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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

A few quick questions - Setting sail this weekend

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hubbardbilly
1st Mate

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USA
44 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/14/2013 : 01:26:38

Everybody on this forum has been a tremendous resource in getting my new C25 (78 SK) up to speed this spring in preparation to launch and sail the Long Island Sound this weekend up to the Narragansett Bay to my new mooring. Going to be a mini USNA "regatta". My Dad and his Annapolis roomate ('76) will be joining me for the maiden voyage. Luckily his buddy is an experienced blue-water sailor!

She's going in the water today and I'll have sea-trials on Thursday and set sail Friday.

A few last minute questions/observations when I was attempting to rig the running rigging yesterday:

1. How does the main sheet attach to the boom? This might sound silly, but the end of the boom is different than my C-22 and I don't see exactly how it connects? There's a swiveling piece of SS attached to the end of the boom but I assumed that it was for the backstay hook that holds the mast up since it doesn't seem very sturdy. I did connect my block to it in the photo below. Anybody have a pic of their setup?

2. There is a second wire attached to the top of the mast next to the single backstay (can't see in the pic). It's just about long enough to run almost to the deck when dropped along the mast. I can see no purpose for this wire??? There's no way to adjust the length. It's permanently attached to the top of the mast next to the backstay.

3. This boat came with 2 wire-luff sails with a cheap drum furler. I'm having issues figuring out how to attach the head of the sail to the halyard. Do these things just swivel at the top based on how much torque is on the wire halyard? My last furler prevented the halyard from rotating but this one seems to have no means of preventing the halyard from twisting at the top. Hard to explain. I'll know better once I sea-trial this week.

4. My outboard doesn't tilt out of the water completely. The handle hits the transom even when I turn the engine to the side. It looks like the PO had moved the original motor mount lower about 6" which would cause this problem. Guess I'll have to lift the motor as high as it will go and leave it in neutral. Not to happy that the prop will be in the water all summer on the mooring. Oh well.

PICS OF BOAT: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/J8wEA3i_5rDY6_9Lazs-AuUCZhoi9sNPvESRK4Ri7cU?feat=directlink

Billy H.
South Kingstown, RI
FMR Navy SWO(N)
Owner 1978 C25 SK #776 "Hubbard Hull"
PO 1981 C22 SK #10057 "Spring Fever"

MY C25 SAILING PHOTO ALBUM:
https://picasaweb.google.com/hubbardbilly/C25BranfordCTToEastGreenwichRI?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNquqaL8mpDBHw&feat=directlink

Edited by - on

Davy J
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1511 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2013 : 03:01:11

1) From what I can see in that photo, your mainsheet is correctly connected to the boom.

2) That extra wire attached to the mast is probably a non-adjustable "topping lift". It keeps the boom from falling into the cockpit when you lower the main. Attach it to the end of the boom. Mine is similar, but rope.

3) Can't help, I have a CDI Furler.

4) Your motor mount definitely looks lower than usual.

Edited by - on

TCurran
Admiral

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USA
588 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2013 : 03:11:18

1....pretty sure your picture is correct. (Going off memory, but will check when I get to the marina today)
2. My guess is part of a topping lift. Look at Catalina Direct's topping lift http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=480
3. Get rid of and convert back to hank on or get a newer fuller. No one I've known that bought a boat with that type of old furling system was happy or did not have problems with it every time they sailed.
4. Only suggestion is to put a block of something (pt lumber?) between engine mount and hull to move mount aft a little further.

Good luck and enjoy your boat!

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3495 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2013 : 03:35:14

Agree with the others. The extra line/cable running down from the mast is probably the topping lift - That's used when you disconnect your mast from the short wire connected to the back of your boom to the backstay. The topping lift connects to the end of the boom and holds the boom horizontal as you head out to open water and hoist the sail(s). The topping lift goes a bit slack once the main sail is hoisted.

It is hard to tell if your outboard is an extra long shaft (XLS) model which is what is generally used on a sailboat or at least our sailboats. It is possible that if the PO was using an outboard that did not have an XLS, he may have lowered the motor mounting as a compromise to being able to use an outboard with a regular shaft.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9089 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2013 : 06:59:15

Regarding the topping lift (I also suspect that's it) and the "pigtail" attached to the backstay, I hated the pigtail, and my new backstay omitted it. If you raise the main head-to-wind with the pigtail attached (as you might on a mooring), and the boat swings a little, the pigtail can cause the sail to suddenly drive you forward, and becomes almost impossible to detach quickly. If you're still on the mooring, you now have a problem. The boom needs to be able to swing freely until you're ready to sail.

I merely snugged the mainsheet against the topping lift to steady the boom with the sail furled. The pigtail, to me, is a mistake waiting to happen. I also made the topping lift adjustable--there are various threads on that...

Depending on how much of the outboard stays in the water, you might want to attach a small zinc to the skeg. Then next year, after you see how it does, think about moving the bracket up. (You might be due for a nice new 4-stroke anyway...

)

I can't see your furler, but are you saying there's no swivel that attches to the head of the sail, with the halyard attached to the swivel? If there is, there might also be a little block on the front of the mast--called a "retainer"... The halyard would run down from the mast-head, through the retainer, and then to the swivel. The retainer increases the angle to the swivel to prevent it from letting the halyard wrap around the forestay. Maybe none of that is there--it is, however, a common issue with furlers, and can damage the stay. But as I say, I can't see what you've go there, and my description probably makes no sense.

Hope you have a great voyage--too bad I won't be in Mystic when you go by! (I'd escort you through Fisher's Island Sound, to ward off the USCG boarding parties.)

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 05/14/2013 07:05:31

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2013 : 10:16:08

You can make that style of topping lift adjustable by shortening it slightly, putting a block on the end, and running a line from the boom up to that block and back along the boom. My old Catalina 25 and my current Pearson 28-2 both have that style of topping lift, and Catalina Direct sells a kit for it.

I rarely adjust the topping lift. If you keep it just longer than the sail leech then it won't affect sail shape and will keep the boom out of the cockpit when you drop the sail. However it can be nice to use the topping lift in really light winds to prevent over flattening the sail.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9089 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2013 : 18:41:16

I forgot to mention--the mainsheet hookup looks right. The tang on the boom is stronger than it appears, and is meant to swivel on the bolt. Your 3-1 purchase should be good--I had 4-1, and it was more than I needed (and required a lot of hauling to trim in).

Edited by - on

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2013 : 21:48:49

I replaced the tang with a strong eye, like one of these:
http://www.wichard.com/rubrique-Eye_bolts-0202030700000000-ME.html

The tang was getting bent out of shape from using the mainsheet to flatten the sail. The eye seems a lot stronger, but I'd be curious to hear what other's think.

Edited by - on

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