Greetings all:
Just a quick introduction to announce my new membership here.
Just picked up a '78 Sol Cat 18 and I still going over everything, so haven't sailed it yet. I already know I need a some trapeze wires and since I have no catamaran experience I guess I am gonna have to run some searches on how to rig those up!
I was also reading that there is a bearing (plastic shim?) needed on the mast step! :) It's a good thing I didn't try to rig it up and sail it today because I had no idea..hahaha. Lot's to learn.
I am in Northern Cali, near Sacramento. I am sure I will run into some of you at the nearby lakes as soon as I fix the leak in one of the pontoons and head out in a week or so.
Cheers,
Dan
Just bought a Sol Cat 18
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Posted: Jun 26, 2009 - 07:09 PM
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Posted: Jun 26, 2009 - 11:07 PM
Use plastic coffee can or other lid to cut bearing out for mast step. I have trap wires with dog bones. $50 for the pair includes the shock cord to keep them in place. Pete 909-800-5237 Big Bear, Ca. -
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Posted: Jun 27, 2009 - 01:12 AM
I bought a solcat a few weeks ago, and am in the process of a 100% rebuild. Hulls are solid, mast decent, standing rigging new, dolphin striker fubar (thanks Jeff for the new one). It is always funny to see how PO's treated their boats. I am currently sanding the acrylic latex paint from the hulls down to bare FG/gelcoat.
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Posted: Jun 27, 2009 - 03:29 PM
wow, glad to know im not the only one. I just joined this forum as well, and also have just purchased a Sol Cat 18 ... looks like there are not too many parts available for these boats :( . But glad to find this forum!
I have a quick question for the Sol-cat owners above... what does your mast base look like?? I believe mine has been "customized" as there is a hole drilled through the base and also one matching it through the mast shoe (or whatever the thing is called on the front crossbar where the mast base is placed). And the original instructions, hich i found here http://www.utahsailing.co…ssembly-instructions.pdf, specifically mention the mast is not held down by anything! I wonder if this is even a sol-cat mast base (or mast for that matter).
Do your's look like this? I'll try to include pics if i can figure that out.
Any help is coveted!
Thanks!
R. Gordon Demmin
(ok ive spent 20 min trying to figure out why the last pic is being reduced, still not working... so sorry
but i think u get the idea)
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Posted: Jun 27, 2009 - 04:30 PM
You can also use coca-cola 1.5lt plastic cap. -
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Posted: Jun 27, 2009 - 09:11 PM
Your setup is exactly like mine WITHOUT the hole.
I just went out and double-checked to make certain.
So it looks like the previous owner did nothing more than drill a hole. I don't know why you would want to keep the mast from rotating though...I have never owned a boat with a rotating mast but I guess it's supposed to help performance by creating a better air foil.
Dan
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Posted: Jun 27, 2009 - 09:23 PM
So I don't cut out a "donut" shape to fit over that large "nipple" on the mast base?
It actually goes completely over the nipple?
I saw these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=350216323707&Category=159151&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D1
I am not sure if the bearing needs to be large enough to cover the entire surface of the mast base, or just the flat portion of the mast base, or just the nipple?
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Posted: Jun 27, 2009 - 10:00 PM
Dan, thanks for that info - at least I can be faily certain I have a Sol cat mast base and the hole was the modification.
Now that i think about it I'll bet it was just to help with raising the mast. I havent had a chance to rig it yet, but i've read that raising the mast is one of the few drawbacks w/ the solcat, so the previous owner may have slipped a bolt through there just to help w/ raising the mast.
As for the pastic bearing ... Im wondering if that's even necessary? The original instructions dont mention it...and it is cast aluminum i believe.
But i guess it wouldnt hurt. If you do use it I would think cutting a "donut" would suffice since it looks like the weight and friction is on the outside ring, not the 'nipple' part.
Maybe some ol' sea dogs should answer that one
and not this green horn.
edited by: rdemmin, Jun 27, 2009 - 09:01 PM -
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Posted: Jun 28, 2009 - 07:48 AM
many nacra designs started life in the 70's and 80's and didnt have "captive mast base" systems
search turned up this mention and pic on this site
http://www.thebeachcats.com/classifieds/showproduct.php/product/1701/cat/7
so 1 person had to raise the mast and another had to try and hold the mast base on to the front beam until it was vertical enough for gravity to hold it down
about 1985? nacra, and many other cat makers, started putting captive mast bases on their boats
usually this is a system where the mast base is pinned to the front beam mount to stop it jumping off during the mast raising process. with the base pinned the mast can often safely be raised solo
mentioned here on page 9 of this getaway manual
http://www.gold-wing.it/getaway_gb.pdf
on some designs the pin stays in, on others it comes out, obviously you want the mast to rotate
so to recap, the solcat probably never got a factory "captive mast base" as they stopped production before they came out
so some enterprising owner made his own on your boat
about the chip
something will be better than nothing, grinding alloy into alloy will ruin expensive parts that are difficult to replace
i would have thought hard plastic better than soft plastic if you are only going to raise and lower the mast once a season
i think the hobie16 uses a chip system too, got to be lots of hobie dealers around, go have a look at 1 for size
edited by: erice, Jun 28, 2009 - 06:53 AM -
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Posted: Jun 28, 2009 - 02:48 PM
thanks for the info erice, good point about the plastic chip thing too. As soon as i can get my help to come over and assist in the mast raising, i'm planning on using a polt /pin combo too. Any bit of help raising that mast will be welcomed!
Im a diy'er so i'll prob try to find something that works around the house for the plastic bearing/chip piece.
-Gordon
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Posted: Jun 29, 2009 - 01:46 AM
HI,all i own a 76' SolCat 18 as for you plastic mast chip if you or anyone you know has an old or is not using a plastic 55gal. drum all you need is a two different sized holesaw bits and make yourself some plastic donuts you probably won't have to replace for a long time as they are thick and work great.Sail On. -
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Posted: Aug 13, 2009 - 02:46 AM
My two boys and I just picked up our new to us sol cat 18. The trailer is at my mom's house close to where we got the boat, will probalby go pick it up tomorrow and start putting the boat together. It is in in a bunch of little bits right now sitting on my cat 25 trailer. wish us luck with our new endever. -
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Posted: Aug 13, 2009 - 06:55 PM
COOL! ... I love mine (sol cat 18) and take it out every chance i get. Last weekend there were whitecaps on the lake and i got to try out my harness/trapeze for the first time- freaking aweome! If that isn't fun, there's no such thing! :)
Best of luck
RGD -
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Posted: Aug 14, 2009 - 10:00 PM
I picked up the trialer today at my mom's and took it to get new tires and a lub job. Needed new bearings etc. didn't get out of town till 5. Got it home and fixed the busted roller. Now I have to get the elder son, 12, to help load the boat on the trailer. DMV was closed today for their furlow days so I 'don't hve the registration yet. Hoping to get it to the water tomorrow and try and set it up.
I am kind of confused about the jib traveler set up. I'm not sure it was left correctly on the boat. Does anyone have a photo of what it is supose to look like? -
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Posted: Aug 16, 2009 - 12:11 AM
well, not the best pic, but one i had on hand... jib sheet is tied to jib cleat, run through one of the jib blocks/pullys then back through the same jib cleat, around the mast (aft side) and them mirrors the set-up on the other side. its all just one line. At least thats how mine is set up.
Hope that helps
Gordon -
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Posted: Aug 16, 2009 - 02:40 AM
do you change the position manualy or do you have lines you pull. The set up I have has some lines attatched to move the block back and forth on the track, but they just don't look right. I'll try adn thake a photo of them tomorrow.
We took the boat out today, the two boys and I, it was wicked fast and fun....till the starboard shroud decided that it wanted to part company. We were ripping and the mast fell with the sail covering my nine year old. We were just on the way in to see if my wife wanted to go out with us. Took the boat apart and went out on the Catalina 25 for the rest of the day. -
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Posted: Aug 17, 2009 - 11:32 PM
wow! im guessing everyone was alright? Thats a nightmare of mine - one of the shrouds failing, or the forestay!
About the jib, no i adjust the jib cleat position manually, but there is a small block set up on the end of each track so it looks like it was made to be moved w/ lines at one time... not sure how that would work though.
Pics would help i think :)
~ Gordon -
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Posted: Aug 19, 2009 - 12:10 AM
Here are some photos showing what my traveler, I guess it is standard.
This is the jib block with the outboard pully. It looks to me like the pully was put on backwards.
inboard of the track is a jam cleat for the sheet for the opposite side. -
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Posted: Aug 19, 2009 - 12:11 AM
here is the photo showing the cleat -
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Posted: Aug 19, 2009 - 12:15 AM
When we got home my elder son noticed this crack. There is another carck on the other side of the same attatchment. The other hull has no problem with this. Is this something that should be taken care of right away. I think it happened when the shroud busted, but I'm not sure I don't remember it from before.
