Jumped In Head First

[jkw]

Hey Pat,
Its going pretty good. We motored from Tarpon to Hernando Beach. Only mishap was getting stuck in the hudson channel at low tide. I have been living aboard for 3 days now and i'm loving it so far. Personally, I'm glad I didn't try to transition. My biggest challenge is making food that I like, but even that isn't a terribly huge hurdle

[Pat Ross]

Hey man that sounds Way Cool! You know there is an old saying there are sailors who have run aground and those who will, see you have already joined the group I am in and I am in a low draft multihull.

Sooner or later you need to get the outside grill but cooking is a lifetime learning experience on or off the boat.

Thanks for the update.

Pat

[The Garbone]

Congratulations on your boat. Just got the title to mine last night also.

What year is your boat? Mine being a 74 makes my first task getting it hauled out and replacing all the factory water valcanos with proper thru hulls.

How is the stove working out? Mine only has an electric hotplate, would love an alcohol stove.

[Cheechako]

If having to choose, i would go for long shaft over more horsepower. Probably about 8hp would be nice on the 27, but cold be done with 5 or 10hp.

[jkw]

Garbone, what do you mean by water volcanoes? mine is a 77, I'll probably wind up having to haul it out to see if it is the stuffing box leaking or what else. I'm just trying to avoid it for as long as i can. I need to fix the deck up by the bow, and where the bow and stern rails attach as there is some rot, but its not terrible yet. I still haven't tried the origo, i keep forgetting to buy alcohol, and have been using the propane for the limited cooking that I have done so far. I'm going to see if they will let me keep my propane grill on the sea wall for now. I think it will be a little while before I spring for a rail mounted grill. motors i used were yamaha 9.9 4 stroke long shaft. ran it between 1/3 and 1/2 throttle the whole way and it did great

[westsail374]

JKW, congrats on going ahead and living your dream! Hold it close when naysayers come your way. You will meet some of the best - and some of the worst - people living aboard. The skills you learn will be yours for a lifetime.

Know where every one of your through hulls is located. Make sure you get some soft wood plugs and tie them loosely to each through hull. And know where you have a mallet. That way, if you have a problem with one of the through hulls failing - which, if it happens, does so at the worst time - you can stop the water coming in before you have a disaster on your hands. (blub, blub)

All the best!

Bill

[brutb]

JKW
Congratulations on your first boat and first successful trip. At 20yo you are doing what many of us older guys wanted to do when we were your age. If possible get one of those old hands to take you out and show you a few of the skills you need to learn as a new sailor. Keep the beer drinking to a minimum as you learn and listen. BUT remember not all of us older guys sail the way we should, only the way WE were taught. Enjoy your life as a boat owner and a liveaboard. It only gets better......

[ohdrinkboy]

I race on a c27. go with a 9.9 high thrust 25" shaft. can't find that go to 15hp 25" shaft. you will appreciate the hp.

[The Garbone]

JKW, before the mid 80s Catalina made their thru-hulls by glassing copper pipe into the hull when building it. They tend to corrode and break from what I have read. Mine are stock. You can see that they have been weeping and have been patched a bit. I will not even attempt to actuate the valves at this point and my first purchase was wooden plugs. Hopefully I am overreacting.

Maybe the previous owner has already fixed yours.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by The Garbone

.................................... Hopefully I am overreacting.
......................

"factory" might be present as a remnant under there, but that's no longer original. You are not over reacting,- that looks scary to me! 'just down river from you in Orange Park.

[jkw]

That's about what my thru-hulls look like. Hopefully enough of my leftover mustang race parts will sell to fund a very mild refit of the boat. Refinishing my interior, and attempting to develop some sort of organization is taking up most of my free time on the boat.

[Pat Ross]

You seem pretty savvy to me but just to make sure you know where to find new and good used marine parts be sure to look for places like this in your area.

Categories - Sailorman , this one is located in Ft. Lauderdale and if you are headed that way worth a visit; There are others there as well, this is just an example.

Frequently in boating communities that have such stores and you can get good equipment well below prices you may pay in typical marine retail stores.

Here is one that looks interesting in Tampa

http://www.hornesmarinesalvage.com

Be sure you know what the going price is for something before you shop at any of these stores because you can bargain with them as well. There maybe no warranty however.

[Pat Ross]

Originally Posted by jkw

I need to fix the deck up by the bow, and where the bow and stern rails attach as there is some rot, but its not terrible yet.

jkw one thought here. If there is balsa core in the deck you need to address this immediately as this can grow through saturation. Repairing this before the rainy season starts is very important, January and February. I know nothing about how your boat is built or the materials used.

At the bare minimum you need to ask an old salt to take a look at what is going on so you do not make a serious error that may or may not be recoverable from. I would think you have or will be meeting some shortly.

Going to the Catalina's Owners website would probably help clarify what is going on and what others have done. As your experience grows you will begin to appreciate that most boats designs have a weak point or two about them. Long time owners have "been there and done that" and that can save time and money.