See full version: Seven Essential Knots for Sailors
Once you cut a piece of rope off the spool at the chandlery and bring it aboard your boat and give it a job to do, it becomes a line you have put to work. Whatever job it is performing—whether it becomes a jib sheet, a fender whip or a dockline—there is an ideal knot, hitch or bend for its given task.
Types of knots fall into three general categories. The first are those tied on the end of a line and are commonly called “knots,” such as the bowline knot and the stopper knot. The second category is those used to join two lines together. They may have “bend” in their name, as in a sheet bend, because to bend, in sailor talk, means to join. The last group is those which secure a line to a cleat, piling or stanchion, and they are known as “hitches.”
The well-known ditty for tying a bowline runs as follows: “The rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around back of the tree, and then jumps back into the hole.” The “rabbit” is the working end of the line; the “hole” and “tree” are formed in the standing end. To finish the knot properly, give a hard pull on the tree and the rabbit’s ears at the same time, so the shape of the knot is not deformed. To untie a bowline, turn the knot over and break its back by bending it downward. [links]
When I tensioned my forestay, I had 7 passes (14:1) and two 2:1 multipliers, the lashings leading to an anchor and being pulled in the middle by the tensioning line (28:1, then 56:1), then led to the 32 winch (1792:1). If I needed more leverage, one more 2:1 multiplier would transform it to 3584:1. As you can see, huge pulley systems are easy to create on the deck of a sailboat to tension the stays. There will be loss due to friction as the lashings pass through all the turns, but you will still be able to achieve the tension needed. more
Third, the lashings are passed through the end of the stay and deadeye without overlap and then led through the grommet and finally to the tensioning line. Each pass through the stay and deadeye acts as 1 part in the purchase system.
You can also add more 2:1 multipliers, which will again greatly increase the whole system. more
The main advantage of a deadeye over a turnbuckle is corrosion resistance and up front cost. Turnbuckles allow quick adjustments with a few pins to keep them locked in place. I can tune a rig with turnbuckles in a matter of minutes; there is no real setup or takedown, they just work great.
This new 320 has an even wider cockpit and a nicely designed fiberglass table that will give you a place to brace your feet in rough conditions. In fact, removing the table may make the cockpit dangerous for short sailors. There’s space for an inflatable dinghy and a small outboard motor in the sail locker. The lazaret is quite large, and its opening provides access to the steering quadrant and the optional air-conditioning unit.
As an evolved design, the 320 has a number of thoughtful details, including line-tail bags and traveler and the control lines into the deck. While sitting on the helm seat to steer is comfortable, standing in the narrow space between the seat and the wheel soon becomes uncomfortable. more
Instead of building its own spars, Catalina has switched to Seldn spars for the Mark 2. There are no chainplates. Instead, the shrouds lead to ball-and-socket joints connected to tie rods in the hull.
Accommodations more
Catalina boats typically have long production runs, and Catalina is more likely to tweak and update a boat than to totally redesign it. After building 1,039 Catalina 320s since 1993, with few changes other than offering a shallower wing keel about halfway through the production run, the company decided it was time to bring this popular vessel solidly into the new century.
The Catalina 320-2 has the same hull, keel, rig, and sailplan as the original boat, so it can race in one-design fleets with its older sisters. The new glasswork gives it a family resemblance to the Catalina 309, which replaced another long-loved vessel, the Catalina 30.
- Customer Testimonial, Ranger Bladder
Submitted Customer Photo
Our portable fuel tanks are designed to equip any boat with extra fuel, diesel, or storage of potable or black-water. here
Auxiliary fuel bladders and high capacity fueling system and collapsible fuel bladders for yachts and commercial fleets. These collapsible bladders can be used for fuel or chemical containment and transport with potable water options available. Whether you are transporting fluids or need auxiliary fuel, we have collapsible containment solutions to fit your specific application. On deck, in the hull, or in tight locations, we make marine fuel bladders and custom sized collapsible containment solutions to fit your needs. [links]