gippygirl Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Hi, I am a fairly new to cat sailing (been sailing for two years on and off in a TS). My MK1 (I think, could be a II) is cat rigged, with two forestays from the mast - one to each bow. What is the best way to change to a sloop rig please? Only because I like sailing off the jib's telltales and feel like I am doing/learning more if I have two sails...or have I missed the point of cat sailing entirely?! :o : Thanks in advance for any comments! Mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just One More Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 No Mel you haven't missed anything. Cats are great in either configuration. To change to a sloop configuration with a windy you need to remove the two front stays and replace them with a single stay and a bridle. The bridle is 2 short stays about a metre long and attach to the front of the hull. Where they join together is the take off point for the single stay. Depending on the jib you have, either a older style cut or the new mylar cut will determine how the jib connects. The older style cut has the wire sewn into the jib the mylar style attaches with plastic hanks and a zipper to close the sail around the wire. Where about you sailing racing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darcy1945 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Mel, Sloop rigged, the windy can be a handfull in anything over 12/15 kts, your experience and weight are main factors in deciding to increase sail area. Can you comfortably recover from a capsize cat rigged ? if not, don't fit the jib yet and when you do, fit traps as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Planet Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Hey Mel, Darcy is right - increased sail area needs increased leverage... however, there is an intermediate solution... the older style dacron jib can be ordered with a furler - allowing you to instantly reduce sail area if the wind gets too strong... so then you have the best of both worlds... Of course the dacron jib isn't quite as high performance as the mylar version - but it's still a blast nevertheless... You can order the complete kit through me (Lift King) if you want - assuming you're in NSW? Rohan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gippygirl Posted July 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Thanks everyone for your input. I sail on the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria. Some really good feedback here. I hadn't considered that I may not be able to handle the increased power. In fact, I have never capsized (and don't have a recovery line set up), so I had better practise all that before I change the rig!:o:o Thanks heaps. Mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knobblyoldjimbo Posted August 7, 2011 Report Share Posted August 7, 2011 If its sailing to telltales you want then put them on the main. All racing mains have them and some have pretty little windows so you can see the leeward one easily. Agree though, you do need to have them. Easily fixed by some video tape and I use sail repair tape cut into triangles (cut a square piece then cut in half). The extra one I put on over a season ago is still working. I did this because when it's wet the normal ones stick to the sail. On the video tape I put a knot just after it's stuck down, this way the wind gets behind the knot and the telltale works. You could/should also have leech telltales. one of the gun windy sailers at Manno has several, mine has one about 20% of the way down from the top. This allows you to make sure there's flow over the sail when off the wind plus allows you to manage the leech tension on the wind. Frank Bethwaite says that upwind the leech telltale should 'pop' from streaming out behind to poping back behind the sail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.