Custom Rigging

[Rick Johnson]

I saw this Catalina 34 on Yacht World and noticed it has two sets of spreaders.  The ad lists it as a 1992.  Is this custom?  Can I ask some of the really smart people here why you would do this?

[foursailing]

Rick,

Can't answer for sure if this is custom, but I would guess it is.  The reason to add the extra spar is to give the mast extra strength / stability.  This is the way it was explained  to me – think of a radio tower supported by four cables -  the farther the cables are anchored away from the base of the tower the more stable (or harder to move) the top of the tower.  So, the greater the angle between the tower and the cables, the more stable the tower  (vectors and all that good stuff).  The extra spar creates a greater angle between the mast and rigging and therefore more stability.  Guess the tradeoff is more weight aloft. 

Hope this make sense.

Bill

[Jon Schneider]

The owner seems a bit overly fastidious when it comes to the rigging: also note the permanent mast steps, and look how high he's placed his radar... yikes!  Can't quite tell, but it doesn't seem like the mast is any taller than normal, but he certainly must've felt that he needed to stiffen up an already hardened mast by doubling up on the shrouds.  I hope he worked with a professional rigging architect and Catalina to redesign this geometry.  This must've been an effort to increase her blue-water readiness.  Perhaps the owl is meant to ward off the Sirens (ref: the Odyssey) in the owner's voyages.

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

I have seen a catalina 34 that was used extensibly for off shore use that had exter shrouds connected at the top and hung loosly connected to a chain plate, but never extra spreaders.

Mike

[ohana34]

Looks like a remasting to me, Catalina is now using Seldon as there mast supplier and most of the 30 sized boats are now double spreader rigs, except the 34 and 36.
Jim

[steven.burke1]

Rick,
I bought Aurora in March of "05. She was rigged already this way. The original owner wanted to beef her up for serious cruising but never made it that far. She sails great and I've had her in gale force winds in the Gulf of Mexicao with no problem whatsoever. I liked the look of the rig, one of the reasons I bought her. I want to sail away someday, like everyone else!
Steve
"Aurora"
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