Hi Joe,
so I did try the Loos gauge on my stays to see what I got:
Uppers stays that go to mast head: 20-22 on scale (corresponds to around 160-180 lbs) and lowers: 15 (corresponds to 180+ lbs).
I dropped the genny down to see forestay turnbuckle, but can't see anything with furling drum in the way. I'm sure my rigging guy took care of it so it shouldn't be a problem.
Did not measure backstay; probably have to have all pressure off of it (boom, mainsheet loose, etd).
Anyway, does the shroud numbers make sense to you? I have the rigging manual and it's vague at best. Hand tight according to who? LOL
Michelle
Thanks again for your help!
Hi Michelle!
I think that if your upper and lower side stays have the same number in relation to each other on each side, your mast should be straight. The lowers can be a little less, but have the same number. You're not going to get an equal number with your forestay if you could measure it, and your backstay on a fractional rig like ours. So you may get a slight bend in your mast which is OK because the sail is cut for it. (so it says in small print.) They also say that the leeward shrouds shouldn't slack unless the chainplates are aft of the mast. This has me scratching my head because it sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me. My owner's manual just says to get the forestay, backstay and upper stays hand tight and the lower stays should just be snug. They also tell you to sight up the mast to see if it's straight. The gauge gives you the advantage of knowing the tension that you have on the stays. I think that this is important because there is always the question of, how tight is hand tight? Is my "hand tight" equal to Hulk Hogan's "hand tight?" I think not.
A couple of weeks ago I let one of my friends in the club use my Loos Gauge to check his stays. He measured one of his stays with it and it was dangerously way off the scale too tight! It's a good thing he checked them. He could have lost his mast if one of those stays ever let go. He got his stays tuned with the gauge and he's all set.
So all I can say to you Michelle is, pick a number which is a happy medium for the thickness of your stays and try to make each like stay equal. My friend and fellow club member Wayne, is a real stickler for tuning the stays on his Seaward 22. He doesn't want his leeward stays to slack when he's sailing. His sloop is a fractional rig with a CDI Furler like mine, but he has another forestay that comes down from the mast head to a bracket on his bow that he installed himself, many years ago. He claims that it takes care of any bend in the mast and also provides an extra safety support for his mast in the event that his furler should ever part. As for me? I'm more interested in attaining the proper trolling speed for catching Striped Bass than I am for sailing performance. In fact now that I've reached "Geezerdom", I spend more time hanging out on my boat in the cove reading and cooking than I do at the helm sailing her. The guys in the club are starting to call me the "Sailing Gourmet." Who' da thunk it?
Joe
