some trepidation - more advice please

[passagesfromtheheart]

Hey, guys ~

So it's no secret I've sold my 25 and on the hunt for my next boat -- a Sun Cat or a Sunday Cat. Maybe a Horizon Cat, but likely no as I'm thinking the Sun Cat/Sunday Cat will be easier for me to independently rig.

Anyhooooo... if you've been on this forum long enough, one has bound to have come across a thread in which the situation of damage to the mast track on Sun/Sunday Cats (and I'd imagine for the other Com-Pac cat boats) has come up. Recently, Bruce and I shared an exchange re: one Sun Cat, in particular, that I had been considering which had a crack near the track, in the mast stub. Other damage, I believe, if I understand things correctly, describes situations in which the track widens (I think?). Again, from my understanding of what I've read about these kinds of situations, these types of damage occur from the sail slugs, boom, etc not being pushed all the way down on the mast -- to the mast stub? Is that right? I have never laid eyes on one of these boats in person which was rigged with the mast up -- only a Horizon Day Cat I was lucky enough to see, years ago, but the mast was off and, as I recall, not readily available to see (boat was stored in an old/fomer riding arena and was stuffed full of storage boats, snowmobiles, motorcycles, cars, etc -- I never made it far enough in the deal with the boat to see the mast as Gerry at Com-Pac thought the boat had blisters, so I passed).

The above all said, am I understanding correctly what causes the problem with cracks in the mast and the widening of the mast track?

Also, are there any other pictures folks on this forum can share of what I should be looking for, specifically, when I inquire about a boat for sale in this capacity?

I have talked to several seller/owners, at this point, and none seem to even know about/be aware of these issues commonly associated with these kinds of boats. Many of those with whom I've spoken are also new to sailing, so it worries/concerns me a bit that perhaps the likelihood of not storing the equipment properly on these types of boats/rigs is likely greater.

I am desperate to know what I'm looking for -- the photo in which I shared the crack in the Sun Cat mast stub in a previous thread on this forum is pretty self-explanatory, however, I am not sure what is meant by "widening" -- I would assume it would be a case in which the track on the mast appears, literally, more wide, than other areas of the track? I realize it sounds like an idiotic question, so please bear with me as I am trying to do my due diligence and make sure I understand what to look for. I don't want to make a mistake on this, especially as I have no professional rigging/sailing help in the geographical location in which I live.

As always, many, many, many, many, many (etc!) thanks!

[bruce]

This thread describes the issue better. If you look at the second photo you posted in your cracked mast thread, you can see the spreading above and below the hinge. Not as bad as in the thread linked here, and the track is not spread wide enough for slides or slugs to fall out of the track in the mast you show, but you get the idea.
https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=11556.msg86958#msg86958

There's lots of posts here on the CPYOA regarding the issue, which I can find and forward if you'd like, but they're all basically the same. It's a very common problem. If a Sun Cat, Picnic Cat, or Horizon Cat owner says they haven't heard of it they either haven't followed the reports of many other owners, or they're not being honest.

The damage, if not too bad, can be restored as described. The track can usually bent back well enough to function as a serviceable track without slides or slugs falling out when they pass through. It doesn't have to be perfect, plenty of slop in the tolerances. If the track is bent repeatedly, so that the area is work hardened and becomes brittle and prone to cracking and loss of sections, it's not as easily restored. That's when welding or replacement come into play.

I have never laid eyes on one of these boats in person which was rigged with the mast up

Once you get a chance to see any of the catboats in person, with the mast up and sail raised, just a matter of minutes any place on the hard as long as the wind isn't blowing crazy, and if the boat's on the trailer it's easy to pivot so it's into the wind, you'll be able to understand the issue better.

[passagesfromtheheart]

Bruce, thank you so much for coming to my online rescue with such a wealth of information for me -- cannot ever thank you enough! I understand things much, much better now and am feeling considerably more confident about what to look for moving forward in my search. A friend of mine also recently shared some pictures of a Sunday Cat with the "widening" or "butterfly wings" mast situation. Seeing all of those pics, plus the thread you shared, here, gives me that visual I needed to have so that I know what else to look for with these rigs. It sounds like there are a handful of solutions for addressing the varying kinds of damage and I thank you for covering/sharing this as well!

[bruce]

I see a link mentioned in the thread I linked to is busted. In this thread I'd sorted out some of the busted links on this topic, see reply #20. Forum upgrades have consequences!
https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=11961.msg90100#msg90100

[passagesfromtheheart]

I see a link mentioned in the thread I linked to is busted. In this thread I'd sorted out some of the busted links on this topic, see reply #20. Forum upgrades have consequences!
https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=11961.msg90100#msg90100

OK, thank you for letting me know, Bruce. Ever so grateful for your help! :-)