I am interested in what sequence I should follow to tension my rig on my '79 Hunter 30. I tension side- to side, going back and forth to set all six to the same reading. I then do a check on the split back-stay. Thanks Ian
How to read a Loos tensioner
- Thread starter Ian McGain
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Tuning procedure
Hello, I presume that, since you have six wires to tighten, your Hunter has continuous rigging, with uppers, intermediates, and lowers all coming to deck, and that this is a pre-B&R rig, with spreaders swept much less radically than on newer boats, and that you have a standing backstay. Is this so? Is it a fractional rig? If the rig is as I've described, tuning it will be the same as for any comparable fractional rig. Contact our shop, or a Selden distributor, for a copy of Selden's free tuning guide, which specifically addresses fractional rig considerations. You might also want to get a copy of my tuning video, which goes into fairly exhaustive detail on tuning principles and techniques. I suggest this because tuning is a fairly complex process, moreso on your boat than many others, so I really can't do justice to it here. But to answer your question at least in part, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that you are doing well to go back and forth while tuning, since repeated, even, frequently-checked adjustments will make it easier to keep the mast straight laterally. The bad news is that, with continuous shrouds, you definitely do not want to have the same reading on all the wires, because (a) there is probably a different relative load on lowers, intermediates, and uppers, and (b) longer wires stretch more than shorter ones, so need to be tensioned more, so that the mast stays straight under load. And this is not even considering the fore-and-aft shape of the mast (you'll want some curve), or how the order in which you tune, and the precise sweep of the spreaders will affect that curve, or how jib- and backstay tension will also affect that curve, as well as affecting shroud tension. This might all sound a bit intimidating, but the basic principles are fairly simple, and well worth learning; even a moderately competent tune will literally wake your boat up, allowing it to sail with an efficiency you might not have expected was possible. You'll also find that you will heel less, reef less often, have a better-balanced helm, and increase you IQ by at least 50 points. Well, maybe not that last one, but people will sure think you've gotten smarter, as you sail past them. Fair leads, Brion Toss
Hello, I presume that, since you have six wires to tighten, your Hunter has continuous rigging, with uppers, intermediates, and lowers all coming to deck, and that this is a pre-B&R rig, with spreaders swept much less radically than on newer boats, and that you have a standing backstay. Is this so? Is it a fractional rig? If the rig is as I've described, tuning it will be the same as for any comparable fractional rig. Contact our shop, or a Selden distributor, for a copy of Selden's free tuning guide, which specifically addresses fractional rig considerations. You might also want to get a copy of my tuning video, which goes into fairly exhaustive detail on tuning principles and techniques. I suggest this because tuning is a fairly complex process, moreso on your boat than many others, so I really can't do justice to it here. But to answer your question at least in part, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that you are doing well to go back and forth while tuning, since repeated, even, frequently-checked adjustments will make it easier to keep the mast straight laterally. The bad news is that, with continuous shrouds, you definitely do not want to have the same reading on all the wires, because (a) there is probably a different relative load on lowers, intermediates, and uppers, and (b) longer wires stretch more than shorter ones, so need to be tensioned more, so that the mast stays straight under load. And this is not even considering the fore-and-aft shape of the mast (you'll want some curve), or how the order in which you tune, and the precise sweep of the spreaders will affect that curve, or how jib- and backstay tension will also affect that curve, as well as affecting shroud tension. This might all sound a bit intimidating, but the basic principles are fairly simple, and well worth learning; even a moderately competent tune will literally wake your boat up, allowing it to sail with an efficiency you might not have expected was possible. You'll also find that you will heel less, reef less often, have a better-balanced helm, and increase you IQ by at least 50 points. Well, maybe not that last one, but people will sure think you've gotten smarter, as you sail past them. Fair leads, Brion Toss
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