I finally got around to looking at the fresh water pump on our Catalina 30. It had completely stopped working but it had not been a high priority until recently. We are wanting to go out for more than a day sail now and it will be more than a convenience to have running water.

I did not have a multimeter with me to test the motor so I did the next best thing. I removed it and brought it home with me. The location of the pump is right next to the macerator pump beneath the couch or main berth. There is an access panel beneath the cushions so it was not too difficult to get to. Removing the pump was a matter of making sure that the power was shutoff at the panel, disconnecting the two wires that connect to it, and removing the three screw that secured it in place.

I never realized that there was a filter attached to the pump which is quite obvious after seeing the “gunk” covering the filter.

This is the pump removed.

After examining the inside of the pump it appears to be a lost cause. Upon opening the pump there was a burnt smell and the motor appears to be frozen. i don’t know what else to examine so it appears that I will be replacing this with a new pump.

There are several ways to secure turnbuckles for your shrouds and stays. Cotter pins and wire locking rings are commonly used to secure turnbuckles. They are small and difficult to get a hold of. If you are like me, more often than not, they end up overboard from klutzy handling. Of course you have an endless supply at your disposal - not! This results in an extra trip to your local marina supply at the most inopportune times. I know, keep two of everything.

Here is a method I have used for the last couple of years.

Buy a pack of stainless steel welding rods(wire). This will be a life time supply for you and your sailing buddies.

Cut a piece with wire cutters or my tool of choice, needle nose pliers.

I usually estimate about 2 - 3 inches longer than the distance between the holes you are inserting the wire into.

Make the first ninety degree bend about 1 to 1 1/2 inches from the end. Place the wire up to the turnbuckle and make the second bend equal to the distance between the holes. Insert the wire through each hole.

Once the wire is through, bend the end of the protruding wire into the turnbuckle so that it will not catch on you or your sails.

This is quick to install and remove, easy to grasp, and has less of a tendency to end up in the water!

On flights to paris as well as flights to phoenix the staff is friendly enough to repeat the directions twice. However if you are unable to close your seat buckle, don’t count on help if you are aboard flights to florida or worse, the flights to canada.

I’ve had the sailboat in it’s new Florida home now for 10 months. I happened to be on the docks on a weekday and there were two divers cleaning the boat’s hull next to me. I struck a conversation with them of course much of it was related to growth on the hull. Apparently the Daytona Beach water quality is fairly good at our marina and the constant flow of the tides adds to the health of the creatures that love to attach themselves to the bottom of our boats. They told me that within 10 days their will be growth. I started thinking ” I really need to get under the boat and have a look.”

Fast forward a few weeks. We were motoring against a 2-3 knot tide and I notice that we were making headway but not as much as the kayakers that just passed us. Maybe it is time to get under the sailboat and take a look. I started thinking back to the conversation and what would 10 months of buildup look like. If I don’t get to this quick it will probably be designated some sort of natural habitat.

The next weekend with mask, snorkel and other assorted cleaning utensils I went under to take a look. I was surprised! The hull looked amazingly clean. Apparently the new paint I put on before launching the boat paid off. The propellor was unrecognizable. I hadn’t put any anti-fouling paint on the prop after reading mixed reviews on the value of this.

I cleaned the hull first with a stiff brush and a plastic scraper. There were about a dozen barnacles to be found which easily came off when a little pressure was applied. Next I attacked the fouled propellor. i used a 1″ wood chisel for this. It was slow and tedious but eventually it started to look like a propellor. I had a little help from the channel catfish that were inches away each time I scraped off a few morsels. After an hour of repeated surfacing and diving the prop was clean.

The local Daytona Beach divers charge about a dollar a foot. Was it worth cleaning myself? Probably not but I did gain some satisfaction from it. When the water gets colder I will look into subcontracting this chore out.

In atlanta cheap flights is an easy way to make your travel expenses less. In denver cheap flights arent available readily and same is the case with the apartments here. The only thing found in abundance is rental cars.