23.5 forestay tension

[travelingjerryb]

OK all you 23.5 owners (and crazy Dave ) Exactly how tight should my forestay be? I think I have the shrouds adjusted pretty well but the forestay isn't quite as tight. I do have a furling headsail so just wanted to check before I go crazy on my forestay turnbuckle. Thanks in advance.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Check your tension on the outer or upper shroud standing with arm straight out using your top two fingers only without moving your arm and hand. Then pull in the upper shroud just with the two fingers. If you can pull it inward more than an inch , you can tighten up the shrouds using 1/2 turns. So if the forestay with furler is or appears flopping around, tighten all lowers and uppers shrouds equally using half turns but no more than a total of three turns. Get back and tell us more what you have in way of tension. I never used a loos guage and was pretty much spot on.

 

[Brian M H23]

Crazy Dave is correct - the mast is basically a tripod. You can't have shroud tension without forestay tension or vice-versa. Think of it as setting the forestay "length", which sets the mast rake. Shroud tension tightens it all up.