Attaching the boom leads to more questions...

Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Interesting, I was unaware that they were ever standard. My '79 didn't have one, and neither did our '88. Neither came with two chainplates on the transom either.

Nice piece of kit though. One of those things I didn't know I was missing til I bought one. ;)
 
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
Gene, yea, have seen plenty of (most all) pre '86's with this setup and in the C22 design archives...I think Stingy (or Chip) provided mods to convert to single backstay to get rid of all that....my issue was chafing on the mainsheet from my old thread...although tweek'd it some and fine now as is...
 
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Mar 23, 2018
63
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
Have you looked up the mast to see how much bend it has, if any.
I've looked up the aft side of the mast to ensure it is straight and not a C or S shape.
What, should I be looking for? And up what side of the mast?
8" is a lot of rake. Chances are you would point quite well but experience a ton of weather helm.

I don't think you can fix it with the forestay and backstay alone, you'll probably have to get the lowers involved again. Lucky you, you get another opportunity for more practice!!

Have you looked up the mast from its base, and observed how much prebend you have? Excessive bend might be mistaken for rake when using the hanging weight.
I clearly don't know what I'm doing. :) I didn't realized there was a difference between pre-bend and rake. :what: I'm sure this is self explanatory to some people. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them. :)
Cliff's notes version here: In a perfect world, tension on backstay and forestay will vary according to conditions. The higher the wind, the tighter you want the forestay to be. An adjustable backstay (you may have one, I don't know) is a nice option which allows you to make this adjustment on the fly, since tightening the backstay simultaneously tightens the forestay.
Now, this part makes sense. This I get.

While pondering this, it occurred to me, that it's probably pretty easy to get this "measurement" of rake wrong. The idea of hanging a weight and measuring the distance aft if hangs has one HUGE problem. How is the boat sitting in the water? Simply by shifting some of my cargo forward, I could greatly change the measurement, without actually adjusting the rigging. Not to mention, you would get different measurements based on the height of the boom. If that is true, how do I know if I really have too much bend, or rake? :banghead:
 
Mar 23, 2018
63
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
Gene, yea, have seen plenty of (most all) pre '86's with this setup and in the C22 design archives...I think Stingy (or Chip) provided mods to convert to single backstay to get rid of all that....my issue was chafing on the mainsheet from my old thread...although tweek'd it some and fine now as is...
Our boat has a single backstay slightly off center to starboard. How it came from the factory I don't know, but it currently only has one backstay.
 
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
Scuba...were it me (and it was) 3 step process....take it out in benign to moderate conditions as is....you seem to have most of the dynamics in your head, plenty of common sense....take it out and motor only, get the hang of the rudder/tiller steering and motor performance...next outing point into the wind, raise the main, (once you release the boom from the pigtail !!!LOL), and toy with it, learn some more and "play" with the various points of sail. Next (3rd) outing, unfurl that jib , and tweek it all as you learn.....just my thoughts, others may differ...worked for me...and important...once docked, toast with beverage of choice, and congratulate the Admiral for her able assistance and advice. Car keys are inconsequential and recoverable, as you have discovered!...
 
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May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
backstay, schmackstay...you got what you got, doubt you'll be dismasted with those "settings"......don't expect to "tune" your rig to perfection up front...it will tell you what it needs, to some extent...you'll adapt and adjust soon enough...
 
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Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
I've looked up the aft side of the mast to ensure it is straight and not a C or S shape.
What, should I be looking for? And up what side of the mast?

I clearly don't know what I'm doing. :) I didn't realized there was a difference between pre-bend and rake. :what: I'm sure this is self explanatory to some people. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them. :)

Now, this part makes sense. This I get.

While pondering this, it occurred to me, that it's probably pretty easy to get this "measurement" of rake wrong. The idea of hanging a weight and measuring the distance aft if hangs has one HUGE problem. How is the boat sitting in the water? Simply by shifting some of my cargo forward, I could greatly change the measurement, without actually adjusting the rigging. Not to mention, you would get different measurements based on the height of the boom. If that is true, how do I know if I really have too much bend, or rake? :banghead:
Rake is basically synonymous with "aftward lean". Bend is ... well, you know. Look up one side of the mast, see if it is being bent aft. An inch or so of this "pre bend" is desirable, the racers tell me, as it matches the curve in the luff of the main.

Ideally you would measure your rake with the boat equipped and loaded the way you plan to sail it. But it's not critical, not a "huge" problem by any means. Rake doesn't have to be perfect, an inch or two plus or minus is going to be hard to notice. I haven't checked mine in a year or two. The way I understand it is, not enough rake and you won't point well, too much and you'll have excessive weather helm. There's a little more to it than that, but honestly it's over my head. Racers live and die by this stuff, I just set my rig up for the middle of the road (just like you are doing), and go sailing. :)
 
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May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
Scuba...were it me (and it was) 3 step process....take it out in benign to moderate conditions as is....you seem to have most of the dynamics in your head, plenty of common sense....take it out and motor only, get the hang of the rudder/tiller steering and motor performance...next outing point into the wind, raise the main, (once you release the boom from the pigtail !!!LOL), and toy with it, learn some more and "play" with the various points of sail. Next (3rd) outing, unfurl that jib , and tweek it all as you learn.....just my thoughts, others may differ...worked for me...and important...once docked, toast with beverage of choice, and congratulate the Admiral for her able assistance and advice. Car keys are inconsequential and recoverable, as you have discovered!...
...oh, and keep that mainsheet in your hand, whilst tiller steering, in case of a sudden gust/puff or a course screw up...just dump the main out....oh, and learn how to safely gibe...(don't ask how I know these things, just duck!!)...

Cheers!!!!
 
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Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
This stuff is a good example if how valuable the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association Tech Manual is.
IThere are at least 10 articles in there on rig tuning... nevermind mast raising, and a pile of other info from over the decades of C22 owners.
 
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May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
late on this, but took a pic of main outhaul, as rec'd from PO...simple eye back to base of boom, wrapped around to jam cleat on bottom of boom, dunno if this was original or mod...may help u some...

IMG_0327 (3).jpg
 
Sep 14, 2014
1,251
Catalina 22 Pensacola, Florida
This is picture of PO and my add on block to add mechanical advantage to an outhau
IMG_20160328_154402.jpg
l.
 
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Siren

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Apr 2, 2018
52
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
This stuff is a good example if how valuable the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association Tech Manual is.
There are at least 10 articles in there on rig tuning... nevermind mast raising, and a pile of other info from over the decades of C22 owners.
Great suggestion, @Leeward Rail :thumbup: - We will definitely join the Catalina 22 NSA, and look forward to that wealth of knowledge. In the meantime, we determined we reached a point where less researching and more doing would better teach us. So we went sailing for the first time on our new boat last week!!! We've already learned a TON, and are very excited to get a little bit of experience under our belt, so that when we do read through all the technical articles, things will register and make more sense. :)