Association Forum - Island Dreams No. 922

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

Island Dreams No. 922 - Preparing to Haul

New Topic

Reply to Topic

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

Carl in LA
Captain

Member Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/16/2019 : 07:09:56

Greetings Mates:

Here are a few pics from preparing the boat for hauling that were taken yesterday.

Yesterday was all about stripping the rig and preparing to lower the mast - lowering the mast will happen tomorrow...

Here is the "Before" photo...

And of course you can't forget the stick to help peel out those batten velcro enclosures...

And the pickup truck bed cover makes for a pretty good sail folding table...

All that bimini rigging... it was intended to be folding anticipating a road trip and it does fold - but not too neatly - it's going to take another hour of padding and wrapping to be road hurricane worthy.

The pickup is beginning to be loaded... that big package up front is the dinghy.

And the fruits of the half-days labors - she's a little naked from behind... :)))

I'll update this post when the mast comes down (hopefully in a controlled safe manor).

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Russ.Johnson
Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
833 Posts

Response Posted - 07/16/2019 : 16:09:42

Hey Carl,

You have a nice boat and I know you take good care of it.

Not to be a jerk or anything, but I noticed your Honda outboard is upside down on your truck bed.
In the photo, you can see the two tabs on the Honda frame which are the "feet" when it's laid on it's side.
Honda put the oil filler cap on port side and the feet on the starboard side.
The engine oil can leak out when it's laid that way.
The feet also keep the plastic engine cover from getting scratched.

If you aren't going very far then it's not a big deal.

Where are you going anyway?
Russ

Russ Johnson
2005 C250WB Hull 793

Edited by - Russ.Johnson on 07/16/2019 16:17:38

Carl in LA
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 07/16/2019 : 20:00:05

Regarding the engine... appreciate the save. While struggling to haul that beauty into the truck I went old-school and just assumed it laid on the tiller arm side. Its fixed now.

I'm hauling from Los Angeles to the Pacific Northwest. Leaving next week. I have a thread in the general forum asking for local knowlege for that area.

Best,

Carl

quote:
Originally posted by Russ.Johnson

Hey Carl,

You have a nice boat and I know you take good care of it.

Not to be a jerk or anything, but I noticed your Honda outboard is upside down on your truck bed.
In the photo, you can see the two tabs on the Honda frame which are the "feet" when it's laid on it's side.
Honda put the oil filler cap on port side and the feet on the starboard side.
The engine oil can leak out when it's laid that way.
The feet also keep the plastic engine cover from getting scratched.

If you aren't going very far then it's not a big deal.

Where are you going anyway?
Russ

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Russ.Johnson
Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
833 Posts

Response Posted - 07/16/2019 : 20:51:01

Carl,

Have a nice trip.
I'm sure you will have some great stories to share.

Russ

Russ Johnson
2005 C250WB Hull 793

zeil
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Canada
1297 Posts

Response Posted - 07/17/2019 : 16:59:30

Thank you for illustrating the starting phase of your cruise

Have a wonderful trip and sail in the northwest... I e-mailed you with our local knowledge from Sidney, BC right up to and beyond Desolation Sound. I wonder where you finally decided to launch and park truck and trailer.

If not for the fact that we're doing the Trent/Severn this summer, we would have loved to join you for all or portions of your cruise.

Keep us posted

Henk & Johanna
"Floating", a few off your "barnacles".
"Someday Lady" '95 C250WB #151 ('03 - 2016)
"Sea ya" 30ft Bayliner (04-2018 - 09-2018)
"Mariah" '96 C250WB #191 (05-2019 - 15-05-2023)
"Lady J" '00 C250WK #499 (05-2021 - 09-2022)

Carl in LA
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 07/18/2019 : 06:18:51

I have read, re-read, highlighted, and cross-referenced your email... true...

Right now the destination is Port Townsend although I'm not wedded to that location - as noted in the other thread here about being denied a launch - if Port Townsend can't launch then it's off to somewhere else.

And assuming I launch from Townsend - I'm still contemplating going north directly to Victoria or going south to Seattle... So no really defined plans just yet.

Of course I'll keep adding to a thread to share pictures and stories from the cruise.

Best,

Carl

quote:
Originally posted by zeil

Thank you for illustrating the starting phase of your cruise

Have a wonderful trip and sail in the northwest... I e-mailed you with our local knowledge from Sidney, BC right up to and beyond Desolation Sound. I wonder where you finally decided to launch and park truck and trailer.

If not for the fact that we're doing the Trent/Severn this summer, we would have loved to join you for all or portions of your cruise.

Keep us posted

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 07/18/2019 06:20:01

Carl in LA
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 07/18/2019 : 06:42:14

And a few more pics from the preparation to haul...

A problem was discovered when trying to disconnect the VHF antenna cable at the mast base... it was corroded so badly that the threads just spun around without releasing the cable... had to break out the cutting tools... (BTW - that weenie little Harbor Freight cordless dremel tool is pathetic at 9.6-volts... it barely turns the wheel... but - as you can see - it got the job done)

And now to raise the trailer fitting that assists with raising and lowering the mast. Can anybody tell me if all the mast raising gear came with a new boat purchase or was it an extra cost item? The additional mast stays and lifting strap are very helpful.

The strap on the trailer winch for me is short so I had to add a segment of line to fully reach the mast strap.

I pulled the mast strap up as high as the spreaders with the main halyard.

And there she goes...

And the mast is down...

And here she is with most of the mast gear zip-tied... Yes - I'll use real rope in a few places to better secure the mast for highway speed pot-holes.

As I did not want the mast bowing any during transport I made a mid-span support... may not be needed but gives me better peace-of-mind.

Also - did you notice how I destroyed the expensive Nicro solar vent? Yes - I laid the mast down without removing the fixture and it is now crushed and non-operational. Bummer.

And out back I'm trying something different (it may not survive the neighborhood test drive)... A support that lifts the mast higher off the stern rail - makes the mast more level for hauling... necessary? Don't think so - just something that I wanted to do.

OK - getting pretty close - maybe another half day of tying down and then the test haul to see what shakes lose...

More to follow...

Best,

Carl

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 07/18/2019 13:31:29

Russ.Johnson
Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
833 Posts

Response Posted - 07/18/2019 : 10:24:43

Carl,

Catalina Yachts offered a trailering package.
You have the short "Mast Raising Shrouds", but you are missing some other parts.
The setup is in your owners manual.

Here's a link to the C250 Owners Manual on our website (in the Manuals & Brochures section on the left menu).
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/manbro/C250OwnersMan.pdf

Also, Catalina Direct sells replacement "Mast Steppers", there are 2 sizes.
Mast stepper 1/2" pintels
https://www.catalinadirect.com/shop-by-boat/catalina-250/trailering-parts/mastup-mast-stepper-with-12quot-pintles/

Mast Stepper 3/8" pintels
https://www.catalinadirect.com/shop-by-boat/not-a-catalina/trailerable-boats/mastup-mast-stepper-with-38quot-pintles/

Here's the drawing from page-12 of the owners manual

Russ Johnson
2005 C250WB Hull 793

Edited by - Russ.Johnson on 07/18/2019 10:33:04

Carl in LA
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 07/18/2019 : 10:34:44

I should have been more careful about lowering the mast and not crushing the Nicro...

The $180 to replace the nicro would have been well spent on the mast-up mast stepper... and probably avoided crushing the vent...

Onward.

Best,

Carl

quote:
Originally posted by Russ.Johnson

Carl,

Catalina Yachts offered a trailering package.
The setup is in your owners manual.

Here's a link to the C250 Owners Manual on our website (in the Manuals & Brochures section on the left menu).
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/manbro/C250OwnersMan.pdf

Also, Catalina Direct sells replacement "Mast Steppers", there are 2 sizes.
Mast stepper 1/2" pintels
https://www.catalinadirect.com/shop-by-boat/catalina-250/trailering-parts/mastup-mast-stepper-with-12quot-pintles/

Mast Stepper 3/8" pintels
https://www.catalinadirect.com/shop-by-boat/not-a-catalina/trailerable-boats/mastup-mast-stepper-with-38quot-pintles/

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1519 Posts

Response Posted - 07/18/2019 : 12:55:08

Carl,
I hope you have an exciting trip. I enjoyed sailing with you back in May when I was in LA for a work meeting. I look forward to reading about your tales of the sea!

JohnP
1978 C25 SR/FK "Gypsy"
Mill Creek off the Magothy River, Chesapeake Bay
Port Captain, northern Chesapeake Bay

Carl in LA
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 07/18/2019 : 13:34:40

Hi John:

Appreciate the encouraging thoughts - hopefully the trip will just be mildly exciting... Our sail in LA Harbor was perfect.

Best,

Carl

quote:
Originally posted by JohnP

Carl,
I hope you have an exciting trip. I enjoyed sailing with you back in May when I was in LA for a work meeting. I look forward to reading about your tales of the sea!

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

dmarion
1st Mate

Members Avatar

Canada
67 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2019 : 14:16:24

Hi Carl,
I notice on the pictures that part of the blue stripe on the side of your boat has been removed to place the name 'Island Dreams'. It looks very cool. How did you remove the blue stripe without damaging the finish?
Thanks and have a safe trip.

Daniel Marion
Zendo
Cat 250 WB 2001 Hull #592
Valleyfield, QC,
Canada

Carl in LA
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2019 : 15:19:20

Greetings... The previous owner - who was on this forum at one time - must have arranged for the name to be installed like that... So I am not aware of the procedure they used to remove the blue stripes...

Best,

Carl

quote:
Originally posted by dmarion

Hi Carl,
I notice on the pictures that part of the blue stripe on the side of your boat has been removed to place the name 'Island Dreams'. It looks very cool. How did you remove the blue stripe without damaging the finish?
Thanks and have a safe trip.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2019 : 15:44:25

Uh Oh... A departure set-back... Trailer brakes need attention!!!

Hummmm...

I had not hauled this boat prior to Friday last week... and I was negligent in that I suspected the trailer brakes were not working but I did not attend to investigating until yesterday - Sunday...

After final tie-down of the rigging and boat onto the trailer I hitched up and pulled out of the dry storage facility. As I rolled toward the driveway and the stop sign it was instantly obvious the truck was doing all the stopping and the trailer brakes were not contributing.

Still - I went out onto the local freeways for a test pull... I wanted to see how the F350 muscled the boat along... And the beast did OK... The weight of the boat and trailer is just at the edge of this F350's capability. Accelerating was slow-ish when pulling up hill - and the big 444-cubic inch diesel held itself in the lower gear longer than what I expected. Ultimately the truck/boat combo accelerated to freeway speeds but the boat was clearly an anchor behind the truck.

And the diesel just roars during acceleration... the turbo, clatter of combustion, and exhaust make for a not too pleasant symphony... When my wife joins me for the return drive from the Pacific Northwest I think we'll be using those "marriage saver" headsets so we can chat and not be droned out by the beast.

A note about this F350... When I purchased the truck the seller noted that it had been "chipped" which I did not know what that meant... I learned that the "chip" was a process of connecting an electronic device to the data port under the dash and the device would reprogram the stock engine and transmission control.

The electronic device is older and has two alternative programs. The more powerful of the two is designed for horsepower only (so the instructions say) and adds about 100-horsepower to the engine output. I tested that program for a couple days and the truck did feel like it had more horsepower.

The second program is apparently designed for trailer pulling - and I flashed the truck with that program. The instructions state that it adds 60-horsepower and alters the transmission shift points... which may explain why the truck stayed in a lower gear longer than I expected.

Now... I left the truck programmed with the trailer pulling program in place as it drives fine and I'm comfortable with the arrangement. A surprise plus - is the fuel economy. The beast managed about 17-mpg for mixed and mostly highway driving. So doubly happy with the trailer pulling program on the chip.

As far as handling - the trailer behaved itself nicely behind the truck...

As far as the boat riding on the trailer??? OK, but the bow - which was not strapped to the trailer (the stern was strapped) - hopped significantly. On Sunday - I procured a second ratcheting strap and strapped the bow to the trailer.

And the highways I took had plenty of rough paving to bounce the heck out of the trailer.

But... stopping distances on the trucks brakes only were quite excessive - no way could I emergency stop if another vehicle were to cut me off - so further investigation of the brakes is warranted.

Also - there is a segment of the Interstate 5 which is my route northbound to the Pacific Northwest which is known as the grapevine...

https://goo.gl/maps/ZmwXf9vNE9BLkGBLA

A long-ish steep-ish stretch of highway complete with 35-mph truck lanes and runaway truck escape lanes made from deep gravel. The last thing I need is to destroy the adventure by smoking the truck brakes going down that grade, rear-ending a semi, and then choosing the runaway truck lane over being out of control with no brakes.

Having trailer brakes seems pretty important.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 07/22/2019 16:57:31

Carl in LA
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2019 : 16:00:18

So what to do about the brakes...

I had planned to pull the boat from the dry storage to my house on Sunday morning - less cars on the LA Freeway's to contend with...

But I live on a tight suburban street with tons of cars parked on the street all around me - and my property does not have onsite parking for a 30-foot trailer. And in previous weeks I had checked with a local van and moving company to see if I could park on their lot as it would be convenient to my house - but they could not accommodate. They said parking is a problem for their semi's all the time... sometimes they apparently just park on the neighborhood street and get ticketed and just accept the cost as a cost of doing business... not a particularly desirable scenario for me and the 250 on the trailer...

But I kept an open mind on Sunday morning expecting to haul the boat up to the neighborhood and find street parking (and make peace with the abutting property owner explaining that I would only be there for a couple days).

I spread out the blanket to lay down and do a close inspection of the brake system...

It was not to be...

Finally - after owning the boat for two and half years I opened the master cylinder to check the brake fluid level...

Ha! Ha Ha Ha!!! Woah - Ha!!! There was no fluid!!! Only crystalized remains of fluid!!!

As big a fail as could be expected.

Having some experience with master cylinders I declared this one was dead... it would take full disassembly and soaking to clear the varnishes and rust and crud to make it work as intended.

The easier option seemed to be replace the entire assembly with a new actuator... Which I ordered from Amazon and is expected to arrive perhaps Thursday...

Considering that I don't have decent storage at home, and the need for waiting until the replacement actuator arrives, it made better sense to me to leave the boat in the dry storage stall until the brakes are under control - so I drove home like a dog without a tail...

And I'm an arm-chair cruiser for a few more days...

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 07/22/2019 16:44:55

Carl in LA
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2019 : 16:05:47

Advance notice on probable problems...

I snapped this pic few weeks ago when I had the trailer tires upgraded...

Those calipers do look a little rusty...

Even after I install the new actuator and bleed the brakes (assuming the dried crystalized brake fluid did not block the brake lines) these calipers may be toast just like the actuator master cylinder.

We shall see...

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 07/22/2019 16:12:55

DavidCrosby
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
229 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2019 : 19:34:52

Carl, thanks for your post about the truck, trailering and brakes. I just finished up this year's trip. 2,104 miles round trip. St. Louis, Missouri to Midland, Ontario. Sailed North to Little Current, ON. Rented a one way U-Haul truck and went back to get the tow vehicle and trailer. Drove them north to Little Current. Loaded up the boat. Went over the top of Lake Huron and down through Michigan and on back to St. Louis. (trip report coming soon. Article is written, just have to get the pictures sorted and uploaded).

My 1997 Ford Ambulance has the same engine. Like your diesel, mine roars as well. It is also slow to get up to speed, but will cruise along all day at highway speeds without any problem. Although steep hills are a challenge. I am sure when I tackle some mountains in the future, I will be crawling up the hill in the truck lane and in low 1. Other than the noise level of the engine, I feel like I have an awesome tow vehicle. I might want to consider buying a chip. My fuel mileage is a very faithful 8mpg when towing the boat. 12mpg without.

My boat and trailer are very obedient behind the ambulance. I have towed approximately 7,000 miles so far with this combination.

And like you, my trailer brakes were in need of a major overhaul this year. Instead of fixing, I replaced 100%. Partially because I did not like the coupler on the surge brake component and I did not like not having the automatic feature to disengage the surge brakes when backing up.

Here is a picture of us at the end of our trip (July 13, 2019). All packed up and ready for the long drive home.

David Crosby "Small World"
'02 C250 WK #614

Carl in LA
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2019 : 14:11:41

Appreciate the positive thoughts.

And looking forward to reading your cruise report.

You are a big-time Catalina 250 owner with towing so much over the years... Frank Butler and Gerry Douglas must have envisioned a customer such as yourself when the dreamed-up the 250.

I'll say it - the ambulance is non-conventional but I read the back-story in the email you sent me... so I get it.

Thanks for posting the picture - it's almost funny that the 250 on a trailer still dwarfs even a larger vehicle.

Best,

Carl

quote:
Originally posted by DavidCrosby

Carl, thanks for your post about the truck, trailering and brakes. I just finished up this year's trip. 2,104 miles round trip. St. Louis, Missouri to Midland, Ontario. Sailed North to Little Current, ON. Rented a one way U-Haul truck and went back to get the tow vehicle and trailer. Drove them north to Little Current. Loaded up the boat. Went over the top of Lake Huron and down through Michigan and on back to St. Louis. (trip report coming soon. Article is written, just have to get the pictures sorted and uploaded).

My 1997 Ford Ambulance has the same engine. Like your diesel, mine roars as well. It is also slow to get up to speed, but will cruise along all day at highway speeds without any problem. Although steep hills are a challenge. I am sure when I tackle some mountains in the future, I will be crawling up the hill in the truck lane and in low 1. Other than the noise level of the engine, I feel like I have an awesome tow vehicle. I might want to consider buying a chip. My fuel mileage is a very faithful 8mpg when towing the boat. 12mpg without.

My boat and trailer are very obedient behind the ambulance. I have towed approximately 7,000 miles so far with this combination.

And like you, my trailer brakes were in need of a major overhaul this year. Instead of fixing, I replaced 100%. Partially because I did not like the coupler on the surge brake component and I did not like not having the automatic feature to disengage the surge brakes when backing up.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 07/29/2019 : 18:56:35

An update...

Preparing to haul is now updated to completed the haul...

In the last report I was unsure of the condition of the brake calipers...

Before that...

I received the replacement actuator from a vendor representing Tie Down Engineering on Friday last week. And I went down to the Cabrillo Dry Storage and installed the actuator and hauled the boat to my house that evening... no issues - slow going most of the way due to heavy evening rush hour LA traffic.

No pics of the install as I was beginning to be in a hurry for departure.

Saturday morning I recruited my son-in-law and his son to come over for brake bleeding... friends... that is a solid son-in-law test... if he is good to go for brake bleeding at the crack of dawn on Saturday... things are probable going to be allright.

We had two types of pressure bleeders... and neither fit the Tie Down Engineering master cylinder... so we did the pump, pump, pump, bleed method... and it worked... so I had aome sembelence of trailer brakes... enough fo me to haul...so preparing to haul is upgraded to hauling-big-time...

Watch for another thread - perhaps over in the cruising sub directory chronicleing the cruise.

As seen at the Skyline Marina in Anacortes, WA - "Gateway to the San Juan Islands"

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Topic

New Topic

Reply to Topic

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.