Installing adjustable backstay on a 192/222

[Brian S]

Guys, my 192 has the typical backstay with about an 18" strop from chainplate to triangle bracket, and then on up to the masthead, with the mainsheet on the other corner of the triangle bracket.

I'm considering the idea of putting an adjustable tackle, probably 4:1, in place of the strop. I know I saw pics of a 3:1 that someone had from the review article in Small Craft Advisor a year or so ago.

Probably the easiest is with a Harken 4:1 fiddle as illustrated third down on this page: http://www.harken.com/content.aspx?id=3897 and using some nice 1/4" Dyneema cored polyester covered line.

My problem is how to mount the system to the chainplate and triangle plate? All the blocks I've looked at seem that if I used another shackle such that the pin goes through the plates, then the system would be turned sideways, with the line exit off to the side, rather than forward back into the cockpit.

Have any of you retrofitted an adjustable backstay? If so, what parts did you use, and how did you attach them all?

Thanks,
Brian

 

[Golden Road]

I want to do this too. Harken makes a screw type adjuster that I want to see in hand.

 

[Brian S]

Golden, I think we're going to get skunked on this one. I think I asked last year with no answer.

There are also things like the CS Johnson Handy-Lever, to make for easy backstay or forestay adjustment. It might be a good idea for a heavily-trailer 192 to have such a quick release adjuster for the forestay, especially with a hank on jib. However, I think it would have very limited use on the backstay. When you want to adjust the backstay, you want it off for downwind legs, then harden up and pull on for upwind legs to reduce headstay sag, and in higher winds, induce a bit of mast bend. Releasing some adjuster thingy and fiddling with a screw adjuster would not provide any utility for adjusting the backstay.

Of course, having an adjustable backstay probably does little for me - I'd get more utility out of a traveller for the main sheet. I just can't figure a way to do a traveller that doesn't sacrifice seat comfort, or having a custom raised bridge traveller across the aft coaming, which would make it more difficult to climb in from the swim ladder.

Meh. I should just save up for a sportboat like the Left Coast Dart.