Hi folks. New here. Recently purchased a 2001 Catalina 34, my first boat. Still sorting her out before the start of sailing season here on the San Francisco Bay. I have a question about the jib car tracks.
With my 120 genoa on, the tracks are not long enough to get the cars forward enough to get any tension on the leech to reduce twist. If I put on a jib (thinking of getting a 95%) it seems I'd be able to get even less tension on the leech. So, I was thinking of extending the tracks up to the shrouds. Wondering if any of you folks have done this, or thoughts in general.
Thanks,
Steve
Steve,
Welcome. Hope you enjoy your new to you boat as much as I enjoy Shamrock, also a 2001 hull 1570. My thought is that the sail wasn't made for your boat. Be that as may, if you can hoist the sail higher a pendant can be added to the sail tack to raise the sail. Then the leach would have more tension. As a bonus you can see under the sail better. You can make a prototype/temporary one with a piece of rope and a couple of bowlines. Once the length is determined a proper one with thimbles and splices can be made.
May I suggest you add boat information to your signature. See what others have done. It helps to get more specific answers.
Jim
By chance, are you using the tracks on the outboard edge on the hull deck joint? The boat is set up to use the inboard tracks on the side decks for the head sail. I have never had a problem adjusting them to get a good lead to the clew.
As Jim says, there is a possibility the sail you have there may not be cut for the C34 and thus be a bit out of whack for the boat's hardware.
Thanks for your responses, Jim and Alex. And thanks too Jim for the tip about the signature.
Interesting thought about the sail not being cut for the boat. However, I think the problem is more "operator error". Boom, mast, and sails were all new in 2021. Previous owner kinked the mast somehow and had insurance replace the rig and sails. Lucky me! Seldon double spreader rig with Quantum sails.
I was out yesterday and took a closer look at the jib and cars. Using a line from the sheet, through the clew to mid luff as a start point, I have more space to go in either direction with the cars than I realized. I've only sailed her a couple of times, and think that I just hadn't analyzed it closely enough.
Thanks for your welcome to the board. I'm sure I'll have lots of newbie questions. She sure is a delight to sail!!!!!
A double-spreader rig. That (I believe) is unusual for a C34. Is it the same height as the original mast?
Yes, I believe the double spreader rig is unusual. I don't know for certain that the height is the same as original. The previous owner told me that he had the new sail cut to the original sail's dimensions, and the luff fits perfectly. So based on that, I'm assuming it's close to the same height.
Apparently the double spreader mast has thinner walls and therefore is not as heavy. Consequently, less heeling moment from the weight of the mast. The previous owner did a lot of racing.
Cool on the double spreader rig! I've seen a photp or two of that boat (unless there is more than 1). It's pretty cool to see.
QuoteI don't know for certain that the height is the same as original.
If it were mine I'd spend an hour or two with a 50 foot tape measure to check and document all the dimensions. Tall and standard were original. Don't know what I'd do with the info except document it, but at least I'd know.
Jim
Quote from: Stefanojo on February 11, 2025, 11:34:08 AM...
Using a line from the sheet, through the clew to mid luff as a start point, I have more space to go in either direction with the cars than I realized. I've only sailed her a couple of times, and think that I just hadn't analyzed it closely enough
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Welcome, Steve. I sailed my boat on SF bay for 18 years, great place to be.
What you should also do is to measure through the clew to a point perpendicular to the luff. While this is also called the LP for Luff Perpendicular and is used to determine the "size" of the jib, that's where the "line" for the sheet should for run "for starters," and not mid-luff - that's way too high a point. Then the block position gets adjusted in small amounts for wind strength and sail shape.
I ran both a 110 and an 85 jib on my boat. Both were Quantum sails which were a high quality loft in the Bay Area and used by many skippers because it was "normal" for third party sails back before Catalina supplied sails improved their OEM quality. this was more applicable for older late-80s boats, but racers often continued to do so.
There was an active and highly competitive racing fleet, Fleet 1, on The Bay and I enjoyed many years of being part of the fun bunch. There is a section of this forum that has race results and maybe some other info. A search on "SF Cup" may find it. COVID took a swipe on Fleet activities. Don't know current status. Max headsail for racing was 130 for the C34 one-design fleet. We had so many race boats that we has our own class in winter PHRF races, too.
That said, as long as the leech fits, your PO being a racer, Quantum sails, all these facts lead me to believe your jib is just fine.
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What you should also do is to measure through the clew to a point perpendicular to the luff.
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Good stuff, Stu. Thank you. I always used the clew to mid luff line as my start point. Looking forward to checking out how the "luff perpendicular" differs
Using the LP means that both sides of the sail "triangle" will be "pulled" evenly. Just look at the diagram again. If you use the mid-luff point, the long side of the triangle (leech) will have different tension on it than the short (foot) side, won't it?
Another way to look at this: it's like moving the jib fairlead car if you change the point from LP to mid-luff.