Luna, The Story of a Forgotten Catalina 30.
- Thread starter mikeracca
- Start date
The hump is absolutely standard in older C30's with the diesel engine. The engine bed, stern tube and strut on the older boats was designed for the Atomic 4 gas engine and it fit very well. When Owners started demanding diesels, they offered the Universal 5411 as an option with the same beds, tube and strut but that caused the pesky interference with the value cover. Their quick solution was to cut a hole in the hatch, cover that with a thing fiberglass thingy and pluck some foam out of the bottom of the cushion to hide the botched surgery.
In later years, they made the 5411 standard with the M25 as an upgraded more powerful diesel but to get that to fit required a new engine bed, a more level stern tube and new strut. All of these changes allowed them to get the engines back inside the engine compartment.
In later years, they made the 5411 standard with the M25 as an upgraded more powerful diesel but to get that to fit required a new engine bed, a more level stern tube and new strut. All of these changes allowed them to get the engines back inside the engine compartment.
jssailem is correct that Romex has no place on a boat but before you start ripping out the AC cables, verify that it is Romex (solid non-stranded wire used in homes) and not flat fine stranded triplex boat cable 12/3 which is what my C30 had for the AC side. That is the correct wire for the AC side of things except for the run from the 30A shore power plug to the main panel breaker which should be replaced with 10/3 to carry the full 30A. I guess when they made mine in 1988 the figured that no one would ever use more than 20A in a C30. 
Wow…I thought some of my hacks are bad….
I guess I should have said, “no one in their mind would put that bump under the cushion”. But hey, if they plucked some of the foam out of the cushion…that made it all better
Greg
IIRC, the C-30 was the best-selling inboard powered sailboat of all time with well over 6000 hulls made. They did something right. Mr Butler managed to sell north of 15000 C-22s, 6000+ C-27s, plus the bigger boats.Wow…I thought some of my hacks are bad….
I guess I should have said, “no one in their mind would put that bump under the cushion”. But hey, if they plucked some of the foam out of the cushion…that made it all better
Greg
He did something right
All boats are compromises and I'm guessing a little bump was worth it for marketplace demand for the diesel over the A4.
I am a much better gasoline engine mechanic than I am diesel mechanic, but I am also a very capable mechanic that knows how a Diesel engine works, so I am able to work on them. I would prolly not have purchased this boat if it had a gas engine in it, simply too dangerous to have in the cabin and not enough torque at low rpm to be useful.
Yes indeed; i believe they reached the 20000 mark for the C 22’s.
Truly amazing!
Having owned and maintained an A4 powered C-30 for 8+ years, I'll mostly disagree. Yes, gas is more flammable than diesel and definitely requires a higher standard of care. 50% or more of the powerboats in my marina are gas and they're not blowing up on a regular basis. The A4 had plenty of power ~25hp vs the 5411's 12hp. It's way smoother and quieter. I now have a 3cyl yanmar and the A4 was smoother than that. Biggest problems with the A4 were they drink the fuel at at least 2-3X the rate of the diesel, the gearing in reverse is different than forward thus they didn't back up without a buttload of throttle, and ethanol gas kills the carbs.
Diesel is mobetter, don't get me wrong. No ignition. No carbs. Better fuel consumption. Safer. I'm just saying that for those looking for an old C-30, the A4 shouldn't always be a showstopper.
Be really careful with pressure washers. They will wash away the sealant under deck fittings, windows, etc. I had a few leaks after I used one. We've gotten some amazing results using vinegar, baking soda, dish soap and magic erasers sponges
It looks like your port side chainplate might be leaking. Check the integrity of the bulkhead.
oh, I’m going to be resealing EVERYTHING. I doubt the pressure washer is going to make it worse. The pics make the boat look good… trust me here. This boat is a mess… but it’s my mess and I am a happy boat owner!
So I ordered my new battery charger! Yay! I went with the Sterling 12v 30a model. The #1 pick I had was the ProNautica charger with the same specs, but that was tipping the scales at almost $700, and this is the identical unit with different branding… yup I never did care about brands, to me is was just a way for marketers to make you think that you needed to spend more because that little tiny red tag was going to make you a better person than someone without it. Sorry not going to play that psychological mind f*** kinda game.
Next big purchase will be a sewing machine so I can fix upholstery. And I will be also investing in a diving suit for some Puget Sound in water work that’s soon to be needed. Oh how I wish I was in Florida!
@jssailem or anyone else from the Puget Sound area, do any of you know of a place I can get hauled out and preferably work on my own boat? I prefer the Tacoma area as I live near there, but the marinas I have called either can’t lift my boat because it’s too small for their lift or their lift guy is out with a severe illness.
Next big purchase will be a sewing machine so I can fix upholstery. And I will be also investing in a diving suit for some Puget Sound in water work that’s soon to be needed. Oh how I wish I was in Florida!
@jssailem or anyone else from the Puget Sound area, do any of you know of a place I can get hauled out and preferably work on my own boat? I prefer the Tacoma area as I live near there, but the marinas I have called either can’t lift my boat because it’s too small for their lift or their lift guy is out with a severe illness.
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This is close....
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Well I took a trip out to see Luna today. She had some water in the bilge that my new bilge pump emptied out in just a few seconds. Much better than the other one, this one is rated for 12v like it was supposed to. And this had no problem getting the water up and over the rail and out into the bay.
I got the throttle cable off the engine and found that the throttle lever works perfectly, I just don’t know which way is full and which way is idle. There is quite a bit of rust on the prop shaft and transmission so I do not know how that’s going to be when it comes time to pay attention to that part of the boat. I also found some rogue wiring in the engine bay as I removed the batteries so I can turn them in as cores. Found a few more leaks, and removed a few items that will not be needed onboard any more.
I got the throttle cable off the engine and found that the throttle lever works perfectly, I just don’t know which way is full and which way is idle. There is quite a bit of rust on the prop shaft and transmission so I do not know how that’s going to be when it comes time to pay attention to that part of the boat. I also found some rogue wiring in the engine bay as I removed the batteries so I can turn them in as cores. Found a few more leaks, and removed a few items that will not be needed onboard any more.
“ There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats”
I also simply sat down on my settee and just enjoyed hearing the rain tap tap on the hull and felt the boat sway in the waves. It felt wonderful. Time well spent!
So today I paid the boat in full, brought paperwork from the marina to the DMV and got the title transferred into my name. I also paid for the slip she is in now. It is all sorts of official Luna is all MINE!!!
My Sterling battery charger showed up, as well as a couple other items ordered from the store named after a river. So yea today was a good day!
My Sterling battery charger showed up, as well as a couple other items ordered from the store named after a river. So yea today was a good day!
Never mind where it's supposed to be...boat builders rarely put them in the best place. In your case, i agree completely that the bladder has to go! However, depending on where the toilet is located (distance from the tank), the v-berth is a great place for a holding tank on most sailboats.
There's also a Ronco plastic tank mold #115...a 25 gal. tank. Ronco tanks are TOP quality thick walled tanks...have supplied Catalina's OEM water and holding tanks for decades. It's a bit small for a water tank, leading me to wonder why the bladder is there. Did a PO crack a tank fitting on the Ronco tank by over-tightening it? Or wanted additional holding capacity?
First thing I'd do is get rid of the bladder, then clean everything up and carefully inspect the Ronco tank for a crack or leak. You're gonna need new hoses anyway, so remove it and water test it. If it turns out to be sound, I'd definitely keep it. If not replace it with the identical mold--which you can get directly from Ronco for a lot less than Catalina's price!
I'll be glad to help you with your tank, toilet and plumbing...What's the make-model-approx age of the toilet?
--Peggie
There's also a Ronco plastic tank mold #115...a 25 gal. tank. Ronco tanks are TOP quality thick walled tanks...have supplied Catalina's OEM water and holding tanks for decades. It's a bit small for a water tank, leading me to wonder why the bladder is there. Did a PO crack a tank fitting on the Ronco tank by over-tightening it? Or wanted additional holding capacity?
First thing I'd do is get rid of the bladder, then clean everything up and carefully inspect the Ronco tank for a crack or leak. You're gonna need new hoses anyway, so remove it and water test it. If it turns out to be sound, I'd definitely keep it. If not replace it with the identical mold--which you can get directly from Ronco for a lot less than Catalina's price!
I'll be glad to help you with your tank, toilet and plumbing...What's the make-model-approx age of the toilet?
--Peggie