Quick Release Lever C-22

[Woreign]

I'm looking at adding a quick release lever to the forestay of my Siren 17. The Johnson brand levers would require that I modify the rigging, but I noticed that the Catalina lever replaces the conventional turnbuckle and threads onto the end of the forestay:

Quick Release Lever CP-16, C-22 Rigging

Catalina Direct, publishers of the Catalina 22 and Catalina 25 Owner's Handbooks and the largest supplier of parts and Lewmar winches for Catalina Yachts in the country

www.catalinadirect.com

My questions for you Catalina owners are:

- What is the overall length of the lever?
- What is the thread diameter/pitch where it attaches to the forestay?

I'm hoping it is the right size to replace my existing turnbuckle which is 7.25" long with 1/4" threads.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Joe]

If you're just looking to speed up detaching the forestay I would suggest substituting a "fast pin" for the clevis pin at the base of the turnbuckle. Less than $10. If you're keen to spend $85-90 on the Cat 22 forestay quick release adjuster...(the one in the CatalinaDirect website) …. it's for 1/4 threads... and I have no idea what the forestay on your boat is.

BTW... there are other quick release products out there... Ronstan makes them for instance. They will always post the adjustment range in the spec section... If you can handle losing couple inches on your forestay... it's cheaper to get a simple pinhole adjuster, like the Johnson products, and take the wire into a rig shop... or even west marine and swage or crimp on an eye.. Heck for your 17 footer you could replace the forestay and get a Johnson adjuster for less than the Catalina adjuster.

 

[Woreign]

Thanks for the suggestions! It would be pretty easy to just replace the entire forestay.

My boat came with several of the pins you show above, but I found them to be quite tricky to insert into the base turnbuckle. Having to tension the forestay and fiddle with the stop at the end of the pin at the same time was a chore. For me, the regular clevis pin is much easier.

 

[Kingjim91]

I used the CD lever when I had a C-22. It can be adjusted to fit your existing forestay.
It gives you some slack when you step the mast, but the beauty of it is that you set the forestay tension once, and then the lever snaps it back to the same tension every time.

 

[Joe]

Thanks for the suggestions! It would be pretty easy to just replace the entire forestay.

My boat came with several of the pins you show above, but I found them to be quite tricky to insert into the base turnbuckle. Having to tension the forestay and fiddle with the stop at the end of the pin at the same time was a chore. For me, the regular clevis pin is much easier.

I don't really care for those particular pins, they're more for bimini frames... I should have posted pictures like those below.... I prefer the push button style, or the simpler fast pin with a small ball in the shaft. Here's a view of both... I use the fast pin on my Nacra for exactly that purpose, it couples a simple pin style adjuster that allows for rake adjustment. You can use the jib halyard to secure things if you're a little skittish... but there never is when you do this because the sails are not up. Anyway, you don't have to fiddle with it at all... you just push it in or pull it out... easy peasy.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I had the quick release lever and used PTO pins from Harbor Frieght. The lever is worth every penny. There are other manufacturers out there. I think mine was made by sterns

 

[Kingjim91]

I used the CD lever when I had a C-22. It can be adjusted to fit your existing forestay.
It gives you some slack when you step the mast, but the beauty of it is that you set the forestay tension once, and then the lever snaps it back to the same tension every time.

Now that I think about it, I installed the lever on the backstay, because of the threaded forestay.
Same results.