Catalina 27 Maintenance - Where to start

[Barquito]

Do maintenance and upgrades on stuff that could become a safety issue first. Motor, thru hulls, any plumbing below water line, standing rigging, jacklines... then make sure the head works, then go sailing. You can try to be pro-active about maintenance, but, you will still be continually fixing stuff that breaks.

[Hudsonian]

Bulkhead and chainplates are critical. A good article by Dan Witucki on the website epoxyworks.com. has detailed information on replacing rotted bulkheads. The leaks that lead to bulkhead rot will keep the bolts and chain plates moist, thereby, promoting crevice corrosion.When you remove the chainplates, check the SS bolts for crevice corrosion.

On most boat projects, the value of the labor far exceeds the cost of materials. Do the work right, using the right materials to avoid having to do it again.

[bratzcpa]

We bought a 1973 C27 last year - - and have LOVED it. An awesome boat for us. We did lots of small cosmetic things right away because it was SO ugly (painted gray non-skid, refinished wood), and replaced a couple of sails. I'm pretty particular about the electrical stuff (I really really insist that when you switch something "on", it should actually go on . . . so replaced all of the wiring and put in a new electrical panel.

This winter we are replacing all of the standing rigging. They're currently done with corroding Nicopress. No problems, but they looked scary.

We added an organizer and clutches when we ran the halyard lines to the cockpit.

New Tiller handle (old one was rotted and broke off in our hands). We were at the dock, or that would have been WAY exciting.

There are a bunch of thru-hulls with gate valves (rusted/frozen solid) that are getting replaced in spring too. They were bad bad bad, but we lucked out on that too.

We also added some "handy" improvements just cause they were fun and we wanted too: permanent boarding ladder on the stern, changed the name and added 'cool' lettering/logo on hull, headsail bag so we can leave the jib hanked on, GPS with charting software, solar panels that we can plug in when we're off the boat (not permanently mounted - - - yet).

My suggestion - deal with safety issues first, and do a few fun things to make it "yours" too.

You did good - - -an awesome boat for sure.

~markb

[Mark1948]

If you are still on the water and want to putter, I would spend time rebedding hardware and focus on anything that appears to be leaking. Oil you teak just to keep it fresh and good looking. Oil and fuel filters etc are annual. When you do change oil, flush the engine with new oil, a couple of quarts to make sure you got out the old dirty stuff. Don't forget to clean the fresh water strainer. Do check the alternator belt and all hoses for cracks. If you find that the head tends to get back flow into it you may need to replace the back flow valve.