Main sail

May 1, 2014
3
catalina 27 oakville
My Catalina 27 mainsail does not seem to fit the the mast and boom set up. I have a tall rig, which is (I believe) a 27 ft mast, and the sail does not reach the top of the mast when the boom is at the preset position on the mast. Also when I pull the outhaul taught the sail is still 12" from the end of the boom, and the leech is very loose. (No tensioner). Do you think this might be the wrong sail for the setup?
 

Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,787
Catalina 30 Mk II Cedar Creek, Bayville NJ
H Roger,
Try going to www.sailboatdata.com
Enter your boat and a size range near it and hit search. You will get the specs for you boat.
E = foot of sail
P = Luff of sail

Looks like your luff is 29.67' and your foot is 9.67'
Since your Catalina is a mast head rig, your mast is close to the I measurement of 36'.
Since my O'Day 25 has an I of 30', pretty sure you belief that the mast is 27' is off a bit.

That's a start, the Catalina guys should be able to take it from there.
 
Apr 2, 2011
185
Catalina 27 Niceville, FL
I believe all C27's had the same length boom. Tall rig sails are actually shorter on the foot than standard rig. Doesn't hurt anything and if you still use a topping lift, the extra length of the boom keeps the TL away from the sail. I don't understand leech being loose. Mainsheet tension sets leech tension. So does the vang, but only slightly. Probably the correct sail.
 

Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,787
Catalina 30 Mk II Cedar Creek, Bayville NJ
Could it be the topping lift has the boom end raised a bit, not allowing the main sheet to pull the leach tight?
 
Jul 13, 2014
5
Catalina 27 Nyack


I've just acquired a 27 cat t/r and have the same situation. Could it be the boom position on the mast? I'll have to check next time. All the pictures I see of my boat on the web show the sail all the way up.