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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Tall rig vs.standard rig

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David Scott
1st Mate

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USA
74 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/21/2005 : 15:58:52

Whats the pros and cons of tall vs. standard rigs other then obvious e.g. tall more sail and faster and need to reef sooner, harder to step mast, boom lower in cockpit?? Did I miss anything?? Thanks, Dave

Dave Scott 89wk/sr #5973

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Esteban
Navigator

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139 Posts

Response Posted - 06/21/2005 : 16:43:18

Lower boom in the cockpit is an issued of claim. I too have a tall rig and never spent much time on a standard rig so it's hard for me to compare. I will say that after the intial wack on the head - somehow I'm now well trained and it has never been a problem since. I'd venture to say that it's worth the sacrifice to have the larger sail area. I'm able to keep up and at times outrun 30 footers.

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ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 06/21/2005 : 17:12:59

there were a few trails on this past month, you can do a search. In hindsight we need the headroom more than we need the speed, but I still love having speed in 10kts of wind. We put a bimini under the boom.

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cclark
Navigator

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USA
104 Posts

Response Posted - 06/21/2005 : 19:13:59

I have a TR SK, and I have been happy with the performance in light air. (I don't seem to get much of that though, and I have to reef early, Some what a pain single handing. I recently put a SR main on and moved the mainsheet control back to OEM position. (It was mid boom with traveler just in front of the cabin access. I haven't had much experience yet with the new main, but I do like the added head room and expanded cockpit room of raising the boom and mainsheet move. Unless you typically either race or have primarily light air, I would try to get a SR.
Chris

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 06/21/2005 : 22:15:35

We have a lot of Catalinas at our small club, probably 40+. In conversations with many of the owners about the upcoming Nationals there was not a single one that new there was such a thing as a tall rig. We do have one that showed up last year from Florida, No one noticed the difference since there is no sprit. (Which there probably should be.) Anyway, the point is that here in tornado alley tender light air boats are not a good idea.

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2005 : 00:53:37

My '89 is a tall rig; my previous C-25 was a SR (#1205), so I have experience with both. Pros of the Tall rig: Noticeably better boat speed and acceleration in light air.
Cons of the Tall Rig: The 12" lower gooseneck means that most biminis and dodgers won't fit without modification, and of course you have to be careful about keeping your head down anytime there is a chance of an unplanned gybe. The Tall Rig mast is not only 2' longer than the SR mast, it is 1/2" wider and 1/2" deeper in cross-section, meaning it is substantially heavier in total weight. This makes it MUCH harder to lift and move during a mast raising/lowering evolution; it is just about as heavy as a Catalina 27 mast, and as you probably know, the Catalina 27 was not designed to be a "trailerable" boat. In my opinion, the TR mast is too heavy to lift safely with a single gin pole if you are by yourself; I would want an A-frame system for the extra safety and stability. If you have two or more sets of experienced hands to help, then a single gin pole is okay, but make sure it is well braced against lateral movement! If the gin pole suddenly tries to drop to one side or the other, you are likely to lose control of the mast completely, with potentially disastrous results. A Catalina 25 with a Tall Rig mast is not a boat that you will want to trailer frequently, as the mast raising evolution is too strenuous to be something you will willingly put yourself through for just a casual weekend cruise. I am almost always having to do this with no one around to help, since my wife is a non-sailor and rarely joins me for boating activities; your situation may be different. Even with a Standard Rig, having just one helper can cut the time required to do a mast raising to under 1 hour. It always takes me three to five hours to rig and launch if I am by myself, as I usually am.

Edited by - lcharlot on 06/22/2005 00:55:23

Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2005 : 09:21:33

Man, you gotta <b>really</b> love sailing to have to go through the mast-raising and rigging of the boat every time you want go out. I can see it on a sunfish or a HobieCat, but a C25? If I couldn't keep mine in the water, I'd go back to powerboating. But that's just me.

Steve

Edited by - Lightnup on 06/22/2005 09:23:33

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2005 : 20:08:46

Gary has a tall rig wing, I have a standard rig fin. Both boats are so close in performance we can sail together for hours. When the wind gets really light (under 5) he can lose me. When its really heavy (well over 15) I can lose him. He usually flys a 110 jib and me a 135. In normal conditions we are sailing together at the same speed in this combination of jibs.

The fin is faster upwind and points higher. The TR wing is faster downwind. Gary also has newer sails and he is very skilled working downwind.

On most days I wish I had the TR. I like to go fast. When the wind pipes up and I have my first reef in and my 110 jib on, I am really happy to have the SR. I know I can have tons of fun and still have the 2nd reef and 60% jib to go if it gets ugly.

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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.