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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

MainSail, Mainsheet traveler

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Corey
Deckhand

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Canada
24 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/26/2003 : 03:06:01

Hello All,

Well boats in the water with no major issues, fun filled sail home (including a lovely storm) and a few adventures later........One thing that I noticed is that with the current traveler I could not get the boom high on the windward side...Do any of you have this problem? and how did you compensate....I know that my mainsail is really baggy but still the traveller bar seems fairly small...I was at the helm sitting on the high side and if I grabbed the mainsheet (1/2 way between the bar and boom and pulled it towards me so the boom was over the center line the boat picked up and responded, had a better heal, pointing better and faster. When I let go it would all drop, I took a spare line and wraped it on the boom and cleated it off, sailed much better, Has anybody installed a new traveller car and rail? Or is it all because of an old mainsail?

<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3dc07b3127cce948c4157fd6d0000001010" border=0>
Between The Sheets
1982 TR/FK

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swarchitect
1st Mate

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USA
41 Posts

Response Posted - 05/26/2003 : 08:13:06

Does your boat have a backstay adjuster and a boom vang? I replaced my baggy mainsail last year, and there is no question, that made the difference, but in the realm of "compensation" you could try tightening the backstay adjuster when sailing into the wind. Tightening the vang may also help to keep the boom down.

Scott
#3134 LeHannah
SR/FK

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 05/26/2003 : 09:28:27

Corey,

What was the average windspeed? I have to assume it was on the light side if you were able to grab the mainsheet and pull the boom to center.

If you were in light air, was your outhaul and cunningham eased to produce a fuller sail shape?

<img src="http://www.catalina25-250.org/c25sm.gif" border=0>Don Lucier<img src="http://www.catalina25-250.org/c25sm.gif" border=0>
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d904b3127cce9f7cd9ffdf1d0000003010" border=0>
North Star SR/FK

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dgabel
1st Mate

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USA
75 Posts

Response Posted - 05/26/2003 : 10:47:05

You can try the adjustments, but I think the answer will be to replace that mainsail. I replaced mine the second year I had the boat, and the difference it made was phenomenal. The old one was just blown out. With my new sail, I can stay with boats that just walked away from me when I had the old sail.

Dave Gabel
Walkure
79 tall rig, fin keel
Hull # 1484

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5909 Posts

Response Posted - 05/26/2003 : 11:30:28

Corey,

Years ago I saw a Chrysler 26 that had a different mainsheet traveller, and I thought it improved the performance of the boat a bit. Like you, I have manually pulled the boom to windward and believed the boat pointed a little higher. I’m not sure whether she footed as fast or faster. My mainsail has a racing shelf foot, which gives it a very deep pocket in light to medium air, and you might be correct in thinking that an old, baggy mainsail could be partially accountable for the slight gain. The times when I have done it were mostly right at the start of a race, when I needed to point as high as possible because another boat was luffing me, or because I was trying to claw to windward to get clear air without tacking.

Racing boats are designed with the mast stays placed inboard, so that the genoa track can be placed more inboard, and the jib can be sheeted more inboard. Our boats are designed to be used primarily as cruisers. The mast stays are placed more outboard, on the gunwale. The problem with adding an inboard genoa track to our boats is that the headsail would have to be sheeted inside the mast stays, and, offhand, I don’t see how you could do that. Unless you were flying a really small headsail, I think the stays and spreader would interfere with the jib.

You could install a different type of mainsheet traveller, but I don’t think the gain in performance would be enough to justify it. It would only help a little bit in a narrow range of winds, because the jib and mainsail have to be trimmed in concert with each other, and the mast stays limit the range of adjustment of the jib.

Also, the class racing rules require that the factory-stock traveller be used for one-design racing. A lot of people believe that limitation only applies to Catalina one-design racing, and not to races run under other ratings formulas, but I have a feeling that position would not be sustained if the issue was pressed to a high level. The racing rating for a C-25 is based on a boat that is rigged as a factory-stock C-25. If you trick out your boat so that it is no longer rigged as a factory-stock C-25, then the rating given to a C-25 under any formula is not fairly representative of the performance capability of your boat.

Steve Milby "Captiva Wind" C-25 T/FK #2554

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Corey
Deckhand

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Canada
24 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2003 : 01:43:43

Well I had a few of the old salts out for a sail on the boat and they mentioned that next to getting new sails that I should take the sails into a sail shop and get a leach line installed in each sail to take care of the flutter because I am losing power. They thought it would cost around $80.00 CDN each.

What do you think?

Regards,
Corey

<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3dc07b3127cce948c4157fd6d0000001010" border=0>
Between The Sheets
1982 TR/FK

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5909 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2003 : 11:04:53

When a sailboat is going to windward, the sails are able to drive the boat because of the power generated by the wind moving smoothly over both sides of the sail. A fluttering leech hurts boat speed and pointing ability in a big way because, when the leech of a sail is fluttering, it disrupts the smooth flow of air, and the sails are not able to develop their full power. With a leech line, you can shape the trailing edge of the sail and eliminate the fluttering leech. When you pull on the leech line, it puts a slight cup in the leech of the sail. You would think that cupping the leech would also disrupt the smooth flow of air, but if there is any adverse effect, it is far outweighed by the benefits gained in eliminating the fluttering leech.

I don’t remember ever having to adjust the leech line on my mainsail, and would suggest that you only have one installed if the leech of your mainsail is fluttering. A fluttering leech on a jib is so commonplace, however, that I think every jib should have a leech line. A fluttering leech is not necessarily an indication of a cheap or blown out jib. I had a set of North sails that needed to have the jib leech lines adjusted a bit, even when they were brand new, and those sails were fast, fast, fast.

$80.00 CDN sounds about right for adding a leech line to a sail.

Steve Milby "Captiva Wind" C-25 T/FK #2554

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2003 : 14:04:01

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

What was the average windspeed? I have to assume it was on the light side if you were able to grab the mainsheet and pull the boom to center.

<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

It doesn't take that much Don - even in a 15 to 20 knot breeze I bet you could do this....the difficult part is holding it there.

dw

D. Wolff - "The Flying Wasp" #401 sr/sk
Chief Measurer C-25/250 National Assn.
<img src="http://www.flags.com/dreamimages/Flags/measurer.jpg" border=0>

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Corey
Deckhand

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Canada
24 Posts

Response Posted - 06/10/2003 : 02:28:40

Well I dropped the sails off at the loft in order to get a leech line added to each of them. When I took the mainsail down and went to remove the battens I realized that all of the battens had broke in half...I guess the sail home was a little rougher then I thought.

<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3dc07b3127cce948c4157fd6d0000001010" border=0>
Between The Sheets
1982 TR/FK

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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.