I'm the new owner of a 1990 first 285 and at the risk of appearing very dim how does one go about adjusting the headstay tension? The boat has the "factory" Facnor roller furling and I just don't see any means of taking out what I think is a lot of slack. Is there a turn buckle lurking under the furling drum? And how might one get to it? Any help is appreciated.
- Status
Adjustable backstay?
My 1990 First 285 has an adjustable backstay, perhaps yours does also. This is a racing feature: allows you increase the tension on the backstay, which will "bend" the mast to change the shape of the sail. It would also "tighten" your forestay. Perhaps your backstay tension is adjusted too low. The adjustment for the backstay is on the aft/starboard where one of the backstay wires is secured to the deck. One word of caution: as a new owner, you may want to take some time to get to know the boat, before adjusting things. You may find that there are good reasons that it is setup the way it is, and just create more problems trying to fix it. I know I have made this mistake, on several occasions...
My 1990 First 285 has an adjustable backstay, perhaps yours does also. This is a racing feature: allows you increase the tension on the backstay, which will "bend" the mast to change the shape of the sail. It would also "tighten" your forestay. Perhaps your backstay tension is adjusted too low. The adjustment for the backstay is on the aft/starboard where one of the backstay wires is secured to the deck. One word of caution: as a new owner, you may want to take some time to get to know the boat, before adjusting things. You may find that there are good reasons that it is setup the way it is, and just create more problems trying to fix it. I know I have made this mistake, on several occasions...
- Status