Tall Rig or Standard

Nov 10, 2012
62
Catalina 36 mkII Havre de Grace, Maryland
Silly question I suppose... I just purchased a new to me 2003 Catalina 36 mkII. How do I tell (without measuring) if I have the Tall Rig or Standard Rig? Is it coded in the hull ID#? The manual, of course has specs for both versions.
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
Congratulations on your new sailboat!!

Interesting question..........tall vs. conventional will not be coded in the HIN so few options to verify:
Let us know what you determined and how you did it.

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Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,004
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Congratulations on your new sailboat!!

Interesting question..........a few options to verify:..........etc.
He wants to know how to answer the question without measuring. A tall rig by definition would have a taller mast.
 
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Oct 22, 2014
21,084
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Congrats to you Ed. A great boat.

You can run a tape up the mast and measure the mast height. A safe proposition.

Or you can try running the boat beneath a bridge with 45.75 ft of clearance. The talk rig will scrape the bottom of the bridge. Or prune the top foot or so off the mast modifying it to a standard rigged Catalina 36 MKII.

Here are the specs. https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/catalina-36-mk-ii
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
.............How do I tell (without measuring) if I have the Tall Rig or Standard Rig?.......
Fast and easy ...........take a photo of your sailboat mast from a distance then scale its height from the deck to the top vs. a known length in the same photo. Then compare it to the tall vs. standard rig "I" spec for each.
 
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Oct 22, 2014
21,084
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
So many options for "Measurephobia" challenged owners.

The use of Geometry to identify a height plays into the prophesy of HS Math teachers... "You will need this some day!"

Lets hope that @EdWard3 has found at least one solution that will serve his needs. I am in favor of the "Bridge Contact" method. Kind of the way my cat decides to wander into a space. If the whiskers touch the hips cannot follow.
Not every method is without risks... Just have someone film the event. It might spice up our winter days.
 
Jan 18, 2016
782
Catalina 387 Dana Point
Congrats on the boat! I've always liked the C-36.

A few more not very useful suggestions:

1. Rig a cue ball onto a halyard in such a way as it can be released quickly and freely.
2. Hoist the ball to the top of the mast
3. Drop the ball and accurately measure the time it takes to impact the deck

h = 1/2gt2 - where t is the measured time and little g is 9.8 m/s2 (how much the earth sucks)

--- OR ---

Walk around your marina until you find another C36. Ask them if it's a tall rig. Enjoy the chat and maybe a few beverages. Park next to them and compare.

--- OR ---

Accurately measure the angle between the forestay and horizontal. Lets call that ø.
You know the J measurement of the boat, it's 4.37 m for both the standard and tall rigs.
I/J = tan(ø)
Therefore I = 4.37 * tan(ø)
 
Oct 26, 2021
4
Catalina 36 mkii Havre de Grace, Maryland
So many options for "Measurephobia" challenged owners.

The use of Geometry to identify a height plays into the prophesy of HS Math teachers... "You will need this some day!"

Lets hope that @EdWard3 has found at least one solution that will serve his needs. I am in favor of the "Bridge Contact" method. Kind of the way my cat decides to wander into a space. If the whiskers touch the hips cannot follow.
Not every method is without risks... Just have someone film the event. It might spice up our winter days.
I certainly have !!!! Thanks for all your help. Stay tuned for more ridiculous questions in the future! -Ed
 
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Aug 19, 2021
495
Hunter 280 White House Cove Marina
Go to Lowes and buy a BLAZE 135-ft Outdoor Laser Distance Measurer with Backlit Display. I consider the one in my tool box priceless.
 
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