Tall or short rig choice for 28MK2

[Rob Anderson]

Looking at a Catalina 28MK 2 1997 broker boat..... short(standard) rig / wing keel for sailing Chesapeake bay .......would the standard rig be something I would regret IE is it more for west coast heavier winds ???Anyone out there with a 28 standard rig that can commment on the performance in lighter airs .......I have read some discourse on this regarding the 30 but the 28 might have different sailing characteristics.

 

[Michael McCann]

Tall vs. Standard

Rob;The tall rig sails better in light air, which means you will probably have steerage when others do not. If the wind in your area is typically 5-12 knots you would be happier with the tallmast. You might find that you reef sooner, however that is a personal choice, but generally boats of a same size reef about the same time. The tall rig will not sail faster than the standard, however it will be quicker, and therefor faster when tacking, and gybing (if sailed properly, its not automatic). If I had a choice I would choose the tall.

 

[Bob H]

Cat 28 Tall or Standard

I agree with Michael, Rob. I have a 96 cat 28 tall rig. My philosophy was when chosing the tall was that I could always reef if needed, but it's pretty tough to hoist more sail. I have a 150 Genoa and we sail in winds from 5 to 30. Many times on the higher end. We love the 28 and the tall rig.

 

[George B.]

C28 Tall Rig

I owned a C28 tall rig and std keel on San Francisco Bay. In light airs we were pretty invincible (every body else owns std rigs out here!). Unfortunately, the winds tend to blow considerably higher here, a distinct disadvantage for a tall rig. I would go to my 1st reef at 15 kts in a freshening breeze and be in the 2nd at 20 kts. I did not like to use my #2 jib above consistent 15kts winds as I never could put on enough backstay adjustment for the boat to point properly. You can also cheat a little bit in the reefing department by letting out large amounts of traveller. The main is so large that you are still getting plenty of drive even when the luff is collapsing in those conditions. Catalina redesigned the rigging around hull number 100 in order to stiffen the rig. My older boat's rigging was somewhat tender and I would have to reef at the first signs of mast bending/pumping. The 2nd reef would cost me about a knot of boat speed. Oddly enough, my biggest problem in these conditions was not having enough mass to power through the chop without loosing boat speed. I would vote for the tall rig if you can find one. (Chesapeake's average summer wind speeds are in the teens?) On a standard rig out there, I'd consider buying a #1 or #2 with a really low foot in order to compensate for lack of mast height. Either way, you're getting into a great boat. We had a blast. The cockpit is small enough that single handing is a dream, yet they pack all the features of a C30 into the cabin. Spinnakers are also easily managed in moderate winds by a shorthanded crew. One of the 28's out here even raced to Honolulu in the Pacific Cup a few years back.