Recent content by Gary Hannan

I took the centerboard out and found a lot of really gummy stuff (old grease??) in the hinge area. Cleaned it out with WD40 and put some lithium grease in its place. Should there be any grease in this hinge? Should it be totally clean of grease?

I like the humming- it lets us know that we are really starting to move......

I also have a line on each side of the centerboard that runs back along the base of the bench seat on each side. Same mechanical advantage as in Chemprof's drawing, but two people can pull the board up, on grabbing each line.

Yes, bungee is in place. Even with both lines uncleated it is quite a chore to move the board. Using a foot on the board to get it to start moving helps!

In our 1985 model , the board is really hard to lower if there is any lateral pressure at all. Pretty much need to be heading directly upwind to lower it. About as hard to raise it. This makes adjusting while underway almost impossible. Am I looking at a spring job of removing it and...

I fond it really difficult to use the "rope with a terminal loop" method to get back in- your foot just swings all the way under the hull, leaving your body at a 45 degree angle to the transom, and no closer to getting over the transom into the boat. I installed a collapsible stainless ladder...

I did as gregwcoats described, except put the hatch on the vertical face of the seat. Luckily, I had some teak lying around, so I used that. It looks about like Greg's installation. The only difficulty is crawling over the traveler line when crawling over the transom. I also glued a couple...

You might take a look at the "roller beacher" if you have shoreline that you can haul to boat on. Link: http://www.rgcproducts.com/marine-new/roller_beachers.html

I am going to be installing Sailrite's Jiffy Reefing kit soon, but I am confused sa to how to use it once the sail is modified. The brief instructions on their web site says to rais the boom up to the level of the grommets on the sail. Not sure how to do that without fiddling with the...

How about running straight downwind with just a jib if the wind is more than I can comfortably handle? I had to sail straight downwind to a harbor to take out one time, in reasonably heavy seas, so I figured I was safest to just run with the jib. Is that really safe??

I was told that one bearing was replaced and they were both newly-greased---- NOT I would take them out and check them for sure.

Lake Huron, MI, near Cheboygan

What is the minimum number of rollers that should be used to support a Catalina 14? I have a roller beacher and only 3 pairs of hard plastic rollers support its entire weight. I assume that is OK, otherwise such a beaching setup would not be very useful. Thanks.

How do you slide the tiller through the fitting at the top of the rudder when that rubber universal base is attached to the tiller?- it block the tiller from sliding through the rudder.

The manual I have specifies 48" by 3/8" also. It sure seems stiff, though. It is a struggle to get that board back up as we approach the rocks on our beach! Maybe the pivot mechanism is at fault???? Should I take it apart and inspect and clean it? I have a 1987 (mod 1).