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Hello everyone,
I just finished painting and have docked in a slip at Harrison Bay State Park. I have three items that need my attention before I can raise sails. I believe I need expertise and possibly the loan of a bosun chair. The items amiss are:
Forestay is frayed, needing replaced. I would like to use off the shelf cable from the hardware store, cut to size and cinch myself. I don't like the looks of rigging pricing on the on-line stores.
Mainsail halyard needs retrieved from the top of the mast. (I am hoping to take care of both of the first two items without lowering the mast, if that is a live option. Thus, the possible need of a bosun's chair)
There is a part that needs replaced, and I do not know the name of it.
While getting removing the clips that previously held the main sail, I lost the item that prevents them coming out on their own. It is the item circled in red in this picture:
If I knew the name of the part, I might be able to find a replacement for it on-line.
If there are people local to Chattanooga who might lend expertise (and/or a bosun's chair), I would be very glad of the help getting Firefly ready to sail.
I think what you're describing is commonly called a mast gate. Catalina Direct sells them. They call them "MastGater Sail Track Gate." This is a link to Catalina Direct. Catalina Direct: MastGater Sail Track Gate, C-22, CP-22 CD sells them for about $45. Some people fabricate their own, using an aluminum threshold from a hardware store.
It would probably be quite dangerous to use a Bosun's Chair to go to the top of the mast on a Catalina 22. Even a deep-keel version could get very unstable with a large weight (you) at the top of the mast. A better option might be to heel the boat over with some weights and by pulling on the mast (jib and spinnaker halyards?) and perhaps use a boathook to snare the halyard.
Replacing the forestay with cheap galvanized wire could work, but there are issues with, as you put it, "cinching it up". Reliable terminal fittings are expensive, and having the mast suddenly land on your head could be even more so. It might be easier to use low-stretch line (Amsteel, Dyneema, etc.) and oversize it so that it's still strong enough even with a knot tied in it, but the cost creeps back in. Going up the mast to install a new forestay might also be unstable. With two operations to do, pulling the mast to do them both right might make sense.
Ah. Maybe you need a sail slide. That's what attaches the sail to the mast. You can buy them at Sailrite, or at Westmarine or similar dealer. There are different types and sizes. Search
To stop the sail slugs from sliding out of the mast track you can use a bolt and wingnut with some heavy washers. The head of the bolt goes in the track with a washer that fits in the widest part of the track but which will not fit out the slot. The other washer goes over the end of the bolt and the tightened wingnut holds the assembly in place, where it will keep the slugs from sliding down. When you want to take the sail off the mast, loosening the wingnut will enable assembly and the slugs to slide down to the gate. You could also screw self-tapping metal screws into the mast on either side of the track and wrap a short length of stainless steel wire between them.
Noted. I believe I've seen some higher quality cable available at Home Depot, but maybe not. I've never heeled it over before. That sounds like a project, but then so is raising & lowering the mast. I may give that a try. I wondered if a bosun's chair might be too much for such a little boat.
Lowering and raising the mast is no big deal on that boat. It's a 10-15 minute job. A man and woman can do it easily. Tie a long line to the jib halyard, and use it as a safety line, to keep the mast from coming down too quickly. Wrap that line once around the bow pulpit, and have your helper hold the end.
Remove both forward lower stays, and loosen the upper stays slightly. Remove the boom and put it aside.
You take your position on the coach roof, behind the mast. Loosen the pivot bolt at the base of the mast. Tell your helper to start to gradually pay out the line, allowing the mast to tilt back. When you can reach it, catch it in your hands and lower it to the deck. It isn't so heavy that you can't do it. My wife and I did it often. Remove the pivot bolt from the mast base, and lift the mast and move it forward, so that the top is resting on the stern rail, and the base is resting on the bow pulpit. Lash it to the rail at both ends, to ensure that it won't fall off while you're working on it. Put a small piece of old carpet or cloth under each end, to protect the pulpit rails from being scratched.
When you raise the mast, keep a close eye on all the stays, to be sure that they don't get kinked on the way up.
After you replace the standing rigging and re-raise the mast, you'll need to tune the rig. You should be able to get instructions on how to do that from the Catalina 22 National Association website.
What you circled is a slug (or slide), what you want is a stopper as per fmueller's link above. They come in different sizes so make sure to get the right one.
Thanks everybody for the good advice. I am going to spend for standard rigging, and the sail track stop that fmueller linked for me, once I determine the size. I have a friend who may be able to help with retuning the rig when he is back from overseas - I was going to have to do that anyway one way or another. You all are the best!
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