George,
You are correct about fitting a curved section to the bottom of the mast. The taper does not occur until it clears the base of the strut.
The location of the lower strut cables is set below the hounds. This effectively makes the top section of the mast a lever for the backstay and transfers the load at a point below the headstay. Therefore, provided the lower shrouds are sufficiently taught moving them further down would not accomplish anything.
I like the way you think, however. This is the kind of critical thinking that is needed to make intelligent choices.
You are correct about fitting a curved section to the bottom of the mast. The taper does not occur until it clears the base of the strut.
The location of the lower strut cables is set below the hounds. This effectively makes the top section of the mast a lever for the backstay and transfers the load at a point below the headstay. Therefore, provided the lower shrouds are sufficiently taught moving them further down would not accomplish anything.
I like the way you think, however. This is the kind of critical thinking that is needed to make intelligent choices.