[C320-list] Boom Repairs for C320

Sat Apr 28 05:49:04 PDT 2018

Doug, and others that responded..... thanks.   When I get home and back to the boat I will re-read all the advice and help provided.  
One thing that isn't quite cleat is how one accesses ...replaces the block in the boom.
As I recall, Both ends are riveted on ????
Art,   #680,  

Sent from my iPad

> On Apr 27, 2018, at 8:36 AM, Doug Treff <doug at treff.us> wrote:
> 
> Art,
> 
> Here is the system as designed by Catalina.
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/x51aal4en0zufdn/C320_Reefing_Diagram.JPG?dl=0
> 
> The differences in my system are as follows:
> 1. The aft reefing line, instead of being tied off inside the boom, is run out through a small hole in the end cap of the boom and tied off with a knot. You can see it in one of my photos. If you use the 5/16" line, it will fit through the hole just fine.
> 
> 2. At the aft reef point, instead of just running the reefing line through the grommet in the sail, I've attached a ball-bearing block to the sail. It makes things run more freely and with less friction.
> 
> 3. On the forward reef point, instead of the j-hook, I've attached a ball bearing block and ran the line back down the mast and tied off the bitter end at the base of the mast.
> 
> With the diagram above, the photos, and these details, you should be able to recreate my system if you desire.
> 
> --
> Doug Treff
> doug at treff.us
> 
>> On Fri, Apr 27, 2018, at 6:24 AM, millers1 at aol.com wrote:
>> Doug,
>> 
>> 
>> Thanks for the in-depth response and photos.   I hope to get to the boom 
>> project before 
>> launch, in early May.  
>> I will also go back to the Association site and look more carefully for 
>> info you 
>> 
>> noted below.
>> Art
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Doug Treff <doug at treff.us>
>> To: c320-list <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com>
>> Sent: Thu, Apr 26, 2018 6:39 pm
>> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Boom Repairs for C320
>> 
>> Art,
>> 
>> I wrote this and shared with the group 5 years ago. It still works 
>> great! I highly recommend. I have no recommendations on the outhaul line 
>> except to use a plumber's snake to run it.
>> 
>> When we purchased September Song (Hull #350) last August, the previous 
>> owner had not rigged any reefing system at all. After a few white 
>> knuckle moments where the boat kept rounding up due to being 
>> over-canvassed in high winds - we once rounded up so hard that the boat 
>> tacked unexpectedly - I decided it was high time that I get the reefing 
>> system sorted out.
>> 
>> While doing my research on the factory setup, I discovered that the OEM 
>> supplied internal block inside the boom was nowhere to be found on the 
>> boat. At that point, since I would be buying all new components, I 
>> decided to compare all the different reefing systems out there on the 
>> C320 site along with other single-line reefing systems that I found and 
>> come up with something that is easy to operate and not terribly 
>> expensive. One of the things that concerned me was that with the factory 
>> arrangement, there was potential for a considerable amount of friction 
>> because of the line sliding through the aft reef point.
>> 
>> The first order of business was to research the factory reefing system. 
>> The Association web site was very useful in this regard. Not only do 
>> they have a complete owners manual with diagrams of the factory setup, 
>> there is also a chart containing the (almost) correct line lengths for 
>> the factory system. I also searched the technical photos section of the 
>> site and found Jeff Hare's interesting mod to the factory setup where he 
>> added ball bearing blocks on the sail at the reef points to reduce friction.
>> 
>> While searching for a suitable replacement for the internal boom block, 
>> I contacted Sparcraft-US (formerly Charleston Spar) who made the spars 
>> for my boat. I spoke with Robert Quates, who has been with them for 
>> nearly 30 years. One of the reefing arrangements that I had been 
>> considering was a single line arrangement that I found on Sparcraft's 
>> web site. It looked simpler than the Catalina arrangement because the 
>> internal block was not used. I was actually leaning towards using that 
>> arrangement when I called him. We had a very long and detailed 
>> conversation and Robert provided me with some really good advice. It 
>> turns out that he actually prefers the Catalina factory arrangement 
>> because the floating block in the boom causes the sail to be pulled down 
>> evenly as the reefing line is tightened. The problem with the single 
>> line system on the Sparcraft site (without the floating block) is that 
>> one reef point usually tightens first and then the other one tightens 
>> up. This results in uneven pulling on the sail cloth and sometimes an 
>> issue where things bind up and never pull up straight without someone 
>> going up on deck to assist. That kind of defeats the purpose of the 
>> single line system. When the wind pipes up, the safest place to be is 
>> the cockpit.
>> 
>> Once he convinced me to go with the factory line routing, he recommended 
>> some improvements to eliminate friction and make it work more smoothly.
>> 
>> First of all, he suggested that I NOT try to buy an exact replacement 
>> for the internal boom block. Robert said that this block is only a 
>> delrin sheave over a Stainless steel shaft with no bearings. Over time 
>> these sheaves will bind and not spin freely, which adds friction to the 
>> system. Robert suggested that I instead buy a couple of high quality 
>> ball-bearing blocks - the non-swivel or locking type to reduce line 
>> twist in the boom - and connect them end to end by their shackles. These 
>> will perform the function of the missing OEM part while significantly 
>> reducing friction. He also recommended that I add blocks at the fore and 
>> aft reef points on the sail. These blocks should be the swivel type. 
>> This turns out to be similar to Jeff Hare's arrangement that is found on 
>> the association web site. The line routing is exactly like the owners 
>> manual diagram except that I added a swivel block to the forward reef 
>> point and secured the bitter end at the base of the mast. Because of 
>> this, I added 6 feet to the factory specified length listed in the 
>> rigging schedule in the owners manual.
>> 
>> Robert told me that with the addition of ball bearings in the boom, and 
>> the additional purchase gained by adding a block on the forward reef 
>> point, my reefing system will be nearly effortless. He was right! It 
>> should be noted that Robert convinced me to do all this and actually 
>> didn't earn a penny for Sparcraft. He's a great resource!
>> 
>> Now that I had the basic plan, it was time to collect the necessary 
>> parts. A basic parts list follows:
>> 
>> Qty 4 - Harken 57MM Carbo Air block swivel P/N 2600
>> Qty 1 - Suncor 1.25" Welded SS Ring PN: C0139-0630
>> Qty 20 feet - Aft reefing line - 5/16 diameter low stretch
>> Qty 60 feet - Forward reefing line - 5/16 diameter low stretch
>> 
>> First, I took two of the air blocks and locked their swivels so that 
>> they would not twist the line inside the boom. I connected them end to 
>> end by their shackles. This assembly replaces the OEM internal boom car 
>> that is supplied with the C320. Since there was no reefing line rigged 
>> in my boom at all, I used a metal plumbers tape to feed the forward reef 
>> line from the gooseneck back to the aft end of the boom. Upon exiting 
>> the boom, I took the end of the line and passed it through one of the 
>> sheaves of my new "car" assembly. Next, I fed the aft line through the 
>> other sheave on the car assembly, and routed it through the block that 
>> was to hang on the aft reef point. I secured that block to the reef 
>> point by passing its shackle through the port side of the aft reef 
>> grommet in the sail and capturing the 1.25" SS ring on the starboard 
>> side. This ring provides a way to connect the block to the sail with no 
>> sharp edges. Ones that was done, the bitter ends of the line are made 
>> fast. One of them is tied through the grommet below the reef point and 
>> around the boom. The other end is passed through the small hole in the 
>> aft end of the boom from the inside and made fast with a figure eight 
>> knot. Finally, I routed the remaining end of the forward line back 
>> through the boom with my plumbers snake once again, exiting the bottom 
>> of the boom at the gooseneck. This forward line is routed up down trough 
>> the block on the vang attachment and then up through the final swivel 
>> block at the forward reef point and then passed down and tied off at the 
>> base of the mast. The forward block cannot be attached to its reef point 
>> with a SS ring because the stock sail from Catalina has a smaller 
>> grommet in this reef point. I used a short length of reefing line, tied 
>> in a knot on the back side of the sail and the block is tied to it. This 
>> forward block arrangement is the only deviation from the routing of the 
>> lines in the factory diagram.
>> 
>> When all this was done and I tested the system, the aft reef point was 
>> not pulling down tight to the boom. After some experimentation, I untied 
>> the end of the aft line and shortened it by about 2 feet. Once I did 
>> this, it worked flawlessly. The only thing I can think is that adding 
>> the extra block forward changed the dynamics of the system and required 
>> some adjustment in the aft line to make up for it.
>> 
>> My main halyard is on the starboard side, so I routed the control end of 
>> the reefing system to the port side so I could have both lines on a 
>> winch at the same time if necessary.
>> 
>> My reefing procedure goes like this:
>> 1. Ease main sheet so main is luffing
>> 2. Lower main halyard until reef point comes down to the boom. I marked 
>> the halyard with a black sharpie so I would know approximately how far 
>> to lower it.
>> 3. Move to port side and take up the slack in the reefing system. Cleat 
>> off once tensioned.
>> 4. Move back to halyard and tension as necessary.
>> 5. Optionally tie off lines hanging in intermediary reef points to 
>> bundle loose sail. Be careful not to tie them too tightly. They are not 
>> meant to take wind loads, only bundle the sail. If tied too tightly, 
>> they could rip from sail.
>> 6. Trim main sheet and you're done!
>> 
>> This whole procedure can be done in about 2 minutes after a few practice 
>> sessions.
>> 
>> Shaking out the reef is very similar. Luff the sail, then follow the 
>> above steps in reverse order.
>> 
>> I am very pleased with the new system and the setup is quite effortless
>> to operate. The use of ball bearing blocks everywhere has contributed 
>> greatly to the system working so smoothly. I highly recommend looking at 
>> this arrangement if you are unhappy with your current reefing setup.
>> 
>> Photos:
>> Aft setup: https://www.dropbox.com/s/rwak1gxic3o9i1f/DSC_0015.JPG
>> Aft closeup: https://www.dropbox.com/s/akrgxjytcokwbya/DSC_0017.JPG
>> Aft reefed: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4gre3yxqilt1zgd/DSC_0020.JPG
>> Forward lower: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tpfb40a0g9zy7a5/DSC_0018.JPG
>> Forward upper: https://www.dropbox.com/s/rm4h0rzdaafauxi/DSC_0019.JPG
>> Forward reefed: https://www.dropbox.com/s/gep5yk51fcmkasc/DSC_0021.JPG
>> 
>> --
>> Doug Treff
>> doug at treff.us
>> 
>>> On Thu, Apr 26, 2018, at 4:58 PM, millers1 at aol.com wrote:
>>> I have a 2000, #680, non-furling Main Boom.
>>> Looked on the discussion site, not much on the boom  and  the sketch 
>>> supplied by Catalina 
>>> is marginal....
>>> Has anyone re-run the reef lines and out haul line in the boom???.... 
>>> any sketches ??   
>>> Thanks
>>> Art
>> 