Clarification of Shroud and Forestay lengths

Bill Ewing

New Member
Having just bought a used boat (C14.2 #920, built 5/86, "mod1"), I wish to replace the shrouds and forestay. They don't look bad, but I'm no judge and there's just no telling how old they are.

I'm a beginner and may never race, but it makes sense to rig things the way serious racers prefer. If nothing else, this may help resale value.

I inherited a manual that indicates on both "Drawing 4" and in the rules that the shrouds must not exceed 15' 8-3/4". The rules in my manual aren't as specific about forestay length, however its Drawing 4 does indicate 15' 3-1/4" as a maximum.

I called Catalina's parts department today and they did not know anything about lengths. They transferred me to the Technical Dept. where a guy named Kent was very friendly, quick and knowledgable.

Kent indicated that the Forestay length Catalina builds to has always been 15' 2-1/4" on drawings that go all the way back to 1983. It occurs to me now that the description of forestay length on my drawing is in a different font and thus was probably annotated by our class assn, not Catalina.

Kent indicated that the forestays they sell today are 15' 7". My copy of Drawing4 indicates 15' 8-3/4" as max.

I wonder if the Class Assn assigned max lengths to allow for mfg tolerances and a little stretching. BTW, Kent told me their rigging shop would build to order any length you ask for-- if you do so in writing so there's no misunderstandings.

The stock parts sound close enough, so I will probably go ahead and order them after checking and comparing to the lengths I find on my boat. I know I can go to a local rigging shop, but as a cautious newbie prefer the original mfr for now.

Does this sound right? Thanks in advance for help and opinions.

PS - when I told the parts department the part numbers on my parts list, they indicated they were for the keel version, not the centerboard model I have. A keel boat I rented was pretty tight, so I would guess the lengths may be shorter. I'm glad I did not blindly order the part number on the list I have.
 
Rigging info

Bill, you may want to check out the following site for rigging and sailing info for the 14.2.

http://www.quantumsails.com/products/onedesign/c_tuningguides.asp?CID=27#RIG%20TUNE

Use shroud adjusters to set the proper lengths.

If you are a new to sailing, I would not worry too much about rigging your boat for racing. Note that a lot of the information you read is intended so you can get the most speed out of your boat. You should be aware that there can be a fine edge between obtaining the maximum speed and capsizing. I do not race and I really do not want to capsize, so I know how to de-tune my boat to allow more stability when the wind picks up.

BTW, if you do not know the age of your shrouds, I would not put the mast up until they are replaced. If you snap one, you will have a real mess.
 

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