I picked up a 1983 Prindle 18 a couple winters ago for $250 that had some issues that needed to be addressed (soft spots from trailering, missing turnbuckles) but after last summer and this spring I think I've got it in sailing condition again. It was missing some pieces when I bought it so the owner couldn't demonstrate setting it up. I've been sailing little sloop-rigged boats for quite a while in our local lake but decided I wanted to try something a little more exciting.
a couple weeks ago I got the mast up and everything ready to go but I couldn't figure out how to properly set up the main sheet and block. If anyone has a handy youtube video of how it should be set up or even can find couple pictures of how the boom, cleat, and traveller are hooked up i'd be appreciative.
Second problem i'm having, the mainsail is impossible to raise completely while the mast is up, it gets stuck about 5 feet from the top. with the mast off the boat and laying on the ground I can get the sail all the way up if I have a friend guide it. I've cleaned the channel on the mast with some soap and then alchohol and was thinking about using some sort of lubricant in the channel but i'm not sure what sort wouldn't damage the sail. If anyone has input on that particular issue I'm definitely open to ideas.
Thanks!
Couple issues with my first Cat, Prindle 18
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Posted: May 02, 2019 - 01:27 PM
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Posted: May 02, 2019 - 01:50 PM
First off, congrats on the new boat.
I imagine its the same set up as the P16. Google "Prindle 18 manual" and it will come up. Otherwise I can snap some pictures when I get home.
When it comes to the mast, few things. It can be a pain to hoist solo. Make sure you're point dead into the wind, aligned at the bottom and pull. If it jams, stop. Pull it down a bit, re-check you're clear and try again.
1 - Sight down the track and see if its not bent, knarled, pinched, etc.
2 - Make sure its clean
3 - McLube Sailkote is the lubricant you're looking for.
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Joshua
Texas Gulf Coast
'82 Prindle 16 (Badfish)
'02 Hobie Wave (Unnamed Project)
‘87 Hobie 18 (Sold)
‘89 Hobie 17 (ill-advised project boat, Sold)
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Posted: May 02, 2019 - 02:27 PM
I don't like standing on the tramp to hoist sail. Rivit an eyestrap about 18" above your head to the mast when boat is on the ground. Attach any misc block to eyestrap. Now take end of halyard as it comes out bottom of mast and run thru that block so that you're pulling down. If you buy an EASYRIG $12 from Murrays windsurf section, it's a wonderful line grabber. If you are exactly head to wind, your other hand is free to guide sail. Of course I've run canning wax (grocer) along entire luff before starting. Pete -
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Posted: May 02, 2019 - 02:54 PM
Neat idea - i've never heard of that
i've seen people put a swivel block on the mast base and haul the mainsail up while standing on the side of the boat
For track cleaning - spraying product inside the mast track isnt very efficient - sure some will fog up and land on the inner track but most will land in the back of the track (where the bolt rope never touches)
with the mast down:
I take a pencil or other similar shaped and sized dowel and wrap it in a tshirt type cloth
i clean the track by using alcohol or something similar (water would even work) and walk the "plug" up and down the masttrack a few times - then i coat the cloth with mclube, or just marine silicone spray and walk it up and down a few times... i re-apply and do it again
I also lube up the top of my mainsail boltrope -
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Posted: May 02, 2019 - 03:43 PM
I found this picture of a Prindle 19 but it is basically the same. You can use the tail end of your mainsheet or a second line for the traveler your choice. If you look closely you can see the bottom of the mainblocks hooked to the top of the traveler. The top main block hooks to the bail on the rear of the boom. Hope this my description is clear enough. Sorry it's the 7th picture down.
https://www.google.com/ur…caj&ust=1556912305706808
Edited by pknapp66 on May 02, 2019 - 09:11 PM.
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Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
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Posted: May 03, 2019 - 12:02 AM
Dan,
If you are facing into the wind and still have issues fully raising the sail, it’s often due to one of 3 problems:
1. The sheave (pulley) atop the mast is defective and binding when enough load is placed on it. Remove and rehab or replace this part
2. The sail luff rope and/or batten pockets are torn or swelling. A few of these in sequence can really be a drag. Find them and have them repaired.
3. The hoister is just not manly enough.
Bracing your foot on the rear beam or transom and using an EZRigg will help you pull like a Clydesdale. Also, someone can feed the sail into the kerf track and spray Sailkote or a dry lubricant spray on the bolt rope as it enters the track.
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Prindle 18
96734
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Posted: May 03, 2019 - 09:13 AM
check the mast for a pinch point sometimes a mast gets dropped for whatever reason and the luff track needs an adjustment gently with gentle prying to open the track some more happened to one of our hobie 16 s at our club last summer Hope this helps -
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Posted: May 03, 2019 - 09:21 AM
On our Dart, the halyard is long enough that we can stand on the ground behind the rear beam and raise the main.
This is good advice and I vote for addressing the problem in the order identified by nohulu. I think the hoister being not manly enough is unlikely to be the cause. My 14 yr old 120 lb daughter regularly raises the main on our Dart. She has to work, but gets it done fairly easily.
The main stopping 5 feet from the top suggests that there is something very wrong.
Dana
Edited by dartsailors on May 03, 2019 - 10:24 AM.
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Dana, Holly, Emma & Hannah
LJ/Stu's Dart 18
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Posted: May 03, 2019 - 10:34 AM
Dana, keep in mind your cat has no spreaders and no pre-bend and minimal luff curve. your sail should be much easier to hoist than cats with spreaders and pre-bend
As per the pinching of the mast track:
i used a little wooden wedge (think door stopper) to measure (gauge) the track and smacked it with a hammer (gently) to help bend it back into shape - try to flex the metal as little as possible as the more you flex it the more brittle it becomes
Lastly: last weekend we sailed with a H21se. the guy was new to the boat and had all sorts of rigging issues. one being the sail not going up easily. ended up - the block on the base of the mast was not inline and the halyard was pinching at the very bottom of the mast (in some v- cleat)
I am not sure if it was a stock cleat (doubt it) but it was the main issue
the solution was easy... we moved/added a turning block closer (inline) to the mast track
this is probaby not stock so probably not the issue BUT the take away was: make sure your turning block at the base of the mast is not pulling the halyard aft so it can't get pinched at the base of the mast -
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Posted: May 03, 2019 - 08:47 PM
To scrub your mast kerf, get a 3/4" wide bottle brush from a kitchen or dollar store to scrub it out.
When you had the mast down and hoisted the sail, did you find the area where the sail bound up?
It could be a combination of the things Nohuhu listed.
Possibilities:
Aren't there two sheaves at the top of your mast for the halyard? Check them both for wear, or being absent.
Lay your main sail flat on the ground. Does the luff (front flat white edge) look all scrunched up? Your bolt rope may have shrunk, which will bind when you try to raise the sail. You can replace this yourself if you have a saddle stitcher.
Look closer at the luff and see if there is significant wear in the white tape. If it is bad, they sell adhesive backed sail-tape you can use to repair it. This is where you want to spray the McLube, or spread the wax before you raise the sail. You don't have to melt the wax, just rub it. Put either along the entire length of the sail.
Check the plastic reinforcements at the luff end of the batten pockets to make sure they are intact. Broken parts and missing rivets can allow the batten to rub on the mast and add friction to the hoist.
Don't you hoist the main from the front? You can help feed the sail into the kerf, but it is easier if you have help.
Let us know what you find.
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Sheet In!
Bob
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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
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