First the good news… I just picked up a Prindle 18-2 w/trailer and it looks pretty sweet sitting in my driveway! Now the maybe not so good news… I’m new to cat sailing. I have done a bit of recreational “sailing”. My family had a couple of wind surfers while I was growing up and a couple times a year I would get to sail a dingy. I hadn’t sailed anything for about 10 years. A couple years ago, I picked up an M-scow for next to nothing. I’ve been out on that quite a bit and have enjoyed every minute of it. But of course, the need-for-speed never seems to let go, so I’ve been researching and watching for a decent cat (don’t get me wrong… a scow is quick, but not like a cat). I settled on an 18-2 and am pretty fired up about it.
The PO was great about walking me through stepping the mast and showing me the whole setup. I have the manual downloaded, but it really isn’t the most helpful and the pics aren’t exactly the best either so of course, I have a couple questions about its setup.
Does anybody have a pic of their downhaul setup? I attached a pick of the way the PO had it setup, which I’m pretty confident is not right. I rerouted the lines a little and think I have it figured out, but would like some confirmation from someone. Sorry, I didn’t think to take a pic of my new line route while I had it setup in the driveway.
2nd. I have a four-way jib setup. Holy smokes… talk about infinite adjustments! My ’69 scow had an outhaul and a jib sheet. Again, the manual isn’t to clear on some basic settings and tuning the jib. Can someone give me a quick run down on where to start with this jib?
3rd. With my scow, I never cleated the main sheet. That was just a good way to get dumped in the drink. With this setup, just by tightening the sheet, it gets pulled through the cleat. Do you guys/girls sail with the main cleated or do you just give the extra pull up and out of the cleat every time you tighten the main?
Finally. I’ve found that a lot times, if there’s a shackle or block mounted from there factory, there is a reason it’s there, whether people us it or not is different, but there’s usually a reason for it to be there. So, what’s the purpose of the hole in the middle of the tramp in the pic?
