Mast Height

[Jim Lanahan]

I am curious if anyone knows the mast height of the Picnic Cat?

[Andre]

Bruce, one of our resident experts, posted Dwyer Mast's (the spar manufacturer) drawings for PCs, SCs, and HCs on March 3 2019.  You can do a search for "spar".

That of course won't tell you the height above the waterline directly if that's what you're looking for.  Someone here is bound to have that info though.

Andre

[bruce]

Hey Jim,

Thanks, Andre. Here's the post with the mast dimensions. I just eyeballed the distance from the top of the mast stub to the boot stripe: 49 1/2" (23 1/2" to the deck, 26" from the deck at the mast to the boot stripe), accurate to well within an inch I'm sure.
http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=11287.0

[Jim Lanahan]

Thanks for the info. What I am interested in is the height of the mast (with sail raised) to the waterline.. I'll check the resources you mentioned and see if I can figure it out

Thanks again,   Jim

[bruce]

Gotcha. Top of the mast won't change, but the gaff will be higher.

Mast height: 12' 7" + 4' 1 1/2" = 16' 8 1/2", from the top of the boot stripe. I've modified my peak attachment, but in the photos the two holes are where the bail was mounted. They look to be at about the same height as the mast. Dwyer's drawing shows that the bail is set 4' 6" from the outhaul end of the gaff. When I estimate the angle of the gaff to the mast in several photos I get about 23 degrees. That gives me a vertical distance of about 4' 1 1/2". So, I see the height of the gaff above the boot stripe as approximately 20' 10".

Better check my numbers before you try to pass under that bridge! It would be easy to scandalize the gaff if you thought it was close.

[bruce]

I hope I answered your question. Com-Pac sets the boot stripe pretty high vs. the waterline on the PC. I haven't scrubbed my hull in a while, looks like about 4" to the scum line on our boat. Of course, it's all dependent on load and trim.

[Jim Lanahan]

Thanks to everyone who replied.  Given all of the discussion, I think I will go with 21' as being the safe clearance with a few inches to spare.

My apologies for not thanking you earlier but I was having a hard time logging in.  Thanks Tim Gardner for correcting that.

After I first posted this question, I thought that I might have heard a response or article about it in the past.  It turns out that Gerry Hutchins had provided a detailed image of height and other dimensions.  I will attach it to my next post as soon as I can make the file smaller.  Again. thanks everyone!

Jim

[bruce]

21' sounds like a good estimate, but little margin. Do you have a specific clearance requirement? Bridge heights aren't always spot on. Dropping the gaff to the mast height will buy you about 4', and shouldn't be too hard on the sail for a couple minutes, but you'll lose lift dramatically. Are you sailing without an auxiliary?

[Jim Lanahan]

Here is the diagram that Gerry Provided.  I know where I want to go but don't know the exact clearance.  Have not been under that bridge before.

[bruce]

Thanks, Jim. We're within a 1/2" on the mast height. I bet it's not exactly 17'. I'll stand by my gaff number, and they can vary of course with the setting of the boom downhaul and angle of the gaff. That shouldn't be more than a few inches. 21' is a good ballpark, and dropping the gaff will give you good flexibility.

Interesting, Gerry shows the gaff rigged with a bridle. The PC has never shipped that way that I've seen. Looks to be the same drawing that's on SailboatData.com for the PC.

[Jim Lanahan]

Bruce,

Thanks.  I never thought of checking to see if there wa a saildata drawing.  I am having a hard time uploading the chart here.  If you send me your email, I'll email it to you directly.  In the interim, I will look at Saildata to see whether or not they are the same.

Jim

[Jim Lanahan]

Bruce,

It is the same diagram that is on the saildata site.  However, the saldata chart has no measurements on it.  Interesting!  I see that you are the owner of a Picnic Cat.  Where do you sail out of?  I keep a mooring at Union Lake in Millville, NJ.

[bruce]

Hey Jim. We live in Barrington, RI, and dry sail in upper Narragansett Bay, beyond the reach of the ocean swells but subject to the chop that builds in a long fetch, and sea breezes that typically build to 20+ kts on a summer day. Our tidal range is about 4', and tidal currents max out at about a kt.

We bought our PC new in 2010, and I also moderate a PC forum of 208 members on groups.io that we transferred there in November when Yahoo abandoned the groups they'd hosted, ours since 2000. I'm often drawing on the experience of the members of that group, as well as my own, when I post here.