So, got caught in some violent winds witch were not predicted, capsized 4 times.
The 4th time I was so tired, I could right the cat but couldn't get back onboard. After 10 min hanging at the righting-line and several attempts to get aboard, I decided to fire a smoke-signal wich is always in my life-vest.
Watertemp was 10degr C and Airtemp 11degr C .
Was rescued by a friendly skipper who even gave me a tow back to the cat-beach.

An elderly skipper at the cat-club (67), showed me his setup how to climb on board.
He tied a 12 mm line to the front crossbar hull to hull, the slack on the line is just deep enough in the
water to put a knee or foot on it , while you're in the water.
When you try to climb onboard this line will go under the tramp and is not very helpful.
Now here's the smart-part, he braided another line to center of the boarding-line, ran it through a block
attached in the center of the bridle for the forstay. Tied a stopper-knot behind the block to prevent the
boarding-line from going under the tramp.
The stopperline is braided to a shock-cord witch is ran under the tramp, it keeps the whole setup out of
the water while sailing.

Here's a drawing,


Fiddled a bit with line-lenght on my P18-2, and now it works perfect and makes my wintersailing-project
a lot safer.
If somebody is interested, will post some pics.

Regards, André

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

Sorry guys, trying to get the drawing in my post...
Damon help !



Edited by catmodding on Dec 06, 2012 - 02:02 AM.

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

catmodding

Sorry guys, trying to get the drawing in my post...
Damon help !

OK

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar

How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
--

Pics! Pics!

I've been trying to sort out a boarding problem on my boat, too. Nothing nearly as serious as the one you experienced, but it looks like this might be what I'm looking for.

Thanks!

Tom

--
Tom Benedict
Island of Hawaii
P-Cat 18 / Sail# 361 / HA 7633 H / "Smilodon"
--

I needed to replace my righting line. Looked around for appropriate size line and found it more than $1 per foot. Went to West Marine and found a 25 foot nylon double braid line with a 12" eye splice in one end, cheap with a coupon.

Back on the cat, I tied three half-grapevine knots on the line, spaced to be used during righting, and set the overal length so that the eye splice was just in the water when the cat is on its side. My foot goes in the loop and I use the knots to pull myself up, and the hull over. Car manufacturers and stereo installers use a coiled plastic wrap to manage lots of wires together into a bundle. I used 4" of that same stuff to hold the eye splice open into a step. Otherwise the loop just closes when wet.

Usually my crew is on the bottom hull as the top one comes down, and so climbs to the deck of the hull as it rotates. If he gets left in the water between the hulls, I wrap the righting line around the mast base a few times and drop the foot loop in the water for him to use to climb back onboard.

If you can make your own line, you could incorproate a curved piece of PVC or electrical pipe to form the foot loop, just make sure it is small enough to fit into your tramp pocket.

--
Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--

[quote=DamonLinkous]

catmodding

Sorry guys, trying to get the drawing in my post...
Damon help !

Thank you Damon, don't know what went wrong but maybe you can pm me this...

benedict

Pics! Pics!

I've been trying to sort out a boarding problem on my boat, too. Nothing nearly as serious as the one you experienced, but it looks like this might be what I'm looking for.

Thanks!

Tom

Tom, I am working this weekend, so will make some pics next week, cat is not in my backyard.
the drawing should explain most of it. So if your cat is in the backyard, fiddle around with some
lines and a block attached to the bridle .

Regards, André

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

There have been previous threads on aids for getting back on the boat. I built one that you access from the sides because I figured most people who have trouble getting back on the boat will be approaching from the side, and you don't want to be running them over to get them between the hulls, or you don't want them to have to hand over hand from the side around a hull to the middle while the boat is bouncing around. However, I can see that if you are righting the boat, you end up between the hulls, so that would be a nice place to have an aid to get up over the front beam.

--
John Fricker
Prindle 16
Seabrook, Texas
--

I put this together for around $100. Ladder from Westmarine and 8 stainless bolts. On my new boat I used 4 zinc coated muffler brackets. Works a treat.
http://www.thebeachcats.c…ictures/?g2_itemId=80556



Edited by Wolfman on Dec 07, 2012 - 05:01 PM.

--
Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
--

Guys, made some pics and a video, yes it is crappy, but it is a life saver!!

http://www.youtube.com/wa…&feature=player_embedded






Regards, André

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

catmodding

Guys, made some pics and a video, yes it is crappy, but it is a life saver!!

There is a elegance to the simplicity of your solution.
I like it!

--
Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--

klozhald

catmodding

Guys, made some pics and a video, yes it is crappy, but it is a life saver!!

There is a elegance to the simplicity of your solution.
I like it!

Yes.... spread the word!

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

Quote

I put this together for around $100. Ladder from WestMarine and 8 stainless bolts. On my new boat I used 4 zinc coated muffler brackets. Works a treat.

Wolfman,
I don't think the integrity of the front-beam would be the same after drilling
8 holes for your stainless-steel boarding solution, I do a race or two and try
to keep the weight on my cat down. A couple of lines , a block and some
shockcord do the job just fine.

@Bob,
For better and worse, gonna take the cat out soon and make a video.
Temp is not bad over here (though its winter) but windforce is a bit strong
for almost weeks now .Ruined the x-mass and new years sail. I will flip the
18-2 and demonstrate soon.

Regards, André

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

catmodding

Ruined the x-mass and new years sail.

I remember the video of your Christmas sail from last year.
It was well done.
Sorry you could not go this time.
Happy New Year!

--
Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--

Happy new year to all of you, guys.

Grtz, André

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

It looks like you added some photos here but if you didn't already you should put it all in a tech gallery with as much detail as possible. I for one will likely give it try this spring as this is always a problem and concern for me. I have had thoughts along a very similar type system for some time but have not really done anything to put it into effect.

--
Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
--

@ Quarath

Take look at the video I posted in this discussion, can't make it any clearer at the moment.
Like I promised Bob, if the weather and work let me, I will make a video
flipping, righting the cat and boarding it.
Its winter overhere , so it might take a while.

regards, André



Edited by catmodding on Jan 03, 2013 - 11:17 AM.

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

Sorry,
The weather over-here won't let me make a video,
the snow is gone, the lake is still frozen, temp is
raising though. Patience.........

André

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

So, just when I thought the weather got better, winter started again,
temps around 0 c , and snow. Went to the cat to do a check on the
straps holding her down. Because it has been windy lately.


gonna make that video....

André

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

She's pretty even in the snow.
We'll be watching for the video.

--
Mooched Beachcats in the past
Time to try ownership with Nacra 5.7
Port Clinton, Lake Erie Islands, Ohio
--

The ice is gone, wanted to take out the cat for a short sail, but wind was
down to zero. Water-temp is 1.8 dgr Celsius , so I didn't put the cat in
the water to show the boarding-solution , instead made the long- promised
video...

Here's the original;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJcdubbHI5Q

Here's what I made today;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0QbkYsdCoY

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V654nRU9D24

Hope this helps,

Regards, André

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

Thank you Andre for sharing the idea!

I flipped my cat a week ago and had very much trouble to get back onboard. And now I'm a believer! I got the system rigged up and ready to go. It may need to do some tuning, but seems to be working. Here is a video of testing the system: http://www.youtube.com/wa…Mq6hfz8&feature=youtu.be


-CH-

--
Christian Kurkio
Nacra 500
Inter 20 (sold)
Pori, Finland, Europe
--

That's a great solution to a common problem. My getaway is easier to get back on because the wing seats give you something to grab on to.

kevinbatchelor

My getaway is easier to get back on because the wing seats give you something to grab on to.

The issue is not having enough upper body strength to pull yourself up onto the wings or a deck.
André's solution gets your butt high enough- using your legs- to simply slide over onto the deck.
I have been that tired, and had to pull tired crew up many times as well.
Awesome solution, André!



Edited by klozhald on Aug 21, 2013 - 05:36 PM.

--
Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--

ch_kurkio

Thank you Andre for sharing the idea!

I flipped my cat a week ago and had very much trouble to get back onboard. And now I'm a believer! I got the system rigged up and ready to go. It may need to do some tuning, but seems to be working. Here is a video of testing the system: [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4WEMq6hfz8&feature=youtu.be[/url


-CH-

Christian,
Thanks for making the video I was supposed to deliver!
You make it so clear, its a simple, save, lightweight solution.
Some events in my life made it impossible to do anything
with catamarans the past 7 months.
Hope to be back in spring though.

Regards and thanks again.
André



Edited by catmodding on Jan 08, 2014 - 11:00 PM.

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

I had a similar problem, with 2 of us we righted my cat and after gusting winds blew us right back over and very exhausted, I purchased a "righting bag" I can fill with water and put an attachment so that when we right the cat the ballast of the bag keeps the boat from capsizing the other direction.

--
Will
Indian Shores, FL
Newbie but catching on fast.
NACRA 17
--

will the setup work just by adding a block to the bridle.. seems like it would pull the bridle back

carl2

will the setup work just by adding a block to the bridle.. seems like it would pull the bridle back

here are my thoughts on this set up:
Yes it will pull your bridal back
i personally don't think it's a good idea to do that
having just replaced my bow tangs. i now know, I don't want any pressure from any direction except as intended
i believe the OP's set up took most of the load on the beams... that is a good place for load

no disrespect intended but I'm not a fan of that line hanging down either... if your line ever worms itself free... you now have a line dragging from a bad location. even in medium wind, tacking can be pretty violent place to live (if your a line tied to a forestay/jib)

my method (learned the hard way)
avoid the bows/front beam - too high on my boat

get on the side of the boat and grab a trap bungee, then wire, then handle.
then (while holding a handle) - get 1 foot up on the cat (stern side), then the other foot. now i can get my butt/torso out (still holding handle - now w/2 hands)

YMMV


Just took my trap wires off my cat (put wings on it) - gonna need a new system :) (my wings have hiking straps that i think will work just fine)

On my SC15 the best way seems to be from astern. I unpin one end of the tiller crossbar and move it out of the way.
The stern is the lowest to the water on an SC. A sailing buddy showed me that one. That method doesn't work so well when the forstay parts and the mast comes down on the tiller crossbar and bends the hell out of it, however. Then I just had to dolphin kick my way back on over the side as far aft as possible. This happened on another buddy's boat. Take a close look at your Nicopress fittings! Especially where the wire comes out to form the loop. The leg of an open end thimble can chafe the wire.

--
'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
--

I'm glad this topic came up because as a very full figure kind of guy I know how hard it can be to get back up on deck, particularly when you become exhausted. I had this idea a while back and just went out to the shop and spent less than 10 minutes making this addition to my righting line. All it is are a couple of Prusik loops with a piece of PVC on the loop to make it easier to get your foot into it. I think ideally you might use heavier PVC than what I had laying around, but this shows the idea. The cool part to the Prusik Loop is you can position it where needed and I am very confident that it will hold the line even when everything is soaking wet. Very little weight gain and it stows with the righting line. While I have large Figure 8 knots in the righting line, these loops could also easily serve as handles when righting.





Here is how you tie the Prusik knot:
http://www.animatedknots.com/prusik/#ScrollPoint

--
dg
NACRA 5.2 #400
This End Up
Original owner since 1975
--

Catmodding,That's an impressive number of cats there. Take us on a video tour sometime.



Edited by gahamby on Nov 11, 2016 - 03:49 PM.

--
'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
--

dmgbear55

I'm glad this topic came up because as a very full figure kind of guy I know how hard it can be to get back up on deck, particularly when you become exhausted. I had this idea a while back and just went out to the shop and spent less than 10 minutes making this addition to my righting line.

Be sure and report back after you have tried it on the water. Usually the problem with anything like a "rope ladder" is that there is nothing to push "inward" against, only down, so it just swings out of the way.

Try it and see how it goes.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar

How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
--

Not really sure how to feel about all of this info. Just got back into Cat Sailing in April of this year and have yet to flip it. Guess I should at least manually flip it over in something other than the Ocean and make sure I won't have too many issues.

--
Pete
2001 NACRA 450 SOLD
2000 NACRA 500 TOTAL LOSS
2004 NACRA INTER 20 SOLD
2016 NACRA 500 Sport
DeLand, FL
--

Quote

Be sure and report back after you have tried it on the water. Usually the problem with anything like a "rope ladder" is that there is nothing to push "inward" against, only down, so it just swings out of the way.

Damon, I think you are right about a rope ladder per se, but in this case at least one of the loops should be against the hull, in fact they both could be. With the Prusik you can adjust the loop height on the righting line as needed. Still probably a little tricky but manageable. This End Up is about to get splashed so will report the results then. If you were sailing with crew you could also get them to stand/hold the position of the lower loop.

Quote

Not really sure how to feel about all of this info. Just got back into Cat Sailing in April of this year and have yet to flip it. Guess I should at least manually flip it over in something other than the Ocean and make sure I won't have too many issues.

I agree with you, but being a little prepared in this regard could make a bad day sailing be just that and nothing more.

--
dg
NACRA 5.2 #400
This End Up
Original owner since 1975
--

dmgbear55

Many are in favor of climbing from outside the hull, as with this system, but how hard is to get there? Do you have that experience in tough conditions and with the boat moving? If there are waves the hull may slam your head when crossing to the other side. And on the other side, if you miss the line (or don't have it as in other cases), where do yo grab from? The cat in some cases may start moving rather fast, that's when I realized I needed some aid from under the beam.

This ladder system could perhaps go on the inner side of the hull, with a carabiner and an eyestrap on the beam. Ideally set up before righting, to have it ready (except that you would have to pull it back to the other side of the hull)

I see also that you tie the righting line to the mast rod, I've always felt that this may bend the rod if it pulls from the wrong end. I prefer to tie mine around the beam, through a grommet on the tramp. It goes around the rod too, so you don't pull from the grommet. My mast rod got bent once when I passed over a buoy with a carabiner that hooked on the dolphin striker. Not good.

carl2

will the setup work just by adding a block to the bridle.. seems like it would pull the bridle back

The force applied when stepping on the line is nothing compared to the forces to hold the mast while sailing.
The shock cord will pull back when not in use but what harm can that make? It will move back maybe 1 or 2 cm in light wind, and nothing in stronger wind.
I don't use a shock cord to keep the line up but a carabiner to the center of the from beam. (carabiner hooks to the righting line loop around the front beam/mast step rod). The line doesn't end at the carabiner but is longer, the rest is stored on the tramp pocket. It is also my towing line, I just unhook the carabiner and throw it to the towing boat or to attach to buoy, etc.





Edited by Andinista on Nov 12, 2016 - 08:39 AM.

In the case of my boat I would probably make sure that the righting line was pushed up close to the bottom of the beam before loading it up during righting to avoid bending the DS. Tying it in the center means it is ready for use from either side of the boat. I also don't think it would be a good idea to tie the righting line off on top of the beam fearing that the mast rotation could get messed up, or it would eat into the righting line.

I think you could sort out ways to do the same sort of thing from the inside but I was shooting for very simple system without adding many other elements to the boat. I also think Damon's point about rope ladders is very valid here. I just wonder if just one loop close to the bottom of the hull would actually do the trick, giving you just the leg up that you need.

We will be sailing soon wearing dry suits, so we can test this thing quickly. These loops would have merit just for giving you a nice double set of hand holds for yourself and crew during righting.

--
dg
NACRA 5.2 #400
This End Up
Original owner since 1975
--

Here si a simple idea: righting line is as in your picture, grab it from below the hull and thread it around the beam on the hull end, make room for your foot, there's your step. Ir keep the loop for the foot if you wish. Keep the two ends of line around the beam on your hand, friction should keep it there i think



Edited by Andinista on Nov 12, 2016 - 06:30 PM.

gahamby

Catmodding,That's an impressive number of cats there. Take us on a video tour sometime.Edited by gahamby on Nov 11, 2016 - 03:49 PM.

I will do so. Next spring, ok?

A

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

I know its an old topic, but at our club we bought a slightly bigger RIB,
witch we use for club-races and rescue boat in the summer when there's
a lot of cats out on the water.
Bigger means higher beams and harder boarding from the surface.
As being a safety-freak at our club ( Commodore ) I started to look
for a boarding-aid for the rib and found this;

http://www.rib-step.com

This could be a DIY project for a beach cat as well.
Other then that, the demonstration videos are worth looking if you want
to laugh.....

and, just wondering, did any-one use the bridal system last summer?

Grtz A

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

--
Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
--

looks pretty good for someone in reasonable shape - with places to grab (and maybe shallow water to get a jumpstart)

not sure about someone out of shape using this or any on the water ladder without help

last season i had to do a rescue of 3 people that fell out? of an inflatable dingy. it was either loosing air, or was just extremely under-inflated. all i know is they were in the bay, in the channel, and powerboats were avoiding them by going outside of the channel ... not stopping to help - so i did.

I circled them and asked them what was up, and decided i would grab the lightest one and bring her on my boat.. the other 2 bigger people were holding onto the sides of the dingy.

me, solo on a 5.5 - them 3 old, idiots who should not be on the water - floating (maybe sinking?) - no pdf's

they had a ladder similar to that you have one for their dingy ... but they lacked the upper body strength and balance and grab points to get back on the boat

long story short - I have to jump off my cat, jump in their dingy, and pull them in - jump back in the water, climb back up on my boat before it drove away.... fun :) - i then towed the 2 people in the dingy to shore and dropped all 3 off about 1000' east of the channel



Edited by MN3 on Feb 22, 2017 - 07:50 PM.

As long as there is a hand on board to help, or something else to grab, someone in shape could use that ladder. However, remember that the straps going up will be tight against the boat and will not present any location to grab.

--
Ted
Hobie 16
South Carolina Lake sailing
--