MastenderPlus clutch

[Justin S.]

I am the new owner of a 2015 Sunday Cat which I bought after extensively consulting this site. Thanks to all of you for contributing your knowledge.

I have what I hope isn't a dumb question but here goes: the line clutch on the forestay makes me nervous. I understand its obvious necessity: the mast-raising system wouldn't work well (or safely) without it. But it's not the best application for hardware whose purpose is to permit the quick and easy release of a loaded line. I mean, there'll never be an emergency that requires you to get the mast down in a hurry. I obviously hitch the line to the adjacent cleat but I wonder if anyone else has considered a way to make the set up more resistant to, e.g., a small passenger wondering what happens if you pull that lever.

Again, thanks to all for contributing to this forum.

[Roland of Macatawa]

Congratulations on your SunDayCat

[Justin S.]

Thank you!

[Eddie C]

Hi Justin,  If your Sundaycat has a custom aluminum rudder, it may be my old boat - the Sundaycat is a great boat. Easiest setup ever and a very stable boat. Don?t worry too much about the clutch. You would still have to remove the pin on the mast for it to come down. Also, even with the clutch released and the pin out, it doesn?t drop like a rock - requires a little nudge to get it started. Enjoy! Eddie C

[bruce]

We don't have the Plus system on our PC, but the Com-Pac Sunday Cat video specifically references and shows a horn cleat in addition to the clutch. See 1:58 and 4:32.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeqE8RLoyQ0&t=458s

Easy to add if you don't have one.

[bruce]

Rereading your original post, you do have a cleat to effectively back up the clutch, if the line is taut. Horn cleats are fiddly, but I would think most resistant to curious fingers.

The curved pin at the hinge is a good safety when raising and lowering the mast, but under sail the mast totally relies on the shrouds and headstay. Lose the headstay underway and good luck.

If you really don't like the Mastendr Plus system, it would be easy to shift to a standard Mastendr system, like this Sun Cat. If the little one is out there you've got bigger problems. The mast isn't hard to raise by hand, although maybe the footing around the Sunday Cat cabin is iffy.
https://www.com-pacyachts.com/mastendr-mastraising.html

[Justin S.]

Rereading your original post, you do have a cleat to effectively back up the clutch, if the line is taut. Horn cleats are fiddly, but I would think most resistant to curious fingers.

The curved pin at the hinge is a good safety when raising and lowering the mast, but under sail the mast totally relies on the shrouds and headstay. Lose the headstay underway and good luck.

If you really don't like the Mastendr Plus system, it would be easy to shift to a standard Mastendr system, like this Sun Cat. If the little one is out there you've got bigger problems. The mast isn't hard to raise by hand, although maybe the footing around the Sunday Cat cabin is iffy.
https://www.com-pacyachts.com/mastendr-mastraising.html

Thanks, Bruce. I agree that the pin would not prevent calamity. Also, good point about the importance of keeping the forestay taut between the clutch and the cleat; I imagine releasing the clutch under sail would cause that line to snap if it had much slack in it. I'll start climbing into the cabin to secure it tightly.

Walking the mast up is very difficult on the Sunday Cat for the reason you mention, and I think it's why they developed the Plus system in the first place. So I'm not inclined to get rid of it. And it's one reason among many to keep a close eye on small passengers.