Nelson Marek 36

[skor9761]

Hi all, I recently purchased a 1983 Nelson Marek 36R. My first sailboat. I am currently doing a complete refit, inside, outside, everything. I am looking for a owners manual or any data on this boat. Thanks in advance for any help. Steve.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Congrats! Also, welcome to CF! As to the boat, I'm guessing that she's a racer?
What sort of info are you looking for about her? And we need boat porn (pic's) Also, if you have questions about her which are fairly technical, it's worth contacting NM. But for most things, odds are we could help you to sort them out. Especially as you won't be sailing her for many months. So you've got time (to figure her out).

[skor9761]

For right now I'm looking for a copy of the owners manual, if one actually exists. I'm hoping from that, I can get a floor plan and an electrical schematic diagram, that I can scan and enter into a CAD program.
I did contact Catalina Direct in Fla. for a copy of the manual, but had no luck. In the process of trying to contact them again. But for now, I figured I'd give this forum a try. From my understanding, the boat was designed by Nelson/Marek and built by Morgan. And Morgan was purchased by Catalina. So, that Is where I have been searching so far.

[jeepbluetj]

I'll bet you a doughnut or three that the wiring in the boat bares little resemblance to any available schematic. Previous Owners have great ideas about how to mess up wiring beyond belief.

Just trace the stuff and draw your own. You'll gain a greater understanding of where stuff runs, what condition it's in, and what you may want to do to it. When I started doing that to my boat, I pulled everything out and redid it all. -- Hopefully you had better POs than I did.

[skor9761]

I will also be replacing everything and revamping some of it. But the schematic was just for reference, in the ball park starting point I guess.

[UNCIVILIZED]

An old "trick", that's a bit of the reverse of what you're attempting to do at the moment, is to get the manuals for all of your boat's hardware, systems, electronics, etc. And put them in a series of binders, in a well organized fashion. Along with other vital info bits. Such as a diagram of the location & size of all of your boat's skin fittings (through hulls, & depth sounder, etc.). And keep the binders where they're easy for anyone coming onboard to see & use. That way they can quickly get up to speed on your boat & her systems. Along with any important proceedures you've added to said organizers. Be that a checklist for radioing for assistance during emergency type X, or Y. Or that you have a sail selection chart in the binders as well. And you can even create a set of equpment maintenance forms which go into them, to assist you in keeping track of what's been serviced or inspected, when, why, etc...
They're a damn good tool to have.

BTW, posting a diagram of your skin fittings at the nav station, or some other equally prominent place, is always a good idea. As in an emergency it lets you, or anyone else quickly go through the boat ensuring that all of the through hulls are intact, & closed. Just be sure to laminate it, or use waterproof paper & ink for it.
And yes, doing the same with a sail selection chart is wise as well.

[skor9761]

And how, do you speak my language ! I have printed the majority of my equipment and hardware manuals as I find them, and have them in binders, although not as organized as I would like just yet. I just started building a maintenance tracking program and equipment list I can track service time intervals, discrepancies, corrective actions and printable when needed. In the process of entering all the info, i.e., mfg, model, serial numbers and any discrepancies I've found. Maybe it's over kill, but my background is 30+ years in aircraft maintenance. The plus side, I enjoy it, and the peace of mind knowing the boat completely, inside and out. Sure do appreciate all the incites and info so far.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Good to hear that you understand this stuff. Sometimes I don't know whether to mention it or not, as some people think that doing such maintenance & keeping records of it is a bit paranoid. Well, until they really get involved in being responsible for costly equpment.

I learned about it early in life in the US Navy, where it's referred to as PMS, Preventative Maintenance Systems. And of course, the manuals, & other info on various gear is mostly "common sense".
Done correctly, such upkeep of gear, & documentation of same, along with manuals for the various equipment, makes it dirt simple for everyone to know what they're working with, & how to operate + maintain it.