mast cable tension

[fred]

I NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT THE CORRECT CABLE TENSION SHOULD BE ON MY 1984 CATALINA 30'WITH THE TALL MAST. I HAVE THE MODEL A & B TOOLS, BUT DO NOT KNOW WHAT LBS. TENSION FOR MAST CABLES. CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHERE TO FIND THIS INFO.THANKS FRED

 

[Big Windy]

Cable Tension

Try the C30 owner's forum: http://www.catalina30.com/

 

[John]

mast stays

Hi fred Mast tension is realy set wial sailing. center your mast on the boat useing the hailyard to the chain plates on both sides, once centered (hand tighten) the top staysby turning the same amount of times on both sides . Then tighten both lower frount stays keeping the mast in the center ,then snug lower rear stays ,Then snug back stay, Now You need to go for a sail and give her a feel . Go hard on the wind in about 16 ks of Wind speed and watch your leward stay It should lose tension but should not get slact and should not snap tight when you come out of the wind (do both sides) Now if you but your tension gauge on the stays you will no what to set them at next time.all boat are diffrent I use a loousegauge and I set mine to 850lb for 1/4" stay 550 lb for 3/16 I think its 10% of breaking stranth.But if you call catalina C/S they can fax you a sheet on it. PS last summer I did not get my stays exactley where I like them. John

 

[Ray Bowles]

A base figure is 10% of breaking limit.

The Hunter tech guys told me the figures to use on my 95 H26. I'm sure the Catalina tech folks will do the same. On the Hunter some lines we set at 20% and some at 10%, but that was a B%R rig.Standard single spreader mast boats are usually 10% of the breaking strength. These figures are usually on the back of the gauge.Many set their tension while sailing under load and do just fine. My experience has been that my boats point much better and respond faster when set-up with the Loos gauge. Anything else short of that is simply a guess on my part. Then I'm double guessing further that it is the same as someone elses guess. Ray