I probably use more antifreeze (AF) than is really necessary, but I don’t mind if it avoids worrying about a broken pipe below the floorboards. I just pump each tank as dry as possible and then drain the water heater. I then re-plumb the water heater, bypassing it to avoid having to waste all the AF it takes to fill it. This requires buying a couple of extra fittings and a short length of the rigid tubing used in the 380 fresh water system.
Parts are available by special order from Whale via West Marine. Then, each tank gets about two gallons of AF.
On the 380, the shortest run from the manifold to a faucet is to the galley faucet. I open the valve for each tank separately and in turn and run water until pink appears at the
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Many of us have noticed that the Catalina 380 fridge needed a bit more insulation to make it effective. The factory fix has been appreciated and worthwhile. I also felt that the placement of the compressor is in a rather vulnerable position in the bottom of the port lazarette. Objects could be dropped on it or it could (and would) be stepped on.
On Samantha we moved the compressor to a shelf glassed into the area between the port propane locker and the hull. This required new copper plumbing and a refrigerant recharge, but there was plenty of unused space. Now it is safely out of the way and still easily accessible. To make certain that it has adequate ventilation we installed a stainless vent between this area and the aft cabin, which is probably a good idea whether the compressor is
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Condensation in the Refrigerator
Jim Jaeschke
9/1/1998
Hull #: 73
On Electra we started noticing in our second season a lot of condensation on the tops of cans in the top part of the refrigerator and also on the top of the refrigerator itself. We performed the dollar bill test which is closing the top cover of the refrigerator with a dollar bill located between the cover and the rubber seal. We found that the dollar bill pulled out easily in several locations along the perimeter which showed that the rubber seal was not touching the top. It was probably compressed from my putting a heavy tool box on the counter. A new one was installed.
I also checked, as suggested by other owners, the junction of the counter top and the top of the refrigerator. I found as they had, a gap that could leak air. I sealed the
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Who wants to climb down into the lazarette to fetch stored items? Why not hang them up in easy reach? We were going to install athwartships stringers under the seat hatch hinges to install hooks but found stainless line hangers at West Marine (model # 243834). These install on the bolts holding the helmsman’s seat supports without any modification, at all, and the hooks are full half-circles. Nothing can fall off even in a full spinnaker broach. We have the emergency tiller and access-plate wrench, a boat hook, spare lines and fenders, a loud-hailer, the windshield and a bag for the dinghy oars on these. A boarding ladder and bucket are fitted with light retrieving lines, which are also hung on these hooks for easy retrieval. The PFD bags sold by marine stores fit snugly through the lazarette hatches, and we keep
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Spare Propane Locker Becomes Cockpit Cooler
Dave Peffer
11/1/1998
Hull #: 20
We rarely need two propane bottles aboard, and we don’t want to open our refrigerator more often than absolutely necessary. My solution was to line the outside of the spare (starboard) propane locker with insulation, working from below in the lazarette. I used three wraps of roll insulation (from a home store) which sandwiches bubble-wrap between layers of foil, lightly gluing it and wrapping it in place with nylon strapping. The bottom was covered with expanded foam insulation board, and the joints sealed withlatex expanding foam insulation (Find this stuff! It cleans up with water!).
The locker cover was lined with the same rigid board insulation. Here I cut one piece to fit inside the water-exclusion fiddle, another to extend down just into the round part of the locker, using contact cement to hold them in place on
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You will want cabin fans in many places, and the Hella turbo-fans draw so little power that it is reasonable to do this. The fan(s) in the v-berth should be installed as far forward as possible blowing aft, promoting airflow through the boat. One excellent spot in the main saloon is just forward of the chart table, where it can blow across the head and shoulders of the navigator, then across to the galley, where it blows heat from the stove away from the cook. Other locations will suggest themselves. We have three fans in the aft cabin. On our boat there was a free ‘Cabin Fans’ switch on the panel.
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Gotta have them. Even the red light over the galley hurts night vision from the cockpit. We added two night lights: one in the head next to and six inches above the seat of the commode below the sink, and one on the curve at the aft end of the starboard settee just above the cabin sole and just inboard of the navigator’s chair hinge support. When installing the latter be sure to remove the settee cushion base (only six or eight screws hold it down) to find the right spot for the light and to avoid drilling a hole in the holding tank, which fits snugly into this corner! You will find a simple electrician’s snake invaluable in such electrical installations. For some reason these lights are hard to find, but I got some from M&E Marine. You may have
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The pivot at the mast end of the vang turns on a pin held in place by only a cotter pin through the center. Nothing else holds it in place, and the cotter pin is liable to shear, dropping the pivot pin completely out of the fitting and releasing the vang from the mast. Pending a ‘fix’ for this problem, please check the cotter pin for wear and replace it at least once each season.
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