We recently purchased a 1995 Catalina 320. We so far love the boat and everything seems to work just fine, except for the second reef in the main sail. Since single-line reefing systems are new to us, we missed the fact during the demo sail that the reefing line for the second reef seems to be stuck. When the moving block in the boom is towards the tail-end of the boom, the line that pulls down the head of the sail seems to move through the block in the boom ok. But when I pull the line tight and the block moves forward towards the mast-end of the boom, at some point, probably when it reaches the front-most position in the boom, the reefing-line blocks and I cannot pull the reef fully down onto the boom. It seems to me that the block somehow is twisted inside the boom. There does not seem to be an easy way to open up the boom and inspect the block inside. Everything is closed with rivets. I was wondering if anybody else has experienced this problem and if so, how did you go about to fix it? Or perhaps I am missing something or doing something wrong? I have not contacted Catalina yet, but figured I'd post here first to tap into the experience of other owners. Thanks for any suggestions! Regards, Koen
stuck second reef
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Reefing points
Ellen, I suggestyou go to www.catalina320.org. I believe there are photos and instructions to remedy your problem. It's frequently discussed on the 320 site at Sailnet. Good luck!
Ellen, I suggestyou go to www.catalina320.org. I believe there are photos and instructions to remedy your problem. It's frequently discussed on the 320 site at Sailnet. Good luck!
Re: Reefing points
Hank, thanks for your reply. I did a search on C320.org before posting here, but to no avail. If you believe there are photos that can help us, I would love to see that! Can you post a link? I did read the technical article about the single-line reefing modification on the C380 that could also be applied to the C320. Perhaps I will try to go that way. Still, I am not sure what to do with the shuttle block inside the boom, since I cannot seem to open-up the boom without drilling out rivets...Perhaps I do need to talk to Catalina and find out what their suggestion is. It seems that later C320 models don't have the shuttle block in the boom anymore, so it must have caused problems. Thanks for your help! -Koen
Hank, thanks for your reply. I did a search on C320.org before posting here, but to no avail. If you believe there are photos that can help us, I would love to see that! Can you post a link? I did read the technical article about the single-line reefing modification on the C380 that could also be applied to the C320. Perhaps I will try to go that way. Still, I am not sure what to do with the shuttle block inside the boom, since I cannot seem to open-up the boom without drilling out rivets...Perhaps I do need to talk to Catalina and find out what their suggestion is. It seems that later C320 models don't have the shuttle block in the boom anymore, so it must have caused problems. Thanks for your help! -Koen
Reefing Points
Koen, on the Catalina 320 website you'll find Photo Gallery under Site Features (left side of screen). Under the Sub-Albums (right side of screen) you'll see Reefing Line. It shows you how to modify your reefing system. Good luck! Hank
Koen, on the Catalina 320 website you'll find Photo Gallery under Site Features (left side of screen). Under the Sub-Albums (right side of screen) you'll see Reefing Line. It shows you how to modify your reefing system. Good luck! Hank
Re: Reefing Points
Hank, thanks for the reply! I did find those pictures and I know we have the first alternative posted (with moving block inside the boom). The thing is, I understand the system we have, but it seems to be stuck. I was hoping that I was just doing something wrong, but I do not think that's the case... I guess there is no way of telling what's going on without opening up the boom. Which is a pain, since the end is riveted instead of screwed. Anyway, once I get some quiet weather downhere (it has been blowing 25+ mph winds since we bought the boat), I'll try to drill/pop out the rivets. Thanks, for your help! -Koen
Hank, thanks for the reply! I did find those pictures and I know we have the first alternative posted (with moving block inside the boom). The thing is, I understand the system we have, but it seems to be stuck. I was hoping that I was just doing something wrong, but I do not think that's the case... I guess there is no way of telling what's going on without opening up the boom. Which is a pain, since the end is riveted instead of screwed. Anyway, once I get some quiet weather downhere (it has been blowing 25+ mph winds since we bought the boat), I'll try to drill/pop out the rivets. Thanks, for your help! -Koen
J
JOHN
Check for new hardware on the boom?
The pervious owner of my last boat added lazy jacks and a couple of other eyelits. He used SS self-taping screws without trimming off the sharp tips. I took off the tips and sothen the edges at the end only and everthing worked fine after that.
The pervious owner of my last boat added lazy jacks and a couple of other eyelits. He used SS self-taping screws without trimming off the sharp tips. I took off the tips and sothen the edges at the end only and everthing worked fine after that.
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