The adventure continues with a new to me Sunday Cat

[Reighnman]

As Darth Vader said so well "Resistance is Futile" and with that I'm the proud new owner of a 2010 Sunday Cat. The relief of not worrying about a boat this summer was great but every time I saw the neighbors cruising past in their sailboats it pulled at me.

The Sunday Cat is a good fit of lower maintenance, an ability to handle moderate winds and that gigantic 9 foot cockpit for the family to spread out. She's not without wounds from the previous owners so there with be a boat unit or two to bring her back to her rightful stature but that's always part of the adventure.  Learning to sail a catboat will also be an adventure so The Competitive Cat book is already set for Christmas from the kiddos. I'll be posting more so sure and will be definitely be part of BBB 21.

[Jim in TC]

Congrats on the "new" cat! Our experience with the Sun Cat, now just past our third season, suggests that to an extent, sailing is sailing. The cat rig will challenge only a few of your cherished assumptions and the Sun and Sunday are truly forgiving boats. We find that the slightest breeze will move you along and more serious wind can be handled with relative ease (do learn a bit about reefing in gentle weather, so you are ready when it is needed).

[Renae]

Lovely boat.  Sunday Cats are definitely harder to come by, but just perfect for a post-social distancing sailing outing.  Hopefully that describes 2021 well.

Congrats on the new boat.

[Sunny Day]

Hi,

Some years ago, I had an '04 Horizon cat. After a while I thought I needed more room and moved to a 26' Hunter.  But two years ago I moved to a new (to me) 2014 Horizon Day Cat.... yes these are fun and flexible.  My wife and I found we weren't overnighting.

I agree about the pleasure of putting the boat onto a trailer whenever a hurricane starts sliding up the coast.  There are even times when I unstep the mast while on the water to get under a bridge or in preparation for trailering. 

I was looking pretty hard for a Sunday Cat, but before I could find a good one, I came across the Day Cat. 

These are great for sailing in the lower Chesapeake.  Enjoy!

Good Luck,
Steve

[Roland of Macatawa]

Welcome, Reighnman.

I sail a 2012 SunDayCat which was new-to-me 3 years ago.
Have modified it a bit from what the previous owner had, to better suit my needs.
The more successful modifications include a 2:1 throat halyard, and a gaff downhaul.

Congratulations on your new-to-you SunDayCat.

Regards, Roland

[Bob23]

Hey there Ryan! Congrats on the new ship! And we're all looking forward to the Barnegat Bay Bash, 2021. Unless you plan to sail all the way from your home to the Bash, I know of launch ramps and transient slips.

I do like the idea of a smaller boat but I'm still in love with my old 23 so it looks like we're in it for the long haul.
Cheers!
Bob23

[DanM]

Roland- Do you have a picture of how you rigged the 2:1 throat halyard?

[Roland of Macatawa]

DanM,

I don't have any pictures readily available but I'll try to describe it:

I hung a becket block from the lower of the two bails on the mast.
(I'll be making a custom bracket during this winter season to improve this part of it to reduce congestion and interference at the bail.)
Used a Harken 57mm Carbo single sheeve becket block, which can be locked into either orientation, or left free to pivot.
I used it locked so the the sheeve axis is perpendicular to the mast, with the block itself lying against the mast.

I attached a turning block to the gaff gooseneck where the throat halyard previously attached.
Again used a Harken 57mm Carbo single sheeve block also locked into the same plane as the becket block above.

A longer line is needed of course. The new throat halyard is routed from the upper block's becket, then down around the lower block, then up and around the upper block, and back down to the turning block at the base of the mast. The line goes around the blocks so that when the line returns down it is slightly offset to the side (starboard) where the mast base turning block is.

It has for me significantly reduced the difficulty raising the sail, although you must pull a greater length of line.

My arrangement at the lower mast bail needs to be improved, which is why I will be making a custom bracket. (Fortunately, the small company from which I retired does a lot of stainless steel sheet fabrication and I will enlist their help making something from their scrap.) To test, I had temporarily moved the block from that lower bail to the upper bail and routed the peak halyard directly up to and around the block at the upper bail, then around the gaff's turning block and back to a 'becket' on the block at the upper bail. Fortunately the block which I had there, not the factory original, could be used as a pseudo-becket block.

The original throat halyard cheek block has been abandoned but not removed. These are all bolt-on changes and could be readily removed to return to the factory configuration. But I am pleased with the change and will not be undoing it. But it does give a future owner the option of returning to the factory configuration.

There is an alternate 2:1 arrangement that could be done if you are willing to move the throat halyard cheek block higher to accommodate the length of the turning block at the gaff gooseneck. Here you anchor the halyard line high on the mast. Route it down to the gaff gooseneck turning block, back up to the halyard cheek block and down to the turning block at the bottom of the mast. This requires fewer parts, but the cheek block must be raised higher, a longer line is still needed, and a turning block at the gaff gooseneck is still needed. I believe Bruce had this arrangement put on his PicnicCat by the factory when he purchased it. Perhaps he can give you some insight on how well that works for him.

Regards, Roland
 

[bruce]

Hey Dan,

Roland is right. I knew I wanted 2:1 purchase on the throat halyard, to match the peak halyard, so I had Com-Pac do it for me. There's been no issues other than I replaced the swivel block they used at the throat gooseneck with a fixed block. The halyard would twist no matter how careful I was to remove/avoid any twisting in the line.

The halyard is fixed to an eye strap at the top of the mast, above the shroud and below the lower bail for the peak halyard. It runs down to the gooseneck block, back up to a cheek block opposite the eye strap, and down to the cheek block on the mast stub. All blocks are Harken 40C.

The first photo shows the halyard as it is currently. The second and third show the eye strap and cheek block at the top of the mast (red marker). The last photo shows the twist I got with the swivel block, sometimes I'd get two twists.

The extra length of line doesn't bother me, I'd much rather haul the halyards at the same rate. It does add some friction, but not much. Many have already added a throat downhaul to assist dropping the sail with the 1:1 purchase.

[DanM]

Thanks guys, for the explanations and photos. The SC is put to bed for the winter, but I'll think about this for a Spring project. The first mate sometimes struggles with raising the throat all the way (as others have mentioned). I was considering putting a small winch on the cabin top, like I've seen on the Horizon Cat. The idea of a 2:1 purchase seems a more elegant solution! Cheaper and easier, too. (And no head-banger bolts on the ceiling of the cabin, too.)

[Reighnman]

Finally raised the mast and yeah it'll be a curve for sure. Not even sure I'm following everything written.  My first question/concern is the mast seems racked, is this standard? And is the tiller suppose to touch the bottom of the insert it goes through? It's pretty scratched up and I'm not sure if the first owner installed an aftermarket tiller. He did take a heavy sander to the teak laminate drop boards so it's basically trash. I was under the impression Compac only used solid teak for it's boards so perhaps it's after market. 

[bruce]

Dan,

Easy enough to test to see if it's going to work for you, before you get too fussy. Just need some kind of block to fasten to the throat gooseneck, and any old line that's long enough, temporarily fixed at the top, to the peak halyard bail for example.

[DanM]

Bruce, .yes, a temporary mock-up like that is a great idea. It occurs to me that if I start screwing or riveting hardware into the mast, I also have to make sure to protect the internal wiring to the masthead light. Thanks for the idea. Again, a good project for Spring. Dan

[Roland of Macatawa]

DanM:

Precisely why my 2:1 throat halyard modification is entirely a bolt-on arrangement.

Regards, Roland

[Roland of Macatawa]

Reighnman:

Comments about your mast rake aft:

My SunDayCat mast positions fully vertical within the mast hinge collars.
Your collars appear to not be fully seated together.
even though they are together enough to engage the curved safety pin.

Please check whether the side shrouds are overly tight, and thus restraining the mast from going further vertical.

Also, your forestay cable, between mast and gin-pole, may be a little long.
Please check whether the previous owner added any extra length to it with miscellaneous shackles or whatever.
My ginpole, which Com-Pac calls a leverage yoke, is perpendicular to the mast. Yours is angling downwards.
That takes away working length for the forestay block and tackle.
If the block and tackle (not shown in your photo) is pulled fully closed, it cannot be pull the mast further forward.

By the way, you do not want the mast raked aft. That will induce further unwanted weather helm.

Regards, Roland