help with Catalina Direct

[Clay Greene]

My rule of thumb is to go to Garhauer first to see if they make it because they seem to know our boats very well (Mark Felgenhauer has a C36) and their equipment is both cheaper and bomb-proof.  My problem with CD is that they they have one technical service guy who you can only reach on limited days and times and you almost always get his voice mail.  Their customer service people seem to know little about their products.  But they do have a broader inventory than what they show on the website, so it is worth calling them if you need something and you can't find it online.  I will echo the comment about the Catalina parts department being difficult to deal with since they went to Florida.  That could be a real profit center if they put some resources behind it. 

[stevewitt1]

Awe crap Clay, now either my old-timers or just plain ignorance is showing; but who is Garhauer?

Steve

[Clay Greene]

Garhauer made a lot of the hardware used on the C34 - the traveler, the boom vang, the masthead sheaves, the deck organizer, all the mainsheet blocks, the fairlead cars, and most likely the halyard/sheet clutches (although mine came with Lewmar).  A great family-owned company. 

[stevewitt1]

Clay
Thanks for the info.  I want to inspec, repair or upgrade my masthead gear.  I know I'm getting older but man, raising that main is real work for me!  I've thought about installing a winch on the mast if I'm losing so much advantage carrying it to the cockpit.  I do have Battcars istalled and it sure comes down easy.

This getting old just isn't for the weak of heart!
Steve

visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com  and  www.warbirdsix.com

[Clay Greene]

I hear you. We installed the Strong system on our main but there just is a lot of resistance in all the turns the main halyard makes back to the cockpit. We've taken to "jumping" the main at the mast and the cockpit person takes up the slack. Much easier (no winch required) and it takes us about 30 seconds, including releasing the topping lift.

[stevewitt1]

Clay
One of the issues I had was last fall my furling genoa was twisted and someone had to get hoisted up the mast.  I swear it was impossible from the winch in the cockpit.  Now, I know I couldn't hoist my son-in-law up by hand but if he wouldn't have helped shimmy up I would have never got him up.  That's when I decided if it is still hard after new halyards and good masthead parts that I'd look at installing another winch on the mast for that purpose as long as it wouldn't interfere with the original halyard path.

Steve

[Clay Greene]

Or you could get a Mastclimber - no need to winch anyone up.  They climb up and down by themselves - easier on everyone involved.  We bought one and now everyone on our dock uses it.   A Mastclimber has to be cheaper and far easier than installing a winch on the mast.  Plus you'll always have free beer when anyone comes to borrow it - I think eventually it will pay for itself. 

[stevewitt1]

Clay

THANK YOU!!  That is sweet!!!!  It is at the top of my list!!!!  38years of boating and I keep finding out how uninformed I still am.


steve

[Ron Hill]

Guys : A bit of history. 

Catalina Direct started out as Small Craft Advisories Sailing Centers!! (their phone number matched!)
I first found that they had a parts list for a C34 (that Catalina dealers said didn't exist!!) I posted that 1995 parts list on our initial web site in the mid 1990s.

When I'd call the factory for something, I'd use the part # listed and the Catalina Parts Dept. wondered how I knew that!?!

The best price is still Catalina factory, but Catalina does have the small hard to get items.

A few thoughts
 

[Roland Gendreau]

Replaced my topping lift last year. I brought the wire cable to WM and had them make up a duplicate, but had them use wire twice the thickness.  I had replaced mine 5 years ago and the replacement was cracked and ready to break.

[Craig Illman]

After I added the Garhauer solid vang, I removed the topping lift and replaced it with a tag line, in case I wanted to run something through the masthead sheave in the future. I sold the boat three years later with the tag line still in place.

When at the dock, I just used the main halyard to support the boom at rest.

[Ron Hill]

Guess I never understood this "supporting the boom" when you have a ridged vang???

[Craig Illman]

Ah, I needed someplace to hook the main halyard so it wouldn't bang against anything & take any load off the internal spring. (Whether it needs it or not). 

[Ted Pounds]

I did the same thing for the same reasons...