New Catalac owners / mast question

[Tropic Cat]

Here's the promised photo of the Catalac 8M Mast lowering Pole


http://catalpa.amberdell.com/mast_lowering_pole_1.jpg

I've now added it to the Mast Lowering Page at

The Catalac 8M 9M Mast Lowering Page

[Talbot]

Rick I am away from home for the next 6 weeks, but on return, remind me to scan some data for your website.

[rwhit323]

I also own a 9m catalac. Just to be safe during the lowering a connect a second sheet to the pole (same as main sheet described above, and run to second winch). This is a stopper that I have a second person pay out slowly, then cleat off, repeatedly just in case the mast starts to get away from me. It got away from me once and fell the last 6 feet to my arch. No damage but scared the crap out of me.

[Tropic Cat]

Originally Posted by Talbot

Rick I am away from home for the next 6 weeks, but on return, remind me to scan some data for your website.

Will comply

[Tropic Cat]

Originally Posted by rwhit323

It got away from me once and fell the last 6 feet to my arch. No damage but scared the crap out of me.

I'd love to see a photo of the arch!!

[rwhit323]

Here is an older picture of the boat with the arch.

[rwhit323]

Here is picture of mast resting on arch.

[syoung33]

Thanks for all the help guys. My only concern now is that in-mast furling has been added to Sea Spirits and I'm wondering if the tabernacle has been modified - it looks like its been cut away at the back - will this affect mast lowering?

[syoung33]

heres a photo of the tabernacle

http://www.cruisersforum.com/gallery...p?i=4510&c=501

[Talbot]

That tabernacle has had radical surgery to allow the fit of the reef gear. I looked at a similar model and thought it removed too much metal, so fitted the Easy Reef system. I needed a similar cut out, but not so extreme. I was very concerned by the impact of even this surgery, so had my tabernacle further modified. I added lugs about 1" long by 0.25" thick from just below the pivot on each side all the way to the bottom plate. I then removed the lug on the back of the plate that normally has the kicker. I fitted a canted U bolt horizontally as low as possible at the back of the tabernacle well below the old kicker connector (this gave more space for the blocks for the reefing lines), and finally I drilled through on the back plate so that a bolt pushed through the slot designed for the mast raising/lowering post could secure the base of the mast into the tabernacle. When finished, I had the tabernacle re-galvanised.

This was much more solid than the original!

[Tropic Cat]

Originally Posted by syoung33

Thanks for all the help guys. My only concern now is that in-mast furling has been added to Sea Spirits and I'm wondering if the tabernacle has been modified - it looks like its been cut away at the back - will this affect mast lowering?

At first look yours looked the same as mine. However, upon closer inspection, Your photo is of the normal 'stock' tabernacle which has been cut down a bit in the back. Mine looks sort of the same however the swoop is much higher, and I have no mailsail furling.

Here's an old survey photo of mine. click on the link

Tabernacle

[Talbot]

I forgot to answer the question about mast lowering.

The hardest part of mast lowering is not the process of getting it into the horizontal position. It is the moving forward to achieve equal overhang forward and aft.

I used to do this on my own when I was young , foolish, and penniless (thinks, the only thing that has really changed is the age!!!).

When I changed to the behind mast system, I looked very hard at this and decided that the risk of bending the extrusion on the behind mast kit during this process was too high. From that moment on I have only removed my mast using a crane.

I am not saying it cant be done. Of course it can, but the risk/cost penalty is too high to make this a worthwhile saving.

[Tropic Cat]

Mark

I still can't get used to you being boatless. I hope your future plans are dealing with what I hope is a temporary situation

[Talbot]

Rick, I cant get used to it either - it is as if one of my legs has been cut off. Replacement will have to wait until the finance on the divorce is sorted, which may take some time. Every time we get close, my dear ex is carted back into a mental assylum and the whole process has to wait until she comes out again, and then starts almost from scratch again. The lawyers are doing very nicely out of it!

Once I do get everything sorted, I have three lines on the decision tree - how long to remain working in Norway. How long I can keep a vessel in Norway without getting caught for import tax,, and how much money do I have - the later reducing all the time due to the house price slump.

[Tropic Cat]

Fortunately Naples has a way of pushing such weighty matters into the backround.

It's the weekend and Italy is not such a bad place to be.