Jib halyard adjustement on a roller furler

[walt]

I just installed a 110 jib on a Schaefer 500 roller furler and this furler has an external halyard. I am also about to install a halyard clutch. This is on a 1990 Mac 26S.

I dont have a measurement tool but I have the forestay tension "significatly tight" so that I get very little forestay "bend" while sailing.

One benefit of the external halyard is that it will prevent the mast from coming down if I have a forestay failure at the top end of the forestay (I have it properly toggled but I think the act of raising and lowering the mast still puts a lot of strain on that connection and this boat gets trailered).

What Im wondering is will I get any benifit from adjusting the halyard tension on this boat? I have had two small boats (C15 and H16) with wire luft jibs where the forestay is very loose and the jib wire luft tension does affect the jib sail shape. But on this current setup (1990 Mac 26S), the forestay is already very tight. The one time I did try and mess with the halyard tension it didnt seem to do anything. The clutch Im about to put on the boat should make this a little easier to fine tune.. but where would you use the halyard tension and what do you look for??

 

[Jackdaw]

Jib halyard tension is a 'fine tune' control, and will only have a noticeable effect if the rest of the sail is already in very good trim. That's the reason 95% of sailors never mess with it.

In general adding tension will move the point of max draft forward. This in general will depower the sail, and is most often done when some other adjustment has moved the draft aft. It will also effect headstay sag,, but not nearly to the same degree that forestay tension will.

 

[walt]

Thanks.. I was hoping you would see that post. I will play with it a little just to see and probably leave it tight but not super tight (no winch).