gaff stops just short of full height

[BobF]

Hi,
New to forum. Bought a 2020 PC, restored it over the past few months and ready to sail. But, the gaff refuses to climb to what I think is a proper height, by only a couple of inches, leaving a crease from throat to clew. I know I could pull on the downhaul, but that seems to make the boom too low. I brass wooled the track & goosneck, lubricated with white grease, no impediment. Any suggestions? I wonder if the throat halyard turning block being to the side might contribute. But it should not as that is the design of the boat. Second issue, the track where the mast meets the tabernacle is broken, one side of the track ripped away but still attached on ends away from joint. Past mistake in lowering the mast I guess. Any fixes suggested? I can pass the stops/goosnecks by hand but would like to prevent further failure. thanks!

[Andre]

Hi Bob,

Welcome, and I'm sure you'll get plenty of responses to your questions on this forum !

Yes the broken track was probably caused by failure to secure the gaff and boom down low on the mast by using the long pin when dropping the mast.  That's what it's for, and MUST NOT be forgotten. There is a repair for that, and I believe Hutchins offers a kit with 2 stainless plates to fix it or you can make your own.  It's been posted on here before but I'll let someone with personal experience address that.

As for the height of the gaff, I presume you mean the throat.  There may be variations in the cuts of the sail and the luff length, but with my stock Doyle I use the downhaul to position the boom gooseneck spanning the hinge joint or slightly below, like maybe an inch. Not all may agree but I believe that the lower mast stub is more robust than the section above the hinge and better in case of a hard gybe.  Adjusting luff tension with the downhaul to suit conditions is an essential part of sail trim and I usually play with it several times in the course of a day's sail.

Andre
PC 275

[Andre]

Also, once you've got the luff how you want it, the throat to clew crease can be eliminated by raising the peak of the gaff just a bit with the peak halyard.  Adjusting the peak is also a key element in shaping the sail, along with luff (downhaul) tension, and to a lesser extent the gaff and boom outhaul tension.

Hope that helps.

Andre
PC 275

[bruce]

Hey Bob,

I'm guessing it's not a 2020 you've restored!

Photos would be helpful, for both problems. As Andre says, the throat usually ends up around the hinge. The downhaul made up to the horn cleat on the mast stub should be fully tensioned, if something else is stopping the throat from setting higher something's wrong. I suppose if the boom downhaul is much too loose, the throat may reach the end of its travel, but that's rarely the case. If the boom gooseneck is within a coupe of inches of the hinge, that should be OK. 

If the sheet is cleated, that would prevent the throat from setting properly. Make sure the sheet is released. Same with a boom vang, if you have one. Is the extended ring welded to the gooseneck slide bent to the side? That can cause the slide to jam as the force twists the slide in the track. That's a design flaw that often causes problems, but there is a good fix if that's the problem. Anything catching on the sail guides? As Andre says, once the throat is set, the peak halyard should be able to remove the throat to clew crease.

The mast track damage at the hinge was caused as Andre described. Usually the track is spread up to 3/4" or so, but no piece breaks off. The track can often be chased back into position, unless the bending happened several times, work hardening shouldn't be a problem, but it could be annealed if necessary. The repair plates Andre mentions really only reinforce the damaged area, if, for example, cracks have formed. The plates don't compensate for pieces of the track that may have broken off. Lots can be done short of replacing the mast. Take some photos for the best advice.

A couple of threads to review. Unfortunately, the CPYOA links are broken due to forum software upgrades a while ago. I'll dig out better links when I get a chance.
https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=11556.0
https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=11155.0

[BobF]

Thanks for the replies. Yes of course, 2000 not 2020. It appears to me that I'm trying to raise the gaff too high, as I'm trying to get the boom too far above the hinge. Also, the gooseneck on the gaff was bent , I did a little bending back, but that may contribute. I'll look at keeping the boom closer to the hinge. The folks at Com Pac sent me a picture of a properly rigged PC and now that you pointed it out I can see where the boom should be. I'll look into the fix from Com Pac for the damage to the mast/tabernacle. The folks at Com Pac have been very helpful.

Here's a couple of pictures (that have nothing to do with these issues). I built new wooden parts using ceder, 3 coats each epoxy & varnish which turned out well, and replaced/ added a few parts. I have a Harbor 20 in Maine but this is my first cat boat and first gaff rig. Always liked the concept, this will be fun to sail here (west coast of Florida- Tarpon Springs).

Thanks again, Bob

[bruce]

The boat's looking good, Bob!

Com-Pac does provide excellent customer service, and stand by their products, but don't discount the experience of hundreds of CP catboat owners using the boats daily. Sometimes there is a better idea.

Scroll down to Response #20 in this thread where I post the updated links to the threads I referenced above. Included is Matt's description of the repair plates.
https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=11961.msg90100#msg90100

I couple more threads that may be of interest.
https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=11155.0
https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=10938.0

[BobF]

Thanks Bruce for the information.

Bob