Catalina 25 Tall Rigs

[Archie Jernigan]

I'm a first time buyer considering the purchase of a 1985 Catalina 25 Tall Rig. Does anyone have experience with the difference in handling between the Tall and Standard Rigs?Thanks

 

[Jon W.]

Standard VS Tall

I owned a 1984 C25 tall rig, fixed keel model for a number of years, and raced against standard rigged models on occasion.The tall rig C25 has a mast that is two feet longer, and the boom rides one foot lower with the normal mainsail. If the mainsail is cut generously, the boom can be a bit of a head knocker.The tall rig is slightly faster in winds under 15 knots, and will pass a standard rigged C25. In winds over 15 knots, there is no difference in speed, but the tall rig should be reefed or switched down to a 110% jib by the time the wind speed reaches 18 knots, which would be a little sooner than with a standard rig. Of course these are generalizations depending on the sails and setup of individual boats.Neither boat has any other handling idiosyncrasies that I am aware of.

 

[Douglas Young]

Tall rig reply

I have owned a C-25 tall rig for 5 years now. Some of the bebefits are she will point a bit higher than a standard and is faster off the wind and down wind. Other than that the basic boat is the same. Things to remember are reef early. If you have to worry or think about it its to late. She is a bit more tender than the standard rig but around Puget Sound thats fine because most of our summer sailing is in light air. I would also recoment only getting a tall rig with a fin keel.