Spring?
Hi Mike: Here is what I do to my Cat 30 with the Universal 25xp. Before launch on a nice day, wax entire hull above waterline. While doing that, have all hatches and ports open to air out entire boat. If bilge was not cleaned last fall, do it now. I am a classic type A (according to my wife!) and I believe the bilge should be as clean as the rest of the boat. While your doing the outside, your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend can do the inside. (I do not suggest all three work at the same time!) If the oil was not changed last fall do it now. I use a small Jabsco hand pump to suck it out the dipstick hole. When it empty, I remove the drain in the bottom of pan to get the last few drops and the sludge. Cut the bottom out of a 1 gal milk jug and use it as a drip pan. With the plug out of the bottom, pour 1/4 of a qt of new oil in top of engine, to "flush" out all the gunk. Remove the filter and replace. Don't forget to put a thin film of oil on the new gasket that comes with the filter. (If you put a plastic bag around the old one before removing, you will catch most of the residule oil.) replace oil plug, and fill with fresh oil that carries the API classification of CD, CH4, CG4, or CF4 those are for use in diesel engines. Change Fuel filters if not done in the fall. Check transmission fluid level. Some people fill all the way up for winter storage. If you don't know if it has been drained in quite a few years, now is a good time. Use same method as draining eng. oil. Refill to mark on dipstick (without screwing it in) with a dextron type tran. fluid. Check the antifreeze in the internal engine. Newer models have a overflow tank in the storage area below the gally sink. Check the batteries and add distilled water if necessary. Check your raw water impeller for missing vanes. The next part is if your boat is now on dry land. Now get two 5 gal buckets. Take one inside the boat. fill it with fresh water and keep hose handy inside. remove the raw water cooling hose from the thru-hull located just to the port side of the engine. connect a 3ft length of garden hose with a double ended hose barb to the raw water hose and stick it in the 5 gal bucket with the water in it. Have a friend hold the other 5 gal bucket next to the exhaust port outside and start the engine.The level of the water in the bucket should start going down right away. if not shut down and find out why. If ok, add water to the bucket to run the engine about 5 min. DO NOT let the bucket get dry. Shut down and check for oil and fuel leaks. The person with the bucket outside can remove it as soon as its about 2/3 full. That should catch all the old antifreeze from the raw water syster. There is a lot more to do, with the rigging and the like, but the above will get you started. don't forget the drinking water tanks. Give them a good cleaning, NO SOAP, just a 1/4 cup of clorex in a bucket of water and rinse out throughly. Good luck Dave S/V Westwind
