Catalina 350 International Association

I am the new owner of a C350 (#185) & I am having difficulty understanding the in-mast furling. When I pull the line to unfurl the sail...the clew comes back as far as the block on the main & then STOPS! I have to go forward & manually push the car back on the boom to get it to completely unfurl. This CANT be the way it is supposed to work...can it?

Thanks
Justin Lee

Assuming there is any wind, the main should unfurl completely, i.e, unwrap completely from around the foil in the mast, simply from wind pressure, once the outhaul runs out sufficiently to let that happen. You should roll out the main on a very slight port tack. Once the main is unfurled, continue pulling the outhaul out (via the winch on the starboard cabin top), until the main is as flat as you want it to be given wind conditions - flatten the main for higher wind conditions and leave more belly in it for lighter conditions. The clew and the car should go farther out the boom as you pull on the outhaul. If you are pulling the outhaul out but the car does NOT move out farther on the boom, then the car must be stuck somehow on the boom track. That hasn't happened to me.

The above is my experience with our 350, hull #301. I invite our fellow owners to chime in with their experiences.

Best of luck, and enjoy your 350!

Bob
Second Wind #301

You may the lines routed incorrectly. Here is a picture. The sail should unfurl the whole way out.