Raising main sail

[chip barnes]

New catalina owner. I can not raise my main to the top of the mast head. When the main is fully raised should there be any space between the mast head and the top of the sail? My halyards are still the rope wire type.Also what is the proper height of the boom from the top of the cabin?Thankschip

 

[Bob Camarena]

Sounds OK

A few inches is OK, it's designed that way so you don't jam things up at the top. Plus, sails can stretch with age. The luff (front, vertical edge of the sail) should be tight, but not so tight that you're putting vertical wrinkles in the sail. There's a whole science to adjusting the luff for various wind strengths and points of sail, but you'll learn that as you get more experienced. I can't advise you on the boom height since I don't have a C-22, but I'm sure someone will.

 

[Steve Gregory]

Main Sail Height

It took me a few sails to start to understand. I believe I have standard Catalina sails (main and working jib) If yours is not, the following may not apply. With my boom down as far as it will go in the mast, as I haul up the main, the luff goes tight with the sail top being about 16" from the mast top. I let the downhaul (the line which pulls the boom DOWN on the mast) go free. Then I pull the sail AND BOOM up another 14" leaving the sail gently pulled to the top of the mast. Then I tighten the downhaul as conditions require. I guess this raises the boom higher to give you more room and give you better ability to adjust the downhaul. The disadvantage to my thinking is that it raises the center of wind effort, thereby heeling the boat over a slight bit more. But I am still learning too. If your downhaul is loose, and your boom slides easily in its track and yest you can't raise your sail fully, then your halyard probably needs to be inspected.

 

[Michael McCann]

Chip;There should be 3-6" of space between the head board (the rigid part at the top of the main with the hole for the halyard shackle) and the actual top of the hoist. As Steve points out, your boom should be adjustable up and down, and should have a line for pulling it down tight. The way Catalina supplied the mast/boom configuration allows for the boom to float, and becomes the cuningham (normally the sail would have a cringle (hole) near the boom end of the luff to attach a hook with a line to tighten the luff of the sail when sailing upwind in a breeze. I'm sorry if I made this sound too basic, but you said you were new.Mike