A Little Bit of Knowledge...

[John]

is a dangerous thing.

Regarding the postings I've put here about the (new) lower shrouds that pulled through the holes they're set in at the top end: The problem was that there needed to be a second, and larger, cupule (a kind of cup shaped washer) behind the smaller one. I don't know what happened to the old ones. It seems to me that if they'd fallen out when I removed the old ones I'd have seen it on at least one (of the four). (The mast was down at the time.) It's possible that they were on the old shrouds when I took them in and the guys just didn't notice them. Or who knows what...

Anyway, the mast has no crease in it so it's not damaged. I'll be getting the shrouds back next week, but this time I'm going to have the experts install them.

My point is this: As someone who's done construction all my (work) life, I always figure I can do just about any repair/upgrade necessary on my boat, maybe with a little advice from this list. I'm seeing that some things, I really need to at least have somebody with more experience there working with me as I go. In this case, I assume an experienced rigger would have spotted the problem as the new shrouds were being installed. I'm just extremely fortunate that when the shroud pulled through there was hardly any wind.

 

[Maine Sail]

is a dangerous thing.

Regarding the postings I've put here about the (new) lower shrouds that pulled through the holes they're set in at the top end: The problem was that there needed to be a second, and larger, cupule (a kind of cup shaped washer) behind the smaller one. I don't know what happened to the old ones. It seems to me that if they'd fallen out when I removed the old ones I'd have seen it on at least one (of the four). (The mast was down at the time.) It's possible that they were on the old shrouds when I took them in and the guys just didn't notice them. Or who knows what...

Anyway, the mast has no crease in it so it's not damaged. I'll be getting the shrouds back next week, but this time I'm going to have the experts install them.

My point is this: As someone who's done construction all my (work) life, I always figure I can do just about any repair/upgrade necessary on my boat, maybe with a little advice from this list. I'm seeing that some things, I really need to at least have somebody with more experience there working with me as I go. In this case, I assume an experienced rigger would have spotted the problem as the new shrouds were being installed. I'm just extremely fortunate that when the shroud pulled through there was hardly any wind.

It is very unlikely that the cup shaped washers were not there from the factory, especially four of them. It is also unlikely that they slid off the stays without you noticing and next to impossible for them to slide off if your brought in the entire assembly including turn buckle.

The pros who duplicated these should know about these cups as they are quite common and allow the stay to swivel, move & self position better and with less resistance. My C-310 had them and they are solid and would not just fall off the stay unless they stuck to the spreader when you pulled them out and you did not notice. OTOH if they stuck to the spreader they would have been there when you re-installed the new ones..

I think the "pros" have as much play in this as you do so don't get too down on yourself.

 

[John]

True, but...

It is very unlikely that the cup shaped washers were not there from the factory, especially four of them. It is also unlikely that they slid off the stays without you noticing and next to impossible for them to slide off if your brought in the entire assembly including turn buckle.

The pros who duplicated these should know about these cups as they are quite common and allow the stay to swivel, move & self position better and with less resistance. My C-310 had them and they are solid and would not just fall off the stay unless they stuck to the spreader when you pulled them out and you did not notice. OTOH if they stuck to the spreader they would have been there when you re-installed the new ones..

I think the "pros" have as much play in this as you do so don't get too down on yourself.

Thanks for the encouraging words, Maine. I agree that the pros should probably have spotted this, especially since a Catalina 36 is an extremely common boat around here and they must have worked on standing rigging for it previously. However, the other side is this: I thought of having them install the shrouds, but then figured, "nah, I can do it myself." There's not even any guarantee that they'd have spotted this either, but I think they'd have been more likely to. In any case, when I'm doing some work like this in the future - something that I have no experience at at all, I'm going to seek more expert advice than I did this time.

Lesson learned, and it wasn't all that costly. Attached is a photo a friend of mine took when we were out on the boat just a day or two before this happened. Imagine what would have happened if the shrouds had pulled through then.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Boat "experts"

John,

I am almost positively, unambiguously, and firmly convinced that there are too few and far between boat "experts." My experience at the old Mariner boat yard has been absolutely superb, except for their rigger. I trust them for bottom paint, pretty much. I have found that the two times I've had "experts" work on our boat I have had to do the stuff over again myself. While I understand your concerns, I think you'll find, especially as time goes by, that you and you alone will be the expert on your boat. Doesn't matter how many C36s are out there, it's YOUR boat and YOU and ONLY you will know it BEST.

That said, have you replaced your engine hoses yet? :naughty::dance:

 

[John]

engine hoses

John,


That said, have you replaced your engine hoses yet? :naughty::dance:

Hoses? What hoses? Seriously - Is that something I should plan on doing pretty soon? The motor is 10 years old and has about 415 hours on it. (I've got a few other projects lined up - installation of a stereo system in the cabin and some different sort of switch system for the windlass.)

 

[Stu Jackson]

Hoses? What hoses? Seriously - Is that something I should plan on doing pretty soon?

I recall it being one of the first things we discussed. But then, back then, you still had that "Boy, I just a got NEW big BOAT!" look and silly grin on your face. The grin's still there!

It's not the # of hours, it's the age of the hoses. They'd go even if the engine never ran. It's pretty easy to do, just sketch out and buy the right lengths for simple trimming. You'll get to know all about hose clamps, and your knuckles, too! Now that I'm mobile, I'd be glad to stop by. We motored by on Aquavite last weekend, but Why Knot was knot there!

 

[j_schoenfeld]

Remember, the term "professional" means they get paid, NOT that they know what they are doing!

 

[John]

partners

I recall it being one of the first things we discussed. But then, back then, you still had that "Boy, I just a got NEW big BOAT!" look and silly grin on your face. The grin's still there!

It's not the # of hours, it's the age of the hoses. They'd go even if the engine never ran. It's pretty easy to do, just sketch out and buy the right lengths for simple trimming. You'll get to know all about hose clamps, and your knuckles, too! Now that I'm mobile, I'd be glad to stop by. We motored by on Aquavite last weekend, but Why Knot was knot there!

So, I guess after ten years, the hoses need to be replaced? Okay, that's on my list now. I'll be happy to have you stop by whenever you like, Stu. I'll be around all week, until the end of the week, when I'm supposed to help a guy bring a boat up from Los Angeles - a new one for me. Just give me a call.

As for Y-Knot being out when you motored by - we've got boat partners now and they had it out. By the way, we had a discussion on this forum about taking on boat partners. Some were pretty skeptical, but so far things seem to be working out very well. They seem very nice, take good care of the boat, and constantly say how much they like it.