Harder to pull than expected

[davidpm]

Last year I sailed a Catalina 27 this year a Catalina 30.
Last year I noticed I could leave the jib sheet in the self tailing clamp and just pull it and I could pull it in no problem.
On the 30 I have to either take it off the self tailer or put it in the self tailer and use the winch handle.
Same thing for the main sheet. On the 27 I would only use the handle in the heaviest air.

I just had the winches serviced and put on new sheets.
Is this to be expected because it is a bigger boat? Maybe something else is wrong. Blocks seem OK, sheets are clear. Don't know what else to look at.

Frankly the 27 was a lot easier to sail.

The jib is about a 150.

[Siamese]

Yup, bigger boats have bigger parts and greater forces. I went from a 26 footer to a Catalina 309 (31 feet). The winch handles definitely see more use. There's no way I could sail that boat without a handle (unless I was to actually excercise....a lot).

What you're talking about is normal. A 27 is less physically demanding. That said, there's no way I want my old boat back. Got used to sailing the 31 real quick. Goes faster and is more comfy. Wife likes it a lot more.

Got a spare winch handle?

[sgkuhner]

Maybe the fact that you are a year older is a very real factor in this case.

[davidpm]

Originally Posted by sgkuhner

Maybe the fact that you are a year older is a very real factor in this case.

And I was blaming the winches and it is just old age.

[DrB]

on a Catalina 27 is about 340 ft2 while that of a 30 is about 446 ft2. Assuming you have roughly the same area for the head sail versus the mainsail, your looking at 170 ft2 versus 223 ft2; quite a bit of difference. Also, a 150 is a huge sail, so I am not surprised at your experience.

I have 33 ft boat, and the only time that I don't use the winch to grind my head sail in is in light air and if the helmsman slowly brings the boat through the tack so that I can sheet it in quick enough. Once the sail fills, I can't move it without a winch.

DrB

[sailingdog]

David-

First of all, you should never pull on a line that is run through a self-tailer, as this will abrade the line unnecessarily and shorten its life drastically.

Second, even though you've only gone from a 27' boat to a 30' boat, the size difference is quite a bit more significant. A Catalina 27 standard rig displaces 6400 or so, the Catalina 30 10000, or 66% more. While the 3' doesn't sound like much of a difference, the boat is increasing ind beam (10.83' vs 8.7') and depth as well.

As pointed out previously, the increase in difficulty is pretty much due to the increased sail area. If you reefed the headsail down to the same area as your Catalina 27 had, you'd probably be able to haul in the line without removing it from the self-tailer or using a winch handle.

Originally Posted by davidpm

Last year I sailed a Catalina 27 this year a Catalina 30.
Last year I noticed I could leave the jib sheet in the self tailing clamp and just pull it and I could pull it in no problem.
On the 30 I have to either take it off the self tailer or put it in the self tailer and use the winch handle.
Same thing for the main sheet. On the 27 I would only use the handle in the heaviest air.

I just had the winches serviced and put on new sheets.
Is this to be expected because it is a bigger boat? Maybe something else is wrong. Blocks seem OK, sheets are clear. Don't know what else to look at.

Frankly the 27 was a lot easier to sail.

The jib is about a 150.

[davidpm]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

David-

First of all, you should never pull on a line that is run through a self-tailer, as this will abrade the line unnecessarily and shorten its life drastically.

Makes sense, never thought about it before. Lots of people do it I notice though.

[sailingdog]

Lots of people drive drunk or do drugs... doesn't mean it is safe or wise...

Originally Posted by davidpm

Makes sense, never thought about it before. Lots of people do it I notice though.

[CharlieCobra]

You wouldn't be pulling my 400 sq ft Genny through the self tailer, no way. Matter of fact, if it's blowing over 8 knots, you'd get as far as you could get before the wind filled the sail. After that, you'd be on the winch for sure with at least four wraps. Big sails load up something fierce.