As anyone out there with a mark 3 had issues with the compression block? I have heard about it with older models but not so much with the mkiii. I noticed my head door not latching and later cracks in the cabin sole. Pulled the mast and everything went back. I have ordered a new wooden block from Catalina and about to start digging. Anyone else done this? Any advice?
C30mkiii compression block issues?
- Thread starter djdurrett
- Start date
DJ,
I replaced my compression block a few years back on my '85, and I've never heard of the later boats having the rot problem, but the symptoms you describe are similiar to what I had on my boat.
If you've ordered a new block from Catalina I assume you also have their drawing of the repair, or at least it should come with the block, if not I'm sure I have it somewhere. What I found in my block, and what the drawing shows were very different. My boat had layers of teak plywood laminted into a block, and the area around the block was filled with a "mung" or what looked like resin and sawdust.
After gettting the rotten block out, which was done with chisels, and long drill bits mostly I cleaned the area up and used pieces of white oak that were shaped to fit, the hole is a very odd shape, and each piece was a bit different from the last. I coated each piece in West System epoxy as I went. The last piece was sort of wedge shaped and I drove it in (as gently as I could with a 2 pound hammer) while also applying some pressure to the arch over the cabin with a bottle jack / 2x4 setup to get the head door and bulkhead / floor back to where it was. I'll post a picture...
By far the worst part was removing the rotten block, it's just not a great area to have to work in.
The only thing I would have done different was that I would have tried to apply slightly more pressure on the cabin ceiling before installing the last piece as everything settled about 3/16" when I stepped the mast. It's hardly noticable, but it could have probably been done easily at the time.
Bummer of a project, but good luck!
DanM.
I replaced my compression block a few years back on my '85, and I've never heard of the later boats having the rot problem, but the symptoms you describe are similiar to what I had on my boat.
If you've ordered a new block from Catalina I assume you also have their drawing of the repair, or at least it should come with the block, if not I'm sure I have it somewhere. What I found in my block, and what the drawing shows were very different. My boat had layers of teak plywood laminted into a block, and the area around the block was filled with a "mung" or what looked like resin and sawdust.
After gettting the rotten block out, which was done with chisels, and long drill bits mostly I cleaned the area up and used pieces of white oak that were shaped to fit, the hole is a very odd shape, and each piece was a bit different from the last. I coated each piece in West System epoxy as I went. The last piece was sort of wedge shaped and I drove it in (as gently as I could with a 2 pound hammer) while also applying some pressure to the arch over the cabin with a bottle jack / 2x4 setup to get the head door and bulkhead / floor back to where it was. I'll post a picture...
By far the worst part was removing the rotten block, it's just not a great area to have to work in.
The only thing I would have done different was that I would have tried to apply slightly more pressure on the cabin ceiling before installing the last piece as everything settled about 3/16" when I stepped the mast. It's hardly noticable, but it could have probably been done easily at the time.
Bummer of a project, but good luck!
DanM.
Attachments
My understanding was that from around 1987 or 88 they did fix that.
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6752.0.html
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6752.0.html
My 1990 had the same problem which I fixed a few months back. I used a Stainless jack screw.
http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/album.php?albumid=2581&pictureid=16477
http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/album.php?albumid=2581&pictureid=16477
Wow, weird to hear it happened on later boats.
The C36 skippers have had the issue, too.
A Google on "Catalina mast step" will most likely get you a LOT of reading.
For me? So far, so good.
The C36 skippers have had the issue, too.
A Google on "Catalina mast step" will most likely get you a LOT of reading.
For me? So far, so good.
Maybe they fixed it on the 34, but I found this on the 30 association tech library:
here was a conversation on another forum about replacing the block under the mast compression post and someone had suggested the MKIII boats had replaced the wood block with a fiberglass block. I posed the question to Catalina and heard back from Warren and Kent. They said that all C30's, regardless of model, used a white oak block fiberglassed in place. If you find rot in yours Catalina sells replacement blocks for $165
http://www.catalina30.com/TechLib/MastColumnBilgeKeel/mast_column_fix.htm
here was a conversation on another forum about replacing the block under the mast compression post and someone had suggested the MKIII boats had replaced the wood block with a fiberglass block. I posed the question to Catalina and heard back from Warren and Kent. They said that all C30's, regardless of model, used a white oak block fiberglassed in place. If you find rot in yours Catalina sells replacement blocks for $165
http://www.catalina30.com/TechLib/MastColumnBilgeKeel/mast_column_fix.htm
When I contacted the factory about replacing my compression block I was told they used and African hardwood that would not absorb water. What I found was scrap teak plywood laminated into a block.
It's been a long time, they were cranking out boats and quality control for everyone probably wasn't as good as it is today. Heck, I find it somewhat amazing they will even still talk to us about a boat they built almost 30 years ago.
DanM.
It's been a long time, they were cranking out boats and quality control for everyone probably wasn't as good as it is today. Heck, I find it somewhat amazing they will even still talk to us about a boat they built almost 30 years ago.
DanM.
This came up a while back on another thread. Someone suggested that MKIII C30's had a fiberglass compression block.
At the time I emailed the factory and heard back from Warren and Kent. All C30's have white oak compression blocks. They were glassed in place.
You can get a replacement block from Catalina for $165. I attached photos below.
Jim
http://www.njlakefront.com/c30/cp1.jpg
http://www.njlakefront.com/c30/cp2.jpg
http://www.njlakefront.com/c30/cp3.jpg
http://www.njlakefront.com/c30/cp4.jpg
And yes it is amazing the support Catalina provides to owners of older boats.
At the time I emailed the factory and heard back from Warren and Kent. All C30's have white oak compression blocks. They were glassed in place.
You can get a replacement block from Catalina for $165. I attached photos below.
Jim
http://www.njlakefront.com/c30/cp1.jpg
http://www.njlakefront.com/c30/cp2.jpg
http://www.njlakefront.com/c30/cp3.jpg
http://www.njlakefront.com/c30/cp4.jpg
And yes it is amazing the support Catalina provides to owners of older boats.
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Yes I read that too. I think the confusion was compression post vs. compression block. Thanks for the heads up. I actually ordered the block last week.
The compression block is wood. There is a 6x8 post going from the cabin top to the top of the compression block on my boat. I would assume there is a metal compression post inside.
BTW, I noticed the mast step sinking on my buddies 2000 C30 last weekend. Guess what job I'll probably be helping with this winter.
BTW, I noticed the mast step sinking on my buddies 2000 C30 last weekend. Guess what job I'll probably be helping with this winter.
Just realized you were talking about my boat!The compression block is wood. There is a 6x8 post going from the cabin top to the top of the compression block on my boat. I would assume there is a metal compression post inside.
BTW, I noticed the mast step sinking on my buddies 2000 C30 last weekend. Guess what job I'll probably be helping with this winter.
Capt. Paul
It appears I have the same problem on my 2000 Catalina 30 MKIII. I like your fix and think this is better than just putting in another support make of wood. Can I ask where you got the SS post?
Update. The problem was not the wood block in the bilge, but turned out to be a soft deck under the mast. The starboard pulley next to the mast had a leak that went undetected until the mast sag became noticeable. Removal of the pulley screws revealed that there was no sealant around the screws.
The mast was removed and a small section of glass under the mast area was cut out to reveal the balsa was full of water. I removed the wet balsa and scooped out both the balsa and delaminated glass from all four sides of the cut. The next ten days were spent drying out the deck before any repairs could be made. This was a challenge since the weather was extremely cold for May.
First a tarp was placed over the cutout as the forecast was for rain. During the day I used a hair dryer and shop vac blowing the warm air into all four sides of the cut, and closing the hole each night with plastic held in place with duct tape. Each day that the sun was out I removed the tarp and allowed the open area to be exposed to the sun.
On the inside of the boat I drilled four small holes under the top of the curtains and used two aquarium pumps each with two output hoses and sent the air from the pumps into the four holes. These pumps ran 24 x 7 and circulated air from the sides of the cabin roof towards the cutout area.
With a moisture meter I was able to track the progress and after ten days it was dry enough to start the fiberglass work. I realized the repair was out of the scope of my capabilities and a professional took over filling the hole with plywood pushed into the voids and glassed in place. We also glassed in an aluminum plate to take the load of the mast. He made a mold of my non skid and made a new piece to cover the cutout.
The attached pictures show each step of the process.
1. Cutout the deck where the moisture is located, then remove the wet balsa, and eliminate the moisture from the surrounding area.
2. Glass plywood into the voids where the wet balsa was removed.
3. Glass in aluminum plate under the mast area.
4. Make a mold of the non skid from the non skid area on the deck.
5. Glass the nonskid in place then cutout the area for the new gel coat area. Apply new gel coat, and paint the new non skid to match the original non skid color.
Update. The problem was not the wood block in the bilge, but turned out to be a soft deck under the mast. The starboard pulley next to the mast had a leak that went undetected until the mast sag became noticeable. Removal of the pulley screws revealed that there was no sealant around the screws.
The mast was removed and a small section of glass under the mast area was cut out to reveal the balsa was full of water. I removed the wet balsa and scooped out both the balsa and delaminated glass from all four sides of the cut. The next ten days were spent drying out the deck before any repairs could be made. This was a challenge since the weather was extremely cold for May.
First a tarp was placed over the cutout as the forecast was for rain. During the day I used a hair dryer and shop vac blowing the warm air into all four sides of the cut, and closing the hole each night with plastic held in place with duct tape. Each day that the sun was out I removed the tarp and allowed the open area to be exposed to the sun.
On the inside of the boat I drilled four small holes under the top of the curtains and used two aquarium pumps each with two output hoses and sent the air from the pumps into the four holes. These pumps ran 24 x 7 and circulated air from the sides of the cabin roof towards the cutout area.
With a moisture meter I was able to track the progress and after ten days it was dry enough to start the fiberglass work. I realized the repair was out of the scope of my capabilities and a professional took over filling the hole with plywood pushed into the voids and glassed in place. We also glassed in an aluminum plate to take the load of the mast. He made a mold of my non skid and made a new piece to cover the cutout.
The attached pictures show each step of the process.
1. Cutout the deck where the moisture is located, then remove the wet balsa, and eliminate the moisture from the surrounding area.
2. Glass plywood into the voids where the wet balsa was removed.
3. Glass in aluminum plate under the mast area.
4. Make a mold of the non skid from the non skid area on the deck.
5. Glass the nonskid in place then cutout the area for the new gel coat area. Apply new gel coat, and paint the new non skid to match the original non skid color.
Attachments
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pmirenda- not sure if you are referring to my fix but I made it with some scrap, thick walled SS tubing and 1" SS threaded rod. Some aluminum plated adorns the top and the bottom is setting in G10 and epoxy. I can crank up the tension with the nut. I have some more pics if interested.
Doug
Doug