Upper lower shrouds
- Thread starter Jimmy
- Start date
There are longer toggles and toggle extenders. I can’t really tell from the photo but it looks like your turnbuckle is at it’s maximum short position. If that’s the case, extend it to mid position or even a bit longer. That may be enough.
that's what it looks like to me too. Also, your rake looks non-existent. Maybe extend your forestay a bit too. Photographs like that are hard to gauge.
- Will (Dragonfly)
Before I put these on the turnbuckles were all the way loose and I thought it was too tight. I had to loosen forestay all the way just to pin it, finally bought a Loos Gauge and the upper shrouds had over 800 lbs on them all the way loosened. The last time I sailed I had horrible weather helm but couldn’t rake mast forward because I was out of thread on turnbuckles.
Sounds like you need to get out the rigging guide and start from square one. I looks like you have 2or 3 inches of adjustment available on your turnbuckles anyway. If they are 1/4" they'll have 4 to 4 1/2 inches of adjustment. Btw, mast rake isn't the only reason for weather helm. Trim the headsail or ease the main. Put on the outhaul, impart more twist (mainsheet).
I think 800 lbs of tension is to much am I wrong I have it set now at 580 upper 480 lower ? The extension I have on is 2 1/2 inches I could probably get by with 1 1/2 before i could barely get a cotter pin through to lock the turn buckle and a quarter inch gap at the front of mast foot.
800 lbs sounds like too much. You must have had quite a bit of bend in the mast with those uppers pushing in on the spreaders like that. How did you manage to pull the forestay hard enough to get it connected? Thats 1600 pounds between the two uppers and if you have an 8:1 advantage, you are still pulling 200 lbs before you can connect the forestay. Really flattened out the mainsail. That would cause some weather helm unless you were pinching hard. Still might get weather helm, but that's when you go for a flat main.
- Will (Dragonfly)
- Will (Dragonfly)
I’ve stepped the mast 5 times now and I knew something wasn’t right surprisingly i haven’t broke anything.
Could there be something wrong with your step? Could there be something keeping it from sitting down in the right position? It really seems odd that the stays are too short. Maybe the PO changed out the forestay or something just before selling her, but it is odd that it would have been sailed like that before selling.
- Will (Dragonfly)
I’ve looked at everything I can think of. I’ve read every rigging post on this site I’m actually really happy with how it’s set now but I need to find something other than those cheap quick links I have on there.
I had it like that for the 5 times I raised the mast but I had to pull the Mainsheet with everything I had to pin for stay. my tension I measured today and the upper and lowers were at 800 lb it maxed out the Loos Gauge so I knew something wasn’t right.
At the very least I'd suggest replacing those cheesy carabiners with marine grade toggles.
Something like this will give you enough length. BTW, is your rigging rubbing against your cabin sides. Keep an eye on that... it's not right.
Something like this will give you enough length. BTW, is your rigging rubbing against your cabin sides. Keep an eye on that... it's not right.
I don't know where I saw it, but there are extended-length turnbuckles. Or maybe the screw part is just longer?
Jimmy
Please take s photo of the forestay turnbuckle with attachment tangs if any before I comment. Also never used guages to tension the rigging.
Please take s photo of the forestay turnbuckle with attachment tangs if any before I comment. Also never used guages to tension the rigging.