Sailing Catalpa · video

What this video covers

The crew of Catalpa performs three maintenance tasks: installing a Mantus swivel, repairing a soft spot in the deck, and rewiring navigation lights. To prevent anchor loss from side-loading in squalls, the crew replaces a standard shackle and traditional swivel with a Mantus swivel, which maintains a straight load on the anchor regardless of boat orientation.11:48 For the deck repair, the crew removes a section of the fiberglass headliner in the bathroom to access a soft spot in the deck core.5:17 After excavating the rotted core, they fill the void with thickened epoxy and glass over the area.10:40 Finally, the crew replaces corroded external wiring for the Aqua Signal navigation lights by running new cables through internal conduits to eliminate exposed joints.11:48 They solder the connections to the light fixtures to ensure a watertight seal and plan to upgrade the incandescent bulbs to LEDs later.15:45 Proper cable routing and eliminating external junctions prevent salt-water corrosion in marine electrical systems.

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