I wanted to share with all of you the outcome of the companionway hatch
cover that I wrote about a few weeks ago. Here is what I said at the time.
Mine, a 2000, hull 226, I guess is what Warren described as the “old” slider
version, which is all smoked acrylic. I have a similar problem –hatch
sticks and, depending on the weather, it is almost impossible to open and
close. Two companies in the yard (general maintenance and a fiberglass
expert) have looked at the hatch and the hatch frame and both concluded that
the “sticking” problem is caused by a structural problem with the framing.
According to both, the cabin hatch frame has a wood base that the hatch
frame screws into. According to one person who looked at the framing, a
certain amount of non-orthodox adjustments were made to build up the frame
to accommodate the
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This month we have two articles regarding portlight and hatch issues that tend to plague our C380’s. First, is an article from Captain Tim Porter on sealing those bothersome leaks around the Lewmar side ports. I can relate to this one and remember the rainy delivery cruise up the ICW when I bought Blue Heron. My crewman assigned to the middle cabin had a series of plastic cups positioned under the ports to collect the drips so he could keep his bunk and gear dry. We weren’t able to get pictures of the fix in time for publication, but I think Tim’s description is clear without. Second, is an article from Captain Skip Wilkins on replacing the plexiglass companionway slider with Starboard. It is a different approach versus trying to retrofit a fiberglass C387 slider onto the C380.
As always, I am looking for new ideas, or
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By: Tim Porter, C-380 #199 “Serendipity”
Mainsheet – August 2010
If you have an older Catalina, your Lewmar portlights are likely what are known as the “Old Standard” portlight. (note: these are NOT the overhead hatches, which are “Ocean” series hatches) These portlights can be identified by the split in the upper and lower frames on each side. If you have these portlights, you have probably been battling hard-to-find leaks. [My 1999 vintage C380, #194 still has the “Old Standard” ports. – Steve]
Most of these leaks are not from the seal or the latches, but rather from those splits in the frame I noted above. The frame itself is a hollow extrusion and the two halves are joined with a plastic insert that is pressed into them which is then staked into place by dimpling the backside of the frame. Over time, the sun and age takes its toll
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The sliding companionway hatch on “Bellatrix” C380 #43 was made of ½ “ smoked Lexan or Plexiglas and had become crazed and sagged. The sagging allowed water to lay on it and it had become very hard to slide. Looking for an alternative, I called Warren Pandy at Catalina. He told me they no longer made the Plexiglas slider but now made them of fiberglass and the new material eliminated the problems of the old. I ordered the new slider. After I received it and took it to the boat I noticed a couple of problems. The new hatch was domed and would not fit under the sea hood. It would require cutting the sea hood, raising the sea hood and trimming the new slider (See Photos 1 and 2). The color of the nonskid on the new slider was a fresh seagull gray
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I started the winter with good intentions and a pretty good list of projects for Blue Heron. Mostly in the “would be nice to do category.” However, with the exceptional cold and snow we’ve had, plus other commitments, I’ve gotten nothing done. Zilch. Nada. Sometimes that is just how things go. Then, if spring ever does come, it will be much too tempting to slip the lines and head out for a couple hours of sailing instead of tackling the project list. So I expect that many projects on the list will be waiting for me next winter! I hope you did better on your project list than I did and that you will be ready for some good sailing when the weather warms. I am looking forward to hoisting the new 135% genoa I bought at theAnnapolis boat show last fall. It should make our
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John Szarek, C387 #129, Magical Dreamer, AnnapolisMD
Mainsheet, May 2010
I have always been amazed by LED’s, ever since that star wars LED watch I had as a kid so I thought it would be interesting to experiment with upgrading my lights to LED. Before I get to the fun part of replacing the bulbs, I want to explain a few semi-technical things about LED’s. I will be extremely general so all the EE’s out there please forgive over simplification of some parts. So the first problem I ran into was looking at my 10 watt halogen bulbs and trying to figure out how to match them to LED’s since LED’s are rated in lumens. One does not relate to the other directly as a watt is a measure of power and lumens are a measure of perceived light. On average most incandescent bulbs (DC) produce about 10 lumens per
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Well, it is that time of the year again. The adventurers in our group have headed south toFlorida, theBahamasand beyond. However, most of us in the Northern hemisphere are getting the baby ready for her long winter’s nap. Not that we aren’t adventurous. Sailors are adventurers no matter what type of sailing we do. However, it is the other commitments in life that keep us tied to the dock, or on the hard, during the cold winter months.
The winter does become the opportune time to tackle those projects that we find hard to work on when the warm winds of summer are teasing us to head out on the water. How many times have I gone out to work on a project and ended up sailing instead? But now we pay the price as we work on those deferred
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As we provisioned IdleWild, our 2008 C387, for our first summer cruise, it was apparent that we would miss the ample refrigerator capacity that we had on our previous boat, a Catalina 320. I didn’t see any alternative but to put a large cooler in the aft cabin, at the foot of the berth. That cooler turned into a real nuisance. It tended to slide around underway, it was a trip hazard, and it had to be drained and restocked with ice every other day. On that 6-week trip we used the locker next to the galley sink for dry storage, but I started thinking about converting it into a second refrigerator. It was an attractive idea; the locker and lid are already insulated, but it would take considerable effort and expense to install a second compressor. Then, this spring, I
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I replaced the 1” pedestal guard with a Navpod 1.25 inch. It included the feet while the Edson feet are extra cost I believe. I got the AG126 which is about a 13 inch offset. I think I could have used the AG125 which is about 9 inch offset and reduced the footprint over the table. I had a C90W on the lower angled section and the instrument pod on the upper section of the pedestal guard. I also replaced the plate below the compass with the one from navpod which is stainless. At first I tried to drill the aluminum top plate but did not get a clean hole. Also by using the Navpod stainless steel top plate I will not get any galvanic action. It is isolated at the compass with gaskets. (Navpod TP125 top plate and was about $85
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The engine water strainer was originally located under the berth where it was extremely difficult to reach, which can be dangerous in an emergency. The same was true for the primary fuel filter. The water strainer was replaced (and exchanged against an all plastic Vetus model (no rust) into the engine compartment. It sits now just above the waterline and can be easily cleaned without closing the sea cock. The fuel filter was brought outside the berth and a cover was made to protect it from being accidentally hit. The cover also makes a nice stool in front of the mirror. The stool is not too deep, thus still enabling a unobstructed passage between mirror and berth. Under the stool is a place for spare fuel filters and a prime pump in case the filter has to be primed.
Editor’s notes: The Racor relocation shown is based
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