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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As a follow-up to Steve’s article, I did some further enquiries on spinnaker/jib poles and cars. For the older C380’s with Z-Spar masts, Julian Crisp at US Spars [was Z-Spar, tel: 386 462-3760] indicates that, for the standard [non-furling] mast, the cost is about $250 for a car and short section of track. They also sell the same track in a long version [4 meters], for those who want to store their boat’s pole on the mast. US Spars’ furling mast uses a simpler approach in which the car can be added directly to the mast groove, and is about $170; installing this car does not require stepping the mast. They also sell complete poles with fittings, at better prices than the big catalog stores, per Julian. [But remember that shipping long items means that a trucking
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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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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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