Food Storage
Ed and Sharyn Dahn
2/1/2002
Hull #: 111
The locker to the left of the microwave is a huge space that we believed to be quite unusable without a shelf. A wooden shelf was considered, however, it was felt that even if a ½ inch thick shelf were used it would require some kind of bracing. The thickness of the shelf and bracing would use up too much room. As a result we decided to make it out of 1/8 inch aluminum sheet metal. Careful measurements were made, and the local sheet metal shop sheared a piece for us. The shelf comes to within ¼ inch of the door so that items on the top shelf can not fall down. The shelf is supported on ½ inch aluminum angle stock that was installed along the sides and back. Photo below:
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The following article by Warren Elliott describes replacing the fuel tank.
The original fuel tank actually had a 26gallon fuel capacity as marked on the tank itself. Lift up the aft cabin mattress and port side tank cover to check the capacity of your own boat to be sure what you have! Twenty-six gallons was considered inadequate by both early owners and Catalina so a larger 34 gallon tank was specified in later models. This new tank can be ordered from the factory and retrofitted into the earlier models. This article, kindly submitted by Warren Elliott, explains how to make the retrofit yourself.-Scott
Procedure-
In addition to standard tools, you should have anti-seize or equivalent to seal the fittings. This should be used anywhere dissimilar metals are fastened such as brass and aluminum.
Step I. Configure the new tank. On your
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Those of us with hull numbers up to about 100 have masts made by Z-Spar [now US Spars]. One issue with them consists of a relatively high gate: the opened part of the slot or tunnel where our mainsail slides do their thing.
The gate allows the slides to enter or leave the tunnel for installing/removing our mainsail. With the sail installed, the gate is “closed” via an angled handle that locks into the mast just above the opening thus retaining the slides. Two problems ensue with this configuration: first, the 1st reef cringle cannot be brought down to the boom, as it should be for a proper reef; Catalina authorizing the installation of “jack lines” solved this on my boat.
Second, the height of the sail’s headboard requires climbing the two mast steps to attach/detach the halyard and
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Genset Installation
Tom McMahon
8/1/2002
Hull #: 29
I recently had the Panda 4200 installed. It is in the starboard lazarette, as close to centerline as possible and oriented with the long axis of the genset fore and aft. This allows me (6′ 2″ and not the most limber person in the world) to sit alongside it, remove the covers and access all the user maintenance items. The genset is mounted on two engine-mount-like stringers, which are glassed into the hull (avoid any mount on top of a solid board – it makes the entire hull into a drum!). The optional Panda soft motor mounts are installed on the stringers, and the Panda case is then bolted to those mounts. I have the Raymarine 6000 autopilot, and the genset does not interfere with it.
The installer modified the case so that I can change the oil filter (strainer) without disconnecting
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Several of our 380/390 captains on our Sailnet email discussion group have in-mast furling and have mentioned how they like the arrangement. Some of those without this feature, including me, have usually responded with some “buts”: but there are no battens [so less sailing efficiency], but there’s less sail area [46 sq. ft. less: about 13%], but they jam, but, etc. Some said that a better alternative is in-boom furlers, which have become a lot more reliable, and are much less expensive to retrofit. Of course, buying a new Catalina with either system installed is better than retrofitting; here, in-boom costs more than in-mast. [For the latest on in-boom furlers, see Practical Sailor, Oct. 1, 2001].
I had seen some 380’s with in-mast furling, but had not really dug deeper. Then Earle and Barbara Ellefsen [C380 # 271 “Valkyrie”],
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Lazarette Shelves
Hal Breliant 3/20/2002
Hull #: 325
The storage lazarettes under the aft port and starboard seats aren’t extremely usable as each is a 5′ 6″ high vertical shaft. I wanted to add a shelf that was easy to open to allow access to each well. In the starboard well, I glassed 1-1/2″ treated lumber to the back of the well across the forward wall of the stern-platform locker at 1-1/2″ above the height of the lip on the cockpit /deck joint lip which is forward within the well.
Spanning the top of the joint lip and across the bottom of the glassed-in 1-1/2″, I ran two 1-1/2″ treated members to act as a front to back support for a forward transverse member. There are too many obstructions to use the lip surface as the forward transverse support. It helped me to run these past the glassed-in member one
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There’s been a good deal of discussion on this topic in many places, including our Sailnet email discussion group. I have my own opinions [these are not endorsed by Catalina], generated by many years working with antennas/electronics for military aircraft. However, as lightning protection is so uncertain — there are no guarantees — it’s a good idea to review some reference material, so you can make a so-called informed decision as to what, if anything, to do. This whole topic can be pretty controversial: I invite [as always] any comments, contrary or not.
The basic reference is the ABYC lightning protection standards [section E-4], which are included in your C380/390 manual [note that a 1998 change requires minimum grounding/bonding conductors to be #6]; it’s also available at www.abycinc.org. Another reference is Professor E. Thomson’s [U. Fla.] extensive website at www.thomson.ece.ufl/lightning/. On the
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This is a follow up to my article in the August Compass. I had originally intended this space simply to mention some additional items on this subject, but recent events have forced a change, as you’ll see below. Sail magazine [Aug. ’02] contains two appropriate articles; one of them suggests putting portable electronics in the oven when a storm is likely–probably a good idea. Note however, that the door seals are non-conductive; a couple of rolled strips of aluminum foil wedged into the door/frame gap should help.
Now to bigger news, at least to me. A few weeks after my lightning protection article was published, I got zapped!! This has to be the ultimate irony! And my external protection system was not in place! My only excuse:
no significant storms were predicted. Man, did NOAA and local TV [and me]
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I managed to crank my chain rode into the windlass about a month without destroying the chain stripper and chain wheels. Being under warranty, I called Maxwell in Cal. After a minor lecture on greasing the windlass, Maxwell did step up and fedex’d overnight the required upper and lower chain wheels in a subassembly, which I was able to drop in as directed. Two observations: one, Maxwell responded very well and, two, the greasing of the windlass, indicated in the operations manual to be annually, should be three times annually according to the manufacturer’s rep. His comment was: if you grease the windlass, it will never give you trouble. Err with too much grease as opposed to too little. Use waterproof grease like lithium based.
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You are probably aware that Catalina started putting Yanmar 40hp model 3JH3BE diesels in later C380s. My hull is #255 and has this engine. After about 450 hours on the engine, I started getting big-time water leakage thru the seals on the pump. The local Yanmar dealer in Cocoa Florida (where I was when I finally started looking for replacement seals) informed me that:
(1) that pump shouldn’t leak with that few hours of wear and,
(2) that he had encountered several pumps on the 4jh and 3jh Yanmars that were assembled at the factory without a required mechanical seal. Bottom line for me was that the dealer removed the pump, confirmed the internal mechanical seal was not installed, rebuilt the pump and reinstalled it all under warranty.
The only fly in that ointment was that the dealer
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