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Need Maricat Parts


saramona16

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Hi everyone, 
Where is the best place in Victoria to get parts for a Maricat?
I do have the Mk II 4.3 and i am in need of all new Standing Rigging as it is damaged, however i do not know the factory lengths
as when i bought the cat it had custom lengths for the previous owners rig.
Where would i also be able to find the clips that are used to clip down the rudder arms? These are very worn out and do not
hold the arms in place properly.

 

-Liam   

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The forestays are 5.5 m and the shrouds are 5.0m.  Jimmy Buckland at Arizona Boating (NSW) knows them well so he can post them to you - probably cost around $15.  Cost is about $80 plus about $30 for the striker.  I have adjusters on the forestays and shrouds.  My dolphin striker has a bottle screw, yours may be different so you'll need to measure it (and take the bottle screw apart because it's probably a bit corroded by now).

 

This generates a reasonable rake so you might need to get the leech shortened (or what my sailmaker did was to put a D ring into the sail between the clew and the first batten - along with some reinforcement).

 

Get the dolphin striker cable replaced at the same time.  Standard Maricat rules are that the shrouds are plastic enclosed.

 

As to the rudders, chuck the clips and levers away.  Get a couple of jam cleats and rivet them in.  Bungy chord to pull the blade up - terminate with a knot at the end of the tillers (I thread my bungee through a piece of wood that stops it running back into the tiller).  Use a 2:1 for the downhaul, one end tied to the end of the tiller and the other through the jam cleat.  I did have the automatic cleats that release if you hit anything (CL257 I think) on one boat I had.

 

With the extra rake we generally rake the rudders too - you drill a new pivot just in front of the old one.  This allows the rudder to 'balance' - ie the leading edge is slightly forward of the centreline.  This reduces weather helm considerably.

 

Best of luck.

 

KO

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NSW Maricat dealer. Mick Colecliffe. 0419999785. Maricat43@bigpond.com. The guy who paid to set up the web site. The guy who has sponsored events. The who stocks over 2k in parts only for the consonance of Maricat sailors. The guy doing his best for the association. The guy happy to send anyone a price list at the drop of a hat. It's not a business but somebody has to do it. May Jimbo wants to take on the challange?

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For any new parts or good second hand parts support the dealer.  Contact Mick he will be only too happy to help you.  (even if he does sail a taipan occasionally)

Mick will have all these parts in stock.

 

Phil

Pres NSW/ACT Maricat Assoc

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This is how I have set up my rudders, I have a stainless steel spring in there to allow me to pre load the system to keep the rudders down and locked.  I have a 2;1 pull down with a cleat to hold the rope. (Mick has these really nice bases for the cleats that allow them to release if you hit the bottom or something big, they come complete with the cleat already on them) (I prefer a cleat made of metal as the original plastic cleats lost their grip after a few seasons).  The other thing that we do is redrill the hole for the bolt that pulley runs on so as you get a better angle to pull the rudders down better.  When I redrilled the hole on my rudders I had to do some filing on the rib that is behind it to allow the pulldown cord to fit in there.

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The cams and cleat, supplied by Humungus Mick, work really well.

 

Some fine tuning and a bit of filing may be required to get the correct amount of holding and release.

They have worked for me anytime i have hit something "hard", ie large jelly fish.

 

I don't know what they cost but much less then a broken rudder or busted transom.... and simple, clean and easy to fit and use.

 

 

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Rodney, next time we meet I'll get you to try to disengage my auto-release devices!  And no, wd40 and/or silicone doesn't help.

 

Happy to support the dealer when it doesn't require a second mortgage, The cleats I bought cost me $35 for a pair, posted from the UK - they're more exy now, I think about $50 but that would only buy half of the 'real' thing from the dealer.

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Sorry for the late reply, for some reason every time i create a post i get a message "Account Suspended", anyone else experience this? 

But thanks all for the replies! My stay lengths are way off and all the plastic coating has broken off and led to a few cuts when dealing with it, also seems a new rudder system will be in order for myself once i get my tax return, 
I like the idea of Pointed Reply's rudder system.
People also seem to have an adjuster from the bridle to the forestay when going sloop rigged, is this needed? mine did not come with is

-Liam

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Yes, just recently the account suspended hits us all.  I thought it was the admins not paying their dues (only joking) but might be when we get hit by these stupid spamming activities.  After a while it gets sorted out thankfully because this sort of place isn't easily replicated on places like Facebook etc.

 

If any of your stays cause you pain it's probably because the wire is breaking.  Often this happens around the swages because they squeeze the wire so tight (particularly if the person doing the swageing puts too much pressure on) causing strands to break.  Anywhere else it's a BIG warning to replace the stays.  What it means is that a stay is more likely to break and that's not good.  If the plastic coating has broken that would indicate that it's been left out in the sun - probably rigged - not too much of a problem but if the wire is starting to break then another warning.

 

Remember that Rodney's (Pointed Reply) is a quite new foam sandwich boat so has all the newest gismoze on it - there are quite a few things us poor people can do to get by just as well.

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oh thats a bummer, hopefully it gets all sorted out in the soon! 

Well the damaged stays are my fault as they dragged along the road for a few minutes due to not having them tied down properly whilst driving. One of them has scraped down about 10% of the thickness in some areas of it, definitely felt anxious rigging the mast after that. Most of the plastic coating left on the stays are just sharp little fragments which jab when rigging which is a pain. 

Ahh well i'm happy with just the Cam and Cleat method which seems to work just fine on Korwich's rudder system, much better than the plastic claw which needs the assist of a makeshift octopus strap.

-Liam

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Probably caused by a crash and the lack of self release cleats!

 

You may or may not be able to remove the pintles (stainless brackets) as the stainless nuts go into an aluminium strap which is bedded into the glass and has probably corroded over the threads.

 

You'll need to put an inspection hatch (BCF $20 for a pair, or $1000 for Maricat parts from the dealer which have curved bases - not too big otherwise it won't fit the curve of the deck).  You use Sikaflex 291 to bed them back in, don't waste money on nuts and bolts - once the sika has set it'll look fine.

 

Darcy has done this type of stuff.

 

It'll need fixing at some stage but why not just bog it up for the moment and go and sail!  If your winter is like it is here then you could fix it.  Norglass do an epoxy filler which is great for stuff like this.  Epoxy is best for fixing polyester because it has better mechanical strength - you won't get a bond on 40 year old poly!  When you do think about removing and filling in the bungs, they are a constant source of leaking and with the rear hatches you can easily mop out anything that gets in.

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so much good information, cheers! Perhaps i will try and remove the pintles and have a fiddle around, see if i can see any proper damage.

The inspection ports seem good for the price, how would i go about drilling in a hole to fit them in? 

Well i'll see how it goes next time i'm out, usually when the hulls fill i just tip the bow up so the water drains out the bungs, but the rear ports sound like a goody.
Also what size rivets are used as standard for the Mari? i will definitely be getting a rivet handle/gun to install a new rudder clam and cleat system.

Thanks
-Liam 
 


 

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I just got 50 6-10 rivets aluminium/aluminium 21.6mm long (ie 3/4") from an online fastener store in QLD ($15 posted), came in about 7 days.  These are for the trampoline rails but you pretty much get the rivets that will suit the purpose eg if you get a jam cleat for the rudder you'll possibly want a countersunk one.

 

You should also get hold of a concertina gun or the scissor ones with long handles.  The little right angle forged guns are very very painfull - I did about five of the 21mm rivets before I went and borrowed Darcy's.  About $20-$30 on ebay - on my tramp rails there are 25 rivets on each side!  I'm only doing one side though this time.  Remember that the bigger guns don't seem to have long noses so you may have a problem getting them into the holes - I'm thinking about the plastic jam cleats where one hole is very close to the cleat making it hard to get the rivet gun into place.

 

For the hatches you'll need a hole saw.  First time I did it I sawed a hole using the biggest one I had then used a jig saw to open it up, second boat I borrowed Darcy's.  Take your hole saw to BCF and get the closest fit.  Remember that the saw will cut a hole that's bigger than it because it shakes around a lot (mine did anyway).  Take care in siting the hole as you can't go back!

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I'll be using the rivets just for the rudder system, my tramp is okay apart from a small tear aft of it, but the scissor type guns seem the way to go.
I'll have to keep an eye out for a longer nosed variant of the scissor rivet gun! 

installing the ports seems simple enough now, i found 100mm inspection ports from BCF (don't know if they're big enough) for a good price along with a hole saw kit from Bunnings that comes with a 102mm holesaw piece which should fit nice and snug along with some Sikaflex. Another question, what's a good way to clean the yellowish age/water stains that run along the hulls? is there some sort of reccomended acid for this? Thanks again!

-Liam 

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100mm sounds ok.  You'll need to get your forearm though it to tend to the inside of the transom if it comes to it.

 

I've heard that people have machined down the rivet gun head bit to provide more access but wouldn't be game enough to try that.

 

Somewhere on here there is the one that Darcy suggests.  I use 30seconds - squirt it on and then give it a scrub with a green scrubby thing.  Make sure you wear rubber gloves or you won't have any fingerprints left.  You'll have to put polish on because it'll all have gone.

 

With the Sika - if you run it around the underside of the hatch then seat it on lightly, let it breath for a few moments then press it down.  If you dip your finger in some washing up liquid you can smooth it around and make it real pretty.  Remember though that SIkaflex is magnetically attracted to your skin so you're unlikely to avoid wearing some of it for a few days!

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well its either that or 125mm which is found on the jpwmarine website. I'd prefer not to try and tamper with the gun so i'll just have to find a thinner nose!

 

30seconds sounds like a good idea, definitely will get onto that one!

haha well the Sika seems like no worries to use! 

Thanks for the help!

-Liam

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I can't let Jim do all the yapping ...

Maricats are a close knit family, but like all families we love to argue with each other until another type of cat turns up or worse a monohull or even worse a jet ski ....

I would replace your stays and dolphin striker wire. If you break a stay your mast falls down, if you break your dolphin striker wire you are likely to bend or snap your front beam. Also don't store your strays wrapped around your mast, take them off each time.

Stays and striker wires are available from Mike, the right material the right length and a good price ... or you could stuff about doing it yourself from the local super market.

The curved inspection ports from Mick are excellent and fit properly, yes they will be a bit more expensive than bcf but that is because they are better .....

I would suggest from the photos that your transoms are broken and your boat will leak badly and one more grouping and the whole section may breakout. This is caused by an incorrectly adjusted (or not adjusting) rudder hold downs and old age and running into things. This has happened to many boats, including my old PR, I fixed it for about $180 and it went on to sail for many years and win many races.

A critical step is trying to get the screws out of the pindles. If that happens it is a much easier job. If you can, try to retain the outside gel coat and the stripe, this will allow you to refit it all in the correct place and alignment. Then strip away the outer gel coat and finish. Cut the hole for the inspection hatch but don't fit the hatch, you will need every mm of space to work on the inside of the transom. It is a very fiddly job, you can see it or do it but not both at the same time. Take the opportunity to get rid of the bungs,

The inspection hatch should be a finger length less than a cubit ... the distance from your finger tip to your elbow .. (good enough measure for Noah) .... so you can get your forearm in the hull ..

For a while I had two Maricats , one new foamy and a 30 yr old version. I had both boats set up with exactly the same gear and equipment .... the only difference was the age of the hulls. .. so take no notice of Jim saying that you can't put newer bits on old boats. The new bits are used because they are better and easier.

That will do ......time to go and referee some soccer games ⚽️

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Oxiclic acid is what we use to get rid of the stains you can get it from any hardware store.  Just follow the instructions, I got a kilo pail it has lasted me for heaps I've even heard of people washing their sails with it to get rid of rust stains.  You can use it to clean the whole boat if necessary, just make sure you wear rubber gloves if you mix it up a real strong batch, it can remove a layer of skin (don't ask how I know this, if a little will do a little good a lot will do a lot of good, right?)and make sure you hose the boat off well when you are done.  That and apparently orange juice works well.  Air compressors are cheap now, ie bunnings supercheap, get an air powered rivet gun you'll never look back.

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