176

(8 replies, posted in Boat handling / Performance)

All the PHRF ratings for the lake Ontario area (LO) got adjusted this year and the Contessa 26 is now 246.

Check out the pics of my bow roller in the "Stemhead casting / forestay tang" topic in the "repair/modification/upgrade" area of this forum.

178

(15 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)

Four years ago I needed rubber parts for my Henderson Mark 3 (or 4). I was told that the only option was to buy the kit to convert from a Mark 3 to a Mark 5. Parts for the Mark 5 are available. The kit has expensive and should only be considered after investigating the purchase of a new pump.  Try Holland Marine in Toronto for parts and conversion kit.

180

(6 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)

The table leg is one piece of fixed length and slides up and down in the two white supports (nylon blocks). The leg extends down through the hole in the lower support. When the table is down, the bottom of the leg goes down to the floor, when it is up the bottom of the leg is at the lower support. The black knob has a nut imbedded in it and threads on to a bolt that extends to the back of the support. When the knob is turned it causes the white support to compress on the leg and hold it in place. The length of the leg allows the table to be raised so that the table is at a height that is high enough for eating and to get room for your legs under the table. The table is mounted approximately in the center (for and aft) of the bunk.

181

(6 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)

Shannon,
The black strip around the opening is foam weather sealer found at the hardware store. It provides a good seal, but goes permanently flat in a season. I should replace it with a firmer rubber sealer, but the weather stripping is so cheap and easy to get. Since there is a gap between the top of the beam and the bottom of the lid, the bolts do not bottom out. The three bolts hold down the hatch lid very tightly against the seal. In fact, If you do them up very tight, they will cause the lid to bow down slightly leaving a small puddle of water on the hatch after a rain.
The beams only rest on the L brackets when the bolts are removed. They may fall out of place if you leaned on them while working on the motor. Just rotate them toward the center line of the boat and lift up. Once the bolts are in a place and tightened the beams are pulled up tight against the bottom of the lip around the hatch opening.

Adrian,
I accidently uploaded a 889K pic into the Maintenance and Tech section of the gallery.
The name is - Engine hatch quick release - holddown bolt
It can be deleted to save space, I replaced  it with a 19K pic.

189

(7 replies, posted in Technical)

I replaced mine a few years ago. I removed the set screw in the outer tube that holds the bearing (outside end). Removed the shaft. Then I removed the stuffing box and connecting rubber hose on the inboard end. I got a solid metal tube that was a bit smaller than the inside diameter of the outer tube holding the bearing. It is put into the tube from the inside. It is larger than the cutlass bearing hole so it slides in until it hits the end of the bearing. It should be long enough so that the end sticks out to a position that you can get a good swing at it. Then get a 10lb sledge hammer and start pounding on it to force it out the back. It took a suprising amount of force to get it moving. The new one went in much easier.

I think Mason's was the place I bought the stuff in the mini spray can. But that was 5 years ago.

I bought a product sold specifically for that. It was a small airesol can (3'' tall). I can not remember the name. But try asking at the marine store. It worked good on Duck Tape goo and dried silicon.

192

(10 replies, posted in Sails & Rigging)

My main  halyard is 3/8" dia and 74ft long. It leads back to the cockpit. Should be a low stretch line, but does not need to be a high tech  - high cost racing zero stretch line.

193

(5 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)

I have small cube speakers under the deck on the aft side of the galley. They are standard radio shack types and have survived well. The radio/CD is a standard car radio. It is located under the deck by the switch panel. The first one lasted only a week. I large salt water wave came below and the radio sucked some water down the CD slot. They do not like salt water and was dead a few days later. The second one has some plastic protection and is still going a few years later. The marine version maybe a good idea. If power is a concern, check the power consumption first. Car radios use a lot of power and generate a fair amount of heat. That is not a problem in a car since the engine is always running and charging the battery. Do not forget to keep everything away from the compass. I do not have speakers in the cockpit, but if you turn it up enough it can be heard. If it is at a comfortable level for someone below, then it can not be heard up top and if its a good volume for up top then someone below will go deaf.

194

(11 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)

I also had an old filler on the deck but did not use it. The tank comes up the the top of the locker. There is a very short 2" dia tube welded to the top of the tank and has a screw top on it. It just clears the seat hatch. To fill, just open and fill. This is legal every place I have been, but if you fall asleep while filling, the overflow goes into the boat rather than on the deck and then overboard. For a fuel guage, I open the fill hole and look down or put a wooden dip stick in. My tank is made from stainless, but I have since read that it will not last as long as aluminum of the correct thickness. I did not worry about expansion, but I never fill it to the last inch. The vent line goes up to the inside top of the cockpit coaming and then to the stern. So it is long and gives some more volume for expansion before overflowing overboard. I have never had a problem with spillage.

195

(11 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)

I replaced the original tank that was on the plywood platform in the port cockpit locker. I made a cardboard prototype to get the maximum size and yet still fit in. The top view it rectangular and just fits into the locker opening. But the side view is shaped to fit the curve of the hull side. The tank is lowered into the locker then rotated 90 degrees and then slid forward against the bulkhead. That way the tank only takes up about 8 inches of the locker and gives access to the area aft of the locker opening. Most of the tank is hidden outboard of the locker opening. The cardboard prototype was then given to a local metal shop to make the real thing. It holds 45 liters.

196

(6 replies, posted in Technical)

I would not try to transmit with that set up. The antenna is tuned as a combination of wire/coax and antenna. If the tuning is way off, which it could be in this setup you get a high SWR (standing wave refection) and a high percent of the transmitters power is reflected back to the radio rather than off the antenna. This can burn out the radio. Wire is not just wire. The old flat TV wire has an impedance of 200 ohms and VHF coax is 50 ohm (I think). The radio is made to match the connector and the coax and the antenna.  If you are only receiving then any length of wire will work to some degree. The longer and higher the better.

197

(8 replies, posted in Technical)

I disconnect the hose from the water intake valve and stick the end in a bucket of water. If you run the engine for more that a minute or so you risk damaging the cutlass bearing. (the tube the shaft is in were it exits the hull)  It is lubed by water. You could have a hose spray water at it from the outside, but you really do not need to run the engine too long. You are just trying to see if it starts and runs. With the prop spinning in air there is no load so it can not be tested properly anyway. When I first ran my new yanmar I thought "this new engine is really quiet compared to the old one". When the boat is in the water and the engine is loaded the engine produces the normal level of noise. Many motor problems will only be evident when the engine is under load.

198

(5 replies, posted in Wanted)

They made a fuel tank and some misc small stuff for me and have great craftsmanship.

199

(6 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)

I replaced my winches with Anderson 28 selftailing two speeds. They were expensive ($1930CAD) and definitely overkill, but are great for single handed sailing. You just have to be careful and not crank until you rip the sail right off the rigging.

Bilgeret, My boat also came with the standard 152 screws holding down the engine hatch cover. I converted to a system that my father used on the Contessa he used to own (hull #61). It only requires 3 bolts to be undone to remove the entire hatch. Since I always keep a coreless drill on board, I only takes about 20 seconds to remove it. But since I installed the new Yanmar it does not need removed in emergency mode anymore. I will post some photos in the spring if you are interested. It is really not too difficult of a modification.