Tilted Rig

[Russell]

I have recently purchased a 1984 Catalina 25 that has a tweaked rig. It is to port about 4 deg. It appears the deck fitting at the foot of the mast has sunken into the deck a little bit on that side. The rigging was too tight on both sides when I checked it. Has anyone else seen this? I'm planning a haul out soon and could use some tips on this repair. Thanks.

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners]

Ouch!

Without seeing it, sounds like you have some deck compression going on there. Yuck! Basically what that means is water leaked through to the deck coring rotted it and now there's not enough support to hold the mast upright. When you haul, you'll obviously unstep the mast. I would suggest talking with the yard about recoring your deck there though it will not be cheap. If you're at all handy, you can do it yourself. Get a few good boat repair books that talk about this problem and follow their lead. Sorry!LaDonna

 

[Rob Rich]

Compression

If it is not too severe, I understand that compression is more a cosmetic problem than a structural one, since the mast stands over a support post. I have read that once the mast is down, you can use a "hook", which is like an icepick with a barb at the end. This can be inserted into the top layer of the hull. You then need to pull the layer away from the core, and fill the void with glass or epoxy, can't remember which.I'm making it sound easier than it is, but I understand it can be done in a day or two. Of your entire coach roof is rotted - well, like LaDonna says, you have a bigger problem. Before you dive into recoring,though, I would see if the first method works.Let us know what you find out, and sorry to hear of your problem.Best Regards, Rob

 

[Mike Turner]

Call Catalina

Rob's described the basic repair -- it's filled with epoxy. Catalina has a really good repair guide for this fix for the C30, so I assume they also have one for the C25 or you can use the C30 one as the step is bascially the same. I haven't had mine done yet but another C30 in my marina did and they were out of the water about a week total -- I saw the repair before the mast was re-stepped and it had cured the problem. According to Practical Sailor this is a common problem on Catalinas -- so long as there are no cracks in the deck or in the overhead liner you should be bascially OK, but if the core has become wet/soft then it's ultimately a problem.Mike TurnerS/V Amity