Title: Flexible Coupling for Drivetrain Author: Gordon R Croudace Date: 8/12/2003 Hull #: 18
I am the owner of a Catalina 380C [“”Cahuilla””, Hull no.18], based in Sydney, Australia. I recently fitted a flexible coupling between the transmission and the propeller shaft. As it has made such a dramatic difference in terms of virtually eliminating vibration, reducing noise transmission through the hull and the impact of gear engagement, it has prompted me to recommend this relatively inexpensive and easy-to-fit mod to all owners. In fact, it surprises me that the flexible coupling is not fitted as standard equipment to all Catalina yachts.
The flexible coupling purchased is a product of R&D Drivetrain Solutions in Lynnwood, WA. USA. [ www.flexible-coupling.com]. It is available through PYI Inc. [ www.pyiinc.com. ] The model number of the flexible coupling fitted is 910-001. It is designed to be bolted between the transmission’s half coupling and
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Scott Brear posted the following comments about bilge pumps on the C380-list@sailnet.net list. His advice is well worth considering.
Stock manual and electrical bilge pumps in production boats are not designed for catastrophic leaks. They can only manage clearances of the bilge due to “”normal”” leaks through the speed impeller stowage, stern gland, rain , some minor hose leaks, etc. because they do not have even the rated capacity to do much more. In practice this is OK, because 95% of the time that is only where the water comes from.
But think about it some more. If you did have a 1.5 inch hole in your hull, what do you have on board that can pump that volume of ingress out? Such a hole could be your engine sea water hose, stern
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You may recall that the interference between the boom and doger was discussed in last year’s February Mainsheet. Briefly, at about hull # 100, manufacturer of the spars was changed from ZSpar to US Spars. The new masts have their boom several inches lower, resulting in the potential for the boom to contact the bimini, and perhaps dodger, when sailing close hauled. This problem apparently does not occur for in-mast furlers, probably because those mainsails are cut several inches shorter in the leech in order for them to furl properly.
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At the Atlantic City Boat Show, I spoke with Gerry Douglas, Chief Engineer at Catalina, who indicated that they have come up with a fix: ship Catalina [Calif. factory] your mainsail, they will cut out a wedge-shaped piece to reduce the leech length, and
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Here’s another topic that’s received quite a bit of attention. It seems that a number of boats are sending out “clunking” sounds from the rudder shaft. This occurred on my boat near the end of the 2001 summer, when the boat was 5 years old; I traced the sound to the upper bearing, which is easily accessed through the emergency tiller deck plate [at the helm]. I could see the upper end of the rudder shaft moving back and forth, albeit a small amount, in synchronism with the sound and rolling motion of the boat.
Further investigation took place after our 380 was “on the hard” for the winter. By holding the bottom of the rudder and moving it side-to-side, I found both upper and lower bearings had some “slop”. Initial measurements indicated that there was about 1/16″ top and bottom. But
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Radar Pole Configurations Warren Elliott, Paul McManus, Bob Sapita,Bob Brown 5/14/2003
Recently, there was considerable interest on this subject on our Sailnet email discussion group, so it seems that many are considering adding radar–a very worthwhile investment. To help with your design, here are three setups, sent to me by their captains after my Sailnet request. I’ll add photos of my radar pole configuration when I can convince my admiral to spend the $ on a decent digital camera. [I must confess, I’ve spent plenty on boat upgrades!].
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Photos 1 & 2 are shots of Paul McManus’s setup on his C-380 #185, “”Sea Sea Rider””. The pole and supports are standard Edson items. The pole’s weight is supported on the clevis- type bracket mounted just above the port side swim-platform storage “”box””. Upper support is provided by two rail brackets. Paul has a dink motor lift utilizing a pulley
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There have been a number of discussions on this topic on our Sailnet email discussion group. Most of you probably realize that our fuel tank is not a simple rectangular shape, especially in the vertical plane, and so the fuel gauge does not read accurately [our sender–the sensor in the tank–is a typical swinging-arm-with-float-type which is calibrated for a rectangular tank]. Rather it is tapered, from a depth of 11-1/2″ forward to an average of about 5″ aft. [It’s actually tapered in three directions].
In order to estimate what corrections to apply to our fuel gauge, I phoned our tank manufacturer [Ezell Industries], who supplied a dimensioned drawing [rather than measure my tank, a bit uncomfortable to do with our present winter set-up]. From this I was able to calculate- actually estimate- volume versus depth. To keep it relatively simple, I
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Installing A Second Anchor Roller Johnny Smith 2/1/2003 Hull #: 240
When I decided to install a second anchor roller on Shearwater, my 2000 model 380, I first looked in the local West Marine and BOAT/US stores. I then looked in my Garhauer catalog and found one I liked. I wanted one that is shorter than the one that came with the boat to make mounting the second anchor easier. I ordered the model AR-30, which is 24″ LOA with an ID of 2-1/2 inches and weighs 8 lbs. The price in the catalog is $93.50. Their phone number if you don’t have it is (909) 985-9993. I chose a Garhauer unit because our boats are loaded with Garhauer equipment (vang, traveler, adjustable genoa leads, etc.) and I’ve been pleased with their service and appearance so far. Secondly, none of the models I saw in the marine stores were pre-drilled
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Ram Mic P/T Problems Warren Elliott 11/1/2003 Hull #: 44
RAM Mic P/T Problem Although not a Catalina [380 or other] issue, I thought it appropriate to bring this to your attention, because it seems so widespread in our area. Agrowing number of sailors have a Standard Horizon VHF radio with an”extension” RAM mic located in the cockpit. In our local all Catalina fleet,I’d guess that half of the boats have the RAM mic; about 3/4 of those weregularly cruise with have one. This is a great mic, offering almost full remote capability, including channel, volume, power level, squelch, etc. selection. No longer do you haveto rely on a hand-held VHF or run down to the cabin to change channels ifyou had a simple extension version [as I did]. However, it does have one fault, in my opinion, which reveals itself in three ways:
when you think you’re transmitting, you’re
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Here is one captain’s solution for space for electronics–we all seem to want more and more toys. But it’s nice to know what’s going on in and around our boat!
With the proliferation of gadgets for “Angel’s Wings,” I needed to re-design the nav station. The logical choice was to use the shelf above the breaker panel. It was easy to duplicate the wood frame of the door and I used a 1/4-inch thick white melamine panel (available from cabinet shops) for the actual panel. 1 x 1-inch stops around the opening, a piano hinge, and a cabinet lock completed the job. The only thing requiring time was fitting the door since the two existing vertical panels are not square (is anything on a boat?). I now have my VHF, stereo, recording barometer, Autohelm repeater, GPS, Radar/chartplotter, tank monitor & Heart
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