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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

bow high

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Carol Baker
Deckhand

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6 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/14/2011 : 14:10:51

Hi there,
I am a new 250 owner and love it. However I want to know more about leveling the boat to her lines, and how important is this for performance. If I put rock ballast in the bow, how do I secure it and keep it from touching the through hull fittings for depth and speed? Forward there is only the anchor and chain. Aft, as you know, there is a (3 gallon) gas tank, the (8hp) OB, a battery, the waste tank, a propane tank and the cockpit with crew. Many thanks for any tips, images, and suggestions.
Carol

Carol
2001 CA250 WK
Portland, Oregon

Edited by - on

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 04/14/2011 : 14:35:32

Carol, Welcome! I hope I'm still worrying about boat balance at 103!

When I bought mine, It had rock ballast in the bow with a couple of blocks of 2"x4" hot glued to the hull to hold the bags of rocks off the transducers. It's worked for the 4 seasons I've sailed her.

You'll notice in my (and others) signature block, I've included the type of boat, rig, keel or centerboard, hull#, location and sailing venue. This helps others identify your boat should you have any more specific questions. The location and venue can be helpful should you need any local information that might be available. You never know, somebody here might be sailing from your marina. You can do this in your "profile" above.

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 04/14/2011 : 18:07:00

It does improve performance and handling to balance the boat on her lines. Some people move the battery or batteries forward to accomplish this. Some add a flexible water tank. We added 5 sacks of crushed rock that each weigh 55lbs for a total of 275lbs. I wrapped the bags in a plastic (like Saran wrap) that I bought at Home Depot for packaging. Once placed in the bow the bags have not moved an inch in four years of sailing.

Edited by - on

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 04/14/2011 : 18:42:35

Welcome Carol!

It's very important to get her floating on her lines, otherwise your front hatch will almost certainly leak (as mine did all last year). Now I know better thanks to this site. The hatch is designed to drain forward, and it doesn't take much stern weight to make it drain the wrong way. You are correct that the boat is stern-heavy without extra ballast.

I have a bag of sand (came with the boat) & two bags of stones at the bow, and will add more this spring. To protect the depth transducer, I bought a plastic CD crate (like a miniature file basket) from BedBathBeyond and attached it upside down over top the transducer with its rear wall resting against the fresh water tank. The bags haven't moved at all, but if they do slide back the basket should keep them off the transducer. Your tank might be in a different place.

Also, if you water tank is forward of the dinette, keep it full for additional ballast. (I think some are in the starboard settee instead.)

Edited by - TakeFive on 04/15/2011 05:03:28

Carol Baker
Deckhand

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6 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2011 : 07:57:14

Brilliant! Thank you everyone.

Edited by - on

superbob
Navigator

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USA
200 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2011 : 08:19:04

As 250 sailors come and go it seems that the same questions or issues keep popping up which are answered quite nicely in this formum. I think it would be a great idea for each of us to post some of our solutions to common issues within the Technical Tips section of the Associations webpage (link is always on the left hand side of our 250 forum page). It would serve as a handy reference for new sailors but reminders for the old salts, too. Just a thought.

For example. .. a question I recently posted to the forum was already here (in part anyway):

http://catalina-capri-25s.org/tech/tech250/fortu.asp

Edited by - on

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2011 : 08:32:21

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by superbob
 As 250 sailors come and go it seems that the same questions or issues keep popping up which are answered quite nicely in this formum. I think it would be a great idea for each of us to post some of our solutions to common issues within the Technical Tips section of the Associations webpage (link is always on the left hand side of our 250 forum page)....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
The link to view the tips is where you say it is, but the section titled "How to submit your tips and modifications" gives absolutely no information on how to actually post those tips. There's no link or button to click on, no email address to send to - only a snail mail address to send photographs to.

So if anyone is wondering why you get so few submissions to that section, and everything gets posted in the forums instead, that's why.

Edited by - TakeFive on 04/15/2011 08:33:31

superbob
Navigator

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USA
200 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2011 : 09:11:54

That's a shame. A perfect link to post so much knowledge that's easy to access and it's not functional.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9087 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2011 : 09:53:57

I think you might want to ruminate on whether to give everybody direct access to posting in the Tech Tips... it would likely become just another forum. One alternative might be for tips to go through the association's three Technical Editors (for Mainsheet), who would edit and organize the tips for each of the three classes of boats. Their e-mail information is in the Flag Line and Staff section of the site. They might even pick a submission to publish in Mainsheet.

(Sorry if I'm suggesting unwanted additional duties... I just think this would make Tech Tips a more orderly, useful resource.)

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 04/15/2011 09:56:25

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2011 : 12:19:11

Dave's got another good idea................Again! Of course, with the same caveats: We shouldn't volunteer somebody else's time. And we should all remember that this whole shootin' match is operated by volunteers that don't get enough thanks.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited by - John Russell on 04/15/2011 12:21:17

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 04/19/2011 : 14:49:10

Carol... welcome to the forum and ownership of a C250. You have the answer to the question about trimming the boat on her lines. I'll add a few comments to why it is so important to do so on the C250 beyond the obviously mentioned draining of the forward hatch gutters.

First, a caveat that the explanation leans to the technical and is my theory rather than any Catalina offered or endorsed explanation.

Simply put, the C250 suffers greater weather helm issues if she is stern down. We know this from experience. There is a problem however because such goes against conventional sailboat theory that says to reduce weather helm, increase the whetted surface aft.

The 250 breaks with conventional theory for some obvious or esoteric reason and my simple explanation is that it is because of hull form lift generated from the shape of the heeled hull form and where the center of that lift is. My theory is that the center of that lift is further back than most sail boats and when trimming the bow down, it moves the center of that lift forward where it produces less weathering yawing force. The aft whetted surface rule still applies, but there is a net gain condition at play and for the C250, the hull lift issue is quantitatively greater than the aft whetted area.

My simple reason for sharing this is that in conversation with other sailors, they will very often apply the conventional wisdom unaware of the intrinsic character of the C250... they will be thinking you are increasing your weather helm, but in fact you will be lessening the problem on a C250.

Edited by - on

Carol Baker
Deckhand

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6 Posts

Response Posted - 04/19/2011 : 15:15:19

Thank you, Arlyn, for the explication. It is very helpful to have the technical notes and I feel prepared if any of my friends here should wonder at my choices. I have already put about 175 lbs forward and will add more. I used all the suggestions from the others for wrapping, bracing the bags and protecting the transducers. You all have been great.
Happy sails.

Edited by - on

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