Compensate For Boat List When Rig Tuning?

[rardiH36]

This question definitely falls into the "over-thinking" category ...

... Due to batteries, fuel tank and galley all being to port, my boat has a couple of degree list to that side. I've got a deck stepped mast, so tuning a few degrees off square shouldn't be an issue.

Rather than centering the mast to the boat by the method of same distance on the halyard to both the port and starboard rails, might there be any benefit to instead compensating the measurement for the port/starboard difference in distance to the waterline?

rardi

 

[Eric M]

Ahh the age old question of make the mast "straight" relative to what. It is a common topic amongst the racing croud especially when you get a feeling that your boat points better on one tack or the other. Back in my J/24 days we put the boat on the trailer, then used a survey transit setup behind the boat to get the trailing edge of the keel perfectly vertical. Then you could use the transit to move up to the deck level and look at the sail track in the mast. On my boat we found the center of the mast at the deck when centered in the hole in the deck was about an inch too far to starboard. We adjusted the mast partners to get the mast centered above the keel then moved to the attachment point for the upper shrouds. Adjust the turnbuckels to get the mast straight, in line with the keel. Once the mast was in line with the keel, we took measurments across the turnbuckles with calipers to be able to return to this position every time the mast was up and down for trailering to the next regatta. Did it make a noticable difference in the way the boat sailed? Nope, not a bit, but at least we didn't wonder about if the mast was centered and straight any more.
Good Luck

 

[Jackdaw]

This question definitely falls into the "over-thinking" category ...

... Due to batteries, fuel tank and galley all being to port, my boat has a couple of degree list to that side. I've got a deck stepped mast, so tuning a few degrees off square shouldn't be an issue.

Rather than centering the mast to the boat by the method of same distance on the halyard to both the port and starboard rails, might there be any benefit to instead compensating the measurement for the port/starboard difference in distance to the waterline?

rardi

No benefit at all. Your static list makes no difference under sail; its like simply having a crew member in the wrong place. You would not cant the mast to one side to fix that. Set the boat up straight.

 

[rardiH36]

Thanks. I kiss and do it the normal way.