Catalina 350 International Association

Hello. I just received my new asymmetrical and wondered if anyone out there can suggest the size and lengths of the lines needed. I do have the spinnaker halyard. why? because I gave away the spinnaker when I got the boat. Why didn't anyone tell me to NEVER give anything away!
thanks
NYBOR 411 (Robyn spelled backwards)

sad, when I am responding to my own post! Can someone tell me if they added the necessary hardware (blocks, pad eyes, etc.) to their boat? If so, where did you attach the eyes?

thanks

dave

Hi Dave,

Probably not much help because my installation is minimalist, but I have a block and clip which I attach to the aft mooring cleat on the leeward side and bring the sheet from the asym directly back to that block and across to a winch. Thus you need enough length on the sheet (I only have one, move it from side to side if I tack, which I don't do very often!) to run from the clew when in the bag on the bow, around the shrouds and to the stern, and back to the winch, plus a bit.

Do you have a furling asym or a dousing bag? Maybe a furling asym is called a screecher anyway? Mine has a dousing bag, works brilliantly - see attached

Thanks Russ! What a beautiful photo (or is it lovely photo? - naw, that is British)
I am going to try what you did first. I also bought that ATN chute and tacker.
Thanks again

dave
ps. strange, my favorite colors are blue and yellow and so my sail is very similar to yours. If I bought mine before you, I think there is an infringement lawsuit somewhere. Please have your Aussie attorney contact mine.


d

Hi Russ. can you re-send your email address to me?
mine is albirda.gyro@yahoo.com

thanks
dave

Go to the Doyle sail site and some others like APC. Some good info there. What I found was 2 ways to rig depending on if tacking or not. One sheet or two depending on how you want to tack. I use two sheets, one each side twice the length of the boat. Go from clew of sail to a block I clip to the stern cleat, then can run to winch. So lazy sheet has to go length of boat, around bow, and back to sail. All sheets run forword and outboard of everything else. Foot of sail clipped with carabiner and webbing about 4 ft long to ring on anchor roller. Keeps the foot above the bow pulpit rail. An additional short piece of webbing to keep the foot close to midline, from foot wrapped around roller furling. I use an APC "tacker". Check their site for pics. To gybe let the sail go and fly out fowArd of the boat, then haul in on the lee side sheet. To tack, the whole arrangement has to go forward of the bow. Easiest to do this with a sock, pulling it down over a relaxed sail, tacking, then hauling the sock up releasing the sail on the lee side by taking in on the lee sheet. With one single sheet take it forward, pass over everything and back down what would be the lee outboard side to a block, more stern the better. Hope I explained it so it can be visualized.

Russ: is that a hard dodger on the boat with the blue/yellow asymmetrical ? More details.?

Thanks Mark (ok ok and Russ also....)
I rigged up what both of you suggested and works like a charm! (only thing was the sheet was too short!) oh well.

dave
NYBOR

I also use the tacker and their suggestion of dousing the asymmetrical works like a charm.

Use a snap shackle at the tack of the sail. When you are ready to douse the sail you "blow the tack" by opening the snap shackle, this allows the asymmetrical to fly to the leeward side of the boat and takes all tension off the sail so it's easy to get the sail back into the snuffer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt_G0uVc5iY

Thanks! That sequence sounds like a winner.
I wonder if I can do it (fly/douse) by myself? I was reading that a furler might be a better option for single-handed sailing. However, I am afraid to check their cost.

dave

I fly and douse the asymmetrical using the snuffer by myself but the "Admiral" is in the cockpit to manage the sheets. Unlike the jib, once you start to raise the snuffer the sail is ready to fly so having someone else aboard makes it an easier process.

r.e. attaching the sheet blocks, we added 2 Johnson Marine Pulpit anchors #29-501 to the bottom of the stern rails just behind the sheet winches, connect the blocks via heavy duty carabiner, and tie a short string/carabiner to the lower entry gate lifeline to keep the block from banging around on the boat when not under load. They cost about $13 at West Marine.