20 Hour Engine Service

Took Quay Cat to Bay Marine for 20 Hour Service.

Maintenance Issues:

Move VHF antenna
Install VHF radio in temporary spot
Remove fender holder installed by factory from stern.
Patch holes and gelcoat.
Reseal all gauges and engine remote control to fix leaks
Check gauge lighting connection to instrument switch
Service engines and change oil

Picked Quay Cat back up on 4 September. Weather was great all week because my boat was unavailable. Rained all morning on 4 September.

Need to order some decal tape from Poland to patch graphic on side of boat where VHF antenna was. Also need code for gelcoat color. It was expensive to move and patch the antenna. Be very sure where you install items.

The fender holder on the stern was not what I thought I ordered from the factory. I ordered two stainless steel fender holder for the rails on the bows, not the one installed on the stern. Cost to patch the holes was a couple hundred.

Crabbing off President Point

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Susan Karren, Thomas Karren, Robert Karren, Jeff Bender, Donna Bender, Kyle Bender
Weather: Sunny
Seas: Calm
Engine Hours: 19.5 - 21.5
Destination: President Point

Picked up the crab traps. We had not bought a boat hook yet. The crab pot buoys were VERY hard to grab. after thinking about it for a few minutes, I sat down by the motor well and grabbed at the trap as we coasted by. This took us several tries. On the next trap we tried the starboard side of the Motorcat and that worked better. On the third trap Sue turned too sharp and the buoy went down the tunnel between the hulls. I just leaned over and easily picked it up off the swim platform on the stern. That is the way to get the traps in from now on!

The wide, flat foredeck on the Motorcat 30 is great for working with crab traps. We had plenty of room for 3 people and all of the equipment. Much more enjoyable then crabbing from the dinghy. We handed the line up to the foredeck and coiled it around buckets as we hauled them up. This way the lines are all neatly coiled and ready for storage when the trap is brought aboard. Further, none of the mess gets anywhere near the cockpit or cabin. Once back ashore, we simply hosed off to clean off the seaweed and salt.

The first trap had about a dozen crabs. We tossed back the females and small crabs, keeping about 6 of the biggest ones, averaging about 7 inches and 3.5 pounds each. The next trap had both dungeness and red rock crabs. We tossed back all but three dungeness. The third trap came up with only starfish. Yuck. The door to the trap was not secured well, so we had not a single crab. We dumped them back went on for the last trap which had two more keepers.

Donna and Jeff had never been crabbing before. They got a real kick out of seeing the crabs, trying to grab them and toss them in the buckets without getting pinched. Baby Kyle was not impressed. He hated his life jacket and preferred to sit in the cabin with either Jeff or Donna.
Cruised to Point No Point and then home again to cook the crabs. Half we cooked plain and ate with butter and half we cooked Singapore style as chili crab.

What a great place to live. Having a boat like the Motorcat 3o really lets us take advantage of our local environment.

Tried launching at low tide. No luck. The MC3o sits high on the trailer above the wheels and needs lot of ramp and water to launch. Getting much better at handling the trailer and launching and retrieving Quay Cat. We can launch her in about 15 minutes now. Picked her up this last time without even getting my shoes wet.

Maintenance:

Need to sand and paint spots on the trailer. Have some small spots of rust where we modified it.

Tie loops for boat hook onto crabbing buoys

Buy boat hook

Fishing off Jefferson Point

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Tom Karren, Robert Karren, Dick Anderson
Weather: Mostly cloudy, showers.
Seas: Calm
Engine Hours: 17.5 - 19.5
Destination: Fishing off Jeff Head.

Dropped four crab pots with old chicken from the freezer as bait. Plenty of bait for each pot. Dropped them off of President Point in 50 to 100 feet of water. Took about 30 to 40 minutes to get the pots ready, bait them, untangle the lines and toss them overboard.

Robert caught two "shakers." Even though we had to toss them back because they are too small, Rob was very excited. He was jumping up and down every time a current tugged on his pole. Dick was hustling just to keep Thomas and Robert baited and in the water. Dick snagged a flounder which we also tossed back.

Rained as we cruised back to the dock. Tom and Rob went in the cabin and left the adults to stand in the rain.

Maintenance Issues:

Lights on most new gauges do not work.

Need two more fishing pole holders.

Trailer will be ready tomorrow. Still need to balance wheels and weight.

Motorcat 30 Ferry Service

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Thomas Karren, Robert Karren, Sue Karren
Weather: Overcast and calm. 65 degrees.
Seas: Calm
Engine Hours: 13.0 to 17.5

Ran boys over to Edmonds to meet Marilyn. Then cruised by myself to the mouth of Port Ludlow and back to Edmonds. Picked up the boys and Sue and ferried back to Kingston. This trip to Port Ludlow only took a little over an hour. Port Ludlow is a full day trip for a sail boat! Distance is not the same for me now with the Motorcat 30.

Almost done with the break-in period for the engines. Although the Honda owners manuals say break in for 8 hours, Bay Marine advised 20 hours moderate cruising at non constant speeds.

Maintenance Issues:

Bought Stereo, cooler, shore power cord, towable tube, tow rope, pump, and fishing pole holders. Boater's world loves me since I spend $1ooo every time I drop in.

Installation of the stereo is going to be a trick. I would like to put it and the VHF in the circuit panel, but will have to cut the opening at a bias and trim out. This would be better done as a factory option next time.

Talked to personnel at Boater's World and West Marine about heat. No good decisions yet. I need both AC and propane heat since I spend at least half of my cruising time away from shore power.

Need to consider an inverter to run AC units while away from shore power. Will post questions to MC30 group on Yahoo.

Installed first fishing pole holder on stern. Used a white pole holder with a cover. It is almost invisible when covered.

Made a harness for the front of boat to pull in and out of water. It works OK, but not optimal. We have to winch the boat up, pull part way out of the water, unhook the harness and hook the winch to the center tow hook, back the trailer back down into the water, winch a couple feet more and then pull out of the water. I think an extension that is clipped onto the center hook and cleated off on the bow may work.

Photo: Kids Love the Quarterberths

Tom and Rob love the quarterberths. Here they share a book while snug in the port berth. Rob often stays in his berth for hours while we cruise. I hear his voice over the engines as he sings to himself.

Edmonds and Mukilteo Day Cruise

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Bill Weir, Thomas Karren, Robert Karren, Sue Karren
Weather: Partly cloudy, 70 degrees, no wind or rain!
Seas: Calm, no waves.
Engine Hours: 7.8-13.0
Destination: Edmonds and North Sound

Cruised to Edmonds to pick up Bill Weir and then up to Mukilteo for a change of scenery. Then we went west to Whidbey Island, South to Edmonds, south to Karkeek Park, North to Edmonds and back to Kingston.

Bill loves the Motorcat30. He took a bunch of pictures, some of which we put on the temporary web site for North Sound Cruising Center. Next time we will bring his wife along too. No one wants to miss out on the fun.

Saw seals on the green navigation bell south of Whidbey. Kids loved that and were very excited. Seals ignored us completely.

We picked up Sue Karren in Edmonds and gave her personal ferry service back to Kingston. We were only a little slower than the commercial ferry at 18 knots.

Filled up Quay Cat in Kingston with 21.8 gallons of fuel for 7.8 hours of use. That is only 2.8 gallons an hour in fuel. Exactly in the range predicted by Bond Yachts.


Filled wash down tank. Used to wash off deck and motors after cruising.

Speeds and RPM for the day were similar to the previous levels.

2000 RPM 5 MPH
2500 RPM 6 MPH
3000 RPM 9 MPH
3500 RPM 11 MPH
4000 RPM 14 MPH
4500 RPM 16 MPH
5000 RPM 19 MPH

Maintenance Issues:

The port engine is 100 RPM slower at low speeds (about 2000 RPM) and 300 RPM faster at high RPM. Will talk to Bay Marine about this for adjustments.

Filled up with water, but it tastes funny. Will drain tanks, refill and drain a couple times.

Quay Cat is difficult to launch and retrieve without getting wet. The towing hook is 5 feet under the bow platform. There are two more hooks, one on each bow. Perhaps a harness?

North Sound Afternoon Cruise

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Thomas Karren, Robert Karren
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 15K winds, showers
Seas: Rough and choppy with 3 to 4 foot waves
Engine Hours: 5.1-7.8
Destination: North Sound Locations including Shilshole and Edmonds

Kids are hooked on the Motorcat 30. They wake up in the morning and ask when we are going out.

Cruised to north end of Bainbridge Island, east to Shilshole, north to Edmonds and back to Kingston.

Waves were 4 feet tall and short and choppy. Boat handled well, but was most comfortable at 4000 RMP in the rough water. At higher RPM and sppeds, the props would cut through the top of the waves and race to 5500 RMP.

Speeds and RPM for the day's testing were as follows:

3500 RPM 11 MPH
4000 RPM 13 MPH
4500 RPM 16 MPH
5000 RPM 19 MPH

Docked again at the guest slip while I modify the trailer.

Maintenance Issues:

Fuel primer bulbs a bit difficult to reach.

Trailer Modifications

I had a trailer built quickly by Quality Trailers of Bellingham. It is a metal double axel trailer. We had only rough hull dimensions to build the trailer from and it needs some modifications.

First, the runners are not high enough above the fenders. I unbolted the runners and raised them up with 2 x 8 blocks under each support. This worked great.

Second, the winch pedestal and bow stops are not in the right positions. The winch is way too high and the bow stops were 3 to 4 feet too far forward. Allmetal Works of Kingston cut the winch pedestal down to a usable height and added a support to the trailer so the pedestal and bow stops could be moved forward. They also will weld some diamond plate on the tongue to make winching more convenient.

Third, we need to move the wheels forward about 18" to balance the trailer better.

It would be nice to have a couple steps welded on the pedestal too. Climbing onto the MC30 while on the trailer is a bit difficult.

At that point, we will have a serviceable local storage trailer for the boat. However, we will need a stronger trailer for distance travel to neighboring states.

Afternoon Cruise to Point No Point

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Mike Roddy, Tom Karren, Rob Karren
Weather: Partly cloudy and calm
Seas: Calm
Engine Hours: 3.2-5.1
Destination: Point No Point

Cruised to Point No Point and back. Glassy seas and no wind. What a great day to be out on the water! I called my wife at her office and told her how hard I was workign testing the boat so I can tell customers about how it handles.

Cruised at 16 MPH at 4500 RPM. Tested speed and turning ability of Motorcat 30. Glides through turns with almost no banking. Very stable. Had engines all the way down. No real difference. Will try next time at the 0 degree mark.

Teaching Thomas how to operate the boat. He is doing great at handling all the lines and bumbers while docking and launching the boat. He also loves driving and navigating. Thomas set way points for the local harbors on the GPS today.

Mike Roddy commented that he had forgotten how much he liked cruising and that he had to get a new boat. He identified this as a need, not just a want. (Mike used to live aboard a larger cabin cruiser.)

The MC30 really draws attention! A neighbor at the harbor in Kingston saw us hauling the boat out on the trailer and walked around the bay just to talk to us about the Motorcat. He stayed and talked to us for 20 or 30 minutes while we trailered the boat and washed it down.

Maintenance Issues:

Starboard speedometer not working at times.

Engine Break-In and Sea Trials

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Tom Karren, Rob Karren
Weather: Cloudy with showers
Seas: Calm
Engine Hours: 1.1 to 3.2
Destination: Madison Bay and Blue Ridge

Stowed safety gear under double berth in cabin and in port storage compartment on bow.

Showed boat to guest in next slip. David Crawford. He commented "The cabin has great head room. My wife always complains about the lack of headroom in our Bayliner. "

After 2 hours of break in time, increased power to 3000 to 5000 RPM range. Kids love the extra speed. Took to full power in short bursts as per Honda manual. Boat reached 21 MPH on full power. Most of the third hour was spent between 2000 and 300 RPM reached sustainable speeds of 13 to 15 MPH. Motored to North Beach and back to Kingston.

Played with engine trim. Because the Motorcat does not raise it bow or sit back on its stern when at cruising speeds. The engines need a little adjustment. They seem to operate best with just a couple degrees of tilt after reaching cruising speed.

Maintenance Items:

Need 50' water hose for use at dock

Need shore power cable

Need plastic pages for operating manual

Need zipper pouch for receipts

RPM on port and starboard engines not equal. Port is weaker.

Waste tank gauge shows full. Curious since we have not used head or sinks yet. Will pump out and try again.

Launching Quay Cat for Sea Trials

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Sue Karren, Rob Karren, Tom Karren and Dick Anderson
Weather: Overcast and windy with 20 knot winds
Seas: Rough chop 3 to 4 feet deep.
Engine Hours: 0.1 to 1.1
Destination: Apple Tree Point and back to Kingston

Boat came off the trailer easily. Hope it goes back on easily. Need to raise the runners on the trailer first. Cruised to Apple Tree Cove then back to Kingston. Boat handled well in the chop.

Started to break engines in, operating at various low speeds of 1000 to 2500 RPM. Eager to see how the boat handles at cruising speeds. Ran engines at 3000 RPM for 2 to 3 minutes. Reached only 7.6 knots.

Tied up at the Kingston Guest Dock so we could raise the runners on the trailer and modify the pedestal for the winch on the trailer.

Not used to maneuvering the cat. It handles a lot different from my 40' sail boat inside the marina. Need to practice all types of turns and docking.

Filled each tank with 30 gallons of gas; 10 from Bay Marine and 20 from ARCO. Gauges show 3/4 full although tanks are full.

Maintenance Items:

Fuel and engine trim gauges have condensation inside. Need to be replaced.

gauges and throttle need to be resealed by Bay Marine since they are in an exposed cockpit and will leak into cabin.

VHF antenna must be moved from port side to starboard side. Current location impedes access to bows from cockpit

Need clock in dashboard

Port quarter berth portal stiff. Needs lubrication on hinges.