Ever since I have owned my '94 Catalina 320, I have noticed and have been told that she lists to the Port side. Probably about 1 to 2 degrees. I have done about everything I know, including moving anything heavy or of any weight at all to the starboard side. I am considering having the mast stepped, thinking it may be leaning that way. I am thinking this a common problem with this make of boat. Can I measure the mast myself, if so how? Does anyone have any other suggestions? thanks
Lists to Port
- Thread starter makanikai1
- Start date
I don't know how anyone can discern "one or two degrees" but if that's really the case, I consider that trivial. One person moving around in that size displacement boat can easily cause that shift.
Do you notice any difference in angle to the wind characteristic?
Do you notice any difference in angle to the wind characteristic?
Don't know about the 320, but on my old C30 the port list was not a "bug" but a "feature."
This was very common on the C30, most likely because of the placement of the galley to port. No doubt other 320 owners can chime in and tell you if that is characteristic of the boat. In any case, unless it's severe (which it sounds like it isn't) the simplest fix would be simply to tilt your head a few degrees to port when you look at the boat.
Regarding the mast: I'm not sure I follow what you are talking about in terms of "stepping the mast" in relation to the port list. No matter whether the boat lists or not, the masthead needs to be centered athwartships. You can get a pretty good idea if this is the case by raising a tape measure to the top of the mast with your main halyard and then seeing if the measurements are equal as measured at, e.g., the port and starboard chain plates. (Keep in mind that you may have to factor in a slight offset if the sheave for the main halyard is offset from center of the masthead. Alternatively, get a sail slide and attach the tape to it and then run it up the mast. That way the tape will be centered at the masthead.)
On a friend's Capri we once found two large bricks made of large caliber lead bullets encased in fiberglass resin hidden under/behind the salon bench on the starboard side. They had Frank Butler's business card encased in the top so they appeared to be original equipment for that model.
My 270 had a slight port list, on my 320 I carry the dinghy, dinghy engine and Honda generator to starboard and I'm pretty close to "plumb".
Some owners of early model 320's have had a problem with water in an inaccessible area under the galley floor that didn't drain well to the bilge, but I don't know if it was enough to throw the balance off.
Is it a common problem ? Every boat I've had seemed to want to list one way or the other, it's usually so slight it can take awhile before you even notice.
My 270 had a slight port list, on my 320 I carry the dinghy, dinghy engine and Honda generator to starboard and I'm pretty close to "plumb".
Some owners of early model 320's have had a problem with water in an inaccessible area under the galley floor that didn't drain well to the bilge, but I don't know if it was enough to throw the balance off.
Is it a common problem ? Every boat I've had seemed to want to list one way or the other, it's usually so slight it can take awhile before you even notice.
My 250 leans slightly to starboard and galley is over there w/ food storage and cooking utensils/pots, etc. I tried putting lots of that stuff in the port storage and it was not convenient to use over there. So......it went back over where it was and I am done with it! All I need is a starboard broadside wind and you can't even notice it! ha Chief
My Bavaria lists slightly to starboard; my Pearson 30 listed slightly to starboard as well. It's no big deal except that water on the floor or in the flat shallow bilges or even on deck, always pooled up on the starboard. As an experiment, I once removed just about everything not attached to the Bavaria as permanent equipment, emptied the water tanks, nearly drained the fuel tank, etc.; centered the boom & the thing became almost perfectly vertical. I attributed the ever-so-slight remaining list to the batteries on that side of the boat. Of course, I always try to load heavier on the port side, but most of the weight is too low (near the center of gravity) or too far aft to affect the boat's trim much.
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An easy way to check the vertical position of the mast "athwartship' (open to correction on that one) is to take the halyard to the toe rail on each side of the mast to ensure it's the same length on both sides (like an isosceles triangle).
I believe that most yachts as described above have some type of slight list. If that's all you've got to worry about then consider yourself lucky. I would not mess with your mast. Have your checked that your water & fuel tanks are balanced with opposing weight loads that are the same? Remember that water weighs 8.5 pounds per gallon, so if your tanks are empty or only partially full, then that can make a big difference in handling.
