My Girl Modifications

I converted the shelf under the sink on “My Girl” #213 to a secure 6 bottle wine rack, with appropriate inclination, and 12 bottle divided bottle storage area.  The insert is removable if needed, but is very seaworthy in protecting the valuable contents thereof.

I created removable storage bins for the right cabinet of “My Girl” #213 to protect and organize the various cooking utensils.  The upper bin locks in place with the shelf lip while the lower extends out to the cabinet door.  The upper bin is divided so that sharps are isolated.  I also put a divider in the two standard drawers for silverware.

 

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Head Support/Storage Rack

Head Support/Storage Rack
Ted Sholl

8/1/2002
Hull #: 357

To solve the problem of toilet seat in the head going too far open and stretching its hinges too much, we decided to install a teak book rack as shown in West Marine catalog page 810 ( a teak paperback book holder works just as well but is not in the 2002 catalog). We attached 2 L Brackets (5-1/2 in) from Home Depot with stainless screws and attached the book rack. We placed the brackets so the seat would contact the rack and keep it in a more or less vertical position, and in the bargain we got lots of extra storage space for toiletries. Cost of rack plus hardware was about $55. (Not to mention $100 for a cordless high speed drill to drill the holes.).

Warren Elliot asked a few questions of Ted, and here’s his response:

Warren–re the

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Owner Improvements

The list below provides links to owner websites and their descriptions of improvements they have made to various aspects of the Catalina 380 series. I include them in this post so that they will be available to the search routines of this site.

RIGGING

Spinnaker Rig Details – Som Sikdar
Whisker Pole – Paul McManus
In Boom Furler – Kevin Murray
Back Stay Adjuster – Kevin Murray
Double Footblock – Som Sikdar
Boom Brake – Kevin Murray
Preventer – Som Sikdar
Power Primary Winch – Kevin Murray
Mainsheet Cam Cleat – Kevin Murray
Jib Furler Line Clutch – Kevin Murray
Go Fast Rigging – Steve Dublin
Bobstay – Kevin Murray

STAINLESS
Stern Handrails -John Estes
Stainless Projects – Scott Brear

CREATURE COMFORT
Drop Leaf Salon Table– Jim Jaeschke
Table Tray – Robert Taylor
Sink Boards – Kevin Murray
Stove Cover Board – Robert Taylor
Cabin Storage – Som Sikdar

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Adding a Second Refrigerator

By Jeff Church, C387 #145, IdleWild

Mainsheet, February 2010

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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Long Term Cruising Mods

Long Term Cruising Mods
Cliff & Deb Mewdell
February, 2006

Hull: 332

 Hello From the Bahamas!

After months of talking and planning, a lot of shopping, fixing and stuffing the boat, plus a couple of months moving down the ICW, we finally made it “across” [the Gulf Stream] to the Bahamas Islands. Admiral Jeanne & I aboard My Bride II, along with buddy-boats Valkyrie, English Rose, and part-timers Albicilla and Watermark I, have done a lot, seen a lot, encountered a lot, and hopefully have learned something!. But all this is, as is said, a story for another day.

However, at least sunrise of that day may have arrived with the printing of Commodore Earle’s [Valkyrie] column herein. So peruse that for all the associations doin’s, possibly including some of its officers adventures.

On to the tech stuff. We first met Canadian cruisers Cliff & Debra Mewdell aboard Watermark I

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Cruising Made Easier

Cruising Made Easier
Warren Elliott

November, 2006 Hull #: 44

Recently, the admiral and I were musing about the modifications and “stuff” we’ve added to our C380 [#44], My Bride II. After 10 years, it’s quite a bit and, as you can imagine, there’s always more that can add to our cruising pleasure. So, in case you’ve missed some of these, here’s a list of my favorites, roughly in order of cost; they range from zero cost to some “big boat bucks”. With apologies to racers, these are geared to making cruising easier and/or just more pleasurable. Feel free to let me know your favorite[s] if you don’t see your’s below. Note that we have not installed all of these, but have most. “[Mainsheet]” means there’s an article on the subject which can either be found in earlier issues or on our website at www.catalina380.org. Click on Boat Related, then

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Aft Cabin Seat Storage

Title:        Aft Cabin Seat Storage
Author:   Earle Ellefsen
Date:        11/1/2003
Hull #: 271

Aft Cabin Seat Storage Some of you will recall our discussion indicating the storage space available beneath the two seats in our master sleeping cabin. Has developing those spaces been on your ” back burner”? Well, now you’ll have one less excuse for not moving on this: you’ll see what they look like! The photos you see here [Insert Photos #1 & #2 w/captions] were taken by Earle Ellefsen [Valkyrie, # 271] with his trusty digital camera [I’ll have my own soon]. These are of the storage spaces on my boat [#44].

Cutting the openings in the top of these seats is a bit of a chore. The material is 7/8″ thick, with half of this fiberglass and half plywood. After drilling a starter hole, I found that a quality medium-tooth jigsaw blade worked, albeit fairly slowly.

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Storage For Dinnerware

Storage For Dinnerware
Ed and Sharyn Dahn

2/1/2002
Hull #: 111

The shelf above the sink that was intended to store plates, mugs, and such, was totally inadequate for our needs (worthless). We wanted a “china cabinet” (or in our case a plastic cabinet). The plan was to build a cabinet using the existing shelf as a base and make some kind of a cabinet which had a shelf in the middle. We considered building the cabinet out of wood, but it seemed that this would not only block the light from the large port window, but it would not fit the open styling of the interior. We decided to make the cabinet out of a clear material. The cabinet was made using an acrylic material purchased at the Home Depot called high impact “Lucite Tuf”, it is 3/16 thick. We also purchased some 1 ½ inch diameter oak ½

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Storage for the Bar, New Trash Container, and New Hatch Board Holder

Storage for the Bar, New Trash Container, and New Hatch Board Holder
Ed and Sharyn Dahn
2/1/2002
Hull #: 111

Storage for the bar.

The next issue was where to store liquor bottles. The setup for the waste basket (next to the sink) seemed to be really poor. The waste basket was very small, and some trash always missed the basket and wound up in the area where we stored pots and pans. We decided to throw out the trash container and to use the compartment to store bottles. This works really well, six large jugs and a couple of small ones fit nicely in the space. We intend to install a shelf above the bottles and enclose the sides. This will be accessible by lifting up the cutting board in the counter top. It will be used to store knives and cooking utensils.

Making room for the new trash

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Steering, Boom Height, Cleats, GPS

STEERING, BOOM HEIGHT, CLEATS, GPS
Wolfgang Doebel, Warren Elliott

2/1/2002 Hull #: 336

The following was emailed to me from a new 380 owner from Canada:

Hello Warren, Have you ever come across one of the following? Do you have any ideas to help?

The steering mechanism on my C380, at times seems, to get partially hung up, especially when moving through the neutral position. The problem is not severe but it takes out a lot of fun from steering. Also one must always expect some problems to happen if the cause of the concern is not fully understood. There is an Autopilot ST6000 plus connected to the rudder post, but it does not seem to be the cause, as the problem does not exist when traveling under power alone (no pressure on the rudder, not much tension on the cables). I have investigated the mechanical condition of the

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