Bought this cat a few weeks ago from a fellow subscriber up in St. Pete Florida but cant find his email so I thought I would post a few questions here.

First off, I was so surprised that you use a rope to attach the fuller and bridle. I have a Hobie 16 so it is a bit unusual for me. I keep my mast up all the time so is there something else more substantial I can use??

Also my port shroud is just tied with rope and the rigging seems very loose. I assume I can buy a simple shroud adjuster from Hobie and use it.

Couple of other sail questions like I noticed it was very hard to turn either way and I had some good wind. Seems the hulls really cut into the water unlike the Hobie.

My sails may need a bit of work too so I will need to find a local sail repair place. I live in Bradenton Florida about an hour South of St. Pete Florida.

TIA for any help and or comments.

Matthew

I have been reading a bit about the Portuguese turnbuckle and did a google search but not sure what diameter to use. Found SS on Amazon with different sizes from 1/4" to 5/16".

Any idea which would be best.

Also wondering how much tension too use.

TIA

Matthew

I would replace the standing rigging and never trust rope holding a sideshroud!!! Murrays Marine in Carpenteria, California should have all the pertinent dimensions and Joel can have you set up real quick. All my catamarans have used the Portuguese line because it allows for easier setup and unlimited adjustment on rig tension. I use whatever line I have because I make certain that its wrapped at least 4 full loops. In my nearly 40 years sailing cats, primarily my Dart 18s, I have never had a failure. I changed my Prindle 18-2 to the same system. An added plus is that I can raise or lower my mast by myself by holding the line that attaches to the forestay and not have to rely on someone to hold the forestay as I climb on the tramp and hold the mast. (You need to have the stern toward the wind to allow the wind to hold the mast up as you raise it or lower it. Works great!!!) .

Gcat 5.7 owner here, I'll help the best I can. You can add a 10 hole chain plate like the Hobie 16 to the brindles, but like dartman says, you will find tensioning your rig much easier with the Portuguese turnbuckle(loops of rope), put your shroud anchor pins toward the bottom of the chain plates and tension with the Portuguese turnbuckle till it feels tight. I also second the no rope as a shroud. Go ahead and order a whole new set. I got mine from salty dog and it fit great. When you say hard to turn, does that mean in general or just when you tack? Make sure your rudders are locked down, and tighten all the bolts on them,if not they are a bear in any decent wind. They are not the best tacking boats, but much better than an H16. Not a whole lot to tune on these boats, make sure you have snug, even tension on your diamond wires and a good down haul. Not sure if barber haulers are stock on these boats, mine has them and I don't find them particularly effective, maybe a little bit downwind but not much.

Probably plenty of sail repair in your area, if you need a used main you can use a Pringle 18, Jibs are a little different since they attach to the crossbar.

I love mine, you have a great boat and live in a great area

Until November 30 Murrays is selling all rigging at 20% off with coupon code TGRIG. I am getting my first full replacement set, and this is the best deal I've seen yet.

--
Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
--

So it would not be good to use something like this stainless steel Portuguese turnbuckle
I do keep my mast up all the time on my Hobie and G-Cat as they sit behind my house where I have a bit of sandy area as we are on Palma Sola Bay.

Looks like my other shroud adjuster is a 10 hole so I will get one of those today.

Rigging was recently replaced.

I have only sailed her for a couple of hours and I could not get the boat to tack. Tried several times and finally get her to do a 180. Maybe that was a bit too much at once?

Any other thoughts and tips would be appreciated.

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So it would not be good to use something like this stainless steel Portuguese turnbuckle

https://www.amazon.com/gp…UK2WDWT8B7Q9&th=1&psc=1.
NO, I would not use that, they are slow to adjust, & you really should tie a locking wire/string through the hole in the barrel to prevent self unthreading.
If you have to undo a shackle, why bother with the threaded barrel.
A Portuguese turnbuckle looks like this, (I think this is MN3's setup)

It gives you a strong purchase, rig it so you are pulling own on the final turn, using hi-tech slippery line, it slides fairly easily.
This is what I used on my Nacra 5.7, similiar boat to your G-Cat

It is a doubled PTB. I also leave my cat in the back yard, mast up. Here is the explanation of how it works.
http://www.thebeachcats.c…pictures?g2_itemId=88327
As noted, I eventually went to one of these;
http://www.westmarine.com…_065_008_509?recordNum=9
I was advised to use the large one, 1000lb working load.
I pull it to the closed position to sail, then once back at the dock, simply pull the safety pin, & open th lever. That de tensions the rig in a couple of seconds.



Edited by Edchris177 on Nov 27, 2016 - 11:58 AM.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

I am currently using the Portuguese turnbuckle with the rope just makes me a bit nervous never using one before.

What is that mechanism you show in your photo Edchris177?

You use that in place of the Portuguese turnbuckle now?

Sorry did not see the link before.

What did you use to connect the furler and forestay?

I'm in Bradenton beach... rented gcats for years still have a 6.1m that we have raced quite a bit for the last 5 years or so till we just recently got something newer and slightly faster.. We tied our 6.1 with a beach bum version of the Portuguese turnbuckle works just fine just make sure it's "good n tight".

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First off, I was so surprised that you use a rope to attach the fuller and bridle. I have a Hobie 16 so it is a bit unusual for me. I keep my mast up all the time so is there something else more substantial I can use??

You CAN use high modulus line (ie. dynema, vecrtan, etc) . It is as strong as steel cable but is subject to chafe... so a shackle is preferable - esp since you will be side loading it while furling

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I noticed it was very hard to turn either way and I had some good wind. Seems the hulls really cut into the water unlike the Hobie.

My GUESS is your rudders are out of alignment if you have a hard time steering - it should be easy to make course adjustments with a few knots of wind

Quote

My sails may need a bit of work too so I will need to find a local sail repair place. I live in Bradenton Florida about an hour South of St. Pete Florida.

There are lots of sail lofts in St Pete -
Doyle (i have had mixed results with them)
MastHead
Calvert (now called something else) and others - they can all fix you up
many others too....

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I also second the no rope as a shroud.

You can use high modulus line (ie. dynema, vecrtan, etc) AS a shroud, or to lash a shroud down...BUT it's not standard for MOST beach cat (although a lot of A-cats do this - but they don't leave their boats mast up on the beach often ... and are mostly raceboats that want to cut weight and meticulously maintain their gear)
i would recommend the standard side stay adjusters and steel cable for longevity and to stop any jerk on the beach from cutting your stay with a knife.

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I have only sailed her for a couple of hours and I could not get the boat to tack. Tried several times and finally get her to do a 180. Maybe that was a bit too much at once?

like your hobie 16, you need to keep speed through the tack, also g-cats need to let the jib backwind (after the wind switches from port to stbd (or vice versa) you should not blow the jib (release) for a few seconds to help turn the bows through the "no sail zone" (you can't sail directly into the wind, or approx 23* in either direction)



They rent G-cats in Long Boat Key
may be worth the time and money to go rent one
they will give you a lesson... you can ask 1,000,000 questions at that time too

Quote

(you can't sail directly into the wind, or approx 23* in either direction)

More like 45* either side of head into wind.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Quote

More like 45* either side of head into wind.

i think your right!
thanks for keeping me honest

PS - wikileaks says " , the no-go zone may be from 30 to 50 degrees either side of the wind, a 60- to 100-degree area centered on the wind direction."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_of_sail

We are the one that rented gcats.. its in Bradenton Beach.. we no longer rent gcats we have hobie getaways right now.. if you want a lesson come on out happy to help!

A couple of other questions....

I noticed one of the end caps are missing on the middle cross beam, any idea where I can get one of those or get one fabricated?

The tip on the port hull looks like it was damaged and somewhat repaired, the starboard hull has a bumper on the tip covered with a metal protector, any chance they are available somewhere?

Also just noticed a dent/damaged area on the back side of the starboard rudder. Can I fill that with something like Marine Tex? Not sure what these rudders are made of...

Hey G-Catpat are you guys just North of the Tiki Hut (Gulf Drive Cafe). I saw some Cats out there last week when I was there. Looked like a big Narca with a mylar sail?

I live and work in Palma Sola Harbour condo on Cortez road and have both the Hobie 16 and 5.7 G-cat sitting behind my condo on Palma Sola Bay.

I have sailed many times out back of AMI (ICW) but always wondered if I could take one of the cats under the Manatee Bridge or Cortez Bridge under sail. I have taken my other sailboats under the bridge but always motoring.

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I noticed one of the end caps are missing on the middle cross beam, any idea where I can get one of those or get one fabricated?

Your beam is most likely a hobie 16 mast section. so you could look for one of those, but also look through ebay and this site classified...lots of boats being parted out -

Quote

The tip on the port hull looks like it was damaged and somewhat repaired, the starboard hull has a bumper on the tip covered with a metal protector, any chance they are available somewhere?

need a pic to understand what a bumper / cover is... my guess it is probably covering a much more severe dent/crack

Quote

Also just noticed a dent/damaged area on the back side of the starboard rudder. Can I fill that with something like Marine Tex? Not sure what these rudders are made of...

yup marine tex would work. glass mat and thickened epoxy or thickened gelcoat would be better
lots of youtubes on how to repair rudders

Quote

I have sailed many times out back of AMI (ICW) but always wondered if I could take one of the cats under the Manatee Bridge or Cortez Bridge under sail. I have taken my other sailboats under the bridge but always motoring.

I have a buddy who has a timeshare on LBK. He keeps his gcat mast up at a hotel (the diplomat) on the beach (gulf side) for the week (he has a dozen friends who stay there this week). I sailed with him iinto sarasotta bay. we anchored up right at the Chart House.

Word of caution..... just in case you didn't know this:
due to the slope of the gulf around there, the waves are extreme around there (the diplomat hotel area and south - i don't know about north) . so extreme that you need to be able to perfectly manage your launch/beaching or your risking catastrophic damage (broken rudders or castings), and perhaps worse (capsize in the surf)

I would personally suggest you MASTER cat sailing before you attempt to beach or even sail close to the beach at LBK area (i personally did not enjoy crewing in those conditions, and would not do it again.. )


About sailing under a span bridge:
Sailing a cat under a span bridge isn't a big deal as long as you know the boat, the current, the waters (depth and surf).... But you have to be ready to handle the boat when the current is against you, and the bridge support blocks all your wind....If you do it right, no issues, do it wrong and your may be pushing your boat off a bridge span support (and oysters)... I've "kissed" the sand key bridge when i was starting out and miss judged the current

Yea that's us we just got the nacra carbon 20 a few months ago plan on doing some serious racing and eventually rides/advanced lessons... probably have some end caps laying around.. you can sail under the bridge bring a paddle and a horn I think 1 long and 2 short honks and hope they hear you I would go out manatee side current can be pretty bad at longboat bridge..

Quote

What did you use to connect the furler and forestay?

Go to my Furling Album, then scroll down to the last few items to see the explanation.
http://www.thebeachcats.c…pictures?g2_itemId=88268
I decided to use the lever on the forestay as I had just had new shrouds made, & needed to cut the forestay to accommodate the furler anyway. It also means I tension the jib & the rig from the same spot. Makes it a 10 second exercise to tension & de-tension both.
An Olympic gold medal Tornado sailor advised me to use the large,(1000lb working load) lever.
I fully get that most people would say, "why not just use the PTB?"
My Cats sit fully rigged,(except for mainsail), on modified Seadoo lifts. It was difficult to stand in waist deep water & try to tie/untie knots that were well over my head.



Edited by Edchris177 on Dec 03, 2016 - 11:47 AM.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

I was just by chance reading your furling info as your reply came up. Read it the first time and it went over my heard so I am gonna read it one more time.... Thank you.

Will this work from Salty Dog as I getting ready to place an order with them,
http://www.saltydogmarine.com/product_info.php?cPath=240&products_id=2491

http://www.saltydogmarine…ath=240&products_id=2491

Quote

Will this work from

That is the exact same unit I use.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Perfect... making my order now. Thank you.

why would you put a shroud extender as a connection of your furler?
I would (and do) just tie a 3mm dyneema or vecrtan line



Edited by MN3 on Dec 03, 2016 - 01:09 PM.

Since my mast stays up 24/7 365 days a year I wanted something more durable than the rope Portuguese turnbuckle. This seems it would do the trick?

Quote

why would you put a shroud extender as a connection of your furler?
I would (and do) just tie a 3mm dyneema or vecrtan line

If my boat were on dry land, I probably would. As stated, it is a Royal PITA to stand in waist deep water, (your furler is now above your head), barely able to reach where the knot would be. For a season I laid a plank across the hulls so I could reach, that got old, real fast, hence the extender.
I can now tension the rig, & the jib in about 10 seconds.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Quote

t is a Royal PITA to stand in waist deep water,

gotcha
Is the original poster docking his cat?
PS G-cats have front tramps (unless removed) that he could stand on if he needed to lower his jib on the water

My only reason for putting the extender on is.... I guess strength?? A lot of high winds in my back yard. Yes I am on land and not hard to reach the Portuguese turnbuckle.

I'll post a pic here in a few minutes as soon as I figure out how.

Hobie 16 in the foreground and 5.7 G-Cat behind it. Low, low tide today.

This is the cap I am looking for on the center cross bar.

Here is the pic of the metal covering a rubber piece on the nose of my starboard hull, anyone know if it is something I can order or do I need to fabricate one? Missing the one on the port hull...

and the small ding on the backside of the starboard rudder. An easy quick patch would be....

Pic after bringing in the G-Cat after my first and only sail so far...

Quote

My only reason for putting the extender on is.... I guess strength?

3mm (1/8th") amsteel (Dyneema) has 2500lb. Breaking Strength

bedouin

Here is the pic of the metal covering a rubber piece on the nose of my starboard hull, anyone know if it is something I can order or do I need to fabricate one? Missing the one on the port hull...

Not stock -homemade bumper... first time i've ever seen that

bedouin

and the small ding on the backside of the starboard rudder. An easy quick patch would be....

no offence but That does not look like a patch nor marine-tex job to me.

I would not use that in water until it is fixed correctly - that look like serious damage that needs to be done right or will come back and need more attention later

1. I would put that in the fl sun for a few days (remove at night and rain) to dry out completely

2. grind all that damage out

3. add multiple layers of (Fiber)glass laid up with epoxy
(cut up 1 big piece that fills most of the area, then a smaller one, and so on... (probably 5 or so..per side)

if you try to patch that... your patch will eventually fail (due to shrinkage and poor mechanical bonding) and you will again introduce water into your rudder... which will eventually fail too if you keep getting it wet

(IMHO, YMMV)

om closer look .. it looks split too.
i would create
grind the sides clean,
create a shim out of glass and epoxy
dremmil out a nice channel for the shim
then apply glass as mentioned above
sand
gelcoat or paint
fair

lots of youtubes out there
one of my favs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TyWSnAvI9A



Edited by MN3 on Dec 03, 2016 - 03:23 PM.

Hey MN3. It's Pete in Deland. We have spoke a few times. Most recently regarding Cat Trax. I Love coming on this site and seeing your posts in these Forums. You are always providing great info. Thanks.

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

Thank you MN3!

Anyone have a particular site that they like for DIY fiberglass repair?

I also have some glass repair I need to do on the bottom hulls of the Hobie.

I have viewed a lot of videos on Hobie Hull repair not sure which way to go...

Quote

Hey MN3. It's Pete in Deland. We have spoke a few times.

Hi Pete!
how's the 450 treating you?

Very Well. Haven't been out in a few weeks. Missing it. We are thinking of doing the 1st Annual Bluster on the Bay regatta in January. Have you heard anything about it?

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

nope... if it's one of them race thingies... where you have to pay attention and sail at your best..... it's not for me - but you should do it if it's your kinda thing!

ps there is always a hangover regatta here in dundine on jan 1

Hangover Regatta Huh...That sounds interesting!!

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

Looking for some advice on a repair for this grommet on the G-Cat mainsail.

It appears as if someone put some kind of metal like material to hold the grommet in.

I was thinking on removing the old grommet and repairing it with a 4.5" by 5" Nylon headboard with rivets.

I can not find any eyelet or grommet that would fit in the 1.5" hole in the sailcloth. This is a quick and simple fix without taking it to a sail repair shop. I have an order ready to place with Sailrite and thought I would add this to the order....

I believe this is my downhall ring.

You need a wider-area repair to the bolt rope on your sail, as well as a new grommet and reinforcement. A sail shop can make short work of that. Alternatively, you're going to need edge tape, a replacement grommet and some skills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGhij79W4QY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXInsgf3RGE



Edited by tominpa on Dec 11, 2016 - 12:23 PM.

--
Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
--

I am taking on the repair (DIY) of the boltrope for my Hobie 16 mainsail (which is why I have an order with Sailrite pending) and used that first video from Sailrite for the inspiration to do it.

Was just hoping to do a quick fix on the replacement of the grommet on the G-Cat's mainsail....

Even looked at a jiffy grommet with rivets but it is still too small to cover the hole.

May have to take it to the local sailmaker.... $85 an hour.

you can put a new grommet above (or below) the old wonky one.

I would reinforce it with a patch or strop (actually, i would bury that sail and get a new one..)

look at the strap going through the grommet

but realize every stroke of a needle is perforating an old and tired sail and can induce a failure with enough pressure (wind) so tread lightly :)



Edited by MN3 on Dec 14, 2016 - 08:02 PM.

Looking to buy a 5.7 G-cat.... anyone?

topher39

Looking to buy a 5.7 G-cat.... anyone?

Are you a Facebooker? There is a Gcat Owners group that may be worth a post if no one on here has any leads

Love my G-Cat 5.0. Good luck with the 5.7 search - they're out there but rarer than hens teeth in good condition. Great Great handling and flys hulls predictably and not jerky. Need beach wheels tho - they dig in deep when pulling them up on loose sand. Worth the investment to get new sails if yours are that beat up i'd say.

--
Tim Grover
1996 Hobie Miracle 20
Two Hobie 14's
1983 G-Cat Restored
Memphis TN / North Mississippi
--

Quote

Need beach wheels tho -

if you have the right beach/ramp you can get away without wheels most of the time if you don't mind getting your hubs wet

I personally NEVER get my trailer wheels wet, but many of our G-cat owners can get away without using wheels when the water/tide is right

edit - the reason g-cats can do it and other cat's can't is the front tramp - you can stand up there while the boat is on the trailer and you can't on most other cats



Edited by MN3 on Feb 21, 2018 - 01:37 PM.

MN3

I personally NEVER get my trailer wheels wet, but many of our G-cat owners can get away without using wheels when the water/tide is right

I'm a freshwater guy, sometimes mildly brackish water out near Rio Vista... so this may be a dumb question: Why?

As a 4wheeler, I regularly forded water over my hubs (again fresh water)... with good maintenance (synthetic grease works especially well), that was never a problem. I sail most at Folsom Lake, which is a granite reservoir with sometimes sandy/silty 'beaches' - generally thin at best. More often than not, I back right down into the water ... last week I had lousy slope, so the Subaru was 10 feet in the water as well, with the exhaust barely under.

Is it the salt that's the big difference?

Randii

fxloop

Love my G-Cat 5.0. Good luck with the 5.7 search - they're out there but rarer than hens teeth in good condition. Great Great handling and flys hulls predictably and not jerky. Need beach wheels tho - they dig in deep when pulling them up on loose sand. Worth the investment to get new sails if yours are that beat up i'd say.

Agree completely with all of this. I can wrestle the bows out of the surfline but after that wheels better be near by. I actually carry them with me on the boat because I am helpless moving it without them. Got some new sails and she sails like a new boat.

Quote

I'm a freshwater guy, sometimes mildly brackish water out near Rio Vista... so this may be a dumb question: Why?

It is my belief that the salt greatly increase the galvanic corrosion for boats and trailers

Quote

Is it the salt that's the big difference?

Yes - especially here on the face of the sun (florida).
after you put your boat and trailer in, the trailer just bakes all day/weekend/week rusting in the sun (which is just as destructive to your unprotected metal, lines and fittings on your boat / esp here in fl)

I was at a local hitch shop getting a new hitch installed on my new car last year
guy behind the counter and i shot this shit for over an hour = at one point he mentioned he brought a presurized water tank (i.e. bug sprayer) filled w soapy water and he would rinse down his trailer after every time it touched the water (after put in, and again after pull out)
- I personally would only do this with eco friendly soap on our gulf

jalex

fxloop

Love my G-Cat 5.0. Good luck with the 5.7 search - they're out there but rarer than hens teeth in good condition. Great Great handling and flys hulls predictably and not jerky. Need beach wheels tho - they dig in deep when pulling them up on loose sand. Worth the investment to get new sails if yours are that beat up i'd say.

Agree completely with all of this. I can wrestle the bows out of the surfline but after that wheels better be near by. I actually carry them with me on the boat because I am helpless moving it without them. Got some new sails and she sails like a new boat.

congrats on the sails
where did you get them?

Quote

congrats on the sails
where did you get them?

They were made by SuperSails in Ft. Lauderdale and I am very happy with them. In full disclosure they were made for another Gcat sailor who shortly there after had unrepairable damage to his boat so I was able to get the sails, I'd be surprised if they were even used once, they are flawless. Boat seems to point better and tack better.

MN3

It is my belief that the salt greatly increase the galvanic corrosion for boats and trailers

This definitely makes sense, and I'm grateful that my experience has been limited... beyond growing up in Michigan and watching cars dissolve almost entirely due to road salt. Thought-provoking for sure for when I do eventually hit the big water!

Thanks!