I know the halyard trick when the boats in the water. But on the trailer I need to level the boat first. Is the keel box top designed to be parallel to the boot stripe? Is there a trick to doing it on the trailer? Boat is a 72 v 22.
Checking mast rake
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Remove your boom and attach a heavy weight (I use a 10# dumbbell) to the end of your main halyard. Raise the weight so it just clears the deck, allow it to stabilise and measure the distance from the halyard to the mast base. Subtract the distance that your halyard is out at the top of the mast from the distance at the bottom. That is your mast rake aft. If you have your boat on the trailer and you are level side to side, you can also measure your port to starboard alignment as well. Do this on a day that has no wind..... Once I get my rig tuned, I tape (white electrical tape) above and below my turnbuckles. When dismasting, I count off a number of turns and keep note of the turns. Next season, up goes the mast, tighten the turns and do a quick check. OH... Once set, do not forget to wire the turnbuckles.
Hope this helped,
Nik
Hope this helped,
Nik
I'd like to know what checking the mast rake is good for? There is nothing to really check against since there is no real level on the boat vs water vs trailer vs loaded boat. There is only relative rake that can be cut when making the forestay After the forestay wire is cut and swaged, there is little or no adjustment of rake. One could check level to the keel trunk or the boot stripe, but these leveling marks may have little relevance to the floating boat. The backstay can only bend the mast above the hounds, not necessarily considered rake.
Here's why
Oreana123,
There are several reasons for checking the mast rake. Most importantly, the boat sails differently at different rake angles. My 26D had a 5 degree stern rake from the factory. I talked to another mac owner who had corrected his rake and then changed mine to straight up (0 rake). This corrected some of my rounding up problem and made it easier to balance the sails. I did this by drilling a new hole in the mast about 6" above the first holes and reconnected the forestay saddle there. This was easy and can easily be undone if I ever change my mind. Then I lengthed the backstay and tightened it up. On my mac, I also had to lengthen the sidestays. It was pretty easy.
What else? For one, my mac looked so funny in the marina with all those other boats. It had an inferiority complex because its mast was cocked off to the side. Second, doing this raised the end of the boom, so there was less chance of getting hit. But mainly, it sailed better.
How to check? Here is how I checked mine. First, I knew that my hull stripe (the one near the water)(or you could use the water scum line if your boat has been in the water for a while) as a measurement of level while in the water (level line). Then, back off the beam a ways, maybe 20 or 30 feet and use a right angle to check the mast rake against the level line. You could use a protractor or just a rectangular sheet of paper. It will be obvious what the rake is. One other thing, some boats are supposed to have a mast rake. I don't know what the factory says about the V22. First, I would check the rake to see what it was, then check out the specks.
An easier way to get a rough check, dock the boat at a marina where you can line up with several other sailboat, back off so you can compare all of the masts in line, and you can get a pretty good idea what is going on. With a protractor, you can even measure rake this way.
Enjoy your V22. I loved mine, especially when she sang to me.
Oreana123,
There are several reasons for checking the mast rake. Most importantly, the boat sails differently at different rake angles. My 26D had a 5 degree stern rake from the factory. I talked to another mac owner who had corrected his rake and then changed mine to straight up (0 rake). This corrected some of my rounding up problem and made it easier to balance the sails. I did this by drilling a new hole in the mast about 6" above the first holes and reconnected the forestay saddle there. This was easy and can easily be undone if I ever change my mind. Then I lengthed the backstay and tightened it up. On my mac, I also had to lengthen the sidestays. It was pretty easy.
What else? For one, my mac looked so funny in the marina with all those other boats. It had an inferiority complex because its mast was cocked off to the side. Second, doing this raised the end of the boom, so there was less chance of getting hit. But mainly, it sailed better.
How to check? Here is how I checked mine. First, I knew that my hull stripe (the one near the water)(or you could use the water scum line if your boat has been in the water for a while) as a measurement of level while in the water (level line). Then, back off the beam a ways, maybe 20 or 30 feet and use a right angle to check the mast rake against the level line. You could use a protractor or just a rectangular sheet of paper. It will be obvious what the rake is. One other thing, some boats are supposed to have a mast rake. I don't know what the factory says about the V22. First, I would check the rake to see what it was, then check out the specks.
An easier way to get a rough check, dock the boat at a marina where you can line up with several other sailboat, back off so you can compare all of the masts in line, and you can get a pretty good idea what is going on. With a protractor, you can even measure rake this way.
Enjoy your V22. I loved mine, especially when she sang to me.
My forestay has a turnbuckle and using the turnbuckle one can make several inches of adjustment in the length of the forestay.
Mast rake has a direct impact on how easily a boat rounds up, the less mast rake the less rounding up.
As for real level, well it is relative, it is relative to how the boat is loaded, how many passengers are in the cockpit, how much gear is loaded forward, how heavy is the engine and gas tanks etc. etc., it is never the same. I use the boot stripe as the average and tune the rig from there. While you are setting mast rake it would be a good time to set the right tension on the shrouds using a Loos guage.
Thanks for the suggestions, but I have to say that I have never found any factory specs for this. Just so you know, I have cut and swaged many standing rigs. It isn't that I do not have a technique for measuring rake, I usually measure rake in inches in relation to the cabin top and mast base. I do this by hanging a weight from the mast crane, and subtracting the stand-off at the masthead. I have been raking rigs right at 6 inches aft rake. I have no way to accurately measure degrees with a protractor when considering these eyes, the effects of parallax, and the crudeness of sighting a round mast. YMMV
I know that rake affects weather helm. It has other benefits, the fastest sailing rigs in the past were raked, what were they doing with it?
Also, the amount of mast rake adjustment at the front turnbuckle is negligible. Once the wire is cut and swaged you are pretty much where you are always going to be as far as rake is concerned...after all the front turnbuckle is part of the forward hypotenuse of the standing rig.
I know that rake affects weather helm. It has other benefits, the fastest sailing rigs in the past were raked, what were they doing with it?
Also, the amount of mast rake adjustment at the front turnbuckle is negligible. Once the wire is cut and swaged you are pretty much where you are always going to be as far as rake is concerned...after all the front turnbuckle is part of the forward hypotenuse of the standing rig.
There ya go again
John, with your high falutin, know more than everbody else attitude!
Seems like the only time you chime in is when you want to tell someone they're wrong, you know more, your the expert, or you want to sell something.
John, with your high falutin, know more than everbody else attitude!
Seems like the only time you chime in is when you want to tell someone they're wrong, you know more, your the expert, or you want to sell something.
I used a line level and the bootstripe but it's tough with the curve of the hull. It should be close but I will check when the boats in the water.
The easiest way to level an irregular object is to use a water level. Clear hose, tape to bow above waterline and stern at waterline. fill with water with a little food coloring, start with bow low, crank up until waterlevel in hose is at water line and you are set.
I went away and thought about this one. I don't have a good response other than to say, I've cut and swaged a standing rig on a Mac D with the desired rake. And, at the risk of sounding jaded, this subject as been discussed here before. My profession is aircraft mechanic, but occasionally I may show a product that I think a trailer sailor might want to own, even if the idea is my own.
Anyway,at the risk of sounding like a know it all, I think that mast rake has some different effects than just weather helm adjustments. One might adjust the rake to the deck of the sailboat, or set rake in relation to waterline. When one takes into consideration that in any kind of wind the boat is not level, in any kind of wind the "helm" will be in a different place in relation to the c/e, and then considering sailboards with pivoting mast bases, I confess to ignorance. I am sure that rake adjusting on Macgregors, whether measured in degrees or inches, is more complex a subject than it is given here.
When I cut and swaged new wires for my D, I asked around Boise from other competing sailors (one of the largest groups of S's and D's are located around southern Idaho). The consensus from some of the D owners who race regularly, is to rake the mast 6 inches aft of vertical. I don't know why, but these capts win races. I cut and swaged the wires for that rake, ignoring the backstay momentarily, which can only bend the mast above the hounds anyway. As a result, I have the rake I want, with taut side wires and a straight mast, as sighted from the base. I have enough adjustment to get the front turnbuckle started, and then crank on the tension I want in relation to wind velocity.
Where does the term "high faluting" come from and what does it mean? If it means a competant person who actually knows what they're talking about, than I say GUILTY.
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