Forestay Quick Disconnect Hardware

wolfgw8625

wolfgw8625

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Dec 27, 2013
5
Catalina Capri 18 Accokeek, Md
Hi
I just purchased a 1987 Catalina Capri 18 and trailer. The guy I bought it from has always kept the mast up and trailered it the 100 feet to the ramp at the marina. I plan on trailering to any one of several public ramps locally depending on where I want to sail that day. That will require raising and dropping the mast daily. Does anyone have a good reasonably priced quick disconnect device for connecting and disconnecting the forestay? The current hardware is slow and difficult to align and manipulate.
I am currently looking at a 316 ss jaw snap shackle. Is that a good choice?
Also, is there any reason to disconnect backstay or shrouds, or can I just use bungee cord to keep them out of the way when trailering?
 
C

CaptDon01

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Nov 19, 2008
2,129
Catalina C-22 MK-II Parrish, FL
What a GREAT little boat the Capri-18 is! We LOVED ours, and had a ball with it, but she lacked the "potty-privacy" my First-Mate wanted,(and me too). We trailerd our's for a while and I installed a Johnson Quick-Release connector just below the mainsheet block on the backstay. I only disconnected the forestay when trailering. I pulled the mast up with the gin-pole assembly and pulled it tight. This would bend the top portion of the mast forward a little making the forestay easy to attach. Once the forestay was attached, I eased the gin-pole and removed it. Then all I had to do is pull the lever down on the Johnson Quick Release connector on the back-stay and the rigging would all tighten up. My wife and I had it down to a science and we could rig the boat and be in the water within 30 minutes after arriving at the ramp. Once we joined the yacht club we drysailed the boat and I made a lifting harness to lift the boat off the trailer and swing her into the water. That was real quick and easy because I only had to disconnect the backstay and swing the boom out of the way. I'll post some photos when I get home tonight.

Man, we LOVE our C-22, but I still miss that boat.

Don
 
F

Forrest15112

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Jan 22, 2008
423
Catalina 30 Mandeville, La.
I'm not familiar with the Capri 18, but on my H23.5 with fractional rig, I used a simple quick release pin ( like this ) where a standard clevis pin was used previously.
 
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CaptDon01

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Nov 19, 2008
2,129
Catalina C-22 MK-II Parrish, FL
OK Wolf,

Here are a bunch of photos from just some of my projects on our Capri-18. Again, what a GREAT boat, probably the best built, best performing, over built, unsinkable boat in her size. Just never understood why Catalina didn't market them stronger, and why more of them weren't built. Most of the photos are pretty much self explaining. We slept on the quarter berths, which were very comfortable, and unbelievably large for an 18' boat. Very comfortable boat to spend the night, or week on! Our first trip to Catalina Island was on our Capri-18, GREAT trip, and no better way to get there than by a small boat.

Don
 

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