Upwind Sailing Angles

[Scott Narum]

I've had my Catalina 18 for about a month, and I like it pretty well. However, it seems to have a very wide upwind sailing angle (100 to 120 degrees). I thought most boats can do about 90 degrees. I've tried as many sail adjustments as I can. Does bending the mast backward with the backstay help with this?Thanks,Scott

 

[mg]

should do better

yes i put some bend it the mast to flaten the main. it will give much better shape. put the bend in with the upper shrouds . as you tighten them the backswept spreaders will force the mast forward , the uppers should be tighter than the lowers (which will bring the middle of the mast aft when tightened.)i had track on the cabin top and a standard 100% headsail. i tended to leave the cars pretty much forward as the top of the sail tended to fall off a bit. i didnt do much wiht the backstay as i kept the rig moderately tight and i makes me nervous really cranking down on the last few feet of mast which was not all that heavy anyway. i assume that the jib comes in tight enough and you are backwinding the main when trying to point. if you are using outboard sheeting then you not going to point well on this boat. if this doesnt help give more info and we'll see if we can sort it out.