Newbie. Catalina 18

Scott T-Bird · Dec 6, 2022

Welcome and good luck with your boat! Lake Champlain is a fantastic lake to sail as I'm sure you know. I think just about everything you are talking about can be done in the spring and/or on the water with one exception that you mentioned. If you are installing new standing rigging, have all of it made over the winter. If you are talking about running rigging, leave the old lines on the boat over the winter and order new rigging ready to install in the spring before you put the mast up and launch. I think you are making a good choice to keep your boat on a mooring. If you have electrical devises that require constant battery monitoring, look into a small solar charging system to install in the spring. You should do the research now. Your motor will probably not generate enough charging capacity to keep your battery(ies) topped off so a small solar charger will be a benefit. Do the research over the winter.

dmax · Dec 6, 2022

You might be able to find someone on this list who is local and give you a hand. It's possible I could give you a hand in the Spring if the timing works out as my daughter goes to UVM and I pick her up and drop her off for Spring vacation.

dLj · Dec 6, 2022

Monsterfish said:
Hello,

I am new to Catalina Capri 18. I am also new to sailing. My experience so far includes a few years of sailing Sunfish, and Apollo 16" (AMF). This fall I purchased Catalina 18 made in 1993. It is in good condition and it came with lots of spare parts. Currently, it is stored at the marina, shrink-wrapped, etc for the winter. As a newbie, I am not sure where to start. So I have a few questions. There is some general maintenance work to be done in the Spring, like cleaning, installing a new compass, radio, and like, and rigging it for a season. Should this be done while the boat is on shore on the trailer or after the boat is launched into the water? Also, I am planning on mooring the boat throughout the upcoming season. What are the risks (maintenance-wise) associated with mooring vs. launching it every time? I am trying to save time in terms of launching and retrieving, so I am going for mooring.

Thank you so much!

Where are you located on Champlain?

Launching it everytime means you don't need bottom paint. If you leave it in the water you probably want to bottom paint it. You probably have to pay for the mooring. Depending upon where you are on Champlain, you may not have any launch fee if you trailer it. Launching every time has the mast up/down procdure that takes some time. If you put it on a mooring - you have a dingy? How do you get to/from the mooring?

I've sailed on Champlain for a number of years now. Although, I may not be available this spring as I'm sailing off to Europe, but if we can find a time slot, I'd be happy to look at your rigging, sails and the like and give you pointers. an 18 foot boat can be rigged on the trailer in your driveway. If there isn't a lot of wind of course...

dj

Scott T-Bird · Dec 6, 2022

Monsterfish said:
Hi Scott,

Thank you very much for your reply. As always, a new boat, rigging, etc. gets a bit overwhelming at first. To answer your question - I mean both. The standing rigging and the running one. The shrouds, forestay, and mainstay, were left in a boat. I have a boom, motor, and sails stored in my garage currently. I don't have a battery yet. I am also thinking of installing a roller furling as currently she does not have one. Again, I do not have an idea how to rig the sails. All the videos I could find on youtube assume that the viewer would already have fundamental knowledge which I, unfortunately, do not have yet. Not ashamed to admit, I am not even sure how to secure the main sail to the boom etc. I guess I will have to learn...

You'll be up to speed in no time! Roller furling will be a very important upgrade - one you will really appreciate. There are numerous models to choose from, but I will suggest you look into Schaefer Snapfurl. Others will give you options. I suggest you sort that out as early as possible because it may affect what you do with the forestay. Standing rigging is off the boat so it's a perfect opportunity to inspect it and decide if you are going to keep it or replace it. You can learn about inspecting the rigging and hardware yourself or you can take it to a rigger for inspection. Your boat is just about 30 years old now, well past the time for replacement according to many (I would probably replace it). However, if fresh water all this time and lightly used, it may be in perfectly good condition. I'd make a priority about determining what to do about standing rigging ... you may decide to simply change out the forestay with your new furler. Running rigging may not be such a high priority unless the lines really look ratty. You can wash them and see how they look afterwards.

I suspect that you may have a loose-footed mainsail. Lot's of information about that ... your only attachments to the boom are the tack at the gooseneck and a sliding part at the clew (which is probably on the sail). Look at the end of your boom to see what you have for an outhaul. If you have a shelf-foot main, there will be a bolt rope along the foot that slides into a groove in the boom. That's the old way of attachment so I'll be surprised if that's what you have. I originally had a shelf foot on my 1984 Starwind, but I bought a new mainsail with a loose foot back in 2005. Going back to your new furler ... you will either want a new jib or genoa or you will need to replace the hanks on your existing sail(s) with a luff to match the foil that goes on the forestay.

Keep on this forum all winter and you will be sorted for the spring!

Crazy Dave Condon · Dec 8, 2022

Suggest a CDI roller furling which I use to put on the 18 as a dealer now retired. Probably the FF1 system but have the sail loft to help you on this.
When working on the boat without the trailer being attached to a tow vehicle, chock your tires and put a block under the rear of the trailer so it will not tilt upwards at the bow. Good advice on this.
Take a photo of your trailer so we can see what you have.
As for launching every time, can you leave the mast up?

sola fide · Jan 3, 2023

Hello there, I can direct you to watch sam holmes on you tube, He is verify informative on rigging and stepping the mast that is what you will be doing, so search for that on google. have a great day.

higgs · Jan 4, 2023

Since you will be sitting on a mooring, you will need to paint the bottom. If it not painted I would suggest VC17 or similar for northern cooler waters. It is what most Great Lakes sailors use. Easy to maintain and does not require sanding. 1can would probably do your boat.

I kept my boat on a mooring for around 15+ years on L Michigan and my mooring lines never failed even when 6 footers would roll through the mooring field. I would suggest two mooring pendants and do not just simply drop the loop over a cleat as it can slip off in rough weather. My boat had a cleat where the loop could run under the horn and then come back over the horns. If your cleats are such that you cannot use that method, then I would forget the loop and tie a proper cleat hitch. If the mooring line runs through a chock, be sure to have chafe protection.
Here is a short video on belaying a looped line to a cleat. How to Belay a Dock Line Loop to a Cleat - Bing video

Newbie. Catalina 18

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