I have a Catalina 36 tall rig ( 1985 ). The sails are original and have been recently treated by sail care. The main has become blown out, and it is impossible to get the wrinkles out, no matter how much tension is placed on the down haul after it is up. The sail has no tears and is other wise in great shape. Is the sail worth trying to save, or should it be replaced.. thanks
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Keith
Tall rig 36
My main sail on my tall rig 36 (91) looked good, did not seem blown out, but I had problems with excessive weather helm when the wind picked up. I finally broke down and bought a new sail towawrd the end of the season and the boat not only sails faster, it has less helm. It was not cheep but now I know it was well worth it. Sails do not last forever.
My main sail on my tall rig 36 (91) looked good, did not seem blown out, but I had problems with excessive weather helm when the wind picked up. I finally broke down and bought a new sail towawrd the end of the season and the boat not only sails faster, it has less helm. It was not cheep but now I know it was well worth it. Sails do not last forever.
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Mark Ploch
Mainsail
Dean you have a common problem of the luff rope shrinking. All you need to do is take it to a local sailmaker and have them release one end of the bolt rope. The rope will slide up inside the sail. You should do this at the tack. It is a simple fix. Mark
Dean you have a common problem of the luff rope shrinking. All you need to do is take it to a local sailmaker and have them release one end of the bolt rope. The rope will slide up inside the sail. You should do this at the tack. It is a simple fix. Mark
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Trevor
Same here
Went sailing on my '86 C36TR this weekend and am having trouble getting a decent shape out of the original main also... no tears (that haven't been repaired!) but it seems to bag out. The gooseneck is welded to the mast, so no downhaul. The outhaul is tight (not much mechanical advantage without a winch on the mast to adjust) and I've played with the traveler, but no amount of tweaking can flatten out the sail. I'll look at the luff rope idea from a previous post, but it might be time to bite the bullet and get a new main - maybe be can get a volume discount! Also, I'm looking at a used 1995 vintage 150% genoa stock from another Catalina... too cheap to buy new. What are others' experiences with buying used sails? Trevor trevor@c-2.com
Went sailing on my '86 C36TR this weekend and am having trouble getting a decent shape out of the original main also... no tears (that haven't been repaired!) but it seems to bag out. The gooseneck is welded to the mast, so no downhaul. The outhaul is tight (not much mechanical advantage without a winch on the mast to adjust) and I've played with the traveler, but no amount of tweaking can flatten out the sail. I'll look at the luff rope idea from a previous post, but it might be time to bite the bullet and get a new main - maybe be can get a volume discount! Also, I'm looking at a used 1995 vintage 150% genoa stock from another Catalina... too cheap to buy new. What are others' experiences with buying used sails? Trevor trevor@c-2.com
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Justin
Me too...
I just ordered a new mainsail based on my measurements, because the boat was in Mexico. I got the new main and laid it down under the old main. It was 1 foot longer. I just about died. I thought I had screwed up royally and here I was one week away from heading to Mexico with this sail. I got to thinking about though and realized as Mark said that my 23 year old main had shrunk because of the luff rope. In fact the new main fit perfectly.
I just ordered a new mainsail based on my measurements, because the boat was in Mexico. I got the new main and laid it down under the old main. It was 1 foot longer. I just about died. I thought I had screwed up royally and here I was one week away from heading to Mexico with this sail. I got to thinking about though and realized as Mark said that my 23 year old main had shrunk because of the luff rope. In fact the new main fit perfectly.
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Justin
Trevor?
Just a thought. You mentioned your gooseneck is welded so you don't have a downhaul. That's strange. The two are not "symbiotic". You can have a downhaul/cunningham and keep the boom in the same place. Most mainsails have a grommet about 1 foot above the tack. You insert a hook with some purchase and can crank on it to your desire. You end with a bit of loose material between the downhaul grommmet and the tack, but this is irrelevant to the overall sailshape. Take a look at an America's Cup boat going upwind and you'll see this setup very clearly, because with such a tall rig they have a lot of material between the grommet and the tack. This is common. Most boats have a fixed gooseneck. If your sail doesn't have a grommet a sailmaker can do it for you for about $25.
Just a thought. You mentioned your gooseneck is welded so you don't have a downhaul. That's strange. The two are not "symbiotic". You can have a downhaul/cunningham and keep the boom in the same place. Most mainsails have a grommet about 1 foot above the tack. You insert a hook with some purchase and can crank on it to your desire. You end with a bit of loose material between the downhaul grommmet and the tack, but this is irrelevant to the overall sailshape. Take a look at an America's Cup boat going upwind and you'll see this setup very clearly, because with such a tall rig they have a lot of material between the grommet and the tack. This is common. Most boats have a fixed gooseneck. If your sail doesn't have a grommet a sailmaker can do it for you for about $25.
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Trevor
Justin, you're right
I do have the cunningham grommet you mentioned, and use a hook with a small line attached to a cleat on the mast for tension. My Islander had a downhaul to pull the gooseneck down on a track in addition to the cunningham. Now that you pointed it out, I see that this serves the same purpose. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. T
I do have the cunningham grommet you mentioned, and use a hook with a small line attached to a cleat on the mast for tension. My Islander had a downhaul to pull the gooseneck down on a track in addition to the cunningham. Now that you pointed it out, I see that this serves the same purpose. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. T
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Gordon Brown
Original Cat 36 Sails
Dean, Most Catalina Sailmaker sails were/are made in Hong Kong out of inexpensive sailcloth and relatively poor design. They come with the boats because they are cheap. We have extensive experience building aftermarket Catalina sails and would be happy to evaluate/recut or quote you new sails. Call us or send them so us. Gordon Brown Haarstick Sailmakers, Inc. 1461 Hudson Ave Rochester, NY 14621 800-342-5033 www.haarsticksailamkers.com gbrown@haarsticksailmakers.com
Dean, Most Catalina Sailmaker sails were/are made in Hong Kong out of inexpensive sailcloth and relatively poor design. They come with the boats because they are cheap. We have extensive experience building aftermarket Catalina sails and would be happy to evaluate/recut or quote you new sails. Call us or send them so us. Gordon Brown Haarstick Sailmakers, Inc. 1461 Hudson Ave Rochester, NY 14621 800-342-5033 www.haarsticksailamkers.com gbrown@haarsticksailmakers.com
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