It was suggested by Bruce Landsberg that a method of submitting "upgrade" articles be placed on this site. He's absolutely right, and we have expanded the idea for submitting, well, pretty much anything. Here goes...
If you have something you'd like to submit to the C36IA website - the easiest way is to email your piece to the Webmaster. Virtually anything connected to the Catalina 36 is appreciated and enjoyed by other owners - from photos on your boat, to journals/logs of sailing adventures, to lists/tips on maintenance, to 'how to' upgrade pieces.
Will someone edit what I write? Almost every story submitted is edited by the Webmaster. I might not be able to tell if you were at Winder Island or Windy Island - or if the friend you wrote about is spelled Jessica or Jesika - but I'll check to make sure it makes sense and will correct obvious errors.
Who lays out the piece? The Webmaster does that. Sometimes people send magnificent articles designed in Word - I have to rebuild them in HTML coding simply because the Word file to too big for the internet. However, I try to make the piece 'Internet nice' in design - in order to make it load quickly and be readable and professional looking. Don't get me wrong - you can send it to me in Word - but I'll cut & paste (and often shoehorn) it into HTML for the website.
How do I send in photos? Send as attachments in your email. You can send to me in most any form, but I'll convert them into JPG for the website. I also color correct photos, and enhance for sharpness, etc, as much as I can.
Are photos important for an article? No, but but they're always a welcomed addition. For a "How To" piece, or a piece on maintenance or an upgrade - a photo can literally make the article work. E.g. the piece by Bill Cook on cleaning the water filter (http://www.catalina36.org/Upgrade_waterpump.htm). The photo completed the piece so a reader could easily make the same repair. You'll see lots of examples of this if you review stories on our Articles page link (at top of page) If it's a list of things to do, a photo is necessary - but it's always a welcome addition.
So if I want to submit something, what are you looking for? Photos for our photos pages (including parties, children, pets, heavy weather, scenes - if it's interesting to you, it will probably interest someone else), along with a brief description (1-2 sentences are plenty)
Pieces on maintenance & repair (pretty much anything/everything on this - from how to change an oil filter to repairing a leaking hatch - with a photo(s) if possible)
Pieces on Upgrades/Improvements (explanations & photos - costs if possible, brands if desired by the sender)
Journals/logs on cruises, adventures (daily logs or stories, special incidents, photos always a plus - these are also shared by the webmaster with our Mainsheet Editor, Brian Giersch).
But I'm not a professional writer... Yea - yea, but I'm not a professional webmaster either. We'll fake it together. Besides, how often when we read an article in Sail or Cruising World do we get halfway through it and stop? The articles in this website are far better reading because they're not generic bland mush - they apply specifically to what we most enjoy, our Catalina 36s. Realize that this entire site is composed of photos and stories and ideas submitted by C36 owners. The whole thing. And there's so much more we need to add to it. Virtually every repair necessary or upgrade desired for a C36 should someday be documented through explanation and photo/graphic - a sharing of information other owners. If it has to do with the Catalina 36, it belongs on this website. In all honesty, the C36 Owner's Manual, in a few years, will be this website.
- Dennis Stovall, Webmaster 1999-2005