Tack Reefing Grommet and a few other questions - new owner

[Jim in TC]

Our Sun Cat came with a tiller extension device from Forespar (link below). I don't see anything in their current offerings just like it, though. It is maybe 14" collapsed and about twice that extended and requires only a very small fitting on the bottom of the tiller to attach and quick release to stow out of the way. I have found only occasional very "casual weather" use for it, when just leaning back and relaxing. I don't see myself hiking out (like, for example, on our Holder 12). PO suggested that she could steer from inside the cabin but I am skeptical.

https://www.forespar.com/products/tiller-extension-twist-lock.shtml

[Andre]

Regarding a tiller lock ....

On my PC I put a small plastic jam (not cam) cleat on the underside of the tiller and then tied a length of shock cord between the boom gallows stantions and let some slack dangle below the tiller.  To use I pull the shock cord up and out over jam cleat.  Total cost about $5.  I mostly use it to set and douse sail, reefing and "heaving to" for short periods of time.

I did have to play around with 2 or 3 shock cord diameters - the first one (3/16 ?) was too stretchy to hold the tiller setting.  Larger is better. The cleat makes it a little harder to get tiller cover on.

[Joseph]

Hi Roger,

On the reefing grommet portion of your original posting...

The sail of my Suncat has four grommets at its luff attaching to slugs inside the mast track. For the first reefing tack, a special grommet was placed midway between the first and the second sail slug grommets. The sail cloth was also properly reinforced at that point similarly to the reinforcements that are sewn at the regular sail tack.

When ordered the boat I requested a second reefing point (which I never used, but it makes me feel good to know that it is there...). This was set by properly reinforcing the sail at the level of the third sail slug tie whose grommet thus doubles as a second reef sail tack. The sail came with that grommet initially loose (i.e., not attached to the mast). but I have since added the corresponding tie and slug.

If you will use a regular luff grommet as your first reefing tack, you may wish to consider reinforcing the sail at that point.

J.

[Maritimer67]

Just closing the loop on this thread.  Thanks for the helpful feedback.

After getting the boat home last week, from New Bern NC (!!!!), I discovered what one of the members said about the tack reef grommet.  The PO had added another sail slide (which was different from the others and didn't stay in the track!!) in the reef grommet, so I removed it and all is good.

I did pick up the TillerClutch, have mounted it on the tiller, but haven't positioned / mounted the jam cleats yet.

Picked up tell tales and will add them as shown in the catboat manual and other member suggestions.

Sanded down all the external teak this week and getting it ready for Cetol treatment.

Compound and wax next week to bring the color back to the hull.

I did contact Ameriseam in Tampa.  They are the supplier to Hutchins for the canvas work.  Brought the boat over to them yesterday to have somme new canvas work done.  Jim, the owner is very nice, owned the biz for 22 years now and has a nice facility and staff.  I'm having a new mainsail cover made, repair to the bimini cover, a "sock" to cover the openings in the mast and stub with the mast down (plastic containers and rags around it bug me!) and a boat cover specially modified to cover the boat with mast up and down.  Most of the time the mast will be up at the Tampa Sailing Squadron and the cover will use the boom as the ridgepole, rather than the mast and we needed special openings for the mast and stays.  Jim is keeping the boat over the weekend to think it out and make patterns in case others want to do the same thing, or offer it as an option to Hutchins.  I will post pictures and prices after it's all done.

Phew!!