C30mkiii compression block issues?
- Thread starter djdurrett
- Start date
dj2210, Yes I was referring to your fix. How long ago did you do this repair and how is it working out? Also where can I buy the parts to make a similar device. Yes I would appreciate more pics. My email is pmirenda@comcast.net Thanks.
Hey guys just thought I would update you on my fix since tree is not a lot of mkiii blocks done on the web. First, getting the old one out aw a pain. I am surprised tat the cabin top held up as well as it did with no cracking. As you saw, my floor was cracking and was probably because I just kept trying to tighten the rig. In Dallas race week was the first time I noticed he cracks in the cabin sole. I pushed the bot hard and was getting beat by boats I always beat. She kept rounding up in heavy air, had tons of mast pump and sagging forestay. After burning up several electrical tools and switching to pneumatic, I found the block was completely gone.... Mud. I am surprised how well the deck and rig held up without the block in 20+ pushing hard in racing conditions. I'm glad I cracked her open. The resin slurry used in manufacturing was like concrete. It took forever to get to the block, or where the block goes. I went back with the white oak block from Catalina and just completely sealed it. The shower drain must have been installed post glass during manufacturing and was the source of the rot. It should be good for a long long time or at least way past my ownership! My opinion is if you are getting cracks in the floor or the head door won't shut on your mkiii, replace the block ASAP!
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DJ, You got my attention with that line.
Near as I can tell there is a rubber hose that runs from the port compartment under the v-berth, forward of the head that T's into the shower drain and then runs back to the bilge. On my boat the forward edge of that tube isn't fully sealed and water migrates through a small gap in the glass until it finally finds its way into the bilge through another small gap in the glass at the forward end of the bilge.
In your case had the hose rotted or had the fittings given out?
Did it appear that the original block had been sealed with epoxy that had cracked letting in water - or was the block simply in a sealed area that once water got in there was no way for it to find a way out - causing the rot?
Hope I'm describing this well,
Jim
BTW, thanks for the follow up post.
Ugh....I think that I am the latest victim of this thread. I was prepping my boat for the pending storm and I decided to look at my bilge. I noticed that there appeared to be an issue that was starting around my compression block.
I could feel portions of the wood there through some holes. On the port side the block was damp but fine. On the starboard side it is starting to rot. There also feels like there is a wooden support at the bottom of the floor in this area that is rotting (or this could be part of the block). I am not sure.
What did the total cost of this repair run? I am thinking that I will have my boat hauled, the mast pulled, and I will do the work on it.
Is there a way to do this without pulling the mast?
What was the link to buy the compression block from Catalina?
I could feel portions of the wood there through some holes. On the port side the block was damp but fine. On the starboard side it is starting to rot. There also feels like there is a wooden support at the bottom of the floor in this area that is rotting (or this could be part of the block). I am not sure.
What did the total cost of this repair run? I am thinking that I will have my boat hauled, the mast pulled, and I will do the work on it.
Is there a way to do this without pulling the mast?
What was the link to buy the compression block from Catalina?
Hey Bad,
My belief is that you have to pull the mast. You want to cap off the masthead with an aluminum coverplate and you want to deal with the deck fitting and wiring at the mast base. Unfortunately, I also believe you have to core drill the bilge ply to see what's going on there too....but again, in our case, we had water seeping in around one keelbolt and a visible "Smile" upon haulout, so we went all in.
Rob
My belief is that you have to pull the mast. You want to cap off the masthead with an aluminum coverplate and you want to deal with the deck fitting and wiring at the mast base. Unfortunately, I also believe you have to core drill the bilge ply to see what's going on there too....but again, in our case, we had water seeping in around one keelbolt and a visible "Smile" upon haulout, so we went all in.
Rob
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I don't have a smile....It is wood at the top of the floor where the block is. It may be part of the block because I can't tell due to the area being sealed off, except for one hole where the wires come out.
I hate to say it but it does look like a job for dropping the mast. I just need to find a descent facility close by that won't send me to the poor house.
I hate to say it but it does look like a job for dropping the mast. I just need to find a descent facility close by that won't send me to the poor house.
Here is the diagram according to Catalina
I have a copy of Catalina's instructions for the repair. I can't seem to attach it because the file is too big and of the wrong kind.
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I have a copy of Catalina's instructions for the repair. I can't seem to attach it because the file is too big and of the wrong kind.
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Bigger at the top maybe, but that size fit very close to the same size as the old wood that was removed. The bottom at the keel is as big as I could get. You could keep building up layers around the jack but I didn't want to create an inaccessible area in front of the jack and a place for water to accumilate.
Catalina 30 Compression Block Repair Catalina Response.
Here is what Catalina sent me on this repair.
Here is what Catalina sent me on this repair.
Bad,
I got that same drawing from CTY when I asked them about the compression block repair. It's nice to have a drawing (and a manufacturer that cares about their product!) but what I found when I dug into my rotted block didn't match their drawing. They told me that they used an "African hardwood that doesn't absorb water" and what I found was laminated plywood.
I rebuilt my compression block with layers of white oak wetted out in epoxy and ground to fit (a belt sander with 80 grit paper made quick work of this). I can't imagine ordering a block to fit considering my '85 had a very unusual shape to the area that was left after I dug out all the rotten plywood.
Thankfully, quite a few of these repairs are being posted now, so anyone faced with this job will have some background to work with.
DanM.
I got that same drawing from CTY when I asked them about the compression block repair. It's nice to have a drawing (and a manufacturer that cares about their product!) but what I found when I dug into my rotted block didn't match their drawing. They told me that they used an "African hardwood that doesn't absorb water" and what I found was laminated plywood.
I rebuilt my compression block with layers of white oak wetted out in epoxy and ground to fit (a belt sander with 80 grit paper made quick work of this). I can't imagine ordering a block to fit considering my '85 had a very unusual shape to the area that was left after I dug out all the rotten plywood.
Thankfully, quite a few of these repairs are being posted now, so anyone faced with this job will have some background to work with.
DanM.
None the less, I find it a little bit intimidating to rip out this section of bilge. I am relieved to know what to expect and what is back there.
Still, I wonder why they didn't take the metal mast compression post that they have in my boat and extend that all the way to the floor. That makes a lot more sense. They could have rested that against the bilge!
Still, I wonder why they didn't take the metal mast compression post that they have in my boat and extend that all the way to the floor. That makes a lot more sense. They could have rested that against the bilge!
I have added more photos from my bilge repairs which I took on with the compression post repairs (the bilge ply and the post ply all ran together). Again, we had a leaking keelbolt, so the project had many components. Click on my profile and view the album, "Belly of the Beast"
Guys, What is the primary symptom of the problem. I have a fresh water MKIII from 1995, and it hasn't had the mast down for several years. I notice no sticking in the door to the head, or other deflection in the headliner, and my rig tension appears to have stayed steady all last year.
Thanks,
Rob Kirsten Lake St Clair, MI
Thanks,
Rob Kirsten Lake St Clair, MI
Popeye- For me it was knowing about the problem from reading it in the forums. When I bought my C30 I poked around in the bilge and found the rot so I knew when I bought it that I was going to do the job. I had no floor cracking. The wood block is not the only thing that supports the floor as all that concrete mix fills the sides between the wood block and hull so acts as some support.