310 Voltage Regulator Location

Feb 26, 2004
22,760
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Has anyone installed this retro fit kit, that addresses the propensity for the weak aluminum alternator bracket to break?
Yes. Many of us have been "promoting" this upgrade for years, in my case 2 decades, happened that my old one broke off, but I'd bought and had the newer one on board. When the old bracket lets go, it can also crack your gear case cover, not happy news. Mine didn't.

Alternator mount/bracket upgrade Important safety upgrade for M25 (not XP) owners by Stu Jackson
 
May 20, 2016
3,014
Catalina 36 MK1 94 Everett, WA
Yes. Many of us have been "promoting" this upgrade for years, in my case 2 decades, happened that my old one broke off, but I'd bought and had the newer one on board. When the old bracket lets go, it can also crack your gear case cover, not happy news. Mine didn't.

Alternator mount/bracket upgrade Important safety upgrade for M25 (not XP) owners by Stu Jackson
Stu this is the improved bracket that came with the XP’s and later, not the Original M25 bracket.
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,760
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Stu this is the improved bracket that came with the XP’s and later, not the Original M25 bracket.
Yes, I know. The differences between the M25XP and M25 are: bigger 3" HX, 2 more hp, and the bracket. I put a 3" HX on my M25, added the bracket, but couldn't figure out how to add the 2 hp!:):):)
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
I didn't think our C310 need this fix?
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Maine Sail, post:
"#6 You have a 1" foot 8MR with a 2" fit kit installed.. Your engine accepts a 2" foot alternator. Be very careful with that Universal foot mount bracket as they are typically made of cheap machined cast aluminum. A fair number of them have snapped."

Sure enough, this is a pic of what was found when my old alternator was taken off...Suggestions anyone?
Sadly this is a very common problem on this engine and one that is completely unrelated to earlier M25 bracket upgrades. As far as I know Westerbeke is still making these out of cheap aluminum. They know about this issue, I have pestered them for years on it. Never hurts to call Joe Joyce or Bob Bisanti and let them know you have yet another one that has failed. FWIW the nearly identical bracket for my Westerbeke 44B FOUR (Mitsubishi block) is machined steel not aluminum..

We solve this by taking the bracket to a local machine shop and duplicating it in steel. machined steel has a bit of give where the aluminum brackets just snap.