I borrowed a Loos gauge Model "A" from a friend. Anyone know the specs for the 26 or the Javelin?
TIA,
John
TIA,
John
Loos Reading for O'day 26 and Javelin?
- Thread starter John Stevens
- Start date
The O'DAY 26 Manual says to tighten the Headstay, Backstay, and upper shrouds to "hand-tight plus one turn" Sidestays should be "hand-tight". No exact specs for tension, just the advice not to "over tighten" anything. (Same warning as for the Javelin below).
Javelin: "After all stays are attached, take the slack out of the rigging by tightening all stays taut, but no more than hand tight.
CAUTION: It is very important that you do not tighten the stays too much, as this can cause damage to the hull and deck."
I guess this doesn't really answer your question, but it does sort-of hint that we don't need to "overthink" the simple task of tuning the rigs on our small O'DAYs.
Javelin: "After all stays are attached, take the slack out of the rigging by tightening all stays taut, but no more than hand tight.
CAUTION: It is very important that you do not tighten the stays too much, as this can cause damage to the hull and deck."
I guess this doesn't really answer your question, but it does sort-of hint that we don't need to "overthink" the simple task of tuning the rigs on our small O'DAYs.
I've owned a number of different sailboats and have always adjusted them to what "feels" right. I have a Loos gauge on loan from a friend and wanted to check to see how close my "feel" really is.
O'day's reference to "hand tight" in itself it very relative. Does a 20 year old body builder own the boat or an 80 year old grandmother? Which directs us to your hint of not overthinking it.
Still... going to the Loos gauge site, it refers to 10-15 percent of the breaking tension of the wire as a rule of thumb.
I'll be at the boat in a few days and will check based on the 10-15 percent and see where I am. I feel like I tend to not tighten enough but I'll see.
Thanks for the info.
O'day's reference to "hand tight" in itself it very relative. Does a 20 year old body builder own the boat or an 80 year old grandmother? Which directs us to your hint of not overthinking it.
Still... going to the Loos gauge site, it refers to 10-15 percent of the breaking tension of the wire as a rule of thumb.
I'll be at the boat in a few days and will check based on the 10-15 percent and see where I am. I feel like I tend to not tighten enough but I'll see.
Thanks for the info.
I'm no expert so take what I say here and filter it yourself. I think the reason that they say 10-15% is because below 10% the cable will still stretch (grow slightly in length) when wind loaded. By getting the tension above 10% you can be assured that the mast position etc. will stay where it is under wind load. On the high end the 15% comes from having adequate margin below the recommended 25% absolute limit. On my boat the 10-15% tension is recommended only for the side stays and not so much for the head stay. Since the head stay opposes the force of two side stays the tension is expected to be different. I plan to get my hands on a loos and tune my rig as soon as this winter is a memory.
Thanks for your input. I'm interested to see just where I am on both sides of that scale, hopefully in the middle.
I was looking to see if there was an O'day Javelin class association. There doesn't appear to be. There are different Javelins in the UK and New Zealand, one is a trapezing dinghy (aren't they all trapeze boats Down Under? Seems that way...) Racing boats actively is the way people get to tweaking and finding out the best tuning. However, I did find a website of a guy who restored a '66 "classic" Javelin. He noted that he reinforced the chainstay on the outside of the hull with a piece of strapping. This shows that an overtuned boat will overstress things.
I think you will find the same for your O'day 26. You can download a PDF of the Seldén Mast tuning book at this link: http://www.seldenmast.com/files/1416926327/595-540-E.pdf This will give you some approximates, and a procedure for tuning your own mast. It's the basis I used for tuning the 192. However, I think that maybe tuning to the recommended tensions based on breaking strength of the wire will be too tight for a cruising oriented O'day. I also learned that setting mast rake is pretty much a trial and error thing, to get helm balance where you want it (6-9º of weather helm at the tiller.)
Because I have a Loos gauge, I took measurements of the rig when I felt I had it down good. These measurable settings were proof to me that my rig was indeed getting loose through the season, which meant my mast step was indeed rotting and needs to be cut out and replaced. Looks like I will be very slow to launch this spring. Though it was close to 60º yesterday, it was damp and foggy as all getout, and not suitable for crawling under the tarp to get working. And, of course, I woke up to 1-2" of snow this morning. Yeah, gonna be a late launch for me...
Oh, another thing I gather is that Loos gauges are not particularly accurate, especially from device to device. It's made worse by throwing them in sailing bags and lockers and such... I just use mine as a reference point, and I'm not racing and tuning a boat to within a hair's breadth of winning a race, sooooo...
I think you will find the same for your O'day 26. You can download a PDF of the Seldén Mast tuning book at this link: http://www.seldenmast.com/files/1416926327/595-540-E.pdf This will give you some approximates, and a procedure for tuning your own mast. It's the basis I used for tuning the 192. However, I think that maybe tuning to the recommended tensions based on breaking strength of the wire will be too tight for a cruising oriented O'day. I also learned that setting mast rake is pretty much a trial and error thing, to get helm balance where you want it (6-9º of weather helm at the tiller.)
Because I have a Loos gauge, I took measurements of the rig when I felt I had it down good. These measurable settings were proof to me that my rig was indeed getting loose through the season, which meant my mast step was indeed rotting and needs to be cut out and replaced. Looks like I will be very slow to launch this spring. Though it was close to 60º yesterday, it was damp and foggy as all getout, and not suitable for crawling under the tarp to get working. And, of course, I woke up to 1-2" of snow this morning. Yeah, gonna be a late launch for me...
Oh, another thing I gather is that Loos gauges are not particularly accurate, especially from device to device. It's made worse by throwing them in sailing bags and lockers and such... I just use mine as a reference point, and I'm not racing and tuning a boat to within a hair's breadth of winning a race, sooooo...
Thanks for the link Brian. I have also found no association for the Javelin, there is however a yahoo group.
One note for you on the loosening of the rigging: although you may have compression on the mast step, the rigging does stretch over time so the tuning may be a bit off from that.
John
One note for you on the loosening of the rigging: although you may have compression on the mast step, the rigging does stretch over time so the tuning may be a bit off from that.
John
Well, John, thanks for the words of hope. Unfortunately, now that I have determined loosening rigging twice in one season, at the end of the season (after the second time I decided the rigging was loose) I found evidence that the mast step on deck was indeed indenting the deck surface, indicating a compressing mast step between tabernacle bracket and compression post down in the cabin. Having had to repair this same issue on my 15' Harpoon 4.6, I know there's no hope, and a full dissection and repair is the only solution. I've decided that trying to pull back the wooly fabric head liner from the cabin, and effect the repair from inside, will likely make the most cosmetically acceptable repair. Problem is, I just don't want to do it, I don't feel like doing it...
But, that's the life of a DIY old boat owner... The silver lining, if I look for it, is that the boat lives at home now, so I have absolutely no time pressure to get it done. Before this year, I stored at the lake, and it had to be out of the lot by 4/15 to make way for summer storage. But now, if I leave it sit behind the garage, I have only myself to blame. I did get a Force 5 to be a fun, go-fast boat, so I could trailer it to the lake in the early part of the season to get sailing fixes, I suppose... And there are plenty of people to crew with on Flying Scots and Thistles for race days. Last spring, I moved in mid-May, and spent much of the spring and early summer doing home projects. The poor boat sat there in her slip, somewhat forgotten. At least I learned that I didn't lose my mind from not using her! I go through periods of the same. Working on it can be a hassle or a great break from other things in life. I love to sail, and that can be done in any size boat. For me, it's a little more exciting in the Javelin sized boats. Having two boat, I assess the use of the 26 at the end of every season and decide whether to keep her or not. When you come right down to it, the only difference is that I can sleep on it and do some cruising, other than that, the Javelin serves the same exact purpose.
Will probably be the same for you with the F5 eventually.
John
Will probably be the same for you with the F5 eventually.
John
Considering the cost and fragility of these devices, a cheap case from the local overstock warehouse is just the ticket. This one was $20. I've got the same idea (although a much larger one) for the Windex and Ray wind instrument, and the case holds all the relevant bits for putting the mast up or away, so there's no searching.
The blue cord is to attach to the stay so in the event of the gauge coming free, it doesn't become fish food or parking lot fodder. Also, the general adjustments are on a page that's been trimmed small and laminated so it won't get wrecked if it gets wet. This is on the left in the lid of the case.
Small, but huge time saving things.
Small, but huge time saving things.