SAILGATE

[HERSH]

Has anybody purchased and installed a Catalina sailgate on their boat. Any photographs of the installation?
Any Home-make sailgates?

Right now because my main is still new I remove from the mast and roll it up and tie to the boom. But in a few years I will start flaking it.

Hershey

 

[shnool]

http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum ... =mast+gate

The catalina 25 folks like them.

 

[Mattw79]

I have one, but most likely won't put it back on next season. You need to cut it to fit which isn't a big deal with a dremel, but you need to protect the cut edges or it will rust like mine did. To make it easier installing the mast gates, I end up putting a sail track stop in just above the gate to hold them up while I put the screws in. This year I left the stop in place and found that the sail flakes nicely with the slugs stacking on top of the sail track stop. So the gate is basically doing nothing for me right now. Since I rig the boat on the water, I know I'm going to lose one of those four screws that keep it in place sooner or later. I'm going up this weekend for the last sail of the season and to take her home. I'll take a few pictures.

 

[Curt]

Did a quick google search for Capri 22 mast gate and found a couple of finished mast gate photos.


http://home.comcast.net/~d.batch/projects.htm

This is something I was considering to avoid futzing around with the sail stops every time I want to reef the main. It is not a big deal dockside but on the water in the weather it seems like a three handed job juggling the slugs and the stops and the sail.

 

[Rightbrainer]

I am able to locate a stop above the slot window in a way that lets me get the reefing tacks onto the rams horns without undoing anything. My boat has the old sliding goose neck, so maybe that's the difference. I thought about buying or making a gate so the sail flakes better, but never got around to it. I also think my main is a little short, so my boom is a little above the black line.

 

[jepomer]

I have both used and cursed the mast gate I got from Catalina Direct. It is made for the Catalina 22 and not the Capri 22 so the extensions need to be cut more than what the directions describe. Although it covers the slot more fully, the sail slugs catch each time they pass the slot. That means I have not cut the extensions properly.

Originally, I would leave the lower slug out if I thought I would be reefing (which I did often with the old main sail). After replacing the mainsail, I seldom reef so the mast gate is less critical.

 

[HERSH]

Thanks for the various points of views. Since my sail is still stiff, I will continue to take it off and roll it.

One last race Sunday, then I take my boat out sometime next week.

Hershey

 

[BillL Capri 22]

I just use a "main sail stop" or "track stop" ... basically a sail slug with a treaded knob so it can be tightend into place. I place it above the wide spot in the mast slot. The slugs can't drop all the way to the boom, but it's cheap and really easy to install and remove.

http://www.apsltd.com/c-962-othersparmanufacturersparts.aspx

or here too...

http://www.riggingandhardware.com/c-1365-track-stops.aspx

 

[Kunzig]

I also have a stop just above the slot. I have never needed to move it. I double and single reefed this summer and didn't have any issues. Someone may have wanted a better looking set to the sail, but I was happy with it. My C16.5 had a gate but the slide would find there way out so I created a stop of my own. It wasn't until I bought the CP22 that came with a real stop, and I've enjoyed using it since. I does make the boom sail cover a bit cozy over the sail at the head/top, but it works!
Rob

 

[Mattw79]

Here's a pic of the mast gate from Catalina Direct installed.

 

[Curt]

Hey Matt,

You stated you intalled a set but needed to cut then down to fit.

What did you have to cut?
Do you still use yours?

I will install some sort of mast gate this season, just not sure if they will be made or purchased. I sail a fair bit with a reef in the main and having to remove the sail stop is a hassle.

Thanks for your input,
Curt

 

[Mike Capri 22]

Mast gate made from aluminum angle purchased at Home Depot

 

[Curt]

Hey Mike,

Thanks for the close up. I actually have a section of aluminum angle in the basement as well the required drill and tap. That looks to be about an inch wide and 4.5 inches long and simple enough to make. I have plenty of time befor the snow melts in Buffalo.

Cheers.
Curt

 

[Mattw79]

Hi Curt, I didn't see your message until just now. Here's a picture I meant to post awhile ago showing the Catalina Direct Mast Gate (the kit came with the tap and drill bit). It comes oversizerd probably to fit several models, so you have to trim it down and sand it a little so it doesn't have any sharp edges. You can see it's rusting at the cut edges (the pic is after two seasons on freshwater). I frequently reef (and double reef) as well , as i'm still new to sailing and this last season was consistently windy on the lake. In the picture you can see a small sailstop holds down my gooseneck, and then I have another right below the mast gate for the sail slugs to stack up on. The 2nd sail stop is just there to make life easier when putting the main in and keeping the slugs from falling out before I install the gates. I leave it high so it doesn't interfere with the lowest slug. I have no problem attaching the main to the gooseneck hooks when reefing.

 

[NewportNewsMike]

Mattw79: Nice pictures of your sail gate installation. I also have a sail gate from Catalina Direct, but have not fitted and installed it yet.

What is the purpose of the "arm" (for lack of a better word) that is attached to a slide in the sail track and goes up to the boom at about a 45-degree angle?

Looks like it would keep the boom from rotating, and from being able to lift and drop as needed. Do you use it while sailing or it just an in-port thing?

 

[Mattw79]

What is the purpose of the "arm" (for lack of a better word) that is attached to a slide in the sail track and goes up to the boom at about a 45-degree angle?

Looks like it would keep the boom from rotating, and from being able to lift and drop as needed. Do you use it while sailing or it just an in-port thing?

That's an accessory for the Boom Kicker. The previous owner bought it and never got around to installing it, so I installed it last season without the bracket and it was constantly twisting the boom with out much tension from the boom kicker. I contacted Boom Kicker and they told me that will happen with booms that rotate at the gooseneck (is a rotating boom unique to The Capri?) and recommended this accessory. I too was concerned that it would keep the boom from moving up and down, so I don't clamp the bottom of the bracket in the sail track, I leave it loose. So the boom will easily move up and down. I have the boom kicker under enough tension that the boom will stay level supporting the weight of the main, I never used a topping lift, but I would think this arrangement is more convenient.

Just noticed I posted pictures on the first page of this thread awhile ago that show the boom kicker too. Last season the boom was always twisted about 20-30 degrees to one side depending on how much tension was on the main sheet.

 

[jepomer]

Matt,

Do you have any difficulty with the sail slides "catching" where the mast gate is?

Your installation looks cleaner than mine. I didn't have the mast down and in the driveway when I marked the mast gates for cutting/shaping. So although the gates are "close" to the fit needed, it is still not a close fit.

I would like to have something that fully fills the cut-away sail slot. The Mast Gate from Catalina Direct is made for the larger Catalina 22 slot. When I talked to the support person at Catalina Direct, he was surprised to learn that the Capri 22 slot is much shorter than the Catalina 22 slot.

 

[Mattw79]

Hi John, I'll have to take a ride over to see the Ranger soon.

I was able to cut the gates with the mast close by, so it's as tight a fit as it can be. That said, because the plate is surface mounted the slugs still have a little bump/ hiccup to overcome when raising the main. There's no issue when flaking the main since it's just gravity letting them fall into place. If you look at my picture again you'll see that I put a sail stop directly below the gate preventing the slugs from dropping any lower. The main still flakes neatly and fits within the cover, so I leave it like that. The slugs I installed are a retrofit screw on type that I added so I didn't want to risk tearing the main by putting vertical pressure on the slug.

 

[jepomer]

Matt,

Sounds like yours may slide smoother than mine but you still have some "catching". I use the sail stop trick also but we often start out with the reef in until the crew is comfortable. But with the new sails, it has not as necessary to start with the reef in. With the old sails, I would often leave the lower "reefed slugs" out of the track.

When it starts to warm up, come on over to see the fleet!

 

[Mattw79]

I'll have to see how your setup differs from mine. I reef frequently and there's no interference anywhere. That goes for both my second and first reef points. The slugs below the reef points just stack up on the sail stop like when the main is flaked. Does your gooseneck have the hooks for reefing? I remember you said that you switched to the fixed gooseneck.

I'll have to join you on another Wed night this spring. I'm thinking that my main may be stretched a bit, I have no idea how many seasons it's seen. I end up reefing a lot more often than I think I should have to. I always have the flattening reef and outhaul cranked, and it still seems to have too much draft in the main.