Inherited a 1980 Cat 30

[Cederholm]

Hi all, excited to join the group here.

After restoring and enjoying a Catalina 27 for many years I sold her with plans on a bigger boat. I didn't even get to enjoy a full month of non-boat ownership when a neglected but sea-worthy Catalina 30 fell into my lap. Amazing how much bigger this boat is than the 27. Anyway, I'm excited about all I can do to her with the budget from the 27 sale.

She was in the water all season, and as of this past weekend, sits on the hard. I have a pretty long list of winter projects, but two of the bigger ones are fixing the warn rudder bushings and replacing the 5411 Universal with a 25 Universal.

Any advice on either project would be appreciated.
Carl

 

[kappykaplan]

Welcome to the forum! Any photos of your new treasure?

 

[Stu Jackson]

and replacing the 5411 Universal with a 25 Universal.

Engines 101 - The BIGGEST & BEST collection of M25 Series Universal Engine Information on the Internet, plus some M35, too This includes a link to the Critical Upgrades topic which has more engine information please read it too.

Diesel Engine - c34.org

Depco Pump Contacts Contact Us At Depco Pump Company

Additional Pump Resource (Thanks to Alex "waghoo")
www.pumpsandpartsonline.com

 

[RoyS]

Try to find an engine that uses the same stringer spacing.

 

[Cederholm]

Welcome to the forum! Any photos of your new treasure?

Thank you! I'll see what I can do.

 

[Cederholm]

Engines 101 - The BIGGEST & BEST collection of M25 Series Universal Engine Information on the Internet, plus some M35, too This includes a link to the Critical Upgrades topic which has more engine information please read it too.

Diesel Engine - c34.org

Depco Pump Contacts Contact Us At Depco Pump Company

Additional Pump Resource (Thanks to Alex "waghoo")
www.pumpsandpartsonline.com

Thank you! Very helpful.

 

[Cederholm]

Try to find an engine that uses the same stringer spacing.

Stringer spacing? I've tracked one down from another Catalina 30. Can you explain what the stringer spacing is?
Thank you

 

[kappykaplan]

Stringer spacing?

The stringers are what the motor mounts are attached to.

 

[Cederholm]

The stringers are what the motor mounts are attached to.

Ah ha! I had a feeling. Thank you for clarifying.

 

[jssailem]

Welcome to the forum.
We just spent the last 9 months enjoying another owners recover os a Catalina 30.
Here is a link to his story.

Luna, The Story of a Forgotten Catalina 30.

This is the story of my Catalina 30 I named Luna. Here you will find my progress of bringing a boat, forgotten by the family of her previous owner after his passing, back to life and sailing the Puget Sound and beyond. Sit back and enjoy, comments and critiques are always welcome. Hey...

forums.sailboatowners.com

Congrats on the new old boat.

 

[jssailem]

The comment about stringer spacing is one that can ease your frustration and need for modifications.

Selecting an engine replacement can be problimatic if the replacement does not fit the current layout.

• Will the engine and transmission be compatible?
• Will you be able to work on the new engine?
• Are the angles of the engine/transmission/and shaft within the tolerance allowed for the engine?
• Will the fuel and water supply systems work?
• Can you service all of the engine's regular maintenance items?

The more you plan the better your results.

 

[Cederholm]

Welcome to the forum.
We just spent the last 9 months enjoying another owners recover os a Catalina 30.
Here is a link to his story.

Luna, The Story of a Forgotten Catalina 30.

This is the story of my Catalina 30 I named Luna. Here you will find my progress of bringing a boat, forgotten by the family of her previous owner after his passing, back to life and sailing the Puget Sound and beyond. Sit back and enjoy, comments and critiques are always welcome. Hey...

forums.sailboatowners.com

Congrats on the new old boat.

Thank you!

I did see that thread. He and I seem to be cut from the same cloth as I too like to fabricate my own parts and take pride in the attention to detail. Heartbreaking that he had to sell the boat.

 

[Cederholm]

The comment about stringer spacing is one that can ease your frustration and need for modifications.

Selecting an engine replacement can be problimatic if the replacement does not fit the current layout.

• Will the engine and transmission be compatible?
• Will you be able to work on the new engine?
• Are the angles of the engine/transmission/and shaft within the tolerance allowed for the engine?
• Will the fuel and water supply systems work?
• Can you service all of the engine's regular maintenance items?

The more you plan the better your results.

Very helpful.

I've sourced an M25 from another Catalina 30 with transmission. Hopefully it wont need to much adjustment. Luckily I'm mechanically handy and have rebuild a handful of motors, most recently a Universal 18.

Still, very sound advice and I appreciate it!

 

[RitSim]

my former boat, a C30 , had a Universal M25. I did almost all of my own work - changed transmission to a Twindisc, rebuilt a leaky/cracked head, changed rings, and (after machine shop boring) replaced with an oversize cylinder. I agree with the above C34 as a good source of info for the engine. I found out that my local Kubota dealer could order parts if I brought him the part numbers but he had no ability to look up the marine parts. There were several Kubota blocks that were used in Catalinas- crucial that you know which block to get all of the correct part numbers. The Kubota block number is stamped near/under the fuel delivery system - see the Kubota manual. Also found that a lot of the major engine parts (heads/gasket sets, etc) were available from Kumar Bros in NJ. However, not all of the o-rings were sized correctly for my application so save old parts for comparison if you get deep into the engine.

The entire galley cabinet comes out in one piece- work slowly to make sure you find all of the screws so you don't crack something.

Also look carefully at the mast support and keel attachment in the bilge - both known issues. The mast support relies on a block that is forward of the bilge wall and under the cabin sole and is know to rot. This allows the mast support to sink and also the cabin roof. Sometimes you can see the symptoms by looking at the head door margins and the head bulkhead. This fix can be as quick as two days or you can get way more complicated. However, some of the fixes use epoxy covered oak - never a good choice IMO in a wet environment. Info can be found on line for this fix. Keel stub fixes are also available on line although these seem to be more involved.

If the boat has original wiring, plan on eliminating the "Gummy Worm" plugs (one in the engine compartment and one near the cockpit control panel). These can corrode over time and melt - leaving you w/o starting and controls.

Good luck

 

[fox9988]

replacing the 5411 Universal with a 25 Universal.

Congrats on the new boat. You'll spend thousands to gain a couple knots. Maintaining a clean bottom and prop are more effective if speed is your goal.
Your choice but I'm content with my 5411. If/when it fails, I'll probably spend the thousands too. Good luck.

 

[Cederholm]

Congrats on the new boat. You'll spend thousands to gain a couple knots. Maintaining a clean bottom and prop are more effective if speed is your goal.
Your choice but I'm content with my 5411. If/when it fails, I'll probably spend the thousands too. Good luck.

I hear ya. I'm moored on a tidal river that leads into Long Island sound. When the river and tide were against me, my 15HP Universal would struggle to push my Catalina 27 up it. At 11hp on the Catalina 30, I'm afraid I'll be stuck there all night.

 

[Cederholm]

I'm the worst at posting photos - but if anyone cares. This boat has been in the club for a while and over the years, due to personal reasons, had become badly neglected. Her bones are good but she needed an intervention fast or the scrap yard was in her future. I purchased the solid fuel stove from the owner and he threw in the boat with it. Last summer she spent alone on her mooring with on the birds around to turn her deck into a toxic wasteland.

 

[Cederholm]

With the promise of beer and a burger and a good friend joined me in full hazmat gear to power wash / deck scrub and declutter directly to the dumpster. The was a frigg'n night-stand table in the v berth?!?! ...then haul out day.

 

[Cederholm]

I have no photos of how good the deck came after cleaning, but it was remarkable. the Gel coat has very little crazing or chalking and will polish up nicely. The non-slip areas, however are discolored and show signs of wear. I think some Kiwi will clean those areas up nicely. The only soft spot on the deck is in the cockpit caused by a lack of sealant around the wheel pedestal. On the to-do list it goes. As I mentioned the motor will be replaced so along with all the removable teak, the galley sink area was removed.

 

[Cederholm]

A damn good scrubbing and some teak oil and the interior trim is getting reinstalled. Soon she'll be covered for the winter and I can remove those portlights for a rebuild. Sure is fun to work on her with the little fire going.