New To A C&C 30'

[Coastlife247]

This is slightly a misnomer as I moved aboard in April 2013. I bought and then sailed from mandeville, La to Delcambre, La ( I know not the best of cruising spots... But the job required it.
I have kept up on routine deck and line cleanings. I have run the Diesel engine at least once a month and changed the oil and filters a month ago.
What else should I keep a watch on or work on before I move the boat in March?

[Coastlife247]

BTWs I'm 24, I grew up sailing my dads 32' endeavor before hurricane Katrina...
As a single in the mid 20's I have too much free time that should go toward the boat rather than drunken debauchery.
So again what should I focus this time on?

[jeanathon]

What year is your boat?

[Coastlife247]

Originally Posted by jeanathon

What year is your boat?

1978. Bought it in great condition, original engine under 400hrs.

[jeanathon]

Original diesel in a 78?
Mine is a c&c 30, but a different boat. Have you checked the ribs under the mast.?

[Coastlife247]

Originally Posted by jeanathon

Original diesel in a 78?
Mine is a c&c 30, but a different boat. Have you checked the ribs under the mast.?

So bear with me now, what exactly do you mean?
I had a survey don't on the boat before I purchased.

[MarkSF]

How far will you be moving the boat?

Getting everything to work smoothly on a new (to you) boat is usually an iterative process. Take the boat out, see what works and what doesn't, fix what doesn't, and repeat ad infinitum.

It took a year to get mine to the point where everything worked to my satisfaction.

Have you had the sails up? You can do that in the slip, and check the reefing system on the main while you're at it.

What you can't mess with are the basics : reliable engine, minimum safety equipment, working (tested) VHF.

You might want to top off the battery electrolyte, and test them. What I do every few months is apply about a 20A load (conveniently what you get with all the lights on) and run the batteries to 50%, measure the Ah I got out of them.

[Coastlife247]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Have you had the sails up? You can do that in the slip, and check the reefing system on the main while you're at it.

I motor/sailed the boat from pontchutrain to its current location April last year. The motor ran for 8 hrs had a rest and Then again for 30 hrs nonstop. If I get the job it is nearly 24hrs at 5knots. If I don't i will be headed the opposite direction about 50 hrs total.
Stiching is coming out of the sumbrella cover of the roller furling genoa. I will get that fixed when I get there.

[MarkSF]

Another thing to check if you have time (and very long arms on my boat) is the transmission fluid. Frequently forgotten.

When was the raw water impeller changed? I do mine yearly.

The zinc in the heat exchanger gets forgotten too.

The coolant / antifreeze needs doing every few years.

[Coastlife247]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Another thing to check if you have time (and very long arms on my boat) is the transmission fluid. Frequently forgotten.

When was the raw water impeller changed? I do mine yearly.

The zinc in the heat exchanger gets forgotten too.

The coolant / antifreeze needs doing every few years.

I will add impeller to my list.
How difficult is coolant changing?

[MarkSF]

Not too bad, what kind of engine is it?

[MarkSF]

I always keep at least one spare impeller, btw. In fact right now, I have a whole spare water pump">raw water pump, for a quick change.

This is after my cruising plans were wrecked by a leaking raw water pump last month.

[Coastlife247]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Not too bad, what kind of engine is it?

15hp yanmar diesel.

[MarkSF]

Generally it's pretty easy draining the coolant out on any engine, but it can be harder to re-fill without air pockets or air locks. Suggest asking some Yanmar owners for advice or a walk through, on the engine forum.

[jeanathon]

Originally Posted by Coastlife247

So bear with me now, what exactly do you mean?
I had a survey don't on the boat before I purchased.

I haven't made sure, but I believe your boat is keel stepped in which case one of the known issues is for the mast step stringers or ribs rot due to water coming down the mast and not being able to exit easily. Depending on your surveyor this might or might not have been checked. Give it a look.