Adjustable Back Stay for Hunter 30

[Alan Eland]

I just purchased a 1989 Hunter 30 in Rhode Island. It would appear that the back stay is set up perfectly to be an adjustable back stay. In fact, by simply pulling the two stays together near the cockpit I can see the obvious bend effect on the mast. There is however, no mechanizm installed to adjust the stay. Has anyone added the ability to adjust the back stay to a similar model Hunter and what was involved? Thank you.Alan Eland

 

[Greg Stebbins]

Back Stay adjuster-

Allen,I added abackstay adjuster as follows,- Replace port and starboard turnbuckle bottom toggle pins with shackles large enough to fit around the toggle and having a pin diameter large enough to replace the toggle pins.-Buy/make a cable with a sweaged loop in each end. The cable must be long enough to go from one of the 2 shackles installed on the turnbuckle toggles, up to the triangle plate where the 2 stays meet and about half way back down the other side.-Buy either a split backstay adjuster from West Marine or buy/assemble 3 wire blocks, 3 shackles and a steel ring. Install at the top of your split backstay with 1 block on each of the 2 stays coming down after the split and the center block free. Run the cable you had made through the center block.- Buy/assemble 3 or 4 part tackle with a cam on the bottom block. Attach tackle between the end of the wire coming down from the split back stay adjuster and the shackle on the other backstay toggle.When you sheet in this tackle it will pull directly down on the back stay and allow you to adjust backstay tension accordingly. 10 spend money20 sail30 have fun40 go to 10Greg-

 

[Mick Boland]

Not hard to do

I put a simple system on the 30 I used to own. Johnson split backstay adjuster (West Marine), a small swivel block with cam (Schaeffer- also W Marine), a plastic/nylon thimble, and a length of 1/4 or 5/16 decent line. he block is the most $$ about $60. The adjuster is only $20 or so. There isn't really much load on the adjustment line. The adjuster moves inefficiently enough to transferr most of the mast load to the backstay - where you want it.Watch out for a loose topping lift on tacks on windy days. Getting it hung on the backstay adjuster can be unpleasant.

 

[Mick Boland]

Not hard continued

I forgot to say -- I shackled the block and attached the thimble so they bore on the center bridge of the existing turnbuckles at the attachment points of the backstays. The control line follows the backstays, doesn't create any additional obstructions.