[C38] Australia hasn't the bits - options?

[Les]

Stuffing boxes are not unique to the boat.  Here is a link to GlenL
Marine's two that might work well:

http://www.boatdesigns.com/products.asp?dept=632

Most mechanical stuff is relatively straight forward.  The Raw water
pump is a different issue for the Universals, but sometimes the pump is
OK, but the shaft may not have been reinstalled correctly when it was
removed.  Check the manual very carefully.  It is available on line from
Universal Marine.  I don't remember if I was able to view it on line or
had to purchase it.

If the aluminum frame is OK, the window glazing can be replaced with
Lexan at most boat yards.  The lexan scratches a bit easier, but is
safer than the equivalent glass.  The seals used to be available from
Catalina direct.  I replaced all of the seals on JACE in about 5 days of
pretty straight forward work.  The hardest part is cleaning up the old
sealant from the window frames and the cabin house outside.  But some
lemon juice cleans the aluminum quite nicely.  You can shellac it to
preserve the clean appearance a bit longer, or just wax it, if you are
willing to rewax it a couple of times a year.

	The screws were mostly OK when I did mine, but I replaced them, just to
be on the safe side.

	the frames open to two pieces to make repair and replacement easy.  If
you follow the instructions that come with the seal kits from Catalina
direct, the only thing I found was that to remove the frame from the
cabin, push outward stiffly, but not too forcefully.  The caulk will
yield with pressure and time, starting slowly, and progressing quite
quickly once the frame begins to rise off the cabin side.

There is also a kind of replacement with dark lexan that covers the
outside of the opening.  It looks more modern, I think, and I believe a
couple of people have already done this on their boats and could give
you more information.  The neat thing about lexan is that it can be cut
and molded quite easily, so getting that perfect fit is easier than
glass.  And it is literally somewhat bulletproof (depending on thickness
of course).

	I remember seeing that someone told you about the two kinds of bow
lights.  JACE has the pulpit mounted single unit with a festoon bulb.
If I were replacing nav lights today I would look seriously at the LED
units, unless I were in the snow regions (LED's don't heat up as much so
snow and ice cover them and won't come off easily.)

	The wiring on JACE was straight copper. I have replaced some of it with
modern marine wire.  Modern marine wire is tinned to improve corrosion
resistance.  You might think about purchasing the wire to replace the
nav light circuit at the same time.  Use the terminals with the built in
heat shrink to help seal the critical joint from sea water incursion at
the joint.

	The sinks on JACE are stainless.  If they are just stained, you can
clean them with Barkeepers Friend.  It works great.  Don't work too hard
at it, sprinkle it on, wet it to a paste, and let it set a bit, rub,
rinse, repeat as required.  Fixtures can be marine specific, but
basically fresh water fixtures of good quality will work just like home.
Avoid cheap ones because the salt will pit the chrome.  Powder coated
ones will work OK, because most powder coatings are really better than
even awlgrip for protecting metal surfaces.

	Catalina direct sells the stoppers for the sink.  The lower hardware
down to the thru hull is standard marine hose, thru hull and tee
connectors.  Don't use nylon I have been told, although the marine
specific marelon is good.  Some sites say don't mix marelon and bronze.
I would guess they are worried about the expansion coefficient of the
bronze versus the marelon.

	I hope this helps.

Regards,
Les H

On Sun, 2010-07-11 at 08:51 +1000, Suzanne Hoverman wrote:
> Dear Colleagues,
> 
> My C 38 is showing wear and replacements seem impossible to get.  As discussed may time, the  raw water pump (Universal 5424) is still the original and it is so worn it leaks. No ones seems to know how to replace it - suggestions.
> 
> The stuffing box needs replacement again not available in Australia. The centre window on the starboard side was broken and replaced with plastic that can not be made to meet the 1/4" camber - even fitting new molding seems difficult. 
> 
> I have fixed the heat exchanger issue by using a Volvo oil cooler with amazing results (sits at 83C regardless of RPMs). Have talked with the people in Florida to no result. The shift from LA appear to be without their parts. 
> 
> So I need advise. I need to replace the old raw water pump. the stuffing box, port and starboard bow lights, and refit new sinks in the existing bench tops (head and galley). Are there suppliers I connect with? 
> 
> Cheers,
> Suzanne
> 
> suzannehoverman at optusnet.com.au
> telephone: 61 7 3869 4639
> 
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