Mainsail settup

D

dobrosailor

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Oct 31, 2015
25
Catalina 22 Ithaca NY
How do you guys deal with your main sail and the slot on the mast where the slugs slide out. I've seen people with a stop just above the opening but then do you leave the sail on just put the cover over away up there or do you take the mainsail off the mast before you put the cover on. My sail cover doesn't appear tall enough to leave the main on the mast way up there.

Frankly I'm looking for the simplest way to store the main and minimize the amount of time it takes to set the boat up to go sailing and minimize the put away time

Thanks
M
 
N

Newport Bob

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Jun 23, 2013
271
Beneteau 373 Newport
I have used the round track stop in the link below on previous boats -- like it. You can also drill holes above the slot and use a cotter pin across the slot.
Suggest you place a rag in the slot opening to stop the sail slugs from dropping out and see if the sail cover is large enough. On all my previous boats the sail maker had made the cover large enough to accommodate the sail stack above the slot.

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/davis-instruments--sail-track-stops--P002_068_001_505
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,776
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Newport Bob said:
the round track stop
Click to expand
Choices are:

Mast gate - highly preferred, allows easy reefing

Mast slug stop - requires a JACK LINE to reef. A jack line in this case is vastly different than what folks normally thik of when they hear "jack lines" used for safety and hooking on. Any sailmaker's website should explain "jack lines" in this case. They are used on the luff of the sail to make reefing work with slug stops.
 
D

dobrosailor

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Oct 31, 2015
25
Catalina 22 Ithaca NY
Ok i learned that there is a 1/4 threaded hole so i filled it with a 1/4 in screw w a wing nut. Now the slides dont leave the mast. Next; behold, the cover actually fits over the sail. Cool!!!

Rigged a downhall for the jib so it goes down from the cockpit. the halyard is led back for the main but I still raise the main at the mast because I have to do the downhaul / cunningham there. Those of you that raise from the cockpit, how do you deal with getting it tight enough without using the cunningham or downhaul to set the sail. I can't seem to get it tight enough just using the halyard.
 
G

gjordan

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Mar 4, 2016
59
Catalina 22 Clearlake, Calif.
I was just looking at the hardware section of CATALINA DIRECT and they sell what is called a MASTGATER that you attach to the mast to close up the slot. It is only 4 inches long , so I have doubts about it, but I have seen a similar set up on a local 22 that didnt look hard to make.
 
Gene Neill

Gene Neill

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Sep 30, 2013
3,541
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
My boat came with a pair of gates made from aluminum carpet threshold. They looked fine and functioned fine, although you had to find a screwdriver and loosen four screws each time you wanted to open them, just like the ones at CD. But eventually one of them came loose and blew off while on the trailer. That's when I found mastgates.com. Their gates open and close instantaneously with no tools and only one hand. A tad pricey, but MUCH MUCH better if you trailer sail.
 
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Gene Neill

Gene Neill

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Sep 30, 2013
3,541
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
This is one of my old gates made from the aluminum threshold. I have to admit they were pretty ingenious. I was working on finding some knurled thumb screws to use instead of Phillips heads (to eliminate the need for a screwdriver) when the other gate flew away. These would work just fine if you don't trailer sail and/or if you're on a tight budget.



 
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D

dobrosailor

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Oct 31, 2015
25
Catalina 22 Ithaca NY
Hmmm seems to me I have some threshold in my garage have to check this out, looks perfect. Now what about a down seems to me I have some threshold in my garage I left a check this out, looks perfect

Thx
 
Slartibartfass

Slartibartfass

Capri 22 Mod
Dec 13, 2015
499
Catalina Capri 22 1139 Mamaroneck, NY
I got both the thethered and the new pop-in style Mastgate from Tom (Mastgates.com) and I am still trying to decide which one is better suitable for me.

I hate drilling holes, wanted to be able to take off the Mastgate quickly in case I need to set a trysail in stormy conditions.

I used a small bungee cord led around the mast to attach the tethered gate. Works well but the gate is potentially falling off when taking it down unless you use the tether attachment points (means drilling). I used the sail track stop at the bottom of the gate to press down on the end so I cannot potentially slide upwards at all while pulling the main up.

The new pop-in Mastgate looks like this:

image.jpg


The first version I was testing did not have the handles on both sides and was a pita to remove but the Mastgate is holding on its own. Just got this latest iteration in the mail and need to get out today for a test.
 
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Drinkmilk

Drinkmilk

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May 19, 2014
170
Catalina 22 #13555 Lake Winnebago, Oshkosh, WI
Is that a gate or a stop in your last pic? Will the sail slugs make it past that piece of metal that fits in the mast groove? Maybe I'm seeing it wrong. I like the black rings idea to hold it in place with a bungee around the mast though. I hate drilling anything that can't be repaired by epoxy on the boat too.
 
Slartibartfass

Slartibartfass

Capri 22 Mod
Dec 13, 2015
499
Catalina Capri 22 1139 Mamaroneck, NY
Drinkmilk said:
Is that a gate or a stop in your last pic? Will the sail slugs make it past that piece of metal that fits in the mast groove? Maybe I'm seeing it wrong. I like the black rings idea to hold it in place with a bungee around the mast though. I hate drilling anything that can't be repaired by epoxy on the boat too.
Click to expand
It's the new pop-in version of the Mastgate. My mast channel is round with a 1/2" diameter and the slugs are 3/8" of a diameter so even with the metal portion inside the slugs move freely....

No need for the bungee for this one as the inside metal portion holds this very securely. Without the rings it is a pita to remove though....
 
Drinkmilk

Drinkmilk

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May 19, 2014
170
Catalina 22 #13555 Lake Winnebago, Oshkosh, WI
Thanks. It was hard to see. Sounds like a neat design. It'll either be that or Gene's homemade threshold gates that I'll adopt this year, well, depending on what our budget is per Admiral's orders.
 
Siren

Siren

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Apr 2, 2018
52
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
I know it is sort of a faux pas to refresh "old" threads, but I'll risk the backlash. :soapbox::badbad:

We are going to be getting a mastgate, but in the meantime, we purchased 3 of the Davis Sail Stops from West Marine. They are the 1/2" round stops, and they don't want to fit into our slot. Do people use the Davis Flat Sail Stop that is 3/8" instead, even though it is flat and not round? :what: The gooseneck is round, and the pop-top stop is round, and everything seems to be round, which is why we bought round, but the only round sail stop West Marine sells doesn't wanna fit. :banghead::p
 
pclarksurf

pclarksurf

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Jul 13, 2015
900
Catalina 22 #2552 2252 Kennewick, WA
Perhaps I'm misconstruing the question, but based on my '73 you should be good with a Davis sail stop that looks similar to the 2350 below: I believe Davis references the MM dimension of the slug, that would be your only fit question and believe that is the "23" in 2350== 23 MM

And after more googling (no math here) Catalina direct says their slug is 1/2" 23 MM is waaay too big. You might have a sail stop for a 40' footer :)
Capture.PNG



108332.jpg
 
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Siren

Siren

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Apr 2, 2018
52
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
Thanks for responding, @pclarksurf . We have 3 of the Davis 2350's, and they are seemingly too wide to fit into the slots.

20180618_174816.jpg 20180618_174922.jpg

Here it is next to the mainsail slugs.

20180618_174854.jpg

I am feeling a little silly. Maybe I am doing something wrong, or maybe I need to push them in really hard? The Catalina Direct website sells the exact same sail stop and says it will fit any Catalina 22.
https://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm/product/167_114/sail-track-stop-round.cfm

Am I nuts? :p
 
Jacktar

Jacktar

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Sep 14, 2014
1,252
Catalina 22 Pensacola, Florida
No you are not nuts if and only if you actually have a catalina mast, put one below all the stacked slugs at just above the slot. Put another below the gooseneck of the boom in the slot. When you raise the sail with the halyard, just move the bottom stop below the boom gooseneck enough to tighten the downhaul.
Easy peasy, cheap and bypasses the whole mast gate thing. Pix below in use while sailing. Reverse process to drop sail, suggest you support boom with pigtail or preferably a topping lift. Cover with sail cover when dowsed and rinse repeat for next sail. Time tested ancient mariner technique.
20180512_171505.jpg
 
pclarksurf

pclarksurf

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Jul 13, 2015
900
Catalina 22 #2552 2252 Kennewick, WA
Siren said:
Thanks for responding, @pclarksurf

Am I nuts? :p
Click to expand
huge favor: measure the diameter of that slug-- according to CD it should be 1/2" .... wondering if you have a larger diameter sail stop in your hand, or as Jacktar alludes-- maybe your sail track is non standard and you need to jump down a size.

Based on the pics you are certainly attempting to insert it correctly......
 
Siren

Siren

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Apr 2, 2018
52
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
@Jacktar - I LIKE IT!!! Awesome!! I like seeing that in a photo! That is just what we want to do.....if only I can find sail stops to fit into our mast. :doh:

@pclarksurf - I just measured the sail stop, and it is indeed 1/2". I have no indication from the PO's records that he didn't have a standard Catalina mast. How would I verify?

General question - should the sail stops simply slide in no problems? Or does it require some "oooooooomph" to push in?
 
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