Setup for crusing spinnaker

[Ron S]

I'm planning on setting up for a cruising spinnaker over the winter.  Any recommendations on which block to use at the mast head? Also, how do you route the spinnaker sheets?  I have a new C-34 with the foot blocks aft of the winches, but only room for one line. Since I just ordered the adjustable fairleads from Garhauer, I do have the stock ones to put on the outside track.

[Bill Sedgwick]

Ron,
I added a spinnaker block at the top of the mast which is forward of the forestay. This required adding a spinnaker crane (bail) to attach the block. However, Roger on Blue Goose flies his gennaker from his spare jib halyard. My solution may have the advantage of a longer luff but his is certainly easier to jibe since the tack does not need to go around the forestay. He can tack and jibe just like it were a jib. For cruising, this is definitely the easier handling solution.

Roger also has a pair of standup swivel blocks on his outside track which seem to be the ideal sheet block solution.

The tack has been the most difficult part IMHO. I run a line under the bow roller straight back to the secondary winch on the port side with a padeye on the cabin top to keep it from interferring with the forward hatch. This works OK but often jumps off the roller. An adjustable tack is needed for best performance. When running deep, a long tack line (tack about 6' high) will allow the luff of spinnaker to actually move to the weather side. (As Roger tacks inside the forestay, I don't believe he can run as deep.) A short tack line will allow the gennaker to point rather well to weather and stablizes the sail in rough seas. The Catalina 36, Everfit, has the best setup for the tack I've seen. They have a block and tackle between a padeye on the foredeck and the tack line. The line is led back to a port side clutch. I'm going to work up a similar rig for my boat. If you're interested, I'll post a sketch.

Bill

[jrupinsk]

Garhauer makes a turning block with a stopper that fits under the existing turning block.

[Ray Irivne]

Ron:

I have just finished my second season with a cruising spinnaker on my Catalina 34 Mk II. I would recommend using a spinnaker sock to launch and recover the sail - ATN makes a good version.

I had good success with the addition of a crane and block at the top of the mast and using blocks on the very aft end of outside track as return blocks for the sheets. The crane needs to be long enough so that when the halyard to tied off to the pulpit, it does not become entangled with in the jib as the jib is furled and unfurled - if it does you end up with a mess.

I have had less success with a good tack solution. I have yet to arrive at a good idea to keep the tack line and blocks for getting tangles either with the anchor and / or the roller furling drum.   I have found that a 2:1 between the bow and the tack of the sail to be very useful as the tack can be adjust without the use of a winch in wind less than 15 knots.

Ron, keep at it as you will have a lot of fun and a good deal of excitements - especially once the wind get to 15+ knotst

[msenko]

Ray mentions ATN as the maker of a good sock for the sail. I concur, though my experience has led me to the use of two others, one was made by North, which was pretty good, the other was not so good. I understand that ATN is quite good and probably better than the North version. Many of the BOC single handers used ATN if I am not mistaken.

Also, ATN makes a tack device that slips around the headstay or roller furled sail. I have used it on larger boats and it works great. It is easy to set the draft of the sail. There is still the problem of running the tack line back to the cockpit.

I would caution against the use of the spare Genoa halyard. The shieve arrangement was not designed for a somewhat free flying sail. I suspect the previous owner of my previous boat had done that and destroyed the shieve by breaking the sides of it. The very best way is to mount a block on a bail at the masthead so that the head of the sail is outside of the forestay and allowed to move around at will.

Would you be running an external halyard or internal? Mine have always been external. I don't know what the Catalina recommendation is for running the internal halyard with a halyard block on the bail. I know there is an entrance box on the mast, but my initial thought is the box would cause chafe and I have never tried it. Perhaps someone else has.

Mike

[skip]

I set up as follows but did serveral modifications to running tackle:

Routed halyard internal using extra entrance and exit on the mast through double over double deck organizer to one clutch of a triple on the port side (see note A below).  On masthead added a extra block to the bail.  This arrangement allowed me to preserve second jib/genoa haylard for ATN Gale sail and allowed head to be higher and outside roller furling unit.

Use snap shackle block on bow roller bail (removing to a position further aft when not in use) routing tack to fairlead on port side in line with companionway hatch sides.  Tack then is routed to extra single clutch that I mounted on teak companionway moulding close to triple clutches.   This placed both tack downhaul and halyard in place for using secondary winch.  I use the ATN tacker to improve performance and keep the tack under control.

Sheets are led to stand-up blocks that are slid onto outside track as far aft as possible and then led back to primary winches.   I do not have the turning blocks on my genoa sheets so I mounted cam cleats on the outside portion of the cockpit wall to secure genoa sheets when I clear the winches for flying the chute.  I have the wide genoa sheet blocks on my track allowing me to rig out extra sheets for the gale sail leaving the genoa sheets in place.

Note A - Port side double over double organizer has two jib halyards, spinaker halyard and rigid boom vang which was led to extra spinlock powercleat placed on companionway hatch moulding.   I also put double over double on starboard side and routed main halyard and cunningham to double clutch on starboard , outhaul to extra spinlock powercleat on companionway hatch moulding, and mainsheet.
My traveler lines are also rerouted forward then through turning blocks and back along companionway hatch moulding to spinlock powercleats.     I've got everything except reefing lines back in the cockpit area but I'm running out of colors and labels to keep newcomers from hoisting the kitchen sink!!!!

-Skip

[skip]

Sorry -
Forgot to mention I use the ATN sock.

[sailinsfb]

Check out the November tech notes.
I will sell you the custom pad eyes for your snatch blocks and the bow sprit that should work on your 2000-2001 Cat 34.
I sold my boat and kept the hardware.
Contact me at keeper6@pacbell.net