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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

My first sailboat, 1983 25'

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Frenchman
Deckhand

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USA
4 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/06/2012 : 16:38:59

Hello everyone! Man this is a great sight. I purchased the boat a week ago and have been on this sight every night reading and absorbing all I can.

The boat is in pretty good shape overall. I'm picking it up 40nm south of me in Cape Coral FL on Wednesday and sailing her home to get hauled out. She'll need a bottom job and a good cleaning. All the teak needs sanding and varnish inside and out.

My biggest concern is something I saw under the wooden compression post. By the way it is a traditional layout. Starting with the cabin top, looking from inside, at the top of the compression post,there appears to be a downward indentation about 3/4" by 2" around the aft part of the post. The cabin top at the mast is smooth and flat with no sign of damage.

At the bottom of the wooden compression post where it meets a short fiberglass post that goes to the cabin sole, it looks like it buckled a bit, chipping some of the glass. I'm not sure whats inside the glass, Is it wood?

I opened up the bilge and the wooden compression wedge seems in good shape for it's age. I stuck my phone in the hole and got some good pics. I'm working on getting a host sight so I can post pics. Just though I'd ask and see if anyone had any input.

This may seem like a silly question, but I'm new at this. I need to replace the back stay, do I have to step the mast to replace this?

Thanks for all the info!

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 08/06/2012 : 17:11:36

Welcome Frenchman, no need to be coy here.

If you join the Association, you can post your pics for use on our site [url="https://www.catalina-capri-25s.net/cgi-local/MBR_gallery.cgi"]here.[/url]

Paul

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 08/06/2012 : 21:15:07

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Frenchman
 This may seem like a silly question, but I'm new at this. I need to replace the back stay, do I have to step the mast to replace this? <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Well, you could attach the main halyard to the stern and then hoist someone aloft to replace the masthead portion of the backstay. While you are at it, lube and work all turnbuckles, etc... I'd drop the mast. Je suis désolé!

sten

Edited by - redviking on 08/06/2012 21:18:11

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2012 : 05:45:46

Welcome! (...from an alumnus.) Pix will help a lot on the compression post question. For future questions, it often helps a lot to know things like the keel and rig... I suggest making up a "Signature" in your "Profile" to automatically provide the basic data, as you see many have done here (even including me).

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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2012 : 06:34:20

I'd make a checklist of items on the mast and decide if there is enough to warrant dropping it. I dropped my mast back in April to take care of a laundry list of items (VHF antenna, new anchor light, add topping lift, inspect standing rigging, replace turnbuckles, new mast step deck plate, replace halyards and sheaves). I've most recently had to revisit the top of the mast to add a spinnaker halyard and for that single operation it was faster to have someone go up the mast then to drop it again. On Sunday our spinnaker halyard jammed and he went up it again.

To go up the mast we use a climbing harness that a friend already owns. He makes some foot loops for it because otherwise his legs will fall asleep. We use climbing knots (so figure 8 loop instead of a bowline) and connect both halyards to the climbing harness. Since he goes up the mast I have him inspect all knots and lines. The main halyard has a block added to it that starts at the top of the mast, with another 100' halyard quality line looping up to that block from the mast step, then back. That block gives me a 2:1 purchase on the halyard.

I route the main halyard to the cockpit genoa winch (Lewmar 16ST) through a clutch. The jib halyard is routed through a clutch to a cabin top Lewmar 7 winch. I do all of the work on the main halyard, but every 6" or so I pull slack out of the jib halyard. I'm hauling him up, but it isn't so bad with the 2:1 reduction on the halyard and the lower geared winch. The jib halyard is there as a backup should something go wrong with the main.

While he's working at the top I cleat off the main halyard, so it is now being held by the clutch, winch, and a cleat.

To get him back down I slowly let out both halyards around their winches. I keep 3 turns around the winch body.

It isn't fun for either of us, but it doesn't take too long (about 30 minutes from start to end, including minor re-rigging) and is a lot easier than dropping the mast.

I'm finding it useful to have a couple of extra quality blocks and a 100' of halyard/sheet quality line on the boat. For this operation they are used to get the 2:1 purchase on the main halyard. In general that 100' of line could replace a halyard or any of my sheets in a pinch. I'm using Samson 3/8" Trophy Braid which is fairly inexpensive (it has similar strength but more stretch than their XLS or XLS Extra) for this purpose.

This is getting pretty far off topic, but my spinnaker lesson of the week is to make sure that the shackle used on your spinnaker halyard is way bigger than the opening at the top of you spinnaker halyard block. I used a fairly small Ronstan shackle with a large Garhaurer block and we were using a small diameter line as the halyard. The shackle pulled into the block then rotated 90 degrees during a jibe and jammed into place. Last night I spent yet another $50 on the boat buying a larger shackle.

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2012 : 08:04:42

Congrats on the boat and welcome aboard! You'll find this is the best place in cyberspace for everything and anything C25.....we all have a vested interest in maintaining our boats, repairing them, and making novel changes and upgrades.

I think what you're describing on the roof, at the mast step, is normal. The roof itself isn't level really, so the small flat spot where the base of the mast steps, the metal plate sits, is recessed a little at the aft end....mine is anyway. I noticed this too and looking carefully at it, it looks like a design rather than a compression result.

The wood post inside is hollow. It's 4 boards assembled into a post....and there's a small wood block down in the bilge under the post to the hull. I think the system is designed to transfer load from the rooftop down the post to the hull...but I don't think there's really that much load to transfer. The cabin top is pretty stout, plus the shape takes the load around the post (like an arch sorta) and what is left transmits down the post....hence the hollow wood post rather than a solid one. I'm sure it needs to be there, but it doesn't take a load like you'd think it would.

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Sam001
Vice Commodore

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USA
441 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2012 : 08:34:04

Welcome, this is the place for all things Catalina 25.
Sam

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2012 : 08:43:10

I wonder if your bulkhead was replaced at some point. Pics would help. The chipping at the base and the description at the top of the post sound like someone did some work - at least to me.

As for the backstay, our rigger surprised me when they pointed out that when slackened, the backstay isn't holding up the mast so much as the baby stays are. It was a duh moment until I thought about it a little, and she was right, I can totally unload the backstay and it will just sway in the breeze. So yes, you can replace teh backstay without dropping the mast. However, as pointed out, the prudent thing would be to at least run a halyard from the masthead to a secure point at teh transom in order to support the mast during the work. If you have a crane available, park under teh crane and go up it to secure the backstay.

Of course if you have 2 guys available to lend a hand, lowering and raising the mast isn't very hard at all, and may end up being just as good a solution. If nothing else it will give you a chance to become familiar with your boat, and its components.

Edited by - on

Frenchman
Deckhand

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USA
4 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2012 : 18:25:06

Wow! Thanks for all the great info and warm welcome! I'll post some pics here in a few days when I get her in the yard and hauled. I'm sure I'll have a ton more questions by then!!

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Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2012 : 21:12:25

If you don't drop the mast, someone will have to go up top to remove the old stay and attach the new one.

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