The J/109 Class Association Forum

Sorry to hear about this as it is far from what anyone wants to deal with right off the start. While I am curious how you are handling the chainplate anchoring system that connects to the keel grid below deck, it does sound like you have a solid plan on how to re-core the deck in such a critical spo...

Hi Bart, I second the HDI kit for the exhaust elbow that Bill had mentioned as it is an extremely well made part. It is a pretty easy install as the part that goes into the exhaust hose slid out much easier than I had expected and there is plenty of room to access the bolts on the manifold. You can ...

As Bill alluded to, the headliner allows leaks to travel far beyond where they actually get in. Last year I thought my companionway hatch/sea hood was leaking, so I took it off, filled the holes with epoxy and re-drilled them. After sealing it back on the leak remained. Turned out the leak that was ...

We're also going to drop the rig this year. Just made some wide base saw horses to store it on. Planning to get final measurements on the turnbuckles using calipers and label all wires. I will likely disconnect the boom and all wiring myself before the yard gets to it. Beyond that you could always g...

Hi Karen, While ours is still intact I have repaired the hull to deck joint on other boats before. If the deck is noticeably lifted I would consult a pro to look at it before applying any adhesives as you may want to back up the repair from the inside with strips of glass tape/tabbing seeing that th...

You will have to sand any surfaces that you want varnish to stick to, though I didn't bother with the underside of the bottom two steps and just taped them off. As for the colors and blending, my re-finished top step came out exactly like Mvallus's above. Pretty sure that the steps on our boat are t...

This year the yard damaged the SS rod below the backstay adjuster while it was removed to allow the Travel Lift access to lift the boat. While they have agreed to remedy the issue, does anyone know who made this part or where to find a replacement? Charleston Spars, Navtec, Rigrite, Schaefer, White ...

Hi Dan, Been going through all these systems on our 2003 since we got it a couple years back. I had the saildrive seals changed last season and ended up needing to replace the lower unit due to pretty bad pitting along the seal seat thanks to electrolysis. While I won't likely touch those seals for ...

While I would be interested in what you finally figure out, your last photo on the left of the sprocket appears like one of the pins in your chain isn't as flush as the others. Might be just something from the photo, but it did catch my eye. Even though its unrelated to your issue, Edson does sell r...

Thank you Dan and Bill for some extremely thoughtful responses. I had wanted to move it just forward of the starboard water tank, but am limited due to length of wire (dpu is mounted in front of the holding tank) and the proximity to battery cables led through limber holes, etc. I'll check the devia...

Where is it located on your boat? Ours seems to be in one of the worst locations aside from on the engine block. It's touching that 1/2 stainless backing plate for the aft most keel bolt that also serves as part of the grounding system. Autohelm exhibits signs of intoxication. I'm thinking of reloca...

Had to get into mine today mainly to rebed the screws holding the sea hood in place. I'm hull #41 and while there is some space in there seemingly to allow the hatch to slide without binding (and a lot of dirt), none of the gaps seemed unusually large. Maybe they had corrected the gap issue by the t...

Hi Jerry, While I fully agree with what Bill said above, unless the threads are damaged/compromised your rigging is likely fine. You could dye inspect for cracks on all visible surfaces, but otherwise it is more durable than most expect. Our boat #41 came from that same production run as yours out o...

In fresh water you absolutely need to use the correct anodes or the aluminum saildrive will take on the role of the sacrificial part. Any Yanmar dealer will have the magnesium anodes you need. Mackboring.com definitely sells them, though I just go through our local yard RCR yachts in Buffalo. They s...

Just replaced mine with the one from Defender as they are an exact match for the factory ones. Be sure to order one of each type or be prepared to have to re-use the inner piece of the handle flange as a reducer. Also, the covers mentioned in that other thread are well worth the couple extra $$. htt...