The CM manual revisited

Posted By: Dano Superior Pleasure CM30 Rainy Lake ON
Date: 12/29/07 1:42p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Re: new boat manual (Tom Schwab in Tampa clm 26)

Tom Your right on course. Swing keelers seem to have most of the issues in maintenance and repairs. My CM30 is an electrical nightmare that I'll just have to gut out and start over. PO's didn't have a clue and the factory stuff remaining looks like household extension cording. Previous posting I finally got an extension for my outboard shaft this past summer, $385 vs a new motor but it's still not a four stroke but it runs a lot better than ever before for now most of the exhaust does not come into the engine well. The original motor lift in the motor well, I had to cut the bolts to take it apart (see pic). It had never been serviced since new (76). Trying to find new bolts for it in the wilderness, ie International Falls, what a joy! or joke as you may. So we all have many common threads in kind. Those particular ones are sometimes hard to find. So that's my idea. Take the original manual. Pick it apart. Common maintenance and repairs in one section and specific models listed one by one. Same for operating instuctions. Electronic repair, check connections then use a 2 1/2 pound hammer and go get a new one. I can barely tell you that a diode is pointing in the right direction. Starter relay, the click, click, use a screwdrive to jump it. In another previous post about my CM30 was moving my battery(s) to the aft of the engine well and comments were made about shifting the center of gravity aft as a concern. Well the CM30 and 32 were set up to handle both an outboard and inboard engines. I've yet to see any with the inboard so I have no idea about their operation or access both cockpit and/or from inside. So this is just one of those things. So Mother (Crealock) created a bunch of toys for us to figuer out that her elves (builders) loaded with MEK and THC, made thirty some years ago. No wonder we can't find any of them. If any of them can still remember, I'm sure they are laughing in their sleep. Save for Tom Kraft and his ordeal with his CM30, I think we all have solid hulls if maintained correctly, no offense or blame Tom. The rest is why I address this topic. So I have never seen another CM first hand, the 21 thru 26's and 32. But I've seen a lot of posts and so I looked at the CM Manual the other day again. Lots of holes we can all fill in. I just haven't figured that out yet. Filling the holes. Having been a maintenance test pilot for many years, attention to details is what keeps one alive. I have looked at this issue over and over to figuer what is meaningful to all, what some wouldn't care a rat's a.. about. But you just don't know what stupid question means to someone who asks. So like Greg in Seattle trying hard to re-establish the registry of Hull Numbers (even I was harsh on him at first for I had bad documentation), a owner's manual other than a operator's manual for each model of CM's would be a great gift to all and future owners to refer to. What works and does the job and what doesn't and why. Dano