What kind of sail do I have?

harleycaptain

New Member
I am the happy owner of a 1990 Capri 14.2 that is in fantastic shape. I have the original paperwork where the buyer opted for colored sails. In looking at the photos, and looking at the photos of boats racing, the cut on these sails is different.( notice the seams and the shapes of the panels.

I was wondering if these are "other than standard." If anyone can enlighten me I would appreciate it.

I am relatively new to sailing, and have enjoyed the boat after teaching myself on an escape "rumba." The first time out I looked at the stern plug and thought it was all the way in, only to tip over later in the middle of a small lake, turtle, and have to paddle upside down all the way to shore. I had about 20 to 30 gallons of water inside the hull. It turtled right away and I spent an hour or two trying to right it. I guess the water inside filled the sides and made it like a giant suction cup. Luckily it was a light wind day and a small lake.

I have made the adjustment to the traveller and am switching to smaller diameter lines for the jib. I would like to thank all for the posts, as they really help a newcomer.
 

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As far as I can tell from looking at your picture, you have the standard Catalina sails with their roller furling setup.

For daysailing they are fine but for racing you should at least get the hardware to switch over to the hank on jib.
 
Originally posted by Jack McCollum
As far as I can tell from looking at your picture, you have the standard Catalina sails with their roller furling setup.

For daysailing they are fine but for racing you should at least get the hardware to switch over to the hank on jib.

Is the roller bad for racing? (I plan to race next season in the Texas Centerboard Circuit, and I want to set up my boat to be as fast as possible.)
 
For the fastest set up, you'll want hanked on jib. The roller puts the sail too high off the deck. You want the jib with about two to three inches of cloth on the deck. With the deck and the jib working as a unit you get better pressure through the slot and the boat with point higher when sailing up wind. Quantum or Scott sails are the fast ones. You also what to Loosen the rig up and raise the traveller as you want the main leech slightly open when going up wind. Also note that the racing sails are a bit larger than the Factory sails. Good luck.
 
Thanks for the info... I was told the (sobstad) sails on my boat are racing sails, but I've been looking for a new set. I plan to use the current set for cruising days. Is it easy to swtich jibs, one with the roller and one without?
 
The sobstads should work fine as long as they're not blow out. You'll need a new forestay so you don't sail with the drum on the bow. I haven't made that change to the boat so I'm unsure as to the lenght and such. Most important, is when your done with that, get the rig tuned so you have neutral helm in 5 knots of breeze . Set your shrouds loose as you want the rig sloppy in the boat for best speed and point. Its pretty weird to sail that way but you'll be fast. Good luck.
 
Traveler mod

It was useful to have a pix of your boat to examine. Good thinking, dude.

I see your traveler is way down low. It's really important to raise it and tie it off in the middle. Send me a fax number at [email protected] and I'll send you a diagram. Or you can order the Capri 14.2 Handbook which has the diagram in it.
 
These photos were taken the morning after I brought it home. I have re-done the traveler. I am not sure about racing, as it would be a long drive to Mountain View to join them. For now I will just practice and tweek for best results. It is pretty interesting all the little thing that add speed and handling.

Bob.
 

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