Raise the boom on a Catalina 30

[acudavid]

Hi Everyone,
I have a 1979 Catalina 30 that I bought a few months ago from someone who didn't sail, just lived aboard. I am pretty sure that a prior owner was a serious sailor and rigged the boat to go as fast as possible. It is a standard rig with a bow sprit. There is a traveler over the companionway. The boom has a hard vang. The boom is bolted to the mast with three bolts, about 4 inches below the slots where one would load the sail slugs for the main. I stand 5'10" and the boom will hit me in the head if I don't duck. I want to raise it for safety and would like to add a dodger, because most of the year it gets pretty cold.
As I walk around my marina, it seems the other Catalina 30's have their masts raised 18 or more inches above mine. I haven't been able to meet any of the owners, and their sails are covered, so I can't really measure. In my case, if I raise the boom more than 4 inches, I will be unable to remove the sail slugs without removing the boom. Being a relatively new sailor, I don't know how bad an inconvenience this would be. I guess the prudent thing would be to replace all the slugs and maybe add a few extras for the inevitable breakage?

I am very respectful of the boom and how it is mounted. I can't imagine the force exerted at the goose neck, so I am not in a hurry to experiment moving the boom. Riggers are hard-to-come-by in Marina Del Rey in the summer months, so I am probably on my own, which is why I wrote this post.

The boat came with a main from a J 29 which did not fit correctly. Catalina Direct said all 30ft and up main sails are custom made and there is no correct size. I took a chance and bought a used main that had a longer luff and a shorter leech. It fits better but can only be tightened along the leech by tightening the vang..

The main can be raised 25 extra inches when I disconnect the tack and pull on the halyard. I don't know if the sail will be usable, but hope so. The center of the boom is 31 inches above the deck.

Attached are pics of my mast, gooseneck and vang. Anyone with experience, please share how much to raise the boom. Also, can the current gooseneck be moved, or should it be replaced? I haven't tried to remove any of the three bolts, xo I don't know if they are tapped into the mast or simply tighten against it. Also, will the hard vang need to be moved? Any thoughts will be very helpful.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Rather than raising the gooseneck I would try to get the sail recut for a higher clew. Does the boom sit roughly horizontal with the current sail? If so you should be able to shorten the leech enough to raise the boom a few inches over the cockpit. That would probably be less expensive than moving the gooseneck and dealing with the complications there.

 

[JoeWhite]

You have not mentioned how many inches you would like to raise the boom to meet all of your expectations.
The slug insert opening can be recut at a higher position, that is not a problem. The boom vang may be adjusted.

 

[acudavid]

Davidsailor26 No, if the boom is horozontal, there is about a foot of slack on the leech.
Is that too much to shorten the leech?
JoeWhite: I don't know what is practical. I think raising the boom about 18 inches would be excellent.

 

[RitSim]

The data here says the boom tape is 2'9" above cabin top. I'm only 5'6" but the boom was too low for me at the wheel. I did have the sail recut - $300+/- and add a loose foot at the same time.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Davidsailor26 No, if the boom is horozontal, there is about a foot of slack on the leech.
Is that too much to shorten the leech?
JoeWhite: I don't know what is practical. I think raising the boom about 18 inches would be excellent.

I’d definitely start there then. Have the sail recut to bring the boom 6” above horizontal and you’ll have your 18” gain. The boat is probably designed to sail with the boom somewhere around horizontal, so the current leech is well oversized to begin with.

 

[JBP-PA]

It looks like your gooseneck is not bolted to the mast, but to a stainless sliding plate. If you romove the bolts, you should be able to slide the backing plate up. You would have to cut a new gate, but that should be easy.

Fixed Mast Bracket C-30 Gooseneck

Catalina Direct, publishers of the Catalina 22 and Catalina 25 Owner's Handbooks and the largest supplier of parts and Lewmar winches for Catalina Yachts in the country

www.catalinadirect.com

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I hate to say it, but nothing looks or sounds right to me. The sail seems to have a funky cut. Something is way out of whack if you have 2' at the top of the mast. There are so many things for you to check out here. First of all, measure your P dimension from the top of the mast and that should tell you where the boom belongs. Start from there. There is usually a black tape encircling the position at the top of your mast where the head should be positioned. Look for the marking. For that matter, there may be the same marking where the tack is positioned based on the P dimension. Your P dimension is 35.0 feet based on Sailboatdata.com

The vang bracket ears on both ends of the vang make it look like the vang is too horizontal and not fitted properly. Based on your descriptions, I'm going to suggest your boom is mounted far too low on the mast. I'd be surprised if the designer of Catalina 30 intended to mount the boom too low to clear a 6-footer.

It looks like the gooseneck is designed to fit into the mast slot to be positioned & then tightened with the bolts. Is it possible that the gooseneck should be fixed above the slot? Is there a separate slot higher up for the sail slugs? In any case, it looks to me like you have a need to adjust both the boom height and the sail cut. You may also need to cut a higher slot for sail slugs ... but it won't surprise me if there is already a slot in the correct position.

That U-bolt is a funky feature that doesn't belong. Something tells me that this is a very poor adaptation that deviates from the intended design.

 

[jssailem]

There is nothing wrong with altering your boat to fit your needs.

Shrinking the Mainsail by raising the boom will affect max speed, but not significantly.

The boom is intended to sit horizontal to the water, and it is intended to be in that position when the sail is raised and the topping lift is eased. The sail’s leach supports the sail. The leach clew should extend to the end of the boom with the outhaul drawing the sail taut, no wrinkles.

What little I see of the sail, it looks like it is rather mature. Check with a good loft to see if they can alter the sail. Sometimes the cloth will not hold the threads.

 

[Richard19068]

The vang bracket ears on both ends of the vang make it look like the vang is too horizontal and not fitted properly. Based on your descriptions, I'm going to suggest your boom is mounted far too low on the mast. I'd be surprised if the designer of Catalina 30 intended to mount the boom too low to clear a 6-footer.

It looks like the gooseneck is designed to fit into the mast slot to be positioned & then tightened with the bolts. Is it possible that the gooseneck should be fixed above the slot? Is there a separate slot higher up for the sail slugs? In any case, it looks to me like you have a need to adjust both the boom height and the sail cut. You may also need to cut a higher slot for sail slugs ... but it won't surprise me if there is already a slot in the correct position.

That U-bolt is a funky feature that doesn't belong. Something tells me that this is a very poor adaptation that deviates from the intended design.

I think these are good points. I'd try raising the gooseneck bracket in the mast track by your 18 inches (which looks "easy" based on JPB-PA's link) and see how things look and measure out then. Your hoist should then be about 6 or 7 inches from the mast head. Then maybe you could get the leech shortened if you need to. I'd worry about the sail slug accessibility later. You don't have to use that gate very often unless you need to remove some slugs to reef or something like that.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

You don't have to use that gate very often unless you need to remove some slugs to reef or something like that.

That's a good point. Perhaps the original design contemplated that the sailor would hank the sail with the boom down below the gate and then simply raise the boom above the gate to hold the sail captive. There really isn't any need for a gate above the boom if you can easily move the boom out of the way (as this gooseneck appears to be designed). Most of us rarely remove the main sail. The gooseneck does look like it is intended to slide up and down in the slot before being secured. It's not like the fixed goosenecks with ss rivets that we typically see on the later models. Your "P" dimension is going to tell the whole story.

 

[jssailem]

Richard19068 said: "You don't have to use that gate very often"

This is true. You can also make a new gate to address the modified sail sizing.

You can change a lot of things on a boat and still enjoy it.

Scott T-Bird, post: The gooseneck does look like it is intended to slide up and down in the slot before being secured.

Because we go to our baots with the intent to get out sailing, I think adjusting the gooseneck would be a pain. Once the sails is designed to fit, you will want the goosneck in the correct place to fit the sail. Adjustment would be pointless on a boat of this size.

On dinghies, a movable gooseneck is used to act as a cunningham to tighten the luff. It is better to have the cunningham run through a cringle on the sail than to be adjusting the gooseneck.

 

[Richard19068]

Because we go to our baots with the intent to get out sailing, I think adjusting the gooseneck would be a pain. Once the sails is designed to fit, you will want the goosneck in the correct place to fit the sail. Adjustment would be pointless on a boat of this size.

My suggestion was to adjust the mast bracket for the gooseneck to the correct place and then tighten it down and leave it. Not suggesting it be adjusted for every outing.

His gooseneck is 31 inches above the cabin top. That sounds low to me. He says he has 25 inches of hoist available at the top of the mast when the main is fully up. I would say the boom gooseneck should be permanently raised the 18 inches he says would make him happy and then see what needs to be done to the leech, if anything.

just my 2 cents

 

[DeniseO30]

You haven't had the boat very long, why not just sail it awhile. Maybe the Boom bopping you on the head will become less of an issue.

 

[stevenhagberg]

acudavid
Hello.
I have a C30 MK III in Marina Del Rey. I previously owned a 1977 C30. I am familiar with this boat.

The problem you are having and all the offered solutions have one source: you have a sail that was not made for your boat.

Before making a bunch of changes to your boat, which will then not accommodate a sail made for a Catalina 30 (!) please change the one thing that is creating the problem. The sail.
J boats are a very different rig. The sails are cut differently in a bunch of ways. Your sail will never work well on your boat. And if you make the mods suggested, any used sail cut for a Catalina 30 will not fit your boat.

I notice several things that are not kosher with your rig. If you want to have a conversation standing on a boat at MDR let me know.

 

[Kingjim91]

I have an ‘82 C-30 tall rig, which should be virtually identical to yours.
First, are you sure you have a standard rig? My owners manual says specifically that the bowsprit was not available with the standard mast. The length of the standard mast is 40‘, the TR is 42’. The p dimension of the mainsail is 35’ std., 37’ TR.
Second, your gooseneck is in the right place (+/- a couple of inches). I would hesitate to change the original design. I agree with #stevenhagberg that the problem you need to solve is the sail itself. Virtually any sailmaker will have access to plans for a C 30 mainsail. I don’t know why Catalina Direct would say they’re all custom. I ordered a main thru them (Ullman) without taking any measurements.
Third, yes the boom is low over the cockpit, but it doesn’t extend as far as the helm, so the skipper is safe. The risk would be to passengers forward of the helm during a jibe. In 9 years of ownership, I haven’t yet “boomed” anybody.

 

[stevenhagberg]

acudavid
I found a picture of my 1977 Catalina with just the main up. Your gooseneck looks like it’s in the stock position. So it should look like this.....if the sail is cut for a Catalina 30. In my case a standard rig.

 

[Alan Gomes]

Virtually any sailmaker will have access to plans for a C 30 mainsail. I don’t know why Catalina Direct would say they’re all custom.

Because they don't know whether a previous owner may have done things like messing with the height of the boom, for instance.

 

[Richard19068]

I notice several things that are not kosher with your rig. If you want to have a conversation standing on a boat at MDR let me know.

That's a nice offer. I'm glad someone with a C30 finally chimed in with an offer to take a look at it.

 

[captcoho]

" prior owner was a serious sailor and rigged the boat to go as fast as possible. It is a standard rig with a bow sprit."
"The main can be raised 25 extra inches when I disconnect the tack and pull on the halyard. I don't know if the sail will be usable, but hope so."

I'm confused, I don't understand why it has a bow sprit if it's a standard rig??
Why is the Mainsail 25" too long???

Did they put the correct mast on ? The two foot difference is that of the standard versus tall rigs