There’s been quite a lot of discussion on our email list concerning operating problems with our windlasses. These are principally the clutch not releasing, jamming when rope/chain splices transit the chainwheel with the “Freedom” version and failure/stalling of the unit.
To release “stuck” clutches, some captains have had to undertake some severe hammer work, as advised by Maxwell. The answer here seems to be proper maintenance, with at least annual cleaning and greasing required. The rope/chain splice problem is best minimized by having a good, professional “thin” splice made up. Some captains report that pulling the anchor line during the critical splice transit helps. A great way around both of these issues is to go to an all chain rode and add a down switch. This way, there is no splice to jam, and the clutch never needs adjusting, just leave it
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Our Commodore, Earle Ellefsen [C380 #271, Valkyrie], discovered chafe near one end of his mainsail furling line. He decided to turn the line end-for-end, and remove the chafed area as there was excess line length. The key step in accomplishing this was to remove the bolt, which locks-in the furling line, near the bottom of the furler. Of course, an “opportunity” soon arose when Earle realized that the bolt was Stainless Steel in an aluminum furler and, with a few years of salt-water environment, was thoroughly corroded in-place. Many shots of WD-40 later, nothing had changed! Early attempts at removal quickly resulted in losing the slot– or, as Earle put it: “it torqued open”. Obviously the bolt should have had a more substantial gripping head.
Once the slot was destroyed, heavy locking pliers are the obvious choice, right? Wrong– their
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Maxwell Windlass There’s been quite a lot of discussion on our email list concerning operating problems with our windlasses. These are principally the clutch not releasing, jamming when rope/chain splices transit the chainwheel with the “Freedom” version and failure/stalling of the unit.
To release “stuck” clutches, some captains have had to undertake some severe hammer work, as advised by Maxwell. The answer here seems to be proper maintenance, with at least annual cleaning and greasing required. The rope/chain splice problem is best minimized by having a good, professional “thin” splice made up. Some captains report that pulling the anchor line during the critical splice transit helps. A great way around both of these issues is to go to an all chain rode and add a down switch. This way, there is no splice to jam, and the clutch never needs adjusting, just
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At the August east coast Catalina Rendezvous, Richard Mastry of Mastry Engine Center spoke on related topics. Mastry is the Yanmar engine supplier to Catalina for our later C380s, C387s and C390s. I spoke with him after his talk. and again, at some length, on the phone a few weeks later. I concentrated my queries on props and RPM’s, as our Sailnet list discussions have been pretty heavy on this subject. Here’s his comments.
New Engine
First, Mr. Mastry spoke about the new Yanmar 3JH4xx engine, delivered for C387’s beginning about hull # 60. The major changes include larger diameter cylinders, lower working RPMs and some user-friendly upgrades including rearranging the salt water pump for ease of impeller and/or pump change. The transmission reduction gear has also been changed to 2.33 ratio, so that the shaft RPM’s will be closer to that of
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Dutchman Boom Brake Installation and Use Kevin Murray Mainsheet Date: 5/1/2005 Hull #: 88
The Dutchman Boom Brake is designed to control the speed of the boom as it crosses the boat during jibing. This can be a dangerous situation in moderate or higher winds. It also makes a great preventer for use when running downwind. As shown in Figure 1, this brake consists of three sheaves mounted between two plates in a triangular configuration; a line wraps around these in a serpentine fashion. The two upper sheaves are fixed and do not rotate; the lower sheave either rotates or is fixed depending on the setting of the control knob on the front of the device.
When the line running through the brake is tensioned, it grips the line with greater tension yielding more grip. By adjusting the knob and/or tension, more or less braking friction is in winds below
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Cracked Mast Step-Version II Ted Sholl 2/1/2005 Hull #: 257
Cracked Mast Step – Version II This is a summary of Ted Sholl’s experience with his C380. His article was submitted for publication several issues back, but was removed due to lack of space. Subsequently it somehow “slipped through the crack” [pardon the pun]. With the passage of time, boats with this problem probably have all been discovered and repaired. However, just in case, here’s some “food for thought”. My apologies to Ted, whose full article is on our website.
Shortly after taking delivery of “Sound of Silence” hull #257 in July 2000, we noticed some cracks and apparent corrosion around the circumference of the mast step [collar] that sits at the base of the mast and is attached to the cabin roof [and compression post below]. The mast fits into the collar and is held in place by a
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The diagrams below show the method for installing the screens for the portlights on hulls somewhere around C380 hull #200. The screens are probably the same for all 387’s and 390’s.
Note that the shape of the portlights on the drawing look remarkably like the ones used on hulls less than 200. I suspect that Lewmar used whatever sketches were handy and adapted them. Bottom line is that the newer portlights should appear much more rounded at the ends, hence oval [you can see the true shape on their website]. Distinguishing features shown are “push-type” window latches [a bit difficult to tell, unless you’ve seen them first hand] and the bar or strap across the top of the screens [oval shape should have also been a distinguishing feature].
These drawings show the process that should be used when installing
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Engine Transmission While Sailing- Fixed and Special Props Warren Elliott Mainsheet Date: 2/1/2005 Hull #: 44
There had been a lot of discussion, and some confusion, on this topic occurring on our Sailnet email group a couple of years ago. The major issue was what gear should be used while sailing, in order to minimize wear on transmission parts, particularly with an Autoprop. This is an unusual prop, so different rules may apply. A secondary problem is the special transmission clutch used on our Yanmar engines, which are found on the newer C380’s and on all C387’s and C390’s. With additional knowledge and experience gathered over time, a report on this subject seems appropriate.
To start things off on the engine side of the issue, I contacted Joe Joyce at Westerbeke for info on this issue with regard to their 42B engine. Those of us with older 380’s [up to
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We all want to make/keep all things simple, right? Well, definitely fitting this category are the relatively new screen hinges by Lewmar, manufacturer of our overhead hatches.
Admiral Jeanne and I always found it bothersome to remove, store and/or install the hatch screens. It was particularly irksome when a sudden rain shower required quick screen removal so that the hatch[es] could be closed. Also, when not in use they require storage space, which is particularly problematic for the very large forward unit.
The answer is to store the screens in-place while having a quick/easy opening and closing setup. Lewmar’s screen hinges fit the bill. The photo [see photo 1] shows our C380’s large hatch in the main cabin, with the screen open. [The view is towards the port quarter]. It’s held in place by a pair of the special hinges.
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Check Those Thru Hulls Randy Camp 8/1/2004 Hull #: 92
Check those Thru-Hulls!
Checking on things under the galley sink, I accidentally bumped the drain hose connected to the sink thru-hull when a semi-eruption of water (sea/lake) came forth. It did not matter whether the valve was open or shut. I checked to see if the bolts (4) were tight, and found that only one bolt was tight … the other three were loose and could be removed by hand. Apparently, the one bolt holding the whole valve assembly together was long enough (5-1/4) to reach the base of the valve assembly whereas the others (4-1/2) were not. I was able to correct the problem by installing three new 5-/1/4 machine bolts. Perhaps my past inspections didn’t catch this problem because some seating material was holding the screws, and has since loosened.<br> In any event, the valve was improperly installed
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