Bow Pulpit for Catalina 38

[sailnaway]

I have looked on the Catalina site and have foud nothing about replacement OEM pulpits.
I would like to get one from anyone who is of good quality and fair price. I keep seeing websites for welding pipe they sound like art studio people,let us create a masterpiece of beautiful polished stainless and that scares me as it is a simple pulpit as plain Jane as they get.Cheep even a good used one.

[docket]

Stainless Outfitters in Canada can do anything in Stainless for a reasonable price. They have made several pieces for me over the years, the quality was excellent and the price was less than anything I could find in Texas.

[WHOOSH]

If I were wanting to replace my (''Plain Jane'') bow pulpit, I would first spend some time researching local metal shops, perhaps shopping for vendor recommendations from yards and/or tradesmen who do general refurb projects and repairs. I''d visit the shop(s) with a sketch and some questions, and talk over the project a bit with one of the workers (most likely the owner). I''d try to gauge how familiar he was with the project, since I''ve heard lots of good ideas and been helped to see my projects in different ways when working directly with a shop.

Bulky purchases incur meaningful shipping charges. And dealing with any stainless vendor long-distance can tax one''s ability to communicate effectively and pass useful measurements and a clear project unless you''re good at drafting (I could tell you stories...). Moreover, the rebounding Canadian dollar may have resulted in better buys in the past than it will now. A good vendor is a good vendor and I don''t mean to slam the Canadian vendor that was recommended but rather to suggest that there are challenges when choosing a long-distance stainless vendor.

A pulpit may seem like a stone-simple project. But I know if I were to modify or replace the one I have, there are a lot of ideas I''d like to consider. (A shop will point out that a ''simple'' project is rarely simple). I''d want to weigh those ideas against their cost, and I''d like to hear about how the ideas could be accommodated but perhaps not quite as I had imagined and/or with their cost mitigated. Altho'' I''ve used distant metal shop vendors in the past, it''s been my experience that all these things are more easily done when interacting in person with the local vendor.

Jack

[sailnaway]

Thanks Whoosh
Your right on all acounts the problem is being in New Orleans where no one will tell you who they do buisness with but they can take an order and get in touch with them. It is like doing buisness in Long Island NY but with a cajun twist or twisted they all want a few bucks for the information.I have not found a local I would let have a deposit and feel good that I would be getting what I paid for. Allot of the contractors are from Mobile and Gulf Port because no one does it locally.Thier must be some one but I have not found one yet.

[SailorMitch]

Sailnawy,

If I read your initial post correctly, you just want a plain vanilla replacement pulpit and nothing custom. There''s a good chance that an outfit called Tops In Quality made that original pulpit to begin with. TIQ makes lots of OEM pulpits and stanchions. At any rate, they can probably help you since that is their business. Go to www.topsinquality.com for info.

[WHOOSH]

OTOH TIQ is one of the outfits that has presented problems to those ordering from a distance. I think Bruce does nice work, tho'' it surely isn''t cheap, but when the workers get involved in the projects without oversight, sometimes there are wrinkles.

Since Mitch is recommending TIQ based on its history of providing OEM parts, I''ll offer JTR in Gulfport, FL as another alternative. It''s a shop with huge machines due to its historic business as the primary stainless supplier to Morgan, Gulf Star, Endeavor and other builders in the Tampa Bay area in the past. These days it''s run by the same fellow who does most of the work, while the shop remains in ownership of the two brothers who started it. Sorry...all the boat biz cards are on the boat, but JTR is worth calling Directory Assistance to find (area code is 727) if one wants to start shopping distant vendors. For all I know, they''ve supplied stainless parts to Catalina''s FL plant which is only about 10 miles away in Largo.

Jack

[waltward]

Sailnaway

Have you tried, Catalina Direct? --------------- http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.html

Might be worth an e-mail to them to find out if they have it, and they might be able to tell you who made the original.

Walt Ward

[Denr]

I too am always amazed how many questions are asked on this board about Catalina and wonder why those queries are directed to the builder, Catalina. This Bulletin Board would not be the first place I turn to, guess Catalina may have a reputation that precedes them for after sales service. On the other hand perhaps Catalina does not have a phone, fax or Internet access, guess we should give them the benefit of doubt.

[waltward]

Ahoy Denr

As for help from Catalina, I did call them and talked to customer service a year and a half or two ago. I had a couple of questions about my Capri 30 and they were quite helpful.

I have never done anything with "Catalina Direct", they are a totaly diferent entity and deal in parts. What all they might have, I don''t know, but if a guy needs something for a Catalina or a Capri, they might be worth a try.

By the way --- How are things at your end of the lake? We just got our first real snow cover.

Walt Ward -- North Western Lower Mi.

[sailnaway]

I called Catalina a while back and kind of got none in stock. You know the Sparkman Stephens design was a limited production so maybe they did not build a bunch of the spares like other models. The limited production and the fact that the boat will not back down and the bow swings in a light breeze may have caused several spares to be used up. Catalina however has provided me with excelent customer service even though my boat is 25 years old they gave me tech specs on my rigging and several other parts including some blue prints they dug up.So Denr I am not sure what yor reply means. I had a Catalina thirty which lost a mast in a hurricane and they had one on a truck and delivered in two weeks coast to coast.