Loosen the rigging?

[Scott Broad]

Unfortunately, I was forced to leave my mast up for this winter while my new 380 sits in the cradle. I am curious to know if I should loosen the rigging a bit toallow for the shrinkage that will take place? Does anyone have any experience with this?ThanksScott BroadIII ShortTorontoscottb@thepostshop.com

 

[Dave]

Shrinkage

The mast I assume is aluminum and the rigging is stainless? Aluminum has about twice the coefficient of thermal expansion as steel. So if your mast is say 60 feet long = 720 inches. The coefficien of expansion is about .000012 per degree per inch. So from say 70 degrees to zero degrees = 70 degrees. So .000012x720x70=0.605 inches. The rigging will shrink about half of that so the rigging will get looser not tighter!!! Do not lossen it!!RegardsDave

 

[Don B]

Mast up

I am not a proponet of having a mast up while in a cradle - the wind pressure on the mast can be considerable and that stress is transferred to the points at which the boat is supported on the cradle pads. Also know that lower temps can cause shrinkage in the standing rigging but if you loosen same you could have the mast working back and forth through the tabernacle.Having said all of that I don't kno what your best options are but at thiis point I'd leave the standing rigging alone and hope that we don't get any tremendous winds

 

[jcherubini]

No.

I already commented on this issue somewhere else, giving an example of 33-ft Antigone with her 6-ft keel and 46-ft spar height sitting up on the cradle through a violent winter storm in 1978-79. The short of it is to pay your insurance, trust the yard, and leave the rigging tuned. The boat is designed to have a properly-tuned rig under all conditions, and the longevity of your rigging gear depends on consistent pressure-- not seasonal tensioning and releasing. Also a loosened mast will move more and the increase in arm and moment can send it over onto the neighbour's boat in the yard-- and possibly even pull your boat over too.JC 2