Irons

[kickingbug1]

    hate to say this but i dont think i ever put my catalina 18 in irons. it does have a pretty deep foiled rudder which i think helps. i rarely backwind the jib as my wife trimming the jib forgets to. my old 16 got caught in irons pretty much until i put a ruddercraft rudder on it. maybe its a problem with the small jib and main with lots of roach. i did sail and eclipse once and dont remember having a problem. she sailed well as i recall.

[Cpy23ecl]

I've added another inch (total 3 inch extension) to the forestay, increasing the mast aft rake a bit more and the boat tacks even better.

I'm curious as to what fellow eclipse owners do to prevent the jib sheets from getting hooked up on the pin for gin pole on the mast.  I didn't have much trouble with that when I needed to backwind the jib to prevent irons while tacking but now that I don't need to do that the jib sheet has hooked on the pin nearly every tack.

[slode]

To prevent the jib sheets from getting hung up on the pin and hinge it's very simple.  Take the end of the jib halyard, which is used for mast raising, run it behind the horn clean on the port side of the mast, then forward and tie off to the bow cleat to form a triangle with the mast/deck/and halyard line.  Tighten it at the coach roof cleat.  The jib clew and sheets will just float right over it.

[Cpy23ecl]

Well that's just way to simple!  Thanks for the tip.

Fred