Association Forum - Masthead crane for Catalina 250

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

Masthead crane for Catalina 250

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

wmoneda
Deckhand

Member Avatar

USA
9 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/20/2009 : 17:18:18

Hello All!

I recently made the move from a 1979 Catalina 25 to a 1995 Catalina 250, "Graceful Heeler" (Hull #121 from Wisconsin), and looking forward to her first sail in the Pacific, specifically Puget Sound.

I have very much appreciated all your posts in both the 25 and 250 forums and have found them very helpful. I have a new North Sail Gennaker and have been looking for a masthead crane to keep the spinnaker halyard block in front of the roller furling jib and I found a solution that works that I'd like to share with everyone.

Catalina Direct does not sell a crane specifically for the 250 so I was going to try and make one myself. Then it occurred to me that it would be easier to modify one than to build one or have one made. I took a masthead crane for a Catalina 27 ($37 from CD) and used hole for the spinnaker halyard block and drilled a hole in the crane that lined up with the hole for the forestay. The crane doesn't extend far enough aft to use the jib halyard hole but with the expected load from a spinnaker, I think the 2 holes are sufficient. I'm currently using the jib halyard for the spinnaker halyard and will try that out but I may run a separate halyard instead. If the system were to fail (which I don't expect), using the internal jib halyard will keep the gennaker flying, whereas a separate external spinnaker halyard would be a totally different scenario.

I have the old gin pole mast raising system that uses the jib halyard and I was a little concerned about it running through the spinnaker halyard block but I stepped the mast single handed easily the other day. When stepping the mast, the spinnaker swivel halyard block wanted to stay on one side instead of in the center of the crane so I installed wire clamps (I had spare ones at home from volleyball nets) to keep the block centered.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Willie

Willie Moneda
1995 Catalina 250 WB hull #121
"Graceful Heeler" Seattle, WA
willie@sandboxsports.net

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2009 : 17:51:09

Willie,
Our boat has an external spinnaker halyard that runs out to a block on the fore end of the crane. We mostly use the spinnaker halyard as a safety line when we're working on the foredeck, since it supports you from the top instead of out to the sides. However, we just bought a spinnaker pole and hope to use it this summer. Also on Puget Sound.

Where do you keep your boat? Are you in a marina in the Seattle area, or on your trailer.

Edited by - on

wmoneda
Deckhand

Members Avatar

USA
9 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2009 : 18:13:03

I was trying to put pictures in this posting and hit submit before I figured it out so I posted pictures of what I did here: http://sandboxsports.net/catalina250

David, did you install a crane on your boat? Last year I kept our Catalina 25 in the water at Shilshole Marina in Seattle for the summer (we live just up the hill from there and I run beach volleyball summer camps for kids at Golden Gardens). I put her on a trailer and keep it at a rental property we have for the rest of the year. We're planning to do the same this year.

If the weather holds up tomorrow (3/21) and so far it is looking good, I just might drop her in at Shilshole for the first time.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2009 : 18:29:19

Our boat came with it installed, so I don't know if it came that way originally, or if the PO or PPO installed it. We're the third owners of the boat.

We keep ours over at Jim Clark Marina, pretty much right under the east lanes of the West Seattle Bridge.

We tried to launch once at Shilshole, but we'd only had the boat a couple of months, and the tide was against us, and there's a vertical drop off at the end of the ramp. With a wing keel, I need about 5' of water at the wheels of the trailer to be able to launch (ask me how I know that sometime). We originally intended to launch at Alki, but it was opening day, and everybody & their dog were there, nowhere to park, rig, launch & then find a place to park again.

FYI it's supposed to snow tomorrow here, although I'm seeing blue clouds here in Redmond right now.

Do you go out to Blake Island? It'd be fun to meet up with another 250 out there.

Edited by - on

wmoneda
Deckhand

Members Avatar

USA
9 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2009 : 19:20:29

Last I saw the it was supposed to be 53 degrees with light variable winds tomorrow so I'm praying we'll be able to get her wet, but we'll play it by ear.

We've spent the night anchored on the east side of Blake Island before and were awakened at 5am by ferry wake. It would be fun to meet you out there, but we'll anchor on the west side next time!

We sailed up to the San Juans last summer and had a blast and this summer we're sailing Desolation Sound and another trip to the Gulf Islands in BC...been wanting to do that for over 15 years and we're finally going to do it. That is one of the main reasons for the switch from the Catalina 25 to the Catalina 250 WB. We'll trailer to Vancouver BC or possibly to Campbell River and launch from there.

There are so many places in the Northwest to explore and having a trailerable Catalina 250 is a great way to see it (Puget Sound, lakes, the coast, inside passage etc)...we are truly blessed to have it all in our backyard!

In the winter, I'm planning to trailer her down to San Diego for the Christmas and New Years.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2009 : 19:56:38

When you went to the San Juan's, did you sail all the way there, or trailer up & put in at Cap Sante? There's a group of us planning to do a trip to the San Juan's this summer around the end of June.

We've never stayed on the east side of Blake, way too bumpy! The west side is nice, and even if you can't pick up a ball, there's good anchoring as long as you stay outside the kelp line.

Edited by - on

wmoneda
Deckhand

Members Avatar

USA
9 Posts

Response Posted - 03/24/2009 : 10:45:29

David,

I took her out on Saturday and it was great and we are planning on taking her out again next week during the week since my wife and son will be on spring break. Didn't get to fly the spinnaker yet but plan to next week.

When we went to the San Juans, we sailed/motored all the way up and took the route inside Whidbey Island. We spent the first night in Coupville, then went through the Swinomish Channel to La Conner and then to Anacortes and the San Juans. On the way back, after continually monitoring wind, weather, waves, tides and currents, and much prayer we decided to shoot the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Port Townsend and the conditions were perfect.

You can get up to the San Juans in one very long day if you had to but we got a late start so we took our time. It is fun to do at least once, but next time we are trailering to maximize our time up there. I talked to some people with cabin cruisers that launch from Bellingham but I haven't checked that ramp out personally yet.

Edited by - on

Russ.Johnson
Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
855 Posts

Response Posted - 03/24/2009 : 18:55:16

Willie,

There is an Owner's Manual posted on this website and it has a masthead crane.
Home > Manuals & Brochures > Catalina C250 Owner's Manual (PDF Page-16)
The diagram has a pin for the spinnaker halyard block.

I think your solution has more room for the halyard block than the stock masthead crane.

Russ

Edited by - on

wmoneda
Deckhand

Members Avatar

USA
9 Posts

Response Posted - 03/25/2009 : 12:54:54

Hey Russ,

I originally tried using the pin and a block for the spinnaker halyard as shown in the manual, but the manual shows just a forestay without the CDI roller furling. With the roller furler, the block rests on the furler and would rub against it when the jib is being furled.

Willie

Edited by - on

wmoneda
Deckhand

Members Avatar

USA
9 Posts

Response Posted - 04/13/2009 : 14:04:38

Finally flew the spinnaker last weekend and it was great! Didn't realize that hoisting the main and trimming the main would make it easier to steer when flying the asymmetrical spinnaker (gennaker). We were fighting the helm most of the time but were just thrilled to have the spinnaker flying for the first time. Note the tack strap, spinnaker snuffer/sock and the spinnaker sheet going over the tack strap. Just got the North Sail roller furling 135 genoa and looking forward to using that in a few weeks. The snuffer made launching and dousing the spinnaker very easy.

Just in case the image doesn't come through, here is a link to the photo http://www.sandboxsports.net/images/SG1L5096.JPG

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.