Category Archives: Rig

Rig

When do you replace standing rigging?

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I had an interesting conversation with a friend and 320 owner about standing rigging inspection and replacement. We began by him suggesting it was time to replace the lifelines on his 2001 320. We moved to the standing rigging after he told me that the person he spoke to at Catalina told him they recommend replacement every five years. He contacted the current provider of the rigging and they recommended every 10 years.

My question is; how long is too long to have the rigging replaced? Our boats are in So Cal, and in the water all year.

Wes
Spring Fever
C387 #53 (2004)
Marina Del Rey, Ca

Wes

Interesting topic.  I’ve heard from several not necessarily definitive sources that rigging in the Puget Sound area tends to last longer due to our rainy climate that continually cleans it.  Most people up here are pretty comfortable with 20 year old

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Rig

Main Halyard Slippage

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Recently replaced main halyard with one of 10 mm VPC. Size was recommended by rigger. Line is certainly strong enough but problem is it slips badly when under load. Clutch will not hold it. It also slips on winch – even with 4 wraps. Clutches are rated for lines as small as 8 mm and many of other lines (reef lines, uphaul, etc.) are that size and do not slip. Is problem new line that needs to be roughed up a little to hold or did I make a mistake by going to smaller size? Any suggestions ?

Stefan Leader
380 #327.

 

Take apart the rope clutch and look at the teeth. Bet you will find they are worn. Replacement parts are available, I ordered from Defender. One I replaced them no more slipping.  I make a point of opening the clutch when I am pulling up the main

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Customizations, Rig, Rig

Batten Cars – Discussion

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Does anyone have experience with Ronstan ballslide batten cars on a Charleston mast? Strongly considering getting a set for the full length battens as the batten compression makes the mainsail somewhat difficult to > hoist and requires a trip on deck to pull it down when dropping. Appears to be a great product, not requiring a track, thus much less money than Harken and others. Also allows for addressing the batten slides only vs. replacing all slugs, as would be required with a special track.
Leon
Akula-San Francisco
C380#144

 

Leon,

I installed the Ronstan Battslide Cars 2 years ago, when I bought new sails.You will need more than just the batten cars, there are cars in between the battens as well. It works well for me. I too didn’t like much having to go forward to pull down the sail.
In practice it depends on how quickly and accurately

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2011, Anchor and Windlass, Boom, Customizations, Electronics, Fridge, Propellers, Rig, Storage, Water, Winches

Owner Improvements

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The list below provides links to owner websites and their descriptions of improvements they have made to various aspects of the Catalina 380 series. I include them in this post so that they will be available to the search routines of this site.

RIGGING

Spinnaker Rig Details – Som Sikdar
Whisker Pole – Paul McManus
In Boom Furler – Kevin Murray
Back Stay Adjuster – Kevin Murray
Double Footblock – Som Sikdar
Boom Brake – Kevin Murray
Preventer – Som Sikdar
Power Primary Winch – Kevin Murray
Mainsheet Cam Cleat – Kevin Murray
Jib Furler Line Clutch – Kevin Murray
Go Fast Rigging – Steve Dublin
Bobstay – Kevin Murray

STAINLESS
Stern Handrails -John Estes
Stainless Projects – Scott Brear

CREATURE COMFORT
Drop Leaf Salon Table– Jim Jaeschke
Table Tray – Robert Taylor
Sink Boards – Kevin Murray
Stove Cover Board – Robert Taylor
Cabin Storage – Som Sikdar

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2009, Mainsheet, Repair/Replace/Maintain, Rig

Rig Safety

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By Warren Elliott

Mainsheet, August 2009 

Last November’s Mainsheet lead article opened this subject, an important one affecting all of our boats.  At the time, a C380 captain had reported on our Yahoo chat list a complete disconnection of the forestay from the stem fitting during brisk sailing conditions.  Luckily, he was sailing downwind, so there was little adverse pressure on the rig.  He was able to get the genny down, lash down the flailing forestay, and tie-in a couple of halyards to secure the mast.  The captain noted that the 5/8″ clevis pin was gone.  The pin normally secures the forestay to the stem fitting, and is held in place by a cotter pin.  He also mentioned that he had noted that all was secure, including the cotter pin, a few weeks earlier.

 

I checked my rig and noted that the clevis (or “toggle”) had wandered a bit

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2008, Mainsheet, Mast, Repair/Replace/Maintain, Rig, Sailing, Stories

Eliminating Dismasting Possibility

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Eliminating Dismasting Possibility
Warren Elliott
August, 2008
Hull #: 44

Simple Repair Eliminates Dismasting Possibility

I don’t mean to worry our C380 captains–the chances are pretty remote for a dismasting–but one of our fleet did suffer this “fate”, so I thought some relevant info would be helpful to at least a few of our members.

The particular unhappy event took place with winds gusting to 30+ kts. Before departure, the rig appeared normal per the captain’s brief check. Early conditions had winds in the low 20’s, so the C380, which had a Z-Spar tall rig, was reefed accordingly. Just after coming about, the mast folded to port/aft about 10 feet above the deck. Luckily, no one was hurt.

Subsequent inspection revealed all stays, shrouds & chainplates to be intact, with no obvious fault. It was noted that a lower-spreader tip had been dislodged, and was “hanging” in the now-loose rigging.

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2007, Mainsheet, Repair/Replace/Maintain, Rig

Baby Stay on Early C387’s

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Baby Stay on Early C387’s
Warren Elliott

Feb, 2007 Hull #: 44

 For C387 captains with the baby-stay configuration [hulls #1-60+], a few of you have reported, on our Sailnet email discussion group, a bit of damage to the baby-stay tie points in the forward cabin. These have been- or are in process of- repair. Please note that various conditions can put excessive strain along the baby stay, just as they can on any stay or shroud.

I suggest checking the at-rest rig tensions, especially on both the baby stay and forestay; over tensioning the former and under tensioning the latter can be problematic. A “Loos” gauge or equivalent may help you get the best set-up. The forestay should be moderately tight; some riggers suggest the tension be set as tight as 10% of breaking strength, which is about 1000 lbs. If a back-stay tensioner is installed, know your stay

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2005, Boom, Mainsheet, Mast, Repair/Replace/Maintain, Rig

Furling Main Maintenance

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Furling Main Maintenance
Earle Ellefsen

November, 2005 Hull #: 271

Our Commodore, Earle Ellefsen [C380 #271, Valkyrie], discovered chafe near one end of his mainsail furling line. He decided to turn the line end-for-end, and remove the chafed area as there was excess line length. The key step in accomplishing this was to remove the bolt, which locks-in the furling line, near the bottom of the furler. Of course, an “opportunity” soon arose when Earle realized that the bolt was Stainless Steel in an aluminum furler and, with a few years of salt-water environment, was thoroughly corroded in-place. Many shots of WD-40 later, nothing had changed! Early attempts at removal quickly resulted in losing the slot– or, as Earle put it: “it torqued open”. Obviously the bolt should have had a more substantial gripping head.

Once the slot was destroyed, heavy locking pliers are the obvious choice, right? Wrong– their

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2004, Customizations, Rig, Sailing

Go Fast Owner Improvements

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Basic “Go-Fasts” For The C380 Author:Steve Dublin Date: 5/1/2004 Hull #: 84

We’ve found our C-380, “Caretta” (hull # 84), to be a very able club racer, particularly in offshore events. When her skipper and crew are reasonably attentive, she can sail to her 120 PHRF rating. The stock Catalina 380 comes well fitted out with sail handling gear. However, there are some basic “go fasts” (racing equipment), which can be easily added, to help the boat sail her to her full potential. I’ve described a few of these “go fasts” below along with some installation tips learned the hard way:

Adjustable Backstay The C-380 does not have a “bendy” rig. However, a pincer block assembly (Photo 3), connected to a 4 to 1 block & tackle, will allow you to tighten the forestay and point a little higher in moderate sea conditions. You don’t have to drill any holes

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2004, Customizations, Mainsheet, Rig

Improving the C-380 Single Line Reefing System

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Improving the C-380 Single Line Reefing System
Tom McMahn
8/1/2004
Hull #: 29

Many C-380 owners have complained about the single line reefing systems installed on our boats. I am no exception. The reefing system installed on many modern Catalina models, like those on most other production boats, is difficult to use and results in less than satisfactory reefed sail shape. Rigging the boat so reefing can be done from the cockpit is a great safety goal, but the implementation leaves a lot of room for improvement.

Tom McMahan clew block side

The friction created by the reefing line twice passing through the reef cringles, and that in all the blocks used to turn the line back to the cockpit, make taking a reef a real chore. Perhaps even worse, the same friction points make shaking out the reef nearly impossible without help from the halyard winch. [Note: any reef

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