Forestay lenght

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Aug 29, 2005
3
- - Lake Champlain
I'm looking for the forestay lenght from pin to pin. The previous owner installed a furler and the forestay seems very loose. The lower pin is located inside the anchor pit. Any idea where to find the info. Thanks, fred.
 

Alan

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Jun 2, 2004
4,174
Hunter 35.5 LI, NY
The forestay IS what determines mast rake. The turnbuckle at the base of the forestay is for adjusting mast rake, period...nothing else! The tension in the forestay is gotten from the cap shrouds and backstay. When you tune your rig, the very first thing you set is mast rake. Then go ahead and put the mast in column and then prebend the mast. You do not touch the forestay after the rake is set. Rake should be 12" on your boat.
 
Dec 3, 2003
544
None None Rochester, NY
Furler in anchor locker

The 33.5 had the roller furler mounted below decks inside the anchor locker. The 33.5 has a good bend to it, but I had not heard about a 12" rake before. There has been a lot written about tuning the 33.5. It is not a B&R rig. Alan, is there really "pre-bend" to this mast?
 
B

Bil sv Makai

prebend

our 88 335 had a 12 inch prebend but little or no rake and was a B&R rig per the factory manual. Check your boat book if you are unsure. You don't want to try to straighten a prebend, even if people comment that you mast isn't straight.
 
Aug 29, 2005
3
- - Lake Champlain
Still, my forestay is too long

Even if my forestay is very loose, the mast is bend. I have good tension on the shrouds and backstay, but the forestay remains very loose. I suspect that when the previous owner removed the original forestay and replaced it by the furler, he did not adjust it to the right lenght. When the wind is strong, the forestay make a nice banana, which I do not think is normal (see picture). Therefor, if someone could indicate the lenght (or where to find it), I could double check if in fact the forestay is too long.
 

Alan

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Jun 2, 2004
4,174
Hunter 35.5 LI, NY
Still, my forestay is too long

Fred, Please believe me when I tell you that you are barking up the WRONG tree. First, you DO NOT have a B&R rig. It is a convetional fractional rigged sloop. Measure your mast rake FIRST. That is what determines forestay length!!! Mast rake set at about 12" should be correct. THEN tension the cap shrouds to put tension into the forestay. Then set mast prebend at about 8". PS: If you cannot achieve the 12" mast rake, ONLY THEN will you need to change the forestay.
 
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