Looking for rigging tension on my 23. And can anyone tell me what the measurement on the forestay is from the mast to chain plate in the anchor well? Your expertise is greatly appreciated... Blaine
H-23 RIGGING TENSION
- Thread starter b.gregory
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Blaine, the way to measure the length of the forestay is to measure and adjust the mast rake. It should be set at anywhere between one and two percent of mast height. Your 23 has a mast height of 33' or 396". At the average of 1.5% the mast rake should be set at 6". If you sail in predominantly heavy weather areas you could drop that back to 4.5 or 5 inches. Hang a weight off the main halyard and suspend it just at boom level. Measure from the aft end of the mast to the halyard along the boom. That is your mast rake. To increase the rake to specs, slowly loosen the turnbuckle on the headstay till you read the correct rake. Then lock the turnbuckle with cotter pins so it will not turn. Now you can adjust the shrouds for proper tension. Using a Loos gauge is the easiest way to get accurate settings. Adjust the tension to 20% of breaking load. The adjustment of the upper and lower shrouds will put the required tension in the forestay. The upper shrouds will bend the mast as tension is increased. The lower shrouds will remove that bend as the tension is increased. Together they put the required tension in the forestay. These are average settings for the rig and can be tweaked as conditions dictate.
Coupla thoughts
Blaine, If you don't have a forestay now, you're at least half-lucky. You've got an opportunity to set the mast rake on an h23. I have an h23 with way too much rake, much more than Alan suggests, but I'm not ready to disassemble the furler and all that goes with re-rigging. I've read on this board that the h23s came with too much rake. Lined up with other boats at a dock, my h23's rake is obviously more than every other boat. You'll be doing yourself a favor by following Alan's advice. Mac
Blaine, If you don't have a forestay now, you're at least half-lucky. You've got an opportunity to set the mast rake on an h23. I have an h23 with way too much rake, much more than Alan suggests, but I'm not ready to disassemble the furler and all that goes with re-rigging. I've read on this board that the h23s came with too much rake. Lined up with other boats at a dock, my h23's rake is obviously more than every other boat. You'll be doing yourself a favor by following Alan's advice. Mac
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