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Never Enough Time II

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528
Navigator

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USA
181 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/29/2004 : 21:16:51

We just returned from 10 days in Fla. Experienced more than I ever expected. Our first night on the boat, the temps were in the 30's. We also saw warm days, some very windy days and nights, 1/8 mi fog, thunderstorms at anchor, many dolphins (one did a flip for us, a real treat) and of course this all started with a broken centerboard cable before leaving! My thanks to Catalina for overnighting the upgrade kit. I'll caption a few of the following shots.

We used my cousins lift that has a roof, so two of us ended up lowering and raising the mast basically by hand.

Passing Egmont Key south of St Pete.

First Mate as we drift past Anna Marie headed for Sarasota.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge under anything but sunshine! It was a long night....

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 02/29/2004 : 21:45:47

WONDERFUL
Thank you.

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2004 : 18:19:12

Cool pics. Regarding the cable, what year is the boat, do you store it in the water, where did it break, how/why...if you can tell, and what did the upgrade kit do, other than return functionality.

In other words, I have a 2002 that stores on a trailer...do I need to do/carry anything?

Thanks...

Oscar
250WB#618 Lady Kay on the Chesapeake

Edited by - Oscar on 03/01/2004 18:20:20

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2004 : 20:35:54

Oscar,

I err, sorta, hmmm, ughh... found a huge rock that was on the bottom of course...but unfortunately rose to within about a foot of the surface. The center board was up at the time and I was slowed to make a cove... but unfortunately wasn't at skinny water dead slow speed. I was probably still doing 2-2.5 mph when the center board hit and road/rode (sp) up on the rock and hung listing to one side. I backed off to see a few small pieces of my boat floating in the water and a huge amount of white covering the whole of the upper surface of the rock.

My heart of course sank but the boat fortunately didn't. My simple hope was that all of that white down there wasn't mine. It wasn't, the hull itself experienced a couple of small scratches in the bottom no deeper than twice over with gel coat filled. The center board nose on the other hand took a good hit with a gash which fractured filler to about 3 inches deap in one small spot. The fix required about 8 inches of the curvature to be rebuilt...though it wasn't too hard of a repair after letting it dry out for a couple of months. Oh yeah...this thread is about cables.

In the process of this happening, the cable was sheared when the center board was pushed up.... [hint: don't force the center board up into the trunk].

When the cable sheared off, it took just the end with the swaged ball. I had left excess cable on the cable from a previous failure, I just loosened the clamps and shoved several inches down the tube.

It took me several dives to:

route the cable over the mid board sheave
slide the cable clamp on, use clothespin to secure
loop the cable thru the clevis and back into the clamp
tighten the clamp

I carry a nut driver with a hole drilled in the handle for a lanyard.

The repair worked great for the remainder of the cruise. After repairing the center board, a brass coller from the home center with two hex set screws was used to terminate the cable. Locktite was used. Its held three years.

When replacing cable...leave extra taped and bundled inside.

Initially, diving and working on the board was difficult because it was hard to stay submerged in place until discovering that wrapping ones legs around the center board below the clevis worked great.

Edited by - Arlyn Stewart on 03/01/2004 20:38:34

Waterboy
Navigator

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USA
204 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2004 : 21:02:09

Arlyn,

You wouldn't happen to have any pictures of yourself underneath your boat, holding your breath with legs all akimbo 'round the centerboard would you?

*ducks below deck and dogs the hatch*

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2004 : 21:25:45

Ah yes....overboard for repairs.....My first recollection of the art of same was being volunteerd by the skipper (dad) to go overboard to remove crap from the prop of the family "yacht" in a lock in Holland....(196?). It had jammed up just as we tied up. We rode the lock up and down several times as I dove with the bread knife and got it all cleaned up. I do remember the water being about <b>this cold</b>...(thumb and index finger held up, a small distance apart....

)

Arlyn... you wouldn't happen to have a diagram of the pully/hoist line setup in the 250 lying around would you?

Oscar
250WB#618 Lady Kay on the Chesapeake

Edited by - Oscar on 03/01/2004 21:27:16

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2004 : 21:37:15

Yep... on my web site under Guides < Catalina Drawings

http://www.stewartfam.net/arlyn/catalina2a.jpg

Edited by - on

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2004 : 21:43:09

No pic...

Trust me on the nut driver thing... it wouldn't be fun trying to tighten those those small nuts under water with a 12" adjustable wrench... or any adjustable wrench. And...in Northern Great Lakes waters... the nuts on the cable clamp ain't the only small ones.

Edited by - on

528
Navigator

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USA
181 Posts

Response Posted - 03/02/2004 : 00:51:53

Oscar, the boat is a 2001. The cable failed right at the connection of the swage ball, due to corosion. I talked to the owner of a 99 in Mass. last fall who already had 2 failures on a mooring. Catalina sent the "upgrade", which is a Vectra line instead of SS. A Harken block to accomodate the wider line is included. I think it has properties similar to Kevlar or Spectra. I'm relatively new at all this, so won't venture to give advice other than contact Catalina to see if your boat would benefit from the upgrade. The new system makes sense, given the history of failures I have read about.

Edited by - on

sailgal
Captain

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USA
400 Posts

Response Posted - 03/02/2004 : 11:05:43

Oscar,
<b>DO </b>call Catalina and get the cable kit! Since you'll be in Fl in a few months the likelihood that you'll hit bottom

(fortunately it will more than likely be sand) will be high. The intra coastal is filling in slowly and there are spots along the sides that can get thin.(If you venture out of the ICW even a few feet be very careful!) Even if you sail the coastal Gulf, there are areas of sand that shift particularly in inlet areas. The west coast with all its bays and inlets is pretty indeed (and pretty thin!!!!)
With that said, I am on cable #3. The original one clean snapped within the first 5 months I had the boat. I had the boat dry hauled, and the Catalina/dealer mech. and I watched the sheave/swage ball fall right into his hand in pieces. Catalina sent us the new upgraded assembly....but with another metal cable. That one lasted a year and snapped. This fix I did myself after I had the boat dry hauled. I first spoke with Frank Bultler and he assured me the "newest" cable is the strongest and he sent out the new cable as described above by "528". No more metal now it is a line. So far so good!! I've never been charged for any of the parts since they are considered "unofficial recall" I suppose. It is wise to get them and at least store them on board....just in case. Better safe than REAL SORRY!
My two cents...I would get the parts and do the fix while your at home. You may not find yourself as lucky as Arlyn (in the water), and dry hauled facilities are becoming scarce on the west coast as water front condos take over.

Edited by - sailgal on 03/02/2004 11:07:10

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 03/03/2004 : 09:24:39

Guess I better finish the depth sounder install before we go anywhere.....

Oscar, in Austin TX, making bu's.

Edited by - on

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