has anyone put a larger jib on theyre solcat? also was wondering if anyone knew the dimentions of the jib the luff/foot ect... of the factory jib,
was thinking about putting a larger jib on the boat for lighter wind days, a guy at my marina added a second bridal/mast bracket to his hobbie 18. and he added what he calls a screecher, he also has his set up on a furler. is that a route that is pos? or shouldnt the load be put that far forward of the extisting factory forstay/bridal position.
also does anyone have a picture on how the down hauls are run on theyre mast. my boat isnt set up with either. ive been using extra rope for now.
also with the newer boats like the nacras ect, could i take a sail from a more modern cat and install it on the solcat. would be neat to use one of those new sails with the squared off tops of the sail.
thanks,
eric
there are pictures of the boat in the beauty and art section
solcat 18
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Posted: Jul 26, 2013 - 12:23 PM
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Posted: Jul 27, 2013 - 07:07 AM
on an older thread I found the dimensions I was looking for on the jib, and I did buy a jib that was a touch bigger, foot taller, and 3.5' longer at the foot. so well see how that works out for me. but im still looking for pointers on the standing rigging, and if anyone know the rake the mast should be at it would be great if you could pass it on,
eric -
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Posted: Jul 27, 2013 - 01:31 PM
Eric, you will have problems with longer length in the foot of the jib. The jib-stay is very close to the mast and the boat sails best with a smaller sail up front. Mine currently hits the mast every time I tack, so if your's is bigger you may have some problems pulling it through. Hopefully it's not battened like the original jib! The additional height should be fine. As for a square top, I think you would be putting a supercharger on a lawn mower. The boat design is old and not very buoyant. Don't get me wrong, I love my Solcat, but after you sail a newer boat you realize the limitations of it's design. That much additional sail area might be great if you have calm steady winds, but if it you sail in 10 knot plus winds your going to be over powered and start plowing your hulls in, if you don't flip it first. I try and rake the mast back to about 3.5 Degrees of vertical with the original sail plan. If you're changing it up though, all bets are off. Just get your mast in the air, hoist your sails and sail it. Bring it back to the beach and make some adjustments, then take it back out again and again until you feel like you've got it where you want it.
Have fun!
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Jeremy Hales
1974 SOLCAT 18
Salem, OR
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Posted: Jul 28, 2013 - 04:21 PM
I went with a hobie brand sail.(16'9"/8'4"/ zipper luff) couldn't say what its from but I added some swivel cams just ahead of where the port holes are, and some loops on the front cross bar a few inches from where the swivel cams mounted, and ran the ropes like they would be on jib blocks with blocks on the end of the sheet. the sail isn't battened, an had a large window and two small tear drop shape windows further up the sail.
ive also picked up a hobie jib furler, and some assorted rigging to piece it all together. im going to give it a go and see if it works. I figure its and add. 25 sq' to the sail area so fingers crossed
Edited by eric001 on Jul 28, 2013 - 04:23 PM. -
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Posted: Jul 28, 2013 - 06:07 PM
Those are telltale windows. Get two pair, they come with stik-on patches, & place one on each side of the sail, so they stream back across the window.
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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
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Posted: Jul 28, 2013 - 08:48 PM
Looking at your mast angle in your avatar I would also add some rake to the mast. Not much, just a little. I did that last year and that help quite a bit in boat handling.
Are you trying to get more power? Are you sailing heavy?
SolCat is very nice boat, very easy to sail and very stable. The boat was well designed, ahead of its time with foam sandwitch construction for which other cats manufactuers didn't change until mid 80's. One thing that I didn't like about was that most hull volume was at the bows, resulting stern being deep in the water with more drag especially when total crew weight was above 340 lbs or so.
Please let me know If you need extra rudders or dugger boards, I still have extra.
Edited by windadict on Jul 28, 2013 - 09:13 PM.
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Adam Bartos
Nacra 5.0
SolCat 18 (sold)
Lake Zurich, IL
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Posted: Aug 09, 2013 - 10:57 PM
I added a forstay/furler/jib from h18, used the bridal from h16. mainsheet setup from h18
need to add a second mast tang further up the mast and another bridal up front, as well as lengthening the upper forestay above the swivel.
new pics up in the picture section, i raked the mast slightly
and some local brothers gave me some pointers on setup, and rigging. at least someone near me has owned one... guess i lucked out.
but itll be interesting to see how it help/hinders performance. the other day i got 19.6 mph out of her. i used all sport gps app for my android phone for the stats
