one more question what should the forestay tension be on the 23. i have been through the archive and have read Peter Suah's posts on the subject .....is 900 the right number for the forestay? the "truth about rigging" post said different tension for different conditions/boats. what would be a good starting point for the forestay? thanks tom h23 caballo del mar
forestay question
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Forestay tension
Here's one possible answer. The H23 rig is supported primarily by the uppers and the forestay. The lowers provide some support but since they're usually set to about half the tension of the uppers, they contribute less than a third of the lateral support. If you tension the shrouds to the point where the leewards won't go slack when sailing close-hauled under full sail in about 12 kt true, the forestay WILL BE properly tensioned...automatically. Otherwise, you never would have been able to tension the shrouds properly. Here's something else to think about. What happens to a carefully tensioned forestay when the headsail is raised and the jib halyard is tensioned with the winch to take out the scallops? Go one step further by putting the boat hard on the wind and crank the headsail sheet in until the foot of the sail is dead straight. Loos gauge readings don't matter as much as the shape of the sail. I'm not knocking Loos gauges (I've owned one for years). I'm also not busting chops. It's just that we tend to focus on numbers rather than on what our eyes and other senses tell us about how well we have tuned our rigs and trimmed our sails. I will say this...Loos gauges ARE very useful for quickly duplicating rig settings that worked before, for example if I dropped the mast to trailer the boat to a race. I hope this helps. Peter H23 "Raven"
Here's one possible answer. The H23 rig is supported primarily by the uppers and the forestay. The lowers provide some support but since they're usually set to about half the tension of the uppers, they contribute less than a third of the lateral support. If you tension the shrouds to the point where the leewards won't go slack when sailing close-hauled under full sail in about 12 kt true, the forestay WILL BE properly tensioned...automatically. Otherwise, you never would have been able to tension the shrouds properly. Here's something else to think about. What happens to a carefully tensioned forestay when the headsail is raised and the jib halyard is tensioned with the winch to take out the scallops? Go one step further by putting the boat hard on the wind and crank the headsail sheet in until the foot of the sail is dead straight. Loos gauge readings don't matter as much as the shape of the sail. I'm not knocking Loos gauges (I've owned one for years). I'm also not busting chops. It's just that we tend to focus on numbers rather than on what our eyes and other senses tell us about how well we have tuned our rigs and trimmed our sails. I will say this...Loos gauges ARE very useful for quickly duplicating rig settings that worked before, for example if I dropped the mast to trailer the boat to a race. I hope this helps. Peter H23 "Raven"
thanks peter
that makes sense to me. i was wondering how to crank the forestay to 900 hahaha. i also wanted to say thanks to you and all the others for all of the posts i've learned so much about my boat just from the archives. thanks tom h23 caballo del mar
that makes sense to me. i was wondering how to crank the forestay to 900 hahaha. i also wanted to say thanks to you and all the others for all of the posts i've learned so much about my boat just from the archives. thanks tom h23 caballo del mar
agreed
on this boat, it is vitually impossible to have the shrouds correctly tensioned, and not the forestay, because they are pulling AGAINST it. you shoud be setting a forestay length, (for rake), then tensioning the uppers. No need to "crank" the forestay!
on this boat, it is vitually impossible to have the shrouds correctly tensioned, and not the forestay, because they are pulling AGAINST it. you shoud be setting a forestay length, (for rake), then tensioning the uppers. No need to "crank" the forestay!
Brian is right
The only thing you do with the forestay directly is set the mast rake. Increasing the length increases mast rake. The tension in the stay is set by adjusting the shrouds NEVER the stay. The upper shrouds put prebend into the mast the lowers take the prebend out. Together they tension the forestay.
The only thing you do with the forestay directly is set the mast rake. Increasing the length increases mast rake. The tension in the stay is set by adjusting the shrouds NEVER the stay. The upper shrouds put prebend into the mast the lowers take the prebend out. Together they tension the forestay.
you might want to look for a forestay lever
Kitterysurfer, I do not own a 23, but I found that a forestay lever was great for a Mac 26D. We trailered it a lot, and eventually got the total set up time down to under 20 minutes. Once you get the rig tension you want, you might want to consider a forestay lever. This will tension the forestay to the same tension every time you rig, with no adjustments. It makes rigging a little easier, but will work only if you have enough room on the forestay below the tack of the jib. You probably do, as you probably have a turnbuckle there now. If you do install a forestay lever, be careful when you release it; keep your body parts out of the way of the lever. Maybe someone on the list with a 23 has experience with a forestay lever on that mode. Bert
Kitterysurfer, I do not own a 23, but I found that a forestay lever was great for a Mac 26D. We trailered it a lot, and eventually got the total set up time down to under 20 minutes. Once you get the rig tension you want, you might want to consider a forestay lever. This will tension the forestay to the same tension every time you rig, with no adjustments. It makes rigging a little easier, but will work only if you have enough room on the forestay below the tack of the jib. You probably do, as you probably have a turnbuckle there now. If you do install a forestay lever, be careful when you release it; keep your body parts out of the way of the lever. Maybe someone on the list with a 23 has experience with a forestay lever on that mode. Bert
Arturo
The length of the forestay is for controlling mast rake, period. It has NOTHING whatever to do with the tension in the stay. After you have decided on the amount of mast rake you want, set the length of the stay for that amount. From that point on the forestay length adjustment is complete. The tension in the forestay is controlled by the shrouds(if the spreaders are swept) and the backstay. These are what you adjust to increase or decrease tension in the forestay.
The length of the forestay is for controlling mast rake, period. It has NOTHING whatever to do with the tension in the stay. After you have decided on the amount of mast rake you want, set the length of the stay for that amount. From that point on the forestay length adjustment is complete. The tension in the forestay is controlled by the shrouds(if the spreaders are swept) and the backstay. These are what you adjust to increase or decrease tension in the forestay.
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