1977 Oday 23-2 shrouds & stays

[itsjojo]

Hi again!
I am very busy here in Pennsylvania getting my 23 ready for it's first launch since I bought it. I am a newbie and I have one question today which has been unanswered. I wonder how tight to make the Stays and shrouds? I have stepped the mast several times in my yard and usually tighten the wires until they are straight and just seem snug or tight.
what happens if they are too tight?
Is there any way to tell without a gauge if they are too tight?
Are there any tell-tale signs that I could look for to judge how tight to make them?

Thanks for your answer...
John (jojo)

 

[Scott On Eagles Wings]

Not too tight, but tight enough. The shrouds should be just slightly slack on the leeward side under sail. Front and back stay I snug up but do not make tight. If you check the archives in this site somebody has posted the owners manual and has a bit more instructions in there. If you see your mast flooping from side to side or fore and aft you need to snug up a bit.

I only loosen my back stay when I step my mast so I can get off the fore stay. I have roller furling so it is much easier to losen the back stay. I leave it marked so I need not figure it out each time.

 

[py26129]

My rule of thumb is, if the shrouds start to go slack at around 10 degrees of heel then they are in the ballpark.

Cheers

Matt

 

[stevec22206]

From the owners manual.
After the stays are securely attached take the slack out of the rigging and tighten. With the mast plumb in a vertical position the head stay, back stay, and the two upper side stays should be tightened no more than hand tight. The two lower side stays should just be taut not hand tight.
Caution: It is very important that you do not tighten the stays too much as this can cause damage to the hull.
After the stays have been adjusted tighten the lock nuts on the turnbuckles.
I usually sailed the boat a bit and then readjusted (fine tuned) the stays. They generally loosen up a bit after a few sails.


Steve

 

[Brian S]

Jojo, also keep in mind you'll want the uppers about equal tension so the mast is straight side to side. Lowers are used to straighten the mast. You'll probably need to sail a few times to get a feel for helm balance. Lee helm is bad. 2-3º of weather helm is good. More weather helm than that, bad. Just a bit of weather helm allows the rudder to develop lift, which is good for beating to windward. Too much weather helm acts like a brake and slows you down. I had to tweak my rigging about 3 times at the beginning of the season to get my mast rake set in for good balance. Mast raked aft induces weather helm, mast raked forward induces lee helm (or lessens weather helm.) You could borrow a Loos gauge if you want to try and measure the shroud tension, although I find mine a bit less helpful than I'd like, as these boats are fairly low tension rigs. My 192 might be a bit over tight, but it seemed ok last season. I could potentially go lower overall rig tension if I got an adjustable backstay. Even with a fractional rig, an adjustable backstay would allow me to lessen jib luff sag when beating to windward…

There is some good general advice in Selden Mast's "Hints and Advice" eBook, available for download here: http://www.seldenmast.com/resources/rigging_instructions.html

 

[itsjojo]

Good advise!!! thank you

I just got a chance to check in here and see if there are any replies! Wow, all my questions are answered. I am printing this thread! These answers are keepers. Thank you! I have been studying for a year and do understand the answers. Ice is still on the lake here but boaters are going crazy. It's only a day away from clear water! I will most likely be launching in May sometime.
Thank you for all the great answers!
Jojo