To all Sailing Skippers,

Some important information for you to be aware of regarding recent repairs to Kitkatla’s shifter cable and ongoing rear seal transmission leak.

SHIFTER CABLE The shifter cable on Kitkatla has been replaced and this has changed how the shifter “feels”. You will notice that the shift lever moves easily into F, R, and N. The location of Neutral is now with the lever in the vertical position. Forward and Reverse now have “hard stops”. Once the shift lever hits stop respectively for F and R, it is important that skippers do not put additional pressure on the shift lever as that has the potential to change the shift lever position for each gear. No need to “strong arm” the lever anymore – as soon as it hits the stop, let go of the lever. TRANSMISSION LEAK The oil level in the transmission was down as the rear seal is leaking. It has been topped up. Please check the oil level each day before using the boat. See attached photos which show the transmission casing with yellow bolt (7/8 socket). The dipstick is connected to the underside of the bolt and you can see the fill line right near the end of the dipstick. It only holds a small amount of oil – do not overfill. Use the 30W Oil in one litre container in the plastic tub in the starboard lazarette. There is a funnel in the same tub. . We will need to get a mechanic out to change the rear seal soon. Please Do Not use the marine diesel oil in 4 litre container – this is for use in the engine only. Also, do not overtighten the bolt when screwing back on. MISC. The unused fuel return line from the engine had a split in it with the result that small amounts of unburnt fuel was going into the bilge. The hose has been repaired and the bilge has been cleaned. Many thanks to the members who responded so effectively to these repairs: Mike Copley, Mike Hill, Doug Johnson, Glen Smith, David Redd and also Doug’s son, Bruce Johnson. Your skills and work save us a lot of time and money. Happy and Safe Sailing everyone! Debra