I purchased an 18 foot Sol Cat and had problems raising the jib sail. The forestay had a plastic coating over the cable. The coating combined with the plastic clips on the jib created drag and caused the clips to bind while trying to raise the sail. I stripped the coating from the cable and the jib went up without a problem. The boat is a 1973 model and all of the rigging seems to be original. My question would be: How did the previous owners raise the sail? Secondly, Am I going to have a cocern with the exposed cable on the forestay?
Actually a lot of standing rigging is not coated and I have heard around hear that uncoated is better. The rigging my Prindle 18 came with is uncoated but any new you buy from Murrays or Salty Dog comes coated. The SolCat jib s a little strange most cat's, I don't think, have those little clips. Mine is just a zippered luff that goes around the forestay.
Thanks for the reply Dustin,
I stockpiled an extra set of clips and will just replace them as they wear out. You are correct about the jib configuration. The manual for the boat details a unique set up for attaching the sheets to the clew of the jib, it works so I just went with it.
Allen
Phoenix, AZ
My O Day Wigeon had clips.