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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Rigging/Mainsail questions.

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nate
Navigator

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240 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/22/2002 : 22:25:05

I recently read an article in one of the publications I receive about rigging inspection and replacement. I have a 1987 C25 SR that I have owned for 3 years. I assume the standing rigging is original and am wondering what the concensus (is there a concensus?)is regarding replacement of the rigging every so many years.
Say I wanted to replace the standing rigging....has anyone used the pre-made kits sold by our friends at Catalina Direct? Are they worth the money or should I look around for a better deal. Mind you, I'm in Las Vegas which is void of sailing related services so "looking around" generally means something in California.
The second part of my question is regarding a new mainsail for my boat. The price in my Catalina Direct catalog seems fair for a new sail but if anyone has had better luck with someone else I'd love to hear about it. I'm not looking for anything fancy...just a good cruising sail with reef points and regular (not full) battens.
As usual, thanks in advance to all of you C25 Gurus for your help!! Nate Adams

Edited by - on

Clay
Deckhand

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USA
22 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2002 : 22:56:05

Nate, you might want to check out Airforce sails at sailnet. I've had good luck with the main I bought from them over 2 years ago. Their prices were pretty low at the time and all I was looking for was a replacement not a racing sail. Here's the link. You can get a quote online or use the toll free number & give them a call, they're on eastern time.

http://www.sailnet.com/airforce/about/index.cfm

Clay
#5549 Savannah

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n/a
deleted

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1 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2002 : 23:51:47

Nate,

Check out The Sail Warehouse. http://www.thesailwarehouse.com/home.html

I purchase a new main plus a CDI Furler and head sail package for my boat and was very please with quality and prices of there sails. Real bang for the buck!

Claudio Pagan
Cat Paw 78'Catalina 25 SRFK
Channel Island Harbor, Ca.

Claudio Pagan
CAT PAW
78' C25 SRFK #524
Channel Island, Ca.

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 07/23/2002 : 10:22:12

Hi Nate... Replacement of standing rigging is an interesting issue that I'm dealing with, too. The rigger who set up my mast this spring said as long as there are no cracks at the swages and no broken strands, my rig is fine. I apparently have 1985 original stays, and the boat has been in salt water for at least the past 6-7 years, probably longer. In fresh water, I wouldn't be surprised to see a C-25 rig (which is robust relative to the boat) easily last over 20 years, but salt has got to take its toll, especially down inside the swages. Handling is also a factor--if a swage has been bent during stepping or unstepping, it's suspect.

What about it, folks?? What're your opinions?

BTW, compared to the price I paid for three stays I had made for a previous boat, I'd say Cat Dir's price is very fair--maybe even very good. But I'll check with a couple of riggers here before I get them. Make sure you're getting open-body bronze turnbuckles--closed stainless bodies are cheaper, but a bad, bad, bad idea.

Dave Bristle - 1985 C-25 #5032 SR-FK-Dinette "Passage" in SW CT

Edited by - dave bristle on 07/23/2002 10:30:48

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jwilliams
Captain

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USA
357 Posts

Response Posted - 07/23/2002 : 11:15:25

Nate,

I replaced the standing rigging on Hey Jude (#2958, '82) last year. There was no apparent loss of integrity, but I figured 20 years is a long time, and SF Bay is not very forgiving when the wind gets up in the afternoon.

The Catalina Direct folks were very kind to answer all my questions and insure I had the proper rig (split backstay) and correct forestay length (I have a CDI furler). I thought the price was fair compared to others. (still a lot of boat bucks) Installed like a dream and I sure like the open turnbuckles. I kept the old rig for emergency spares.

Jim Williams
Hey Jude

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 07/23/2002 : 13:32:35

Nate,<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>... wondering what the concensus (is there a concensus?)is
regarding replacement of the rigging every so many years.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>As near as I've been able to determine, there is no concensus on the safe working life of sailboat standing rigging. There seem to be just too many large variables for there to a be a pat rule. Obviously there haven't been many volunteers to participate in accumulating statistics on actual time-to-failure.<img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle> About the best I can do is recite the major factors I've seen consistently mentioned:

Salinity - How much of its life did the rigging spend around salt water? Salt ages rigging faster.

Lattitude - Warm climates age rigging faster.

Amount (ratio) of use - The more miles it's sailed, the more fatigue it's accumulated.

Type of use - racing in heavy air and large waves is harder on rigging than casual daysailing in drifting conditions on flat water.

Relative rigging sizes - Obviously a lightly rigged boat is going to need more frequent replacement than a heavily rigged one, all else being equal. As for the Catalina 25, I've done some calculations, and the factory rigging diameters have safety factors at or near the minimum recommended for ocean use, which strikes me as just right. (Boring numbers and other blather available upon request.)

Visual inspection is a fairly good indicator of condition if one knows what to look for and how to look for it. [url="http://www.briontoss.com/"]Brion Toss[/url] sells a video on surveying rigs, and a book or two on sailboat rigging in general, both of which I've found very helpful.

I hope this is useful. Good luck!

-- Leon Sisson

P.S. Let me just add my votes for open bodied bronze turnbuckles, 316 alloy wire(from Brion Toss), upgraded chain plates etc. where available, and Sta-Loc (or similar) rigging terminations. I terminated my own replacement rigging at home with Sta-Locs and encountered no problems.

Edited by - Leon Sisson on 07/23/2002 13:39:21

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John G-
Admiral

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793 Posts

Response Posted - 07/23/2002 : 15:52:54

Nate, I had a note from my marina this winter that my rigging should be replaced so I checked it out and saw a bit of discoloration on a couple of the shrouds but nothing real severe. I decided that the rigging hadn’t been replaced, #4762 - 1985, except for the backstay that was changed to a split backstay by a previous owner so…. I bought the[url="http://www.catalinadirect.com/standing%20rigging%20kit.html "] shrouds[/url] (only, the forestay was fine) from [url="http://www.catalinadirect.com/ "]Catalina Direct[/url]. The cost was $407 with shipping or about 4 boat units and the installation was very easy. A good upgrade that makes me feel better about the rig in a blow.
*Underlined words are a HOT link.
 

[url="http://www.peregrinefund.org/"]<img src="http://www.peregrinefund.org/images/intro_mid_image.GIF" border=0>[/url]
 John G- "PEREGRINE" C25-#4762 FK

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goodone
1st Mate

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USA
48 Posts

Response Posted - 07/23/2002 : 21:26:42

Just a little info and my 2 cents worth. This spring as I was replacing my furler I just thought to give my headstay a close cleaning and exam since it's been "buried" inside the foil for god knows how long.Upon closer exam of the lower threaded part I found what I thought was either some "crud" or a crack.It didn't really seem to clean out well,so what the heck....clamped 'er in a vise between two pieces of wood and "tweaked" her ever-so-little.Guess what???? Broke right off about 2 inches up at the crack!!!Sure gives one that creepy feeling, huh?

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Sidurian
1st Mate

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USA
27 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2002 : 12:49:26

Replacing the rigging: it depends on the condition of the rigging and what you're planning on doing. I checked out CD's prices and they were very, very reasonable - HOWEVER: they do not offer any choices and you have to send your old rigging in for them to match it up exactly. I wanted OPEN turnbuckles and reinforced rigging (thicker wire) for peace of mind....I got it and it cost me over $870...and because some of the original equipment had been bent by previous owners raising/lowering the mast. I had mine professionally done by a rigger in Annapolis. That was two years ago - the new stuff is absolutely fantastic.

There's always something!

Edited by - on

Nancy Cole
Deckhand

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USA
22 Posts

Response Posted - 08/03/2002 : 23:11:18

Nate

About your sail - I just bought new sails from Kappa Sails in Westbrook, CT. That's a shameless plug for this sail loft. The sails are wonderful and my boat sails like a different vessel. I couldn't have believed it.

Nancy Cole
By George/78/#501
New London

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swarchitect
1st Mate

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USA
41 Posts

Response Posted - 08/10/2002 : 17:02:47

I just bought a new 135 from Crusing Direct, through west marine. They are made by North Sails, and very reasonably priced. They even have pre-made sails for our boats. The new 135 shipped in a couple days, rather than the 4-6 weeks other lofts were quoting. I am very happy with the sail. So happy in fact, I called back and ordered a new main as well.

(Can't have a fresh white Genoa, and a bagged out, dingy main right?)

Scott Webb
LeHannah
#3134, SR, Fixed Keel

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Douglas
Master Marine Consultant

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1595 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2002 : 11:43:29

Here is a little tech tip for rigging. If you put a small amount of a solid collor fingernail polish around the top of the swage where the wire enters the barrel. It will seal it. The polish will also crack if the wire begins to fail or pull out of the swage giving you a chance at a warning. Most of the rig failures I have heard about have been caused by damaged fitting. Many of these were caused when something was bent during rigging or rig set up after trailoring or a pin falling out.

Doug&Ruth
Wind Lass
Tacoma Wa.

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