New Purchase Questions

[Doug Weldon]

I have been reading this forum for some time now and find it to be a great resource. Now's the time for me to jump in.I have just finished in and out of water professional surveys on a 1984 C-30 standard rig and am going to make the purchase. The boat is in pristine condition, but, of course some work will have to be done. It is an old boat after all. Some help would be appreciated on the following issues:1. Replacement of tach - any suggestions on manufacturer or on actual installation?2. Repair/Replacement of water heater - any suggestions on manufacturer or on actual installation?3. What is a good source for 5424 engine parts when the need arises?As soon as I get over that "new owner" learning curve, I hope to be a contributor here as well.Doug@dweldon.com

 

[Richard Gresham]

New Purchase

Doug,I Just purchased an 87' 30 t/r last week. For Engine parts I would try Torrensen marine; www.torrensen.com/universal you can buy the parts online. The international Catalina 30 web site was a great help too, they have OEM links for parts and stuff. The water heater is toast on mine also, I hope its just the element. If not I'll replace it with a heat exchanger type when I get the extra cash. One thing that helped was to contact David Graas at catalina yachts. If you give him the serial number off the boat he can tell you how the boat was ordered originally. Ask if theres an owners manual with the boat, that should have the original equipment manuals with it, you hope....Good luck!Richard

 

[Bob Camarena]

Water Heater

Pretty much any marine water heater of a similar size will work and most will hook up easily. West Marine carries several, one of which looks pretty much like a direct replacement (I don't have my catalog handy to look up the name). If you're interested, Practical Sailor ran a test of water heaters fairly recently. There's an electrical connection, an inlet and outlet for the water service, and an inlet and an outlet for the heat exchanger (engine water). The biggest problem is access to make all of the connections. The panel between the quarter berth and lazerette is removable. I cut mine into two pieces with a vertical cut so it was easy to remove and re-install. This will make more sense when you get into the project.

 

[Roger Noble]

water heater woes

Sailnet has a C-30 mailing list, and this was a hot topic a couple of months ago. If your water heater is in the port side sail locker, you will have a hard time fitting anything bigger than the seaward 6 gal. unit that you already have. One "lister" found a 13 gal. tank, that was nearly impossible to remove. Check your dimensions carefully - the locker hatch is the largest opening to locker, even though you can take out the bulkhead under the cockpit and next to the quarterberth. Also, the pros & cons of the stainless heater were discussed, and it seemed to be the consensus that the stainless wasn't worth the extra $$$

 

[Doug Weldon]

Thanks for the quick response

Thanks Richard, Bob and Roger...You've all been helpful. Any ideas on the tach?Doug

 

[John Mavrovich]

Tach

Doug, the entire engine control panel is fabricated for Catalina by Seaward. 562-699-7997. I'm sure they'll sell you a tach or tell you where to get one. This panel assembly is simple to remove with the phillips head screws directly from the front (six I believe). Don't try working from behind via the port-side locker. I get my diesel parts from Engines One in Virginia 757-673-7200. I also find them helpful with technical advise. Good luck. John.