[C320-list] Steering Friction

[Jack Brennan]

Hi Michael:

I used SSMR Rigging in St. Petersburg, but I’m told longtime owner Steve Smith has retired and sold the business to someone else.

If I were in your position, I think I would call Catalina directly and see whether I could get one of their experts on the phone. I’ve always found them extremely helpful and willing to spend a little talking about ways to improve your boat.

My experience with the 320 is close to Chris’. As long as I don’t do something stupid, the helm is balanced and easy to handle.

I was out today in cool and windy weather on Tampa Bay. 15-17 steady and gusts into the 20s with 2- to 3-foot seas. I rolled out the full jib only and did a beam reach across the bay and back. The speed ranged from about 5 to 6.5 knots in the strong gusts.

My EV 100 wheel pilot  was in control. The wheel would turn maybe 15 degrees in a strong gust or bigger wave, but mostly it was near the center line the entire time, making small adjustments to keep the course.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.


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________________________________
From: Michael Leschisin <mleschisin at imagestudios.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 2:14:27 PM
To: C320-List at catalina320.com <C320-List at Catalina320.com>
Cc: jackbrennan333 at outlook.com <jackbrennan333 at outlook.com>
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Steering Friction


Hey Jack,

Can you tell me the rigger you used and if you have any contact information?  I have struggled to find any definitive information on tuning the rig on my 320 and in northern Michigan the choices of shops are limited and somewhat “nonspecialized”.  There was a paper on the 320 site written by a gentleman from Quantum sails a few years back but it is specific to tuning for racing and I feel his numbers are pretty aggressively tight.

Thanks for your help,

Michael Leschisin

2004 C320 #995
Wild Blue Yonder
Menominee, MI



On Oct 16, 2023, at 6:36 PM, Jack Brennan via C320-list <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com> wrote:

With no real evidence, I’m wondering whether some of the 320s have a rig tuning issue.

We’ve had several posts over the last year or so about owners struggling to balance the boat, to the point that a wheelpilot can’t keep it under control.

That hasn’t made sense to me because my 320 is so well balanced, even when I’m occasionally sailing in winds in the mid and upper 20s. (Usually, not by choice …) Most of the time, the wheelpilot has to make only minor adjustments.

It occurs to me that I had my 320 completely rerigged about five years ago by a very competent shop with more than 40 years of experience. They have/had a great rep, and they seem to have done a great job on my boat.

Even when my sails are not adjusted well, I don’t experience anything like what some others do.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.



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