Hi Don,
My old boat Bayfield 32c was cutter rigged. I used a loose gauge, tennis ball at the end of the main halyard, and a laser level, to get things set up nicely. It normally took about three or four sails before things were close to perfect. It was very simple without the diamond uppers like the B&R. Using the loose gauge was really helpful as it took a lot of guesswork out of wondering if the rig was too tight. Without it I'm sure I would have left things not tight enough.
Now that I have the same boat as you, H410, I am way more gun shy with rigging adjustment. I've read the manual, and have stepped many masts, (used to operate the mast crane at our old yacht club), but it seems the B&R rig will be less forgiving to error. I will be getting a professional rigger who has worked on lots of these rigs to show me what to do, and record it all on my iPhone when the time comes to replace stays, or un-step the mast.
My old boat Bayfield 32c was cutter rigged. I used a loose gauge, tennis ball at the end of the main halyard, and a laser level, to get things set up nicely. It normally took about three or four sails before things were close to perfect. It was very simple without the diamond uppers like the B&R. Using the loose gauge was really helpful as it took a lot of guesswork out of wondering if the rig was too tight. Without it I'm sure I would have left things not tight enough.
Now that I have the same boat as you, H410, I am way more gun shy with rigging adjustment. I've read the manual, and have stepped many masts, (used to operate the mast crane at our old yacht club), but it seems the B&R rig will be less forgiving to error. I will be getting a professional rigger who has worked on lots of these rigs to show me what to do, and record it all on my iPhone when the time comes to replace stays, or un-step the mast.