Progress report: Catalina 25 hull #1205
It has been a couple of months since I bought the boat, and after
7 weekends in a row of repair and upgrades, we put the boat in 
the water for the first time this weekend. 
I have added a lot to this boat: here's an abridged list:
1. Upgraded spreader base fittings from cast aluminum originals
to all-stainless-steel welded sockets (there have been some failures
reported and the aluminum ones were discontinued on boats built
after 1986, I think).
2. Upgraded lower shroud chainplate eye bolts from 3/8" diameter
originals to 1/2", and replaced backing plates with aluminum angles.
This combination has more than double the safe load limit of the
original hardware.
3. Added an anchor light and combination bow/deck light to the
mast (Aqua Signal 25's).
4. Installed a VHF radio and antenna. The radio is on a swing
mount in the companionway, so I don't have to leave the cockpit
to use the radio as on my last boat.
5. Installed a stern pulpit, 6 stanchions, and lifelines.
(This was a horrible job-hope I never have to install a stern
pupit again!)
6. Installed new bow and stern running lights, and new wiring to them.
7. Installed new galley sink pumps and all new fresh water hoses-the
original ones were full of algae (yeeecchhh!)
8. Replaced coolant pump impeller on the outboard.
9. New halyards for main and jib, new boom vang, and hardware to lead the
lines aft to the cockpit. Installed Spinlock double rope clutch for the
halyards.
10. A 5 step transom ladder is on order, and I will be adding roller
furling in a couple months, after my Visa card recovers a little .
Will probably go with the Cruising Design FF6 unit.  The FF4 on my
Cat 22 served well for many years and the company was great about
warantee service and replacement parts.
11. I have added rails to the settee and dinette, that support an
extra cushion that turns the dinette into a full queen-size bed. One
of the cockpit cushions just fills this gap, between the dinette table
and starboard settee.  This lets me sleep athwartship so the boat
doesn't list as it does when sleeping in the quarterberth.
12. I bought a pop-top cover and will start installing the snaps
next weekend. This came with the snaps in a little baggie, and it
looks like there are at least 20 of them, so another all-day job!
Whew!! This has been a lot of work but will be worth it.
As for the first launching, the boat didn't sink, so I guess it is OK,
at least no holes in the bottom!! 
After breaking the mast step fitting the previous weekend, I was in a state
of high anxiety about mast raising, but it went smoothly enough with Lynn
helping.  Unfortunately, there is something wrong with the wiring... there 
re
3 lights mounted on the mast (2 navigation lights and a deck floodlight),
and 2 of these circuits have dead shorts in them-blew the fuses instantly
the first time I tried them.  Hopefully, the shorts are in the deck plug
and not in the mast itself.  The worst case scenario is that when I rebuilt
the mast rigging last month, I cut into these wires with a bolt or sheet
metal screw; there are several of each at various places on the mast,
used to attach hardware, rigging wires, and the aforementioned light
fixtures.  If this is the case, we will have to lower the mast again
(groan!), and I will have to run new wires to the lights.  If it is
a short caused by incorect wiring at the deck connector, I can fix that
in less than an hour. Next weekend I plan on boat-camping overnight,
assuming I can work out this latest glitch in the wiring.
Also, The outboard motor mount turns out to be the wrong kind, designed
for an outboard of 5 hp or 50 pounds weight maximum; the motor
that came with the boat is a Honda 10hp which weighs nearly 90 pounds.
The motor mount wobbles terribly from side to side-it is worn out from
age and too much weight-and the counterbalance springs are totally 
nadequate,
making it nearly impossible to raise the motor from inside the boat. 
West Marine supply here in town has a mount designed for outboards
up to 20hp/110 pounds at a reasonable price, so my next project
is to replace the old mount with the new one.  This Honda 10 outboard
would cost $2200 to replace if it fell off the boat, so $130 for the
correct mount seems cheap insurance. I would guess that this undersized motor
mount was maybe the only one in stock in the store the day it was purchased.
The boat was purchased stripped, and neither of the two previous owners
added anything: When I bought it, there was no boom vang, no anchor light,
no stern pulpit or lifelines, no electronics whatsoever, and the ground
tackle consisted of two 5 pound slip ring anchors with no chain, and
75' of 3/8" polyethelene rope-the orange and black kind that floats and
is usually purchased at Home Depot to tie down furniture in the back
of a pickup truck when someone is moving.  The mooring lines were also
cut from this stuff, and years of sunlight had degraded it so much I
wouldn't have trusted it as a dog leash, let alone to hold a 5000 pound
boat. The only reason I bought it was cheap asking price, and the
general condition of the hull, outboard, and trailer is actually
pretty good for being 17 years old.
Well, That's all for now, will keep you updated as the boat nears
completion. -Larry
... ---  Fresh water is for drinking, Salt water is for SAILING! ---
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