MOVING?Catalina 310 International Associationc/o Mark ZabawaPhone: [email protected]

Annual Dues $24All Others $28 (U. S. Funds)

Join or Renew form on page 56.

catalina 310 international Association • www.catalina310.orgWould you like to submit an article for publication in this section of Catalina Mainsheet? Contact your C310 Association Editor. DEADLINE DATES: March 1st, June 1st, September 1st and December 1st.

Catalina 310 Burgees in Paradise

A quarterly fea-ture of the 310 IA section of Mainsheet will feature our association burgee on your boats in all those “great loca-tions” where you dock, visit or happen to be “stuck-in”. Please send me a digital picture of your boat with burgee flying along with your boat name, sail/hull number and a short description of where the picture was taken. Don’t have a 310 IA burgee? Order one from our asso-ciation website and join the fun.

The attached picture comes from Manuel & Maryellen Farinas of IEMAYA at the Caladesi Island State Park marina in Caladesi Island, Florida. This state park is on a barrier island near Clearwater, Florida, and has been named “one of the best beaches” in the U.S. two years running.

DESTINATIONS SPOTLIGHT__________________________________________________________________

24 Miles to Catalina Island, CABill Lewis, 310 Technical Editor, Allez-y!, Hull # 73 • Read the story on page 10!

Before - Panel not to code



temperatures of the wire exceed 100 degrees Celsius. At higher temperatures, the corro-sion resistance of copper declines, making a tin coating valuable for protecting the wire in this state. Tin coating is also highly desirable for any marine electronics.

Once my new wiring was in place in the needed areas I focused my attention on the panel and bus bars. I opted, for now, to use the existing OEM panel rather than a pricy upgrade to a newer one, this allowed me to better plan what it is I needed for future pur-poses in a panel and focus my attention on the backbone of a system that can be expanded on when the time comes. The backbone of the system was designed based on an article I came across in our association member forums; this is where our Catalina web com-munities show their greatest value. While doing some research on my upgrade, I came across Stu Jackson’s article: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6604.0.html while reading some

information on our Catalina 36 Association web site. This article outlined all the in’s and out’s needed to design, purchase and install the new backbone to my electrical system that will surely handle all my needs, now and in the future. I based my design on the diagram below, as Stu indicates this diagram is cour-tesy of a fellow boater and he references it in his well-written article on the subject matter.

All the electrical buses I installed were from Blue Seas systems. These are designed for the marine environment and should hold up well over time. For the AC side of the wiring I used Blue Sea Systems Elec-trical Dual bus Plus 1/4 Stud and Blue Sea Systems 150 Amp Common Bus bar, and for the DC side I used Blue Sea Systems 150 Amp Common Bus bars. All bus bars where bought with covers to ensure safety when working in the panel area. I purchased every-thing from Jamestown Distributors based on price comparisons at the time I completed

the project. I mounted the bus bars on a ½ sheet of starboard that was secured by fiberglassing some wooden mounting points to the side of the hull behind the panel hatch. This gave me a nice clean area to secure everything to. Considering what was there previously, I am very happy with the results. The backbone I have in place is pictured here in its nearly completed state. All wires have been routed and secured to the backing and organized in a logical way for my needs. My shunt is installed in the battery compartment not pictured here.

Some things to consider:1) This is the best installation for my

needs; you may need a different solution for yours.

2) When designing a solution for your boat, think it out in reverse from finish to start. That helps with building a solid back-bone.

3) Don’t go cheap on the infrastructure with your solution. I spent close to three hun-dred dollars for my installation and it’s worth every penny of that, in peace of mind alone. With that in mind be sure to buy marine grade products and solutions to install.

4) Build with expansion in mind. Boat system needs change over time and you need to prepare for this in your electrical back-bone selection and implementation.

5) Ask or search for answers to questions in the forums. Chances are someone has done this already and all you need to do is locate the information.

Please make sure that you too, contribute your latest project to the site and member community by either adding it to the forums or submitting it to me as a tech article for Mainsheet or the website upgrades section. Your input and efforts are always appreci-ated. –Larry Robcke, [email protected]

CATALINA 36/375 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION (continued from previous page)

After – new wiring

Be sure to buy marine grade products and solutions to install. Build with expansion in mind. Boat system needs change over time and you need to prepare for this in your electrical backbone selection and implementation. Ask or search for answers to questions in the forums.

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 25

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C36/375 MkIIScholars hypothesize that humans have been boating for 45,000

years. Since this predates the written record and no artifacts exist that far back, it’s largely based upon early human migration studies. What is well established is the use of the sail by the Cucuteni-Trypillian culture in Eastern Europe, dating back about 6,000 years. It seems that Ensign Chekov was right about Russian inventions! My own hypoth-esis is that the day after someone put sail to hull, that same person put a hose aboard.

Hoses come in a bewildering variety. There are some standards with regards to the selection and installation, but my biggest challenge with hoses is getting them on and off fittings, specifically hose barbs. I’ll cover my experiences here, but my disclaimer for hose selection is to consult American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), Society of Automo-tive Engineers (SAE), and United States Coast Guard (USCG) standards when in doubt.

Wet exhaust hose Wet exhaust service requires heavy-duty, fabric-reinforced construc-

tion conforming to SAEJ2OO6. While not applicable for potable water and fuel, wet exhaust hose is usually the premier choice for any below the waterline use, i.e., connected to a seacock. You’ll find this hose used in waste plumbing where it can give good service, but there might be better choices.

Wet exhaust hose comes with or without wire reinforcement. Hose used for wet exhaust service having runs longer than four to six times the inside diameter of the hose (most exhaust hoses), or those with relatively tight curves should be the wire-reinforced type. The objective here is to prevent the hose from kinking on bends and sagging on long horizontal runs.

ABYC compliance requires double-clamping of all hoses used in wet exhaust service, with a minimum band width of 1/2” for each clamp in order to minimize the chances of carbon monoxide and water leaks into the boat. For larger-diameter exhaust hoses, “T-bolt” hose clamps are far more dependable than regular hose clamps. You’ll find that marine-grade T-bolt clamps often include a lock nut to prevent loosening from vibration.

Waste hose / sanitation hoseHose segments from the toilet to the holding tank and from the

holding tank to the macerator pump, seacock, and deck pump-out are best served by specialty hose. Even the slightest amount of effluent in the holding tank will end up sitting in the outbound segments, so these areas are especially where you should invest in the highest-quality hose available.


I have used the popular white vinyl/PVC hose with the built-in helix with good success for toilet-to-holding tank and vent duties, but when used for the outbound segments, odor permeation will be noticeable even in a few years. Here, invest in sanitation hose that have neoprene, EDPM, or butyl-rubber inner cores and have abrasion-resistant outer coverings. These hoses are also more tolerant of poor hose-barb fits than vinyl/PVC hose. They offer greater flexibility, and, thanks to heavy-wall construction, resist permeation much longer.

When installing sanitation hoses, avoid creating low spots that will retain effluent. Flush the head sufficiently after each use to clear all the effluent out of the line. Do not use alcohol-based antifreeze, petrochemi-cals, and most toilet bowl deodorizers, all of which contain chemicals that will destroy the moisture-absorption resistance of the hose. Apply a thin coating of silicon sealant to the first inch of the inside of the hose and then double clamp if possible.

Bear in mind that over time, the inside of any hose will slowly plug up with calcium deposits. Although the hose segments can be removed and cleaned, it’s much better to use this as a signal that it’s time to replace the segment.

Heavy-duty, fabric-reinforced hose Similar to automotive radiator hose,

heavy-duty, fabric-reinforced hoses are suit-able for most other non-potable water and non-fuel uses. You’ll often find this type of hose used for engine raw and water heater circuits, including the seacock connection, although wire-reinforced wet exhaust hose is a better choice for intake segments due to needing to resist collapse due to suction.

Automotive heater hose is relatively thin-walled and soft and should be avoided. If the hose is in contact with some part of the engine bed or supporting structures, and is not itself firmly supported, the engine vibrations that are invariably transmitted to the hose will soon cause it to wear through. Good-quality marine water hose, on the other hand, is thicker than its automotive counterpart and is reinforced with different synthetic materials, commonly, polyester yarn in two or more layers, or plies.

Diesel carrying hoseLike wet exhaust hose, hoses used for

diesel service should comply with ABYC recommendations. The USCG doesn’t say anything about diesel fuel systems on recreational boats, but they do have lots of requirements for gasoline-fueled boats. So, the ABYC basically mirrors its gasoline fuel standard with its diesel standard.

For diesel tank fill and tank vent service, use USCG type B2 or better. For all other services, use USCG type A2 or better. Double clamps are required on fuel-fill hose, with a minimum band width of 1/2”.

Potable-water hoseFor potable-water service, the ABYC

standards state that the entire system should be plumbed with hose or tubing manufac-tured from Food and Drug Administration

(FDA)-approved materials, with the hoses or tubing so labeled. The FDA, in turn, requires PVC hoses to be manufactured from virgin, rather than recycled, PVC and textile reinforcement. Compliant hoses are stamped “FDA approved.” For pressure hot/cold, tank fill, and tank vents, the use of polyester reinforced PVC is a good choice.

LPG and CNG hoses LPG (propane) or CNG (compressed nat-

ural gas) hoses, which constitute the supply to the galley stove, are clearly a critical safety item. For LPG systems, the ABYC requires that the hose be marked as complying with “UL 21 LP Gas Hose.” For CNG systems, the ABYC requires that the hose be marked as complying with “NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 52.” In both cases, the ABYC standards call for end fittings to be permanently attached. Swaging is one acceptable method of attachment; a hose clamp is not. The two standards also specify that every appliance should be served by a continuous fuel line (that is, one with no joints or connections) from the gas cylinder regulator to the appliance or, in the case of gimbaled stoves, to a length of flexible hose connecting to the appliance. This means that if a boat has more than one gas appliance, it is unacceptable to run a common supply line, and then tee off this line to the devices.

Bilge and shower pump hosesBilge pump hoses typically use corrugated

polyethylene with molded cuffs because it is flexible, economical and resists oil, solvents and other waste that collects in the bilge. For better flow you should choose a hose with a smooth bore, abrasion-resistant cover and good anti-kink flexibility.

For corrugated hose, cuffs must have the appropriate thread (left-handed or right-handed) and thread spacing to match the direction of the reinforcement in the hose. In other words, you should buy them from the hose supplier at the same time you buy

the hose. You must also apply a sealing compound between hose and cuff; consult the manufacturer to find the correct sealant, but silicon is generally specified.

For the shower pump hose, the segment from the pump to the vented loop can really be any hose, but the length from the vented loop to the seacock should one of the first three types mentioned in this article.

Cutting and clampingAll hose clamps should be of all-300-se-

ries stainless steel. Hose clamps found in home repair centers and auto parts stores often have an inferior screw and should be avoided. For safety reasons, hose clamps should be properly sized so that there is minimal excess beyond the screw.

A hack saw is the most common method of cutting wire-reinforced hose in preparation for installation, but this often leaves a sharp piece of metal sticking out of the end of the hose that requires some trimming back. The other downside of wire-reinforced hose is that if it isn’t a perfect fit on the barb, the wire makes it difficult to get the hose to seal. A utility knife or hack saw (especially for the vinyl/PVC hose with the built-in helix) are appropriate for the other hose types. Regardless, strive for a perfectly square end to your cuts.

Aside from wet exhaust service and diesel tank fill, double clamping of hose



W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 27

connections is not mentioned

elsewhere in the ABYC stan-

dards. Many people recommend double hose

clamps on all below-the-waterline hose connections;

but if the connection is water-tight, with a good-quality clamp, a second clamp adds little security. What’s more, there is often insufficient room to properly space two hose clamps; as a result, one is halfway off the end of the fitting, and this may damage the hose.

When tightening hose clamps, one can apply too much pressure and compromise the integrity of the hose or the barb, especially if it’s plastic. If the barb and the hose are the same diameter (an ideal situation) and it took quite a bit of force to push the hose onto the barb, then just moderate pressure is all that is necessary. Check the tightness of critical clamps yearly.

Removing and installingRemoving a hose from a barb is usually

a frustrating experience, especially with

plastic barbs. First, completely remove the hose clamps and twist the hose clockwise a bit. If it budges, you might be able to pull it straight out. For hoses on smooth metal barbs, a “radiator hose tool” can sometimes be worked around the hose end to break the seal, but these type of barbs are the excep-tion rather than the rule. The heat exchanger comes to mind.

The other 99% of the time, you’ll have to start cutting, perhaps requiring a replace-ment or splicing of the hose segment. For non-wire reinforced hose, cutting a few slits length-wise along the barb with a fresh utility blade and then bending the hose away from the barb will usually free it. A few shallow nicks on a metal barb are insignificant. For plastic barbs, the same slit technique still applies, but nicks on plastic barbs are much more significant, especially if the barb is in a critical service area, i.e., seacock or waste fitting. If you intend to reuse a plastic barb, make many shallow cuts before any bending or twisting. For wire reinforced hose, radial slits are required, which are much more difficult to do. Sometimes a heat gun can be used on hoses stuck to metal barbs, but for plastic barbs this is not recommended. As a

last resort, cut the hose at the end of the barb and unscrew the barb.

When reattaching the barb, make sure to use thread sealant. Three or four wraps of Teflon tape are usually good enough. For non-critical areas, a slight mismatch of hose barb size and hose size can work, but for wire-reinforce or vinyl/PVC hose with the built-in helix used in critical areas, an exact match is vital. Cut the hose to a length at least one barb length longer than you need in order to allow for two tries to install the hose.

When installing hose, a heat gun is a last resort. Sometimes a bit of dishwashing liquid applied to the inside of the hose and barb are all that is needed. Often a bit more persua-sion is called for. In this case, my recommen-dation is to still use the dishwashing liquid trick, but also boil some water in a sauce pan and then dip the end of the hose into the boiling water to the depth of the hose barb for 10 seconds or so. Then, quickly push the hose onto the barb with one mighty straight push. Avoid twisting hot hose. Use automotive work gloves so that you can grip the hose close to the end as you push. –Nick Caballero, [email protected]



CATALINA 350 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C350 Association Technical EditorBill Templeton

Not wanting to “beat” the topic to death…. But, there seems to be continuing interest/discussion on the use of clams, cams or clutches on our mainsheets. The simplest of these devices (which came from the factory on the starboard side coachroof of our

350s) is the clam. These can be made of fiber or aluminum, have no moving parts and are relatively easy to engage and disengage …. even from the helm (engaging the line by sliding it over the side of the base of the winch). The clam, however, is dependent on the “jaws” remaining sharp and the covering of the line remaining “fuzzy” (not smooth

from use - which of course is unavoid-able). The Spinlock PXR works well for the headsail furling line …. can be engaged/disengaged from the helm or elsewhere in the cockpit …. and has “inline” fastenings facili-tating attachment to the coachroof. Unfortu-nately, the Spinlock PXR does not come in a size large enough to handle our mainsheets. Other clam cleats could serve well but their transverse orientation of fasteners would not fit well in place of the “factory” clam. Rope clutches, by any manufacturer, have inline fastenings and will fit in place of the factory clam (as mentioned by Neville Edinborough in the Fall mainsheet….and by Jim Lassiter in the C350 forum), but to engage/disengage the clutch you would have to leave the helm. So what is the answer? It is entirely up to the individual. Until Spinlock comes out with a PXR that can handle our ½” mainsheets I’m

going to continue to use the “factory” clam. I will, however, turn my mainsheet “end for end” to put “fresh” rope where the clam needs to grab it. –Bill Templeton, [email protected]

What Is It?Photo # 1 is (obviously ?) 4” diameter

schedule 40 PVC pipe about 24” long. But with the strategic addition of a hole about 18” down a coiled 25’ washdown hose will fit neatly inside (photo #2). By suspending the pipe and hose with a short length of line from the washdown flange (photo #3 )I have now “tamed” another

snake in the starboard anchor well on Makani Kai. With the washdown hose neatly housed in it’s plastic tube (which could be shortened by 4-6” if one chose) and the power cord (yellow snake) tied off to a cleat, there is still an amazing amount of room in the starboard well. A word of warning – the hose that came with my washdown kit (from a major marine sup-plier) was somewhat thin-walled and did not coil easily – fortunately I had another 25’ hose that I had purchased at the garden center of a home supply store some time in the past that has a heavier wall and better “memory” to it’s coil. The hose slides out effortlessly and with just a little clockwise twist to the hose it feeds smoothly back into it’s holster. If you have a washdown or are planning on installing one give this a try….a great way to “tame another snake” …. and it only cost $8. –Bill Templeton

Clams, Cams and Clutches

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 29

After a long wait, I finally decided to upgrade the navigation capability on my boat, Otra Vez. For the 8 years that I have had her on Eagle Mountain Lake, Texas,

I had used only a handheld Garmin GPSMap 76CS unit with the Inland Lakes data base installed. It was mounted to the starboard binnacle tubing on a RAM ball mount. The boat came originally equipped with Signet SmartPak knot meter and sounder instruments, and even when I got the boat they were looking tired, but still useable. They were mounted on the bin-

nacle at sitting eyesight level in an old Edson double width instrument box.

The Slide DownhillThe first thing to quit was the knot meter.

One day it worked, and the next time it was completely belly-up. Since I and the boat were on the lake by then, using GPS derived speed versus paddlewheel derived speed was not a problem: no place I could go in Otra Vez on the lake had any current. Besides, maintaining the paddlewheel was a real PIA based upon being mounted under the forward AC air handler.

In July of 2014 while we were experi-encing very low water levels on the lake, the Signet depth sounder also quit. Excellent timing! One of my pet peeves with this depth sounder also had to do with placement of the transducer: just forward and to port of the leading edge of the rudder. This is a terrible position for going forward or in reverse in any bottom condition except very gradual slopes. As a result, it was not uncommon for the winged keel to find the bottom before the depth sounder offered any actionable intelli-gence. This failure was the last straw! Rather quickly, I selected and ordered a Garmin echoMAP 50s chartplotter/sonar combo, along with the necessary accessories required for my installation. I got the version with the LakeVü-HD database pre-installed.

The New Starts With The TransducerMy goal for the Garmin unit installation

was to have the depth sounder transducer as far forward on the boat as was reasonable, and preferably forward of the leading edge of the wing keel. Added to this was the goal

to have the transducer close to the centerline of the boat. After much crawling around in the boat, the optimum location appeared to forward under the starboard side salon seat, as far port as reasonable. This placed it just behind the bulkhead between the salon and the V berth. The hull deadrise in that area is something less than 20°, and the hull is readily accessible, mostly. My refrigerator compressor is mounted on a shelf over that area of the hull, but the shelf is high enough above the hull to install a transducer. I also chose an in-hull transducer for a simple reason. With the low lake level, hauling the boat out of the water for a thru-hull transducer installation was not an option due to no access to the only crane on the lake that could haul out my boat. To address this, I chose an Airmar P79 adjustable in-hull transducer, Garmin part number 010-10327-20. It is adjustable over a deadrise angle of 0-22°. The in-hull transducer mounts against the inside surface of the hull and projects its signal through the solid fiberglass hull. This mounting location also meant that the stan-dard 25’ cable of the P79 transducer would not be long enough to route it all the way to the cockpit end of the binnacle. I also ordered an Airmar 20’ 8pin transducer extension cable, Garmin part number 010-11617-01.

As an initial trial of the selected hull mounting location, I created a thick rolled gasket of regular plumbers putty and pressed it onto the transducer mounting ring hull-side surface, and then pressed the ring plus putty gasket onto the cleaned hull in the test location. I made sure that the inside gasket edge was particularly well sealed to the hull. I then filled the now mounted ring with the prescribed amount of distilled water per the supplied instructions. When the transducer is positioned correctly onto the mounting ring, the transmitting surface of the transducer is submerged into the contained water. The water then efficiently conducts the sonic energy produced by the transducer through the solid hull and out into the external water. While the hull material provides some additional signal loss and associated reduced depth measuring range, for my purposes it still provides excellent performance. While I will ultimately adhere the mounting ring to the hull with quick dry 3M 5200, I will not do so until I have had time to thoroughly validate the performance of the transducer in the present location. For the record, the putty ring has not had any water leaks or resulting loss of transducer performance for almost a year as I write this in June of 2015. See Photo 1 for the transducer as installed.

New Cable RoutingI ran the depth transducer cable through

the starboard water tank area under the salon seat, under the starboard galley cabinet, then into the under-seat area in the aft stateroom. I used a small electrician’s snake through the aft under-seat area into the galley under-cabinet area where the water tank selector valves are located. I then used the snake to pull the transducer cable into the aft stateroom. I connected the transducer cable to the extension cable in that under-seat area for easier access.

The extension cable had to be cut and then re-connected after the cut cable end was run through the wiring hole in the starboard side binnacle tubing. The molded connector ends of the cable were too big to go through the wiring hole in the tubing. The pigtail end of the Garmin unit’s power and accessory cable were dropped down through the bin-nacle tubing wiring hole through the cockpit deck. I initially tried to use a small 5 position 2 screw Eurostyle terminal strip to re-connect the 2 sections of the extension cable, but found them too hard to handle and too unreliable with the small wire sizes of the cable. I then soldered all of the connections back together with heat shrink tubing over each solder joint. I then used some white rubber mending tape I had in my electrical stash on the boat to reseal the entire opened area of the completed extension cable. The rubber mending tape makes a water-tight seal when the rubber tape flows itself together after being wrapped tightly around the wire. You should always keep some on the boat for such tasks, as well as temporary leak repairs on many types of tubing or hoses, or covering areas on standing rigging.

The pigtail end of the Garmin power/accessory cable was terminated as required

Making A New Home For A Combo ChartplotterCATALINA 34/355 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C34 Association Technical EditorJohn M Nixon

C34 Associate Technical EditorRon Hill



below the steering cable reversal pulleys directly under the base of the binnacle pedestal. All connecting wires with their associated connections were made in such a way to allow a service loop long enough to be located forward of the aft bulkhead and storable inside the binnacle base access cover mounted amidships to the underside of the cockpit floor and the aft bulkhead in the stateroom.

Cockpit Factors ConsideredDESIGN RULE 1: You have to know

what you want at the end before you start at the beginning.

While this is always true on any endeavor, it is critical when dealing with human factors and user expectations and preferences. I spent many hours considering various alternatives for mounting the Garmin combo unit in the cockpit, both at home and sitting in the cockpit of the boat. I considered all sorts of commercial off-the-shelf solu-tions, and tried to visualize how I would relate to them. Ultimately, I was forced to come back to RULE 1 and determine exactly what I wanted at the end of the project. By doing that, I was able to quantify the factors that were important to me, and realize that whatever solution I came up with would have to embody elements to address those factors. Here we go.

I enjoy spending time single handing my boat, or sailing with only one other person. While doing that, I don’t want to be restricted to staying at the helm. There are too many other things that I want or need to do. I have an autopilot to keep the bow pointed in generally the right direc-tion during cruise time. And when I (or we) need to tack, there are necessary actions to be performed forward of the helm seat. For this reason, I don’t want to have to be behind the helm to read basic sailing data from instruments. I want to be able to see the instruments from the cockpit seats when I want.I have other instruments that I want to add to my sailing information suite, but I don’t know exactly when I will add them, but the above requirement will apply to them as well.For now, I want to keep using my existing wheel/binnacle cover until I make more decisions about future instrument and control panel additions.I want to be able to secure the non-permanently mounted cockpit electronics down below when I am gone, but I don’t want it too time consuming to have everything ready to go sailing.The Garmin unit, if mounted on the binnacle, must use the existing wire/cable routing hole in the starboard binnacle tubing.

The most desirable implementation to achieve all of these factors is a small shelf

that can be mounted between the binnacle tubes just above the ship’s compass. The Garmin unit is then mounted to the new shelf using the supplied rotatable mounting bracket and fixed base. The width and depth of the new shelf can’t exceed the general dimensions of the previous Edson instrument pod.

Making the New ShelfFor fabrication of anything mounted

in the cockpit, my favored materials are Starboard®, polished stainless steel, and pol-ished aluminum. I like teak, but I don’t like maintaining it. Call me lazy. Since I had all of them available, I chose the easiest to work with: Starboard® and aluminum.

Starboard® is produced by the Florida-based King Plastic Corporation and is an HMDP (High Molecular Density Polyeth-ylene) sheet product. It has become popular for marine applications because of its many publicized desirable characteristics, and the ability to work it using many traditional wood working tools. The downside is that it doesn’t have the stiffness and relative dimen-sional stability of most woods. Starboard® has a rather large coefficient of thermal expansion: approximately 1/32” per foot of length per 40°F change in temperature. This requires careful planning if you attach a long piece of it to a much more dimensionally stable surface. It also will cold flow under stress, so any applications which require load or torsional bearing ability requires appro-priate structural support or reinforcement.

For my application, my basic design is shown in Photos 2, 3, 4, and 5. I will provide a more detailed description with reference to these photos.

In Photo 2 you have a top view of the shelf assembly. The outside dimensions of the Starboard® piece are 3.5” deep x 12.688” wide x .5” thick. The circular black object is the base to the Garmin rotatable mounting bracket. The original radius of the tubing clearance holes is .625”. The radius holes were drilled using a 1.25” Forester bit on my drill press at 350 RPM. If you go much slower or faster for this size bit you will have more difficulty getting a clean hole. The cuts from the outer radius of the holes to the edge of the Starboard® were made with a band saw. (Forester bits should always be used in a drill press if possible if you want the resulting

hole to be perpendicular to the drilled mate-rial). It is possible to make the holes with a hole saw, but even at 250 RPM the saw will mostly melt the Starboard®, so it’s a slow imprecise process. The additional cutout on the right hole was to allow ample clearance for the cables exiting the wiring hole in the tubing. The plastic rail clamps were located to match the 9.5” center-to-center separation of the 1.0” diameter binnacle vertical railing.

Photo 3 shows the forward side of the assembly. The aluminum is an unspecified alloy that I had on hand, but is likely 6061-T6. It is 2x2x¼ inch angle stock that came with a standard mill finish. The trapezoidal cutout in the center is to allow clearance of and visual access to the ship’s compass. The 6 mounting screws to the plastic rail clamps on the other side of the plate are all stain-less steel 1”x 10-24 Pan head with matching washers with the smooth side of the washers facing the aluminum. The mill finish was hand polished using a series of unidirectional sandings with a sequence of 80, 120, 180, and 400 grit sand paper. I find that produc-tion grade sand papers work better than the cheaper tan papers for wood. Prior to the final reassembly of the unit, a film of TEF-GEL anti-corrosion agent was placed on the aluminum contact side of the washers.

Photo 4 shows the underside of the assembly. The 5 recessed holes are for the Starboard® top piece mounting screws. The holes are ½” diameter and .19 “ deep. There were cut using a pilot point drill bit that leaves a flat surface at the bottom of the hole outside the pilot hole radius. The resulting pilot hole was a perfect loose fit for a #8x1/2” stain-less steel Pan head sheet metal screw. The recessed hole was to ensure that the ½ inch mounting screws could only penetrate about .44” into the ½” Starboard®. (This matters only because in my location most of the stain-less steel fasteners I can readily purchase only come in about ½ inch increments in length. If you can buy a equivalent 5/8” screw where you live, you are home free.) For any self-tap-ping screw usage in Starboard® it is absolutely


W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 31

mandatory to use a properly sized pilot hole. Otherwise, the screw will simply expel all of the “threaded” material in the hole as you tighten it. You will generally only make this mistake one time… In the interest of full disclosure, the 2 small holes in the center of the exposed Starboard® are there because I accidently drilled the pilot holes for the Garmin mounting base from the wrong side of the Starboard®. There, I said it.

Photo 5 is forward side of the assembly. The pair of plastic 1” rail clamps are West Marine branded units, model number 5142070. I always keep at least a pair of their units and a pair of the original Helm Products HR-200 units on hand. The HR-200 unit provides a

bat handle knob on the closing screw, as opposed to the slot head screw on the West Marine unit. The HR-200 units are no longer made by Helm Products after their patent on the devices ran out. However, they are produced now by ZARCOR in Addison, TX with a similar bat handle knob, and in more rail sizes. For this project, I preferred the slot head screw over the bat handle. The shelf will always stay attached to the binnacle, and the echoMAP unit and mounting bracket will be removed from the Garmin base and secured below when I leave the boat, with the binnacle/wheel Sunbrella cover back in place.

The Final InstallationPhoto 6 shows the final installation on the shelf. Here the Garmin

is installed and rotated so that the face points forward into the cockpit. This is the position I use the most for relaxed sailing, and it is very handy for trimming the sails for best performance for whoever is working in the cockpit. Just remember that Starboard needs support if you have much weight or force applied to it.

Final ThoughtsWhile I had a specific application and limitations for this mounting

assembly, the same method can be used for any number of equipment mounting applications. It’s really just a matter of what constraints you have to your project. –John Nixon, [email protected]

Editor Notes:How to work with Starboard® - http://www.kingplastic.com/wp-content/

uploads/2014/05/Working-with-King-StarBoard.pdfPilot Point Drill Bits – Dewalt makes nice bits available from Home Depot, Lowes,

Amazon, and various tool supply sources. They are available individually or in several sized sets.



Thanks to Jim Brener for submitting this article. He is a past Fleet Captain for Fleet 12. –John Nixon, [email protected]

While checking on the boat over the winter, in the head I noticed brown lines on the wall behind the bench and brown water on the floor. The countertop laminate was coming off and it was evident that the countertop was saturated and needed to be replaced. I ran water everywhere and now think it came from inside the port locker where the forward part of the locker meets the back of the panel in the head. Facing the sink, the panel had a 1” wet strip running horizontally along the bottom on the non-sink section.

I removed the teak plugs from the fiddles, drilling carefully and chipping out the wood around the screw. Here I encountered my first problem. There are 12 screws and ten of them were the same and unscrewed easily, but two had a different Phillips head and I tried every driver in my tool box, but none of them exactly fit the slots. I finally found a Phillips bit that was close, and using an impact drill and pressure I was able to loosen and remove the screws. Why all screws were not the same, only the installer knows.

Having removed the fiddles, I expected the top to come off easily. Not to be. The top is in two pieces, so I removed the sink, which was held in place with silicone adhesive. I had to wait to remove the faucet because I could not gain access under the counter to the ring holding it in place. Facing the sink on the left there were three screws drilled into the edge of the top with the heads hidden behind the companionway panel. I found the same situation along the

rear edge of the countertop behind the sink where the screw heads were also not acces-sible.

Facing the head, on the right, there were two screws screwed into the countertop edge. Too further complicate things, there were three screws screwed into the base of the countertop from underneath.

To remove the sink section, I was fortunate that the wood split around the screws making removal easy. To access the screws behind the sink, I used a hole saw to cut away wood to visualize the screw. This allowed me to remove the top with the sink and then the faucet.

The second piece was easier as the wood was rotten and the three screws fastened

from the bottom pulled out easily as well as the screws along the right edge while facing the cabinet. I then cut the screws flush using a hack saw and Dremel cutting wheel. I have attached a scaled diagram of the countertop and the location of the screws. Hopefully, the installers, by habit, placed the screws in the approximate locations so my drawing may, at least, give you a starting place to look for the screws. If the existing screws go into good wood, you may be able to locate them by using a hack saw blade to feel between the base and the countertop and cut them. If you can’t find them and you think the base was screwed into the bottom, well, you are screwed. After the top was off, I let the wet strip running horizontally along the bottom on the non-sink section take a couple of days to dry out. After it was dry, I the strengthened the panel with thickened epoxy to prevent further leaks.

I found a local fabricator that could cut a new countertop from marine grade plywood using the old top as a pattern. They laminated Formica to the plywood. This was much less expensive than Corian or quartz by about $500. They produced the counter top in two pieces because I was not sure I could easily maneuver one piece into place. The oval cutout for the sink and faucet were the same as before . I was told to expect to sand the edges to correct for variations in the wall panels, and I used the sanding wheel on the Dremel tool to shape the top to fit against the wall. [Tech Ed. – A boat carpenter once told me long ago that “nothing on a boat is exactly flat, square, straight, or round”. My experiences have proved him correct.]

I purchased a new faucet and installed it before attaching the countertop and made sure it was tight. Doing it from below after counter installation would not be fun. When I removed the water hoses, there was a white connection from the water hoses to the faucet. Do not discard these connections as they have the end fittings that fit the supply lines from the faucet and have a barbed end to clamp the water hoses. To complete the job I decided to replace the hot and cold


Head Countertop Replacement—A Few Surprises!

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 33

water hoses. This meant attaching the new hoses individually to the old ones with tape and carefully pulling the old hoses out. Cata-lina used plastic ties to hold the hot and cold water hoses together under the floor between the hot water heater and where the hoses come up in the engine compartment and it took some work to get so I could see the ties and cut them. I recall there were three. I tied the hoses together as far as I could reach under the floor.

With the sink and faucet installed, I rechecked the fit on both pieces and used sili-cone around the front edge of the top to hold it to the counter and make it easier to remove later, if necessary. I attached the fiddles and used ½” plastic quarter round around the perimeter of the counter and secured it with silicone. For the long piece along the port hull, I purchased a glue gun at a craft store and

applied silicone adhesive in short strips and between the strips a strip of glue. The glue hardens quickly and will hold the molding to the curve of the hull until the silicone cures. New teak plugs were installed cutting the ends flush with a hack saw blade and sanding smooth. I used a square piece of plastic trim to cover the seam between the two top pieces. This keeps water splashed around the sink from flowing into the corner. I used the sanding wheel on the Dremel tool to shape it to match the curve of the quarter round trim. Finally, I used white kitchen and bath adhesive sealant around all trim to fill any gaps.

All in all, it was not a perfect job, but acceptable.

What I did right:Having a Dremel tool or its equal and a

portable miter saw was very helpful as I did this on the dock.

I recognized the valuable connections from the water hoses and the supply lines and saved them.

I was able to use the old water hoses to feed the new ones under the floor without having them separate.

I was prepared to have to adjust the fabricated counter top tight against the wall panels.

What I did wrong:When I started to remove the teak plugs,

I used a small screwdriver to chip out the wood after drilling a hole down to the screw. I should have followed “message board suggestions” and used a pick so as not to damage the edge of the hole. I used clear silicone to attach the countertop and trim but should have considered using washable adhesive sealant because dried silicone is difficult to remove. I am not sure if it would have worked as well. I considered sealing the edges and bottom of the countertop with polyurethane or epoxy but since I did not have it available at the time, I did not. If I manage to keep the water out, then it should not be a problem. There is an epoxy product made specifically to strengthen rotten wood which may have been a better choice than thickened epoxy. [Tech Ed. – The product is called Git’-Rot Penetrating Epoxy, and is dis-tributed by Boatlife and available from West Marine and other suppliers. Used properly, it is very effective, and would have been a good choice for this repair.] I ignored early signs of water intrusion under the countertop and should have tried to locate the source before real damage was done. With the countertop in place that may have been impossible. –Jim Brener, Wind Spirit, #504, [email protected]

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THROUGH

DEC. 31,2015



The article for this issue was supplied by Warren Updike, a frequent contributor to Main-sheet and our C320 IA discussion group. As our vessels become a bit more seasoned, replace-ment of factory installed components become necessitated as they outlive their useful lives.

This project involves the replacement of the holding tank in Warren’s 1994 C320. –Chris Burti, C320 Tech Editor, Commitment, #867

We replaced our original factory installed 12 gallon holding tank with a 22 gallon Ronco B-348 tank. This is the same model tank installed by Catalina in later model C320s. We are cruisers, we like to anchor out or moor rather than take a slip and we hate the incon-venience of having to pump out the holding tank every three days. I use the rule of thumb of 3-4 gallons per day for the two of us. And with the new tank, I calculate that we’ll enjoy at least 6 days between pump-outs.

The original tank was shorter but wider and not nearly as long. It rested on a plywood shelf having legs which were bonded to the hull. The new tank is much longer, taller, but thinner, and needs to sit directly on the hull so the shelf had to come out. Removing that shelf was the worst part of the project for us.

The advice received from the C320 IA list, including pictures from two owners who had undertaken the same project proved invaluable in giving me the confidence to proceed with my project. Just knowing the job is doable makes it far easier. Having the practical advice makes it worthwhile. I need to give credit here for the biggest help of all from my spouse and mate. Pattie was with me every step of the way lending moral and physical support. This is definitely not a one-person job. While most of the work can be done by one, some cannot. A second pair of hands and a second brain proved to be a must.

I bought the tank, hose, and fittings from Catalina in Florida. Catalina Parts was a big help. They were knowledgeable and got the parts to me quickly. By the way, the prices were as good or better as I could find else-where. You can pay $8-$10 per foot for better hose; but, I didn’t bother as I was satisfied that the production quality is good enough for my needs.

I ordered 14-feet of 1-1/2 inch hose. On the older boats, the head hose runs between the hull and head liner and needs some extra length. I’m told the hose enters the liner

directly and passes behind the head to the pump in the newer models. Fourteen feet of hose was just enough for all three runs with plenty to make the wide turns you’ll need to make inserting and removing the tank easier.

Other necessary parts are:• ¾” vent hose (Catalina sent more than

enough)• Tank with new elbow fittings, vent fitting• New SS hose clamps (allow for double

clamping)• New hose from macerator pump to thru-

hull• New thru-hull vent (do it now so you

won’t need to do it later)• Save the elbows and “T” fitting from old

tank for use on macerator pump. The “T” fitting moves from the old tank to the mac-erator pump.

Tools:• Hacksaw blade in small holder for cutting

through hose • Paper towels• Plastic bags • Duct tape • Dish detergent• Teflon tape, (heavy duty if available)• Wire cutter (for wires in hoses)• Miscellaneous pliers, screwdriver, pipe

wrench, etc.• Electric screwdriver with a 5/16 in. socket

makes tightening the clamps a snap. As for tools, the biggest help was from an auto tail pipe expander for getting the new hose on the fittings. You can get these from an auto store or HarborFreight.com. The next biggest help came from a heat gun that softened the hose even more

The technique for attaching a 1-1/2 in. hose to a fitting is to insert the tail pipe expander in the end of the hose; with a wrench, rotate the shaft to expand the hose while heating with a heat gun or hair dryer. When the hose is expanded larger than the fitting, remove the expander and install the hose on the fitting pushing as far onto the fitting as possible. Be sure when measuring hoses that you allow for the length of the fitting.

Demolition – Before you begin the demoli-tion, I suggest that you flush out the hoses and tank well using warm water and a mixture of detergent and water softener. Let the mixture sit for 2-3 hours or overnight then pump-out flushing multiple times with fresh water. This will make the job of removing the old hoses much less unpleasant.

The hardest part of the demolition was removing the panel in the head above the cab-

inet. It is fitted tightly and there is no way to get a hand-hold to exert any force, and force it takes to pull it out. I removed the 120V outlet, and used a blade to break any silicone bond left from the original sealing of the head liner to the cabin liner. I also found it necessary to remove the cabinet, florescent Light, and fil-lets. Once I could make enough room to get my hand around an edge of the panel, I was able to pull it out. It went back in much easier as you might imagine. From here, I could access both the hose to the deck fitting, the vent hose, vent fitting and the hose to the head.

Remove the vent hose and vent. You’ll need the room this provides. Remove the clamps entirely from deck hose, and remove the screws from the deck fitting. You will have to break the bedding seal of the deck fitting by working it from below and above. Protect the fitting on the deck if you pry it up as the aluminum is soft and you’ll easily damage the edge. Once you have the deck fitting loose, push the fitting with hose attached up through the deck and cut through the hose separating it from the fitting.

I found cutting the old hoses off rather than attempting to pull them off the tank fit-tings to be the best approach. Be warned, though, some of the plastic fittings may extend well into the hose. Avoid cutting the fitting by cutting the hose no closer than 6-8 in. from the end. Once cut, plug the severed ends with a piece of plastic bag around paper towel or rag. Then tape up the ends with duct tape. This will free the tank, but the tank will have some unpleasant residue remaining so remove it very carefully. Save the old elbows and the “T” fitting.

With the tank and macerator free, remove the hoses from them by slitting length-wise with a utility knife or use a rotary tool. If cut-ting with a knife, you’ll need to stop periodi-cally to snip any wires in the old hoses. Newer sanitary hose may be all plastic without any wires.

To remove the head hose, I found it easiest to remove the joker valve fitting on the head. It was then easy to remove the fitting from the hose without having to cut the hose avoiding a difficult cut. Seal and pull out that hose.

I found it necessary to relocate the mac-erator pump forward as the new tank did not allow sufficient room to leave it where it was originally installed. I made a new mounting board for the new location and left the old one in-place.

Installation. Apply many wraps of Teflon tape on the threads of the new elbow fittings for the tank. 5-7 wraps won’t be too many. You will want these fittings to be tight and should not use pipe cement as you will need to be able

Holding Tank Replacement/Upgrade Project CATALINA 320 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C320 Association Technical EditorChris Burti

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 35

to adjust and remove the fittings. Screw the elbow fittings to tank with a pipe wrench and point them in the outboard direction. I found it necessary to insert and remove the new tank multiple times in the process of measuring and dry fitting hoses. It is done easily by standing the tank vertically with large end down, tip-ping the small end forward to allow fittings to enter the space, then moving it back to ver-tical, and rotating the small end to starboard allowing the tank to slide in.

Before installing the tank, note the loca-tion of any wires and hoses in the space. On hull #62, the hot and cold water hoses to the head emerge into the aft side of the space and run along the aft wall of the liner. I had to make special efforts to prevent the tank from compressing these hoses. I finally made a “stand-off” to be sure the tank would not press on these hoses and chafe. You could attach the stand-off to the tank or to the wall of the space over where the hoses emerge. The tank when full may have slight movement so be sure it won’t chafe on anything. You don’t want to have to pull it once the project is done.

Before marking the position of the tank on the hull, put the macerator pump in-place to make sure it will clear the tank, the thru-hull, and etc. Note in the accompanying picture how the outboard end of the tank angles aft and the inboard end forward. This is how the factory does it, and is further protection for the water hoses. I even added an “L” shaped shim at the lower edge of the tank to further insure it stays where I want it. When you are sure the tank is positioned properly, make some marks on the hull for future reference.

With the tank in-place, pull a hose from tank space to the head and attach the hose to the toilet fitting. Allow the hose to make a wide turn around the outboard end of the tank. Mark the hose for the top fitting on the tank and cut with the hack saw. Dry-fit the “T”

fitting with two (old) elbows onto the macer-ator pump. Place pump in position, allowing room to operate thru-hull valve. Make a rough measurement of hose length from outlet fitting of the tank (lower one) to the inlet fitting on macerator pump. Mark location of macerator pump on the hull. If you are moving the mac-erator pump, make a 5”x6”x1/2” mounting board. Mount the board to hull with 3M 5200 adhesive and run a bead around the board to make a fillet with the hull. Tape in-place with duct tape and allow to cure. (Use 3M fast-cure, or allow 3-5 days to be cured and work-able.) The exact position of the pump on the mounting board will be resolved later.

Run the remaining section of hose around back of tank and up through the hole for the deck fitting and insert the hose clamps around the hose. Use the tailpipe expander and heat gun to attach the hose to the deck fitting. Dry fit the deck fitting in-place. Hold macerator pump in-place on the mounting board and pull the deck hose to the fitting on the pump; mark and cut the hose. The remaining cut off hose should be sufficient to join lower outlet fitting on the tank to the macerator pump inlet which is the lower end of the “T” fitting. Cut the hose to the measured length. Using Teflon tape, affix the fittings to the macerator pump, and tighten with a wrench.

With the tank once again removed, attach the short piece of hose to the lower fitting on the tank. Double clamp the connection as you won’t be able to do this in-place. This time, insert tank in the space so that lower fitting is below the edge of the entrance and rotate the tank partly to starboard with upper fitting above edge of entrance. Now, affix the hose from lower fitting on tank to the macerator pump with double clamps. You may leave the clamps loose for now. Affix the head hose to upper the upper fitting on tank with two clamps. Rotate the tank up to vertical, lower tank into space as before and rotate to star-board as the tank slides into place. Position the tank to marks on the hull made earlier. Now, the tank is in-place with all but the deck hose attached.

Push the deck hose and fitting back up through the deck. Lay some masking tape on the deck around the opening for the deck fit-ting. Push the deck fitting down to the deck and with a utility knife, draw the knife around the edge of the deck fitting cutting through the tape. Pull the deck fitting back up and remove the tape from under the fitting. This leaves a taped surface that will make for a neat bed-ding and easy removal of excess sealant. Apply 3M-4200 or suitable sealant (not 5200!) to the deck inside of the taped circle. Now for the trick. On our boat, because of the cant of the deck, the hose has to make a slight bend between the hull and the head liner. This was difficult to do on a cold day and required one person to force the hose to bend so the deck

fitting would sit flush on deck while another tightened the screws. Next, the deck hose can be attached to the “T” fitting on the macerator pump with double clamps. Place the macerator pump on the mounting board, positioning it so that the thru-hull will operate easily and screw it down to the mounting board.

The last hose installed will be the vent hose. Install the new vent in the hull and using double clamps, attach the vent hose to it and the other end of the vent hose to the vent outlet fitting on the tank. All hoses and fittings are now installed. Go over all clamps and make sure they are tight on their hose. Hopefully, you positioned each clamp so you can check and tighten it in the future, if necessary.

Fabricate the tank hold-downs as shown in the picture. I used painted 2x3 boards, each board having a cut or extension at the edge of the tank to prevent it from moving. Fill the tank and let it stand while checking for any leaks. Test the macerator pump and do a pump-out though the deck fitting to make sure everything works.

Don’t be surprised if your next project will be to install a holding tank monitor. We find it much harder to estimate when approaching full with a 22 gallon tank. –Warren Updike, Warr de Mar, #62

Outboard view

Deck fill vent

Finished View


My Bride and I are owners of C310 hull number 65 that we pur-chased in 2010 from the original owner. We are full-time liveaboards on Smitty and are cruising along the East Coast of the US, the Bahamas and Caribbean. We have made many upgrades to Smitty in

preparation of our cruise and will be making many more as we go. We have been tracking our progress, upgrades, and experiences on our blog: http://svsmitty.wordpress.com.

If you have any topics suggestions, articles you wish to contribute or questions for the C310 IA, please do not hesitate to contact me by email. –Jesse Krawiec, [email protected]

For a 31 foot sailboat, we have decent water holding capacity. We have a 35-gallon poly tank under our forward berth and a 20 gallon water heater for a total of 55 gallons. But prior to being liveaboards we weren’t drinking that water. We had been getting by with gallon bottles of water we purchase at the store. Between lugging those down to the boat, storing the bottles until we used them and then lugging the empty bottles back up, it’s a lot of work and extra space. Not to mention all of the first use plastic that we could avoid.

So we planned to stop this cycle of bot-tled water by putting a good filtration system on the boat so we could start drinking the water in our tank. At first I was looking at the Seagulland WattsPremium water filtration systems. However, after some more research it appears that these units are fine when cruising in the states but when you get to the islands, the replacement filters and parts are harder to obtain. So instead I started to look at units that had the more universal style 10-inch filter cartridges. These seem to be readily available at most home stores including in the Islands. Watts makes an RV/Boat unitthat comes as a one-piece two-stage filter set up. But it cost about $100. I liked the setup of the unit; especially the aluminum bracket on the top that would make mounting easier and I wouldn’t have to fabricate anything.

Watts also sells a filter pack of two-stage filters designed with a particulate filter for anything above 5-microns in size and a carbon filter. With this combination it will remove any chlorine smell and taste, dirt and sediment, plus more nasty contaminants like

lead and other heavy metals, parasitic cysts, and most volatile organic compounds, her-bicides, pesticides and insecticides. It won’t remove bacteria or other biological contami-nants. Only UV or chlorination are the more effective at removing bacteria and biological contaminants. The cartridge filters have a decent estimated life at 600 gallons, which is a little less than the Seagull’s estimated 1,000 gallons.

I decided that to prolong the filters, I would add a dedicated tap for the drinking water. I don’t see as great of a need to filter the water we use to wash dishes or even shower. We do pre-filter any water that goes into the tank with a 5 micron particulate filter when we refill the tank. Really the focus of this upgrade was to make the water in the tank drinkable.

With a little more searching I found a Watts under the counter system(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018MXH04/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) that came with all of the parts and dedicated tape for under $80 (the price has gone up some since I purchased it). From the dimensions listed online, it

appeared this system would fit under the galley sink.

I had to reroute some of the plumbing in this area. The hardest part was drilling the holes in the correct spot for the bracket. I wanted the filters as close as possible to the bottom of the sink so it didn’t interfere with the garbage can. The “add-a-valve” kit that came with the filter fit the boat’s exiting plumbing perfectly. I did have to separate the hot and cold supply lines to the faucet and bend the metal pipes very carefully. All I had to buy in addition to the system was some 1/4-inch bolts with finish washers, nuts and lock washers.

I tested changing out the filters and it will be easy. Kill the pump at the panel or turn the new valve, remove the trash and then remove the filter. The filter wrench is a little difficult to get in there but my strap wrench I use for oil and fuel filters works fine.

I installed the dedicated tap at the galley sink.

So far we are pleased with the outcome. We have been regularly drinking the water from our tank for over a year. We typical have a 1.5 gallon jug with a spigot in the refrigerator that we refill from the dedicated tap. You can fill a glass of water without removing the jug. We can actually refill the jug by running a two foot length of food grade hose from the tap to the jug in the refrigerator so we don’t have to unpack the fridge to take the jug out.

Adding Drinking Water FiltersCATALINA 310 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION


C310 Association Technical EditorJesse Krawiec

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 37


C28 Association Technical EditorDick Barnes

Questions and AnswersTips for Easier shifting

Question: Shifting in and out of forward-reverse on Prime Time has always been a little difficult (2002 model) and seems to be getting more so. Do I need to lubricate or adjust some-thing to make it easier?

I don’t want it so sloppy it slips out of gear, but it now takes a serious effort to move the transmission lever. –Clarence Jones, No. 703

Reply: My experience has been that the push-pull cable is usually the culprit. Check for any areas that the cable can be binding like tight turns. Although they are usually sealed I have tried to lube the cables without lasting success but it might work if there isn’t very much internal corrosion. Replacement is not an easy job.

You can disconnect the cable from the shift lever on the transmission and confirm that the binding is not in the transmission.

My shift cable broke at the shift lever at the transmission, thankfully on a trailer while doing a survey.

I have a friend that had the same binding problem with this shifter and continued to use it. Eventually the 1/4-28 screw that held the shift lever sheared off as he was backing out of the slip in reverse. He froze for a moment then quickly shut the engine down to get con-trol of the situation. He snapped a pair of vice grips on the shaft as an emergency fix.

Lesson learned—Keep a pair of vice grips handy! –Bob Thomas, 1997 Mk II, No. 498

Cleaning Cabinet Curtains

Question: How do you clean the pleated formerly white curtains in the cabin. Bleach? Soap and scrub? How do you do this without ruining the pleating? –Nancy and Bill, L.O.L., No. 130

Reply: I would vacuum them first to prevent dust from turning to mud. If they are just dull/dirty, I would start with Spick-n-Span. If they are stained I would try an OxyClean-type product rather than bleach. If you aren’t successful in cleaning them, Cata-lina Direct sells new replacements. Search for “Window Shades.”They range from $20-$50-ish depending on length, but they warn that a single new shade will stand out like a sore thumb. –Mike Smalter, No. 539.

Reply: Several years ago I took my cur-tains to a blind store that offered ultrasonic cleaning. They came out very nice and it was much less expensive then replacing them. One suggestion: if possible have them hang the curtains in the solution vertically instead of horizontally. What happened to mine was that they now hang a bit longer, which might not have happened if cleaned vertically. –Lew

Update: I tried to find an ultrasonic cleaning service and the only one I found in our area had a huge tank in which they only cleaned hard surface and the tank was a grimy mess. So I took the advice to use OxyClean and I think it worked pretty well. I put four scoops of the powder in a 5-gallon bucket and soaked for six hours and then rinsed completely. They’re cleaner than before. –Nancy and Bill.

What Size Packing Cord?

Question: I am planning to replace my shaft packing cord on my Catalina 28MKII 1999. Shaft diameter is1 inch. What size diameter of GTU shaft packing material should be used? –Gene Sheinkman

Reply: My 1997 is ¼ inch,” even though the manual for my boat says 3/16 inch. I changed it (using 3/16) while it was on the hard several years ago. It cost me an extra $200 for my preventive maintenance because it leaked so bad that they had to pull my boat, repack it, and relaunch it. So my advice is buy both sizes. Compare what you remove to the new stuff, and return what you don’t use. –Mike Smalter, No.539

Adding Cabin-Top Cleat

Question: I’ve been sailing Liberty a lot in the past two weeks of warm weather and great 15-20 knot wind. I’ve discovered I’d like to add another cleat on the cabin top, next to my single halyard clutch. This will allow me to cleat the roller fueling Genoa halyard and use the rope clutch for my spare halyard/dinghy lifting line.

I’m not sure exactly what to expect drilling into the raised fiberglass block that the rope clutch is mounted on. Does anyone know how it is cored? As I have never drilled into fiberglass before, what kind of screws and sealant will I need to make sure not to damage the core or crack the fiberglass/decking. –Stirling B. Naber, Liberty, No.128

Reply: Tthere is an aluminum plate embedded beneath the rope clutch. I replaced the single clutch on No. 191 with a double when I added a spinnaker to Vela Via’s ward-robe. The new Guarhauer clutch screw holes did not line up with the previous clutch. I just drilled and tapped new holes. –Tony Bacon

Reply: I added a cam cleat last year and there is definitely an aluminum plate embedded beneath the surface as stated by Tony. If my memory serves me correctly, the plate is about 1/4” thick. I marked the loca-tion of the holes, used a small bit and drilled the first hole cautiously so as not to go any deeper than the bottom of the plate, mea-suring the depth with a smaller bit as I went. You will be able to tell when you get to the bottom of the plate. Drill slowly. I then used an appropriate-sized diameter bit to match the machined screw I was going to use to secure the cleat and then tapped it. I then secured the cleat via the first hole, and repeated the process for the second hole. –Bob, 1997, No. 520.

Reply: I second Bob’s comments and would like to add whenever I drill into fiberglass I use a countersink drill to enlarge the hole a bit just prior to stepping up to the next drill size as this prevents chipping of the top gelcoat surface. In fact,countersink any-where your drilling through gelcoat surfaces. –Roger, Camelot, No. 399 Mark II

Removing Calcium Scale

Question: I have had a periodic blockage in the macerator inlet and I suspect that calcium scale is the problem. I have been cruising the Internet and found several recommendations to remove scale . Vinegar is popular for prevention or if the scale is not severe. Next step is muratic acid. Somewhere I read that a product called CLR is effective in removing heavy deposits. Has anyone had any experience with this problem or with the use of CLR. –Bill Apt.

Reply: We live in an area with very hard water and have a lot of scale deposits. CLR work OK but there is something you can buy at most stores called “The Works.” It works better than CLR and is a whole lot cheaper. Don’t get the spray bottle as it is diluted and not as strong. Get the one that looks as though it is for cleaning toilets. By the way, it works for that as well. –Art Harden


Association NewsNews That’s Specific To Your Catalina

MAINSHEET

Well Crap! Ninety days have come and gone since I wrote the last of these wonderful, thought-inspiring Commodore’s messages. There is no way I can get away with ignoring the message from the editor about my need to write this. Nor can I use the excuse that I did not have internet as I was out to sea

and just got back to electronic civilization. This is the problem with the Admiral being the Association Editor; she knows where I am, at all times.

We are just about to finish up our eight weeks in California. We drove up from Baja in early July and it’s now

Labor Day, so we plan to head back to La Paz next week. The pile of stuff to pack has just about reached critical mass. Critical mass - meaning as much as we can fit into our Dodge Magnum.

In the old days, the Magnum would have been called a station wagon. No one sells anything they call a station wagon these days, vehicles are SUVs, MPVs, or some other designations but nothing quaint like station wagon. I am a throwback to the 60s when a friend and I towed a double-axle trailer hauling a world speed record 16-foot drag race boat through California and Oregon from 1960-65. The speed limit at that time in California for a car towing a boat was 45 mph. If you think that wasn’t excruciatingly boring, think again! The station wagon gave us storage space for tools and parts.

Now what am I going to blabber on so I can figure out how to end this. Good question!

Our plans when we get back to home base is to try and figure out where everything we are hauling is going to fit aboard without sinking the boat. I am told by the Admiral that she is just re-provisioning with goodies that are hard or impossible to find in Mexico. OK - if she says so it must be true! My goodies are a small pile in comparison, in two plastic folding top bins. Mostly spare parts, a few that are needed, a number just because I had the use of my workshop so I wouldn’t be bored out of my skull while in California.

One project when we get back to Mexico is to haul the boat and re-paint the bottom. I received a couple bids on doing this in LaPaz and was grousing about how the cost has gone up $300 in four years at the boat yard I like. Yesterday, I went online and checked local yards in the San Francisco area and found they are charging $4-5000. Comparable work in La Paz is $1,800, so shut my mouth!

I wanted to fabricate a couple of new anchor rollers with a slot for the chain to keep it from twisting as it returns to the anchor locker. I heard this would work, I’m not sure but it gives me something to play with. I bought a cylindrical chunk of black Delrin plastic, chucked it up in my little lathe and machined the faces to the width I needed. Having done that, I then discovered my lathe was too small to machine any of the area where the chain would ride! In the words of Homer Simpson, DOH! I now had invested $100 in two chunks of black material, again DOH! After thinking about it over a beer or three, I called a buddy in Oregon and

explained my problem. After we jawed for a while I emailed him a drawing, and shipped him the pieces. He sent me my finished rollers two weeks later. It’s nice to have talented friends you can impose upon. (A while back he got bored – bought a new cheapo Skil saw, lots of aluminum plate, 80 pounds of aluminum wire for his welder, and plenty of argon gas – and wound up with a 25-foot fishing boat.)

The reason I’m hauling so little back is that everything on Voyager has performed really well during our five years of cruising, and honestly so has the Dodge that we drive back and forth. One reason we do so well is that I try to replace things before they break or fail. So in keeping with that mentality, I had noticed a pulsation when getting hard on the brakes after our latest 1,400 mile drive up the Baja peninsula. Once we got back home, I took the Dodge to the tire dealer for a tire rotation and at the same time asked them to look at the brakes, Still had 40% of the brake pads left but the rotors were warped and one tie rod end was getting some play in it (not bad for 65,000 miles). Heard what the tire guys quoted, it was more than the increase of $300 to repaint the boat. So, off to the auto parts store, bought new rotors, brake pads, and four tie rod ends. If one tie rod end is going, the other three will follow soon, so I did a little preventative maintenance. Didn’t want one to give up on the drive down Baja. It’s hard to drive if the front wheels point in different ways. Took three hours, saved $400. Yay, I think I am ahead. So, next week we are going back to La Paz loaded up with stuff to load up our other home with stuff. Hasta Luego. –Bill Martinelli, [email protected]

Just Re-provisioningCATALINA 470 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C470 Association CommodoreBill Martinelli

Voyager’s jewelry gets some spiffing up.(photo © Julie Olson)

Voyager’s new anchor rollers (photo © Bill Martinelli)

marina provides a connection to the theatredistrict on the north and the FreighthouseSquare Shopping Center and the TacomaDome on the south. There are also manyfine restaurants in the area so we madereservations for twelve boats at the marinaand dinner at the Blue Olive Restaurant,located at the top of the dock ramp.

The new waterway developmentprovides an attractive walkway along theshore, passing below several new condo-miniums and terminating at Johnny’sSeafood Market. We spent much of theweekend exploring some of the new devel-opments.

In April, CATSS will be participating inthe Daffodil Boat Parade, sponsored byTacoma Yacht Club. We plan to enter a boatin the Flagship category rather than thefully-decorated category. This is a newventure for CATSS and one that has beenmet with great enthusiasm by our members.The parade route parallels Schuster Parkwayand Ruston Way, the shoreline waterfrontpark that connects Tacoma Yacht Club withthe Foss Waterway, providing many goodvantage points for viewing. This is Tacoma’s“opening day” of the yachting season coor-dinating with the local Daffodil Festival.

At this time, the new Board is busilyplanning cruises and activities for the 2006season. Once complete, the entire cruiseschedule as well as other important informa-tion will be available on our website notedabove.

We invite all Catalina owners in theTacoma and South Puget Sound area to joinus. Monthly meetings are held the secondFriday of each month. Meeting locationsand program information will also be onour website.

As CATSS new Commodore, I lookforward to an active year. If you have ques-tions about CATSS, please contact me,Commodore, Lowell Anderson at [email protected] or 253-922-7588.

Catalina Fleet 21 - Chicago Region www.catfleet21.org Kathy Ahern.

Once in a while someone comes alongso full of energy and enthusiasm that theyinfuse all around them. Kathy Ahern was

such a person. Kathy andhusband Walt joinedFleet 21 in 1988, shortlyafter taking possession oftheir brand new Catalina

30, Rhapsody. It wasn’t long before Kathywas on the Outings Committee and beganorganizing all kinds of unusual outings. Wehad treasure hunts all along the lakefrontwhere she had us going ashore and climbingtowers, visiting the Coast Guard Station orthe Harbormaster’s office to look for cluesto the next destination. Before you knew itthere were Catalinas large and small tearingin all directions along Chicago’s lakefront!Prior to a timed Mystery Cruise she organ-

ized, she went to several libraries andborrowed Polaroid cameras. Each boat wasgiven a camera and some clues. Once youfigured out your destination, you had totake pictures of certain things to prove thatyou were there! Kathy was also one of theorganizers of our 25th Anniversary PigRoast at Hammond Harbor in 1998. Shealso put together our 30th AnniversaryCruise on Chicago’s very own Tall Ship theWindy in 2003.

The Ahern’s raised six children whohave presented them with eighteen grand-children! Kathy was a very valued memberof Fleet 21. Unfortunately, we all lost her tocancer on December 28, 2005 and we missher!

Fleet 21’s 2006 outings, cruises andprogram schedule is still a work in progressbut will be available on our website shortly.To date we have enjoyed the annual PotluckSupper held at the Corinthian Yacht Club inJanuary, and Chicago’s 11th Annual StrictlySail Show in early February when sailorsfrom all around the mid-west converged onChicago’s Navy Pier on the shores of LakeMichigan. As in past years, many of ourLake Michigan Catalina Association(LMCA) friends drove over from Michiganto join us and see the show.

Catalina Yachts and area Catalinadealers had an impressive display ofCatalina models ranging from the C280 tothe impressive C420, including the brandnew C309. Exploring the boats was just thetonic that we needed to carry us throughwinter until spring launch time. For thoselooking for ancillary equipment to add totheir boats, the numerous vendors gavethem many opportunities to “burn someboat dollars.” Both LMCA and Fleet 21members were on hand at the Owners

Booth to answer questions about both theNational and the All Catalina Associations.Membership in those organizations will beincreasing because of their efforts.

Both Catalina Yachts and Fleet 21 co-hosted Saturday evening’s Pizza Party at theHampton Inn following the show. FrankButler and Sharon Day were present toshare in the fun. They also presented twolucky winners with weeklong vacations inPuerto Vallarta, Mexico. Fleet 21’s MadalynDuerr performed her usual magic in secur-ing discounted hotel rates and organizingboth the Saturday evening’s Pizza Party andSunday morning’s breakfast and we allthank her!

If generating excitement is a measure ofsuccess for a boat show, then Strictly Sail2006 would have to be called a success.Mid-west sailors left the windy city excitedabout the prospect of an approaching sailingseason. Some were excited about the newequipment they would be adding to theirvessels. Others were excited about theprospect of hitting the water in their newlyordered boats. Indeed an exciting weekend!(Thanks to LMCA’s Commodore, RodSchmidt for assistance with this section-ED.)

Visit our website for details of ouroutings and activities. For membershipinformation, please contact Pat Shereyk [email protected].

Chesapeake Catalina Yacht Club(CCYC) www.SailCCYC.org

CCYC plans to have another active andfun sailing season in 2006. Trying to matchthe wide-ranging locations of our membersacross the Chesapeake Bay area and thelarge number of scenic anchorages within aweekend raft-up sailing radius requires well

thought-out preparation. But before we could

get back on the water,we spent the winter withmany on-land memberevents. In January,

members Al and Vicky Lohman (C-350Rhiannon) hosted a Potluck Supper andBoard Game Night at their home. Severalmembers tried their skills at various gamessuch as Pictionary and Nautical Trivia.

Walt and Kathy Ahern having fun

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MAIN MAY06[F].QXP 4/14/06 11:38 AM Page 17

marina provides a connection to the theatredistrict on the north and the FreighthouseSquare Shopping Center and the TacomaDome on the south. There are also manyfine restaurants in the area so we madereservations for twelve boats at the marinaand dinner at the Blue Olive Restaurant,located at the top of the dock ramp.

The new waterway developmentprovides an attractive walkway along theshore, passing below several new condo-miniums and terminating at Johnny’sSeafood Market. We spent much of theweekend exploring some of the new devel-opments.

In April, CATSS will be participating inthe Daffodil Boat Parade, sponsored byTacoma Yacht Club. We plan to enter a boatin the Flagship category rather than thefully-decorated category. This is a newventure for CATSS and one that has beenmet with great enthusiasm by our members.The parade route parallels Schuster Parkwayand Ruston Way, the shoreline waterfrontpark that connects Tacoma Yacht Club withthe Foss Waterway, providing many goodvantage points for viewing. This is Tacoma’s“opening day” of the yachting season coor-dinating with the local Daffodil Festival.

At this time, the new Board is busilyplanning cruises and activities for the 2006season. Once complete, the entire cruiseschedule as well as other important informa-tion will be available on our website notedabove.

We invite all Catalina owners in theTacoma and South Puget Sound area to joinus. Monthly meetings are held the secondFriday of each month. Meeting locationsand program information will also be onour website.

As CATSS new Commodore, I lookforward to an active year. If you have ques-tions about CATSS, please contact me,Commodore, Lowell Anderson at [email protected] or 253-922-7588.

Catalina Fleet 21 - Chicago Region www.catfleet21.org Kathy Ahern.

Once in a while someone comes alongso full of energy and enthusiasm that theyinfuse all around them. Kathy Ahern was

such a person. Kathy andhusband Walt joinedFleet 21 in 1988, shortlyafter taking possession oftheir brand new Catalina

30, Rhapsody. It wasn’t long before Kathywas on the Outings Committee and beganorganizing all kinds of unusual outings. Wehad treasure hunts all along the lakefrontwhere she had us going ashore and climbingtowers, visiting the Coast Guard Station orthe Harbormaster’s office to look for cluesto the next destination. Before you knew itthere were Catalinas large and small tearingin all directions along Chicago’s lakefront!Prior to a timed Mystery Cruise she organ-

ized, she went to several libraries andborrowed Polaroid cameras. Each boat wasgiven a camera and some clues. Once youfigured out your destination, you had totake pictures of certain things to prove thatyou were there! Kathy was also one of theorganizers of our 25th Anniversary PigRoast at Hammond Harbor in 1998. Shealso put together our 30th AnniversaryCruise on Chicago’s very own Tall Ship theWindy in 2003.

The Ahern’s raised six children whohave presented them with eighteen grand-children! Kathy was a very valued memberof Fleet 21. Unfortunately, we all lost her tocancer on December 28, 2005 and we missher!

Fleet 21’s 2006 outings, cruises andprogram schedule is still a work in progressbut will be available on our website shortly.To date we have enjoyed the annual PotluckSupper held at the Corinthian Yacht Club inJanuary, and Chicago’s 11th Annual StrictlySail Show in early February when sailorsfrom all around the mid-west converged onChicago’s Navy Pier on the shores of LakeMichigan. As in past years, many of ourLake Michigan Catalina Association(LMCA) friends drove over from Michiganto join us and see the show.

Catalina Yachts and area Catalinadealers had an impressive display ofCatalina models ranging from the C280 tothe impressive C420, including the brandnew C309. Exploring the boats was just thetonic that we needed to carry us throughwinter until spring launch time. For thoselooking for ancillary equipment to add totheir boats, the numerous vendors gavethem many opportunities to “burn someboat dollars.” Both LMCA and Fleet 21members were on hand at the Owners

Booth to answer questions about both theNational and the All Catalina Associations.Membership in those organizations will beincreasing because of their efforts.

Both Catalina Yachts and Fleet 21 co-hosted Saturday evening’s Pizza Party at theHampton Inn following the show. FrankButler and Sharon Day were present toshare in the fun. They also presented twolucky winners with weeklong vacations inPuerto Vallarta, Mexico. Fleet 21’s MadalynDuerr performed her usual magic in secur-ing discounted hotel rates and organizingboth the Saturday evening’s Pizza Party andSunday morning’s breakfast and we allthank her!

If generating excitement is a measure ofsuccess for a boat show, then Strictly Sail2006 would have to be called a success.Mid-west sailors left the windy city excitedabout the prospect of an approaching sailingseason. Some were excited about the newequipment they would be adding to theirvessels. Others were excited about theprospect of hitting the water in their newlyordered boats. Indeed an exciting weekend!(Thanks to LMCA’s Commodore, RodSchmidt for assistance with this section-ED.)

Visit our website for details of ouroutings and activities. For membershipinformation, please contact Pat Shereyk [email protected].

Chesapeake Catalina Yacht Club(CCYC) www.SailCCYC.org

CCYC plans to have another active andfun sailing season in 2006. Trying to matchthe wide-ranging locations of our membersacross the Chesapeake Bay area and thelarge number of scenic anchorages within aweekend raft-up sailing radius requires well

thought-out preparation. But before we could

get back on the water,we spent the winter withmany on-land memberevents. In January,

members Al and Vicky Lohman (C-350Rhiannon) hosted a Potluck Supper andBoard Game Night at their home. Severalmembers tried their skills at various gamessuch as Pictionary and Nautical Trivia.

Walt and Kathy Ahern having fun

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Fax 813-200-1385

Our sailing season began with the annual Margarita Party on Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend in the Burnham Harbor, near the Yacht Club.

Sadly, with the month of June being the wettest ever for the Chicago area, other outings and meetings were not so well attended. Still, several boats were in evidence for the Summer Sailstice at the Chi-cago’s newest 31st harbor.

As our season ends and boats are headed for winter storage, plans are in place for the final activity where boat shoes and jeans are replaced with formal attire. The Annual Awards Banquet will be held at the lovely Palos Country Club consisting of the installation of next year’s officers, cocktails, dinner and dancing. Family out-ings as well as trips to warmer climates will fill in the cold and dreary days until we can look forward to the January Sail Show which will give us the chance to again set our sights on another sailing season on Lake Michigan. –Nancy Bartlett, former Commodore

Fleet 21, Chicago Region

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 39

View at our rendezvous in Vineyard Haven

Thank goodness for our Zen machines.We are so lucky! Imagine living in today’s world of over sensationalized headlines with nowhere to escape. Count our blessings...all

we have to do is cast off from the dock and we leave it all behind. Once under sail let Mother Nature’s Zen provide the smiles. Now, can you figure a way not to come back to the same dock? That’s when life really begins! –Hans Petermann, [email protected]

Hello fellow Skip-pers, Mates and Admi-rals. My wife, Fran and our Shiba Inu dog, Jade, have loved living aboard our CM 440 the past

two and a half years. We have particularly appreciated reading about what others have done to their boats and where they’ve been or are currently at. One of the highlights of sailing Oasis has been meeting numerous other 440 owners, in both San Diego and Annapolis, where we have lived since owning the boat.

I was disappointed when Lorell decided to step down, since she’s done such an amazing job.

While I’m not a world class sailor, nor a seasoned editor, I’m willing to give it a shot so we can continue to be an integral part of the Mainsheet magazine, a periodical I think we all appreciate.

From the owners and crew I’ve met, I know many boats have experienced sig-nificant upgrades and/or visited awesome anchorages/locales...so please don’t be shy! Share with the rest of us. –Robin Joseph, s/v Oasis

A Way To Chill Out New Association EditorCATALINA MORGAN 440 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

CM440 Association CommodoreHans Petermann

New CM440 Association Association EditorRobin Joseph

The 2015 CANE cruise officially started at Parkers Boat Yard in Red Brook Harbor in Buzzards Bay with 5 boats arriving from various points north and south of the Cape Cod Canal. Immediately upon arrival we were hailed by Pamel to come aboard for cheese, crackers, and cocktails. The owners of Parker’s boat yard were very cordial, came to greet us and provided grills ready for us to use for our dinner. We all met on shore and grilled our dinner and settled in to really get to know each other and discuss the next day’s sail to New Bedford harbor. We had a lovely quiet evening with a beautiful sunset (Red sky at night….) and a quiet night.

The next day we set off early for the 18 mile sail to New Bedford. Stops were made at Cuttyhunk, Lake Tashmoo on the north side of Martha’s Vineyard, Oak Bluffs, Cotuit Bay, and Edgartown Harbor. Our Edgartown visit made for an incredible ending to the CANE cruise.

This was our first cruise with the CANE Fleet. Cruising with a group is a great way to visit unfamiliar ports with the guidance of those who have been there before, or to introduce others in the fleet to destinations familiar to us.

We met many CANE members; saw a variety of different Catalina’s, enjoyed the hospitality of the Cane Fleet both at their homes and on their vessels, have made new friends and have seen old friendships renewed. We have also experienced the fun and security of traveling with a group where fellow cruisers are very willing to provide assistance on the water, offer technical knowl-edge, or even provide missing provisions. We also realized the importance of having towing insurance (BoatU.S. got a new customer as soon as we got home) The CANE cruise was a blast, and we are looking forward to next year’s cruise where the plan is to visit ports north of the Cape Cod Canal. –Paula Mueller, Summer Breeze

Catalina Association of New England

International All Catalina Alliance

The CANE crew at the top of Cuttyhunk


MAINSHEET Association News

Hello everyone! The Catalina 400/445 International Associa-tion held a Rendezvous this year on June 19-21, 2015 at Haven Harbour Marinalocated in Rock Hall, MD on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. By all accounts, and by viewing the attached photographs, we can

say that this event was a success! Twenty-one C400 and C445 owners (plus one guest) participated. Here’s the list of participants and their boats (in no particular order)...

Frank and Linda Falcone, Silver, C400Dan and Martha Bliss, Brunelle, C400Rod Swank and Dennise Fath, Moxie, C445Mike and Marie Yates, Prego, C400Gary Wilson, Alo, C400Bob Klimek and Lucia Casale, Lucia, C400Rick and Susan Dammeyer, Promise, C445Jim and Joyce Ebmeyer, Tranquility, C400Rich Freeman and Patty Kimmel, Patty K

Too, C445Andy and Loretta Shanks, Painkiller, C400Diane Benyus, on Brunelle, GuestLloyd and Barbara Conley, Tanqueray III,

C400

Most participants were from locations on the Chesapeake Bay. However, Painkiller sailed all the way up from Norfolk and, as surprising as it was, Alo attended from Washington State! WOW, that was a long sail; down the west coast, around Baja California, past Mexico and Central America, through the Panama Canal (big time toll here!), through the Gulf of Mexico and all the way up the East Coast. Whew!! What a trip!! No, not really. Fun to consider, though, don’t you think? Our Washington State C400 colleague

and friend, Gary Wilson joined us via airplane (saving on the Panama Canal toll) and it was so great that he did so!! Through his partici-pation, our Association felt a truly national (almost international) ambiance! Tranquil-ity’s crew drove the furthest, coming from Penfield, NY.

The food, catered by Fish Whistle of Chestertown (and augmented by the partici-pants) and services by Haven Harbor were excellent.Thanks to Dan & Martha Bliss who keep their C400, Brunelle at Haven Harbor for their the hard work and organizational skills. Dan and Martha even had gifts for most attendees which we distributed on Saturday evening at dinner. Thanks to Sail Annapolis, G. Winter Sailing, and CatalinaYachts and Martha’s handiwork for gifts and to Haven Harbour for the use of the Pavilion.

Probably, the most interesting aspect of the entire event was the time which was built into the schedule for all of us to visit each other’s boats to learn what changes, innova-tions and upgrades have been made. This was very informative for all of us!! I know that I have some new ideas now that I can apply in the future aboard the Silver Eagle. Add more to the Boat ‘To Do List’! Why not? It’s ‘our thing’! Right? Listening to places people have been also helped us expand the ‘destinations list’.

And, the most lasting values of this event were, of course, the new friends that we made. Also, in the ‘It’s a Small World After All’category, I met a friend of a C400 owner who was married to a former high school friend of mine. My Mom and his Mom were very close friends, as they say, ‘back in the day’.You never know what can occur when one of these events actually takes place! We’re hoping to keep up with all of our new friends; such a wonderful group of colleagues, all sharing the common joys of Catalina 400 and 445 ownership.

Well, there’s discus-sion about a 2016 Ren-dezvousalready, perhaps in Washington State. Why not? Who knows? Let’s see. How does that trip go in reverse; Chesapeake Bay south to Florida to Key West, through the Gulf of Mexico and the Panama Canal, yada, yada, yada! –Frank Falcone, [email protected]

Rendezvous ReportCATALINA 400/445 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C400/445Commodore Frank Falcone

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 41

I just returned from a cruise here in the northeast where I was surprised by two nasty weather events. The first was a set of storms that blew through like a freight train with no warning. I was able to avoid them (barely) with my radar, which I had turned on after getting “one of those feelings” that I have learned the hard way not to ignore! The series of storms came across with vertical wall clouds of rain illuminated constantly by lightning. I was on the edge and only had a few drops of water on the dodger, while some friends without radar and only three miles away, got in the thick of it with 55 knot winds!

They were a bit banged up and will have to replace some rigging, but at least they are safe…. We then were treated to four days of 90+ degree weather…. in September! This just does not happen out here!

And a short time ago, one of our fleet was abandoned off shore in the Atlantic in foul weather that damaged his steering and could not be repaired after 3 long days of effort! Two smaller sailboats near my daugh-ter’s mooring in Minneapolis, Minnesota this summer were dismasted and sunk only an hour after she had been out with virtually no winds.

We all know “stuff happens,” but in my 55 years of sailing…. I don’t recall this much stuff happening this often!

And it isn’t only the weather. Our Association website has been hit several times in the past year and our listserve is getting more spammer attempts than ever before. And I don’t know about you folks, but I have had to set the spam controls on my email so high trying to filter out junk

Let’s Stay Safe Out There!CATALINA 38 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C38Commodore Chuck Finn

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OPEN AND SHUT CASE FOR EFFORTLESS FURLING

mail that I am regularly losing messages from colleagues and friends. Sure I should look in my trash folder, but who really does that?

As I write this, I wonder if I am becoming a bit paranoid in my old age? But I don’t really think so as I haven’t dug a bomb shelter or put a lot of food away. My wife reports I am just as wild and crazy about sailing as I ever was. I do know I have four weather apps and three radar apps on my phone, which I check way more often these days (I sure wish at least two would agree from time to time).

I guess the truth is I assumed the weather was just weather and advances in technology would mitigate the risk. But I am finding the weather is less predictable and more violent and that tech-nology is becoming ever less helpful. At times I get so much (bad) information I don’t feel I can make prudent decisions.

So these days I find myself relying more on those “feelings” about both my weather world and my electronic world. Sometimes you just can’t explain why, but you sure as hell know it is not a good day to go out! And I will be comfortable with my decision right or wrong. By the way, sorry in advance if you email me and I don’t reply!

On a happier note, let me welcome our new Association Treasurer, Bob Kirby out of San Francisco. Bob is the Captain of Enfin and has sailed in two Catalina 38 Nationals. Bob has been working with our retiring Treasurer, Steve Orton over the past couple months transferring accounts and coming up to speed. And a heartfelt adieux to our looonnnng term Treasurer, Steve Orton! Most people just love to sail our boats without knowing the long and hard work it takes to keep membership and books current. Steve has done an incredible job over the years and we all owe him a vote of THANKS! –Chuck Finn, [email protected]



The Association website at http://www.catalina36.org has had a major technology overhaul this past year. There were many reasons behind the upgrade. One of the

biggest was the Asso-ciation’s commitment to providing a platform for our Fleets to publish and promote their own information and services to their Members and other sailors in their local area.

The technology is in place to maintain and enhance the vibrancy of

the Association and its Fleets. The Fleets are one of the most important elements of our Association (in particular when it comes to attracting new Members) and it is important that each Fleet have a strong presence on the Association website.

I am very pleased to let you know that our hugely talented webmaster Nick Tonkin,

and our contractor, under Nick’s supervi-sion, are at your disposal to assist with Fleet interests at the website.

The Association website has a separate area for each fleet under the URL scheme http//:catalina36.org/fleets/. Fleet Captains or Fleet members can act as webmaster within the Association main site, designing and building your Fleet’s pages, or you can work with Nick / the professional staff to get them designed and built.

Each Fleet is free to create its own sub-site as desired and appropriate, including:

• Welcome and overview page with contact info • Calendar of events • Conduct opinion polls • Allow Members to find other Members in your area, and more.

If you would prefer to be trained in how to use the Association website’s tools, we will provide the training as well as the permissions needed so you can get to work right away.

If you don’t have any web-savvy Mem-bers with the time or the inclination to work on your Fleet pages, you can instead work

with our Webmaster to provide the necessary information about your Fleet and its activi-ties, and the pages will be built for you. We would like to have each Fleet able to update its own pages and Calendar, but we will be able to assist with on-going maintenance if needed.

If your Fleet has an existing website or Yahoo group or similar, first of all, thank you for being “out there.” We feel it is important to have your content on the Association site. Not only will this unify our collective efforts to promote the Association, but it will strengthen your Fleet’s own presence on the internet, since it will benefit from all the power of the Association site’s search engine ranking, security/feature upgrades, etc.

We look forward to getting your Fleet on line soon!

On behalf of C36/375IA (and very special thanks to Webmaster, Nick Tonkin) Laura Olsen Commodore C36/375IA. –Laura Olsen, [email protected]

Exciting news from the Catalina 36/375 International AssociationCATALINA 36/375 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C36/375Commodore Laura Olsen

When this reaches you many will be in the throes of winter. However, right now in September I am looking back to a won-derful summer of sailing and loafing. One thing that was accom-plished was the purchase and distribution of the coveted C350 Hats (shown in the picture). These hats were given to each member of the C350 group and will be sent to all new members. I’m sure that several of you are thinking about getting rid of your present boat to switch so you can get a hat! Actually that would be a good idea for sev-eral reasons. I won’t list them here for fear

of being accused of bragging.The Bridge continues to look for a

potential Webmaster or Association Editor. Our very busy Bruce Whyte is presently filling both jobs. We would like to give Bruce a break.

Also we would love to have a C350 Rendezvous at a new location. Our last two were on the Gulf and were great! However, it would be super to have some-thing on the Atlantic or Pacific. Any volun-teers? –Neville Edenborough, [email protected]

Member DividendsCATALINA 350 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C350 Association Commodore Neville Edenborough

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 43

C34IA Membership dropped a bit, down to 537 from the 575 in August 2015, and down from the 639 in May 2014. This 537 includes 24 C355s (also another four less than last quarter).

A few issues ago, we reported that Ray Irvine had hosted sailors from the other side of

the country when they came to visit us on San Francisco Bay. A few weeks ago I had the delight of hosting Rachel Zoll, daughter of member Michael Zoll (Talisman, #581) for a very nice daysail around The Bay. She’s a sophomore at Cal Berkeley studying

electrical engineering and computer science. We were hard on the wind on port tack with a single reef in the main and our 85% summer jib, with 19 to 23 knots of apparent wind. Rachel dryly noted that this was a LOT of wind, not something she and her family were used to on The Chesapeake. She quickly learned how to steer Aquavite “in the groove” with minimal pressure required on the wheel. C34s sure sail well when balanced upwind! We really enjoy sharing our sailing experiences with C34 owners and their families, and know you all do. What a great community.

Fleet 1 activity is an ongoing adventure. We’ve had great cruises this year – back to Sausalito, among others – and we’re heading out next week on our very-first-ever midweek cruise to a Giants baseball game. Fleet sup-

port is important to us. We could not agree more with the publisher’s last Editor’s Bark: “…to promote fleet and association devel-opment.” The publication of Fleet news in Mainsheet reflects the interests of all of our members from all of our Associations.

My son, Morgan, and I are nearing the end of a laborious but quite pleasant muffler replacement effort, including a new exhaust riser and a raw water system hose replace-ment. I see a Tech Notes comin’ outta this one! We couldn’t have tackled it without the earlier Tech Notes articles from Ron Hill and others, and the threads and photographs on the Main Message Board with its daily input.

Thanks again to all of you for your sup-port. –Stu Jackson, [email protected]

Secretary’s Report

How Much Tech Does It Take to Move Four People 50 miles at 5 Knots?

CATALINA 34/355 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C34/355 Association Secretary Stu Jackson


C320 Association Commodore Kirk Mueller

The beautiful February day breaks crisp and breezy as the magnificent Gulfstar 53 motors around the northern tip of Darby Island in the Exuma Islands of the Bahamas. The smell of coffee from the galley mixes with the salt air to form an elixir that only

cruising sailors understand. Our Skipper, a tall, lanky Georgia airline pilot skillfully navigates Rudder Cut heading for the open ocean. I have been invited to be part of this merry crew as we sail south to participate in the Georgetown Cruiser’s Regatta. The Captain invites me to the helm as he bounds up on deck to convert this powered yacht to its true calling, a sailing vessel. As we turn south to a beams reach, my heart fills along with the sails. As our magical ride transi-tions from power to sail the Skipper reaches for the engine stop. As if on que our winged steed pulls forward to say “We Go Now” The laughing of the gulls overhead, the songs of our forefathers singing in the rigging and the two bottlenose dolphin spinning in the bow wake portends that my life on the water will never be the same. Years of offshore power-boat racing and driving express cruisers will never be enough, I’m now a sailor.

As I fiddled with the massive chart plotter the Skipper reaches over, hits the off button

and says “head south and enjoy the view”. For the next several hours we flew south while enjoying one of the most magnificent, unplugged trips of my sailing career. When was the last time you unplugged, uncompli-cated, unwound your sailing experience?

Herb Kelleher, founder and President of South West Airlines went to battle with Boeing Aircraft years ago over the type of instrumentation he wanted in his aircraft. The airline had always had “old steam gauge” equipment in its cockpits and that’s how he wanted it to stay. I love his famous quote “How much technology do we need to move 128 butts 650 miles?” As recreational sailors we need to ask the same question, does the preponderance of technology help or hinder the enjoyment of our sailing experience? With the advent of digital charts, Active Captain, weather on our cell phones, Cloud Storage…really?…clouds are for enjoying off the stern of your boat at sunset.

The above rant leads to the questions of our message board and website. It has been discussed several times in the last couple years that we move away from the style of message board we use. Although our present style of message board may be “Old School” it is more than adequate for the groups needs as a whole at this point. I would like to remind the members that board members are volunteers including Jeff Hare and David Prudden that manage our IT matters.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Jeff for his tireless work for years

on the member’s behalf. As some of you might know Jeff is a professional IT manager. Anyone who spends anytime on the mes-sage board knows that they will always get informative, witty and timely information from Jeff. He is not only one of our most knowledgeable contributors but a truly giving individual. When he mentioned at the 2014 rendezvous and subsequently earlier this year that he would stepping down, my heart sank. He will leave a huge hole in the board.

The members of the board are working on the 2016 rendezvous and the event will be in San Diego at the Coronado Yacht Club. Please see the information provided in this issue of the Mainsheet.

An association such as ours is only as effective as its members. Please take the time to be active in your association. Together, we can make this an even better association designed around you.

I welcome all your thoughts… please email me at [email protected].

“Sail Fast….Live Slow”Note that C320 International Associa-

tion discount with Boat/US is back in effect. Details are available on the C320 Interna-tional Association website. –Kirk Mueller, [email protected]

As I fiddled with the massive chart plotter the Skipper says “head south and enjoy the view”.


By Captain Diane Fowler

After almost ten years of skippering my own sailboat, I decided to sign up for Bill Gladstone’s “sailing tactics” seminar. North Sails sponsored this event at the Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa on March 15, 2015.

WOW! What an eye opener! There were so many good tips! So many things just made sense – it was almost like a mental head slap! DUH! What had I been thinking before? Simple tips like: think about which side of the course is favored during the day; how to defend your turf at the start; different starting sequences – where I found out my competitor favors the triangle start! Since we often race in water depths of five to 35 feet; determine which areas of the course will the tide affect us in a positive direction? How many seconds will it take to run the start line if we arrive too early? What do we know about our competitor’s style? Who should we mimic in the spinnaker fleet that started ahead of us? By making more conscious deci-sions and having a checklist and a plan; we approached this regatta with new confidence.

Our current boat, Windy City, was purchased in October 2011 in Chicago. She was trucked to Port Charlotte, FL and put back together again. (Previous article on the pros and cons of buying a freshwater boat in Mainsheet Fall 2012). She is hull #948,

and we have kept her pristine and beautiful. Because I like to race, I have had both sails replaced with newer, hi-tech Dacron for our cruising fleet.

Since I had received chemotherapy for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in both 2008 and 2012, the Leukemia-Lymphoma Cup Regatta always has a special meaning for me. Those dollars our team collected will fund research that could help me live longer. This year’s event was March 21-22, 2015.

During winter and spring away regattas, Fridays and Mondays are known as boat moving days. This is when I invite ladies

from our sailing club and friends who never sailed before to come aboard- rain, shine, or snow. In this way, they get experience aboard without their husbands or boyfriends yelling at them. They can ask me any question; and I will never make fun of them. My hope is that I can encourage more ladies to take their sailboats out whenever they want! I travel to Naples, Marco Island, and Punta Gorda on these away weekends. From our home dock in Cape Coral, FL, it takes about six hours to navigate the waterways to get to the gor-geous Isles Yacht Club in Punta Gorda, FL.

Saturday morning boasted a coral and pink sunrise, 77 degrees, and a gentle breeze. There were seven boats in our fleet that day. My crew consisted of Norm, Patricia, Brad, and Scott. After just a ten minute motor ride out the narrow channel, we raised sails in Charlotte Harbor and I went into my pre-race mode that I learned at Gladstone’s seminar. By taking notes of the close hauled sail angles, start line, lay line, wind vs. heading to first mark, etc. I felt I had a good handle on the day. Tide charts were analyzed; along with water depth and predictions were made for the day about which side of the course would be favored and who our main competition was. After tacking several times, and checking the car position, leech and halyard tensions, and mainsail vang, we were ready!

The first two starts were disappointing – too many captains aboard! If you have never experienced this, gather a few men who have been racing for 25+ years each, and then – ask their opinion! OK, so we were a little late. But, surprisingly enough, we more than made up for lost time and came in 1st and 3rd. Our arch rival, Euphoria, a 30’ Hunter, finished with 3rd and 1st – ouch! That meant they won the first day overall.

Race the breezes! At the LLS Regatta in FL


CATALINA 320 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION (continued from previous page)

LSS Spring 2015

My crew decided one of the things I needed to do better was FOCUS. Pinching was not allowed. I was not allowed to talk or look around during the critical upwind leg. Imagine that! A real estate agent who was not allowed to talk! Patricia spotted a large turtle, and yelled for everyone to look. After I stood up, peered over the side, one of the men yelled, “Enough looking! Back to focus! Down!”. Big laugh ensued. They sound mean and nasty; but are not really. Don’t worry – I give it all back to them when the time is right. Wink, wink. Besides, I buy the beer.

Returning to our assigned dock at 3:30pm., we were welcomed by Isles Yacht Club Members and enjoyed a relaxing swim in their private pool. Since we do not have any yacht clubs in Cape Coral or Fort Myers, it is such a treat to be able to visit a beautiful facility like that and pay just $8 per night for electricity! You NON-RACERS: See all the perks you can get while racing?

My smiling husband, Ray Gherardini, arrived at 4:30 and shared stories and beers aboard Windy City with fellow racers. Ray doesn’t like other boats getting too close to us; so he gave up racing many years ago. OK, we DID almost side swipe Euphoria on the second finish – but let’s not get upset – I didn’t hit anyone.

The Isles Yacht Club sponsored a tasty BarBQ dinner inside the air conditioned dining room. Sorry folks up north – it’s just the way life is here in March. Aboard Windy, with my own air conditioning cranked, I slept like a baby in my luxurious queen bed all three nights. Most sailors believe boats have souls. I am a subscriber to this theory, so Windy and I chat and I often thank her for delivering me safely and helping to make my dreams come true.

Since my cancer is likely to return, I must get CT scanned twice per year. My HAPPY PLACE is sailing. Whenever I need to go into the CT tube, or get more blood stolen from me, I just close my eyes and go to my happy place, rewind my memory tapes of water shushing along; dolphins swimming next to me; and all is right with the world.

Sunday was the reverse start race. This is one of my favorite races, because the turning

marks are already chosen – no matter where the wind comes from. It’s fun to have some variety to the always-starboard-near-com-mittee favored starts. One year we even started this race downwind! Each yacht is assigned it’s own start time – down to the second. In theory, the slower boats, with higher PHRF ratings begin first and progress until the fastest boat starts. We should all finish at the same time, right? Good theory; but never happens. The other benefit of this start style, is you know right away if you won or lost. No com-plicated math involved; no guessing the exact time of your competitor’s finish.

My style of skippering is more democ-racy than dictatorship; and a discussion ensued about local knowledge/ afternoon seabreeze/ effect of tide in different areas of the course and crew weight positioning. I like to verbalize my thoughts, so we all know the plan and all working together. With winds of 2-4K all day, we were literally breeze racing.

When the water is flat and folks aboard talk – you can hear everything! As we passed six other boats, they were all asking each other, “What is Windy City doing?” “Why are they going so fast?” “Look at Windy City!” That were some of the most fabulous moments of the year – passing many boats larger than our little 32’ and listening to them complain about us! WOOHOO! The small tweeks Gladstone’s seminar taught me paid off! On the Catalina 320, I have found that during light winds, crew weight forward helps keep the speed going. For me, the key was to keep her moving; creating her own wind. All crew tiptoed around, then shifted weight to the low side during the upwind por-tion and focused on puffs on the water. Early in the race, we passed Euphoria, and kept watching her boat appear smaller and smaller behind us! Windy City had won this race by a long stretch – breaking yesterday’s tie score!

Racing not only creates a unique team work environment, but you learn to keep your boat moving in all types of winds, waves, currents, and tides. If you have never tried it – feel free to come visit me in Florida and come crew on my peppy little Windy. She is very accommodating, comfortable, and keeps the beers really cold!

Your Board is pleased to announce that the Coronado Yacht Club will host the 2016 Regatta, Rendezvous and annual meeting. Online registration will soon be available. The registration fee will be posted at that time. Visit www.coronadovisitorscenter.com for area attractions and start planning for a great California vacation.

Dick Walker (Committee Chairman) has hosted two previous and very suc-cessful events at Coronado YC and we are looking forward to another wonderful event. Below are some words from Dick. We hope to see everyone there! –Jerry Taylor, VC, Piper - 1128, Solo-mons, MD

“BLAST on the BAY”The Regatta/Rendezvous will take

place at Coronado Yacht Club in beau-tiful Coronado, CA at the head of Glo-rietta Bay, 1631 Strand Way, Coronado, CA 92118, (619-435-1848). You can see more about CYC at their web address: www.coronadoyc.org. (There are seven C320s at CYC).

There will be great activities including a raffle, cocktail parties, a fun race, a San Diego Bay Cruise on Sunday, and banquet on Saturday night. We hope to assign all who come on a boat for the race and Sundays cruise. We are planning to have speakers on Friday from Yanmar, Garhauer and a Rigger to demo the mysteries of rigging your boat.

Visiting yacht berthing will be provided by CYC at no extra charge for 3 days; but members must be flying their Yacht Club burgee or the C320 burgee.

We will be arranging rooms at a special rate available at the Glorietta Bay Inn. You will not need a car, as it is one block from CYC. The taxi cost is about $30 from the San Diego Lindberg Field to GBI.

If you want a real treat you can stay about two blocks at the majestic Hotel del Coronado (1-800-hotel del). I am afraid that the rates are also majestic. There is also the Coronado Beach Resort (619-522-6000) close by, which is a time-share. If you have a DOD ID, the Navy has rooms at the Navy Lodge at NAZS North Island.

Do not hesitate to call if you have any questions. –Dick Walker, (619) 435-8986, [email protected]

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 45

Windy City rounding the mark

2016 Catalina 320 IA Regatta and RendezvousSeptember 9, 10 & 11, 2016


On the weekend of August 22, 2015 five Catalina 310 boats and crews got together at the Middle Bass Island Marina in Lake Erie for the 2015 rendezvous. We were joined by a Catalina 30 and a Catalina 25 for the festivi-ties. A total of 16 owners and guests attended this fun-filled weekend.

Middle Bass Island is located 10 to 15 mile miles just North and North West of Sandusky and Port Clinton Ohio and only a mile or two from the Canadian border. On this “on and off again mostly windless day” many were forced to make the passage under motor or motor sail.

Upon our arrival C310 IA Commodore Alan Clark presented each Captain and Admiral with a special gift bag of goodies and swag donated by Boat US, Brands Marina in Port Clinton, the Catalina 310 Association and West Marine in Port Clinton. Many thanks to these organiza-tions for their support.

The afternoon we arrived was devoted to a progressive cocktail and hors d’oeuvres “open hatch” party as we all showcased the improvements and changes small and large that we have made on our 310’s. Also showcased were the creative food and drinks prepared by the owners of each boat.

The fun continued to the point that we were missing our reservation time for dinner at the St. Hazard’s restaurant down the street and thru the woods. Many boarded the local “taxi” bus for the restaurant while a few tromped through the woods. Dinner of jerk chicken and pork was consumed along with copious amounts of beer and wine in this Caribbean themed restaurant and bar. It was after dark when we finished dinner and with the help of many cell phone flashlights we all made it through the woods, past the marina launch ramp and back to the cozy confines of our 310s.

The next morning the group treated itself to a potluck breakfast at the pavilion – again thanks to the Commodore for commandeering several large tables by arriving at 0-dark- thirty to save the tables. The “spread” was impres-sive an included a variety of eggs, apple crisp, bacon, and bloody Mary’s.

The discussion around the table consisted of accolades for Alan and Eileen for organizing our rendezvous and for delivering great weather and much fun. The topic turned to the question of “do we want to do it again?” The con-sensus was yes, yes, and yes all of us will pitch in to plan, organize and carry out our next rendezvous that we expect to hold just East of Sandusky in Huron, Oh on the same weekend in August 2016.

It was great to meet other 310 owners who we now consider friends. We can’t wait until next year. Thanks again Alan and Eileen for making it all happen. –Bob James, [email protected], Alan Clark, [email protected]

Catalina 310 RendezvousCATALINA 310 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C34/355 CommodoreAlan Clark

C34/355 Association EditorBob James


Middle Bass Marina

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 47

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Planning for Next SeasonAs you remember

the summer sailing season and plan for next season, consider why the association is here. We all love sailing and we all want to get the most out of our boats. One of the best ways to do this is get together with other sailors to share ideas. The association

can help in one of three ways. First, we have the Mainsheet magazine

where you can share stories with all Cata-lina owners. Second, we have the associa-tion website with specific topics for Cata-lina-25/250 and Capri-25 owners. Third, we have locally organized fleets.

An association fleet is a great way to share ideas, learn from others, and meet new people. A fleet can be any group of local C25 owners. Some are members of the same yacht club, some rent slips at the same

marina, and some just sail on the same lake. Fleet activities can range from social events, to regattas, to the latest improvements. To form a fleet, you just need 3 association members and the best of all forming a fleet is free.

If you are interested forming a fleet or becoming a fleet member, please see our website or contact me ([email protected]) –Russ Johnson, [email protected]

C25/250 & CAPRI 25 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

C25/250 & Capri 25 Commodore Russ Johnson

On Saturday, August 29, the Rome Sailing Club, a small sailing club located on Weiss Lake in Northeastern, Alabama, was packed full of club members and members of the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association to recognize and give thanks to two heroes from one of the year’s most tragic sailing events. The reunion of these two heroes provided family, friends, and fellow sailors who were touched by the story and simply wanted to express their gratitude, the opportunity to say “thank you”. –Rich Fox, [email protected]

Two HeroesCATALINA 22 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

A.B. Marine ...........................................19

Beta Marine ..........................................19

The Canvas Store .................................23

Catalina Yachts Store ..........................47

Doyle .....................................................41

Edson ....................................................C4

Hamilton Ferris Company ...................13

Forespar ................................................25

FX Sails .................................................27

Garhauer Marine .................................C3

Genco Marine .......................................33

Gibco Flex-Mold .....................................7

Kato Marine .........................................16

Mariners General Insurance ...............22

National Sail Supply ............................38

PYI Inc ...................................................31

Quite Canvas Mfg ................................20

Sailbag Lady .........................................12

Sail Warehouse.....................................42

Schaefer Marine ..................................C2

Seoladair Ltd ........................................33

Signet Marine ......................................44

Ullman Sails ..........................................11

Yacht Thruster ........................................9

Zarcor ....................................................41

Advertising Index

C22 Association Editor Rich Fox

Congratulations to the sailors who participated in this year’s Catalina 22 National Championship Regatta in Portland, Oregon. The top three winners for each fleet are:

Gold Fleet1. Randy Pawlowski, Gold Rush, #4392. Doug Brennan, Colonel Mustard II, #2043. Michael Hallett, That’s What She Said!, #1222

Silver Fleet1. David Hewitt, Shark Bait, #30672. Michael Lang, Paula Jean, #68683. Weston Becker, Celeste, #3316,

Spinnaker Fleet1. Keith Bennett, Screamin’ II, #382. Randy Pawlowski, Gold Rush, #4393. Michael Hallet, That’s What She Said!, #1222

Looking ahead to next year, the Notice of Race for the 2016 Catalina 22 National Championship Regatta is now available on the Association’s web-site at www.catalina22.org and included in the November Catalina 22 Main-Brace publication. The Nationals will be held in Fort Walton Beach, Florida the week of May 22-26. Vice Commodore Don Waterhouse is organizing the event, with the support of Catalina 22 Fleet 77 and the Fort Walton Yacht Club. –Rich Fox, [email protected]

National Championship Regatta

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