What is this for?
- Thread starter Armyaviation
- Start date
I agree with “dscribner”.
The plate is attached to the top of the mast using the 3 holes on the side, the cable with the turnbuckle is your back stay. A line would run up the mast through the cheek block and lead down to the stern to a cleat or block setup, by pulling on this line would tend to bend the mast backwards to de-power the main and jib with one line.
The plate is attached to the top of the mast using the 3 holes on the side, the cable with the turnbuckle is your back stay. A line would run up the mast through the cheek block and lead down to the stern to a cleat or block setup, by pulling on this line would tend to bend the mast backwards to de-power the main and jib with one line.
What is the technical term for that so I can do more research? Also is this more advanced than I need to worry about for a first time sailor? The mast already has a back stay attached to it
Also I have a pic from an original owner that appeared to have two forestays? What would be the reason for this
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the answer here is yes, definitley.
and, when and if you do get to the point where you are thinking about adding some bend in your mast, you will see the flaw in that contraption as a useful backstay tensioner..
the neat thing about owning a boat is, we can add anything to it we can afford until it either weighs too much to float, or it becomes a real pain in the butt to use any more because of all the unnecessary and poorly thought out stuff bolted onto it.... then we can sell it to someone else
that looks like someones idea of a safety headstay, in case the first one breaks because that havent replaced it in the past 30 years...
in theory, you may want the option of flying a hank-on genoa, while having a smaller jib hanked on the other stay and be ready to hoist when the genoa has to come down...
the problem is, with 2 headstays and trying to get them tensioned up properly it will place an extreme overload on the hull.... one of them has to go.
there is a purpose for a headstay and a forestay, but what you show is two headstays, and I doubt the boat is set up for a headstay and a forestay, or else it would probably be rigged properly.
So you can changed hanked on headsails without taking the old one down first. Or... fly two headsails at the same time... downwind winged out to each side.
This config was often seen on boats built in the 60's and earlier. Now racers use twin grooved foils and roller furling system technology has improved dramatically so the twin headstay setup has faded.
I'm glad that you guys stay up all night answering questions on obscure sailing stuff! I read down the thread, and all I could come up with was, "weird". Looks like Armyaviation is going to spend some time talking to a rigger. I wouldn't start pulling down standing rigging, however, until I had a firm grasp of what's holding the mast out in column.
Most 21 footers have only the forestay. When I looked at that it can be of only one or the other, an additional forestay of some sort or possibly part of mast raising to help raise the mast and be able to apply tension noting the turning block. I would advise go back to basics with the one forestay and do not worry about whatever it is for. The plate with the three holes sure is puzzling me too.