New friends & sailors: Ray was kind enough to allow me to post his suggestions concerning the rigging of the Hunter 26. After following this site on a regular basis for the past couple of years, I would say that this is the best advice I have ever received about the Hunter 26. Hopefully, the information will also be helpful to other water ballast models. Niether Ray nor I assume any liability for the use of this information, and it is posted for gneral informational purposes only. When it comes to the actual setting of your standing rigging, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!!! Thanks Ray! Rick Engel "MoonGlow" MAST TENSIONING PROCEDURE ISOMAT ALUMINUM SPAR 1995 HUNTER 26 FOOT SLOOP RIGGED SAILBOAT JANUARY 2002 OVERVIEW: This is the procedure that I use to tune the mast, mast shrouds, forestay, main sail and jib sail rigging on my 1995 Hunter 26 foot sailboat. I use a “Loos” tension gauge to measure the tensions involved. This process is of my own design, has no professional “hands on” input and is presented as a truly “home brewed” procedure. I am new to sailing within the last 2 years and should not be considered as knowledgeable. All methods, goals and outcomes are of my own design, gathered after extensive reading and study. The “Hunters Owner Manual”, the “Loos tension gauge” instruction sheet, the “Isomat Spars” owners manual are major factors in my plan. Also information I gathered from the “Hunter Owners” web site, other sailing web sites and industry publications played a part. Many currently available sailing guides, books and periodical publications also helped supply the information I used. The only sailboat I ever considered using this knowledge on was my own H26. Should any other person use this procedure, or any part of, it is at his/her own risk. Their decisions, adjustments and actions must be based strictly on their own knowledge, however gathered. OUTLINE OF INFORMATION AND PROCEDURES. SET UP AND FEATURES OF AUTHORS BOAT. VALUES AND ORIGINS OF VALUES USED MODEL, PART NUMBERS and VENDERS OF EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS USED. GOALS OF PROCESS LEVELING BOAT ON LAND MAST CENTERING MAST RAKE AND FORESTAY TENSION - PRELIMINARY ADJUSTMENTS SHROUD TENSIONS - PRELIMINARY ADJUSTMENTS SHROUD TENSIONS- SECONDARY ADJUSTMENTS-BOAT IN WATER MAST AND FORESTAY TENSION - SECONDARY ADJUSTMENTS-BOAT IN WATER FINAL SETTINGS-BOAT IN WATER MAST CURVATURE. SET UP AND FEATURES OF AUTHORS BOAT: My boat is a 1995 Hunter 26 foot, sloop rigged sailboat with water ballast and centerboard. All equipment, to the best of my knowledge, is standard factory equipment unless noted. My H26 is of the B&R design and has no backstay or similar line controlling this function. Mast is an “Isomat” aluminum. Single spreader. I think the boom is also an “Isomat” product. Jib/Mast forestay has been replaced with a CDI roller furling unit. Single line operation. Jib sail is factory “Doyle” re-cut for roller furling with “Sunbrella” leach extension sown on providing UV protection. The jib is of the 100% size style. Mainsail is a factory “Doyle” fully battened with a additional upper reef point added. Mainsheet and boom vang are standard rope/block assemblies. Factory topping lift is used. Shroud lines are 3/16 inch 1x19 stainless steel with new chainplate/shroud turn buckles. VALUES AND ORIGINS OF VALUES USED. Hunter Marine supplied the pound tension figures for both upper and lower shrouds at 20% of breaking strength of the wire used. 3/16 inch 1x19 SS. wire breaks at 4000#. Therefore 20% of 4000# = 800#. 10% = 400#. The Loos gauge manual verified this breaking figure at 4000#. 800# scared me to death so I set less than 400# as my initial target for both upper and lower shrouds. I advanced higher in tension after sea trials. This might not be the same for other boats. The upper shrouds assist in controlling the forestay tension. I could not find any figure, nor would anyone supply the forestay tension, other than the expression “there should be no sag”. Mast rake, fore and aft, should be originally set at approximately 1 degree aft or 6 inches. Mast rake amidships, port and starboard, should be true vertical. Mast rake figures are based on boat being level. This position occurs 2 ways: FLOATING. My idea of the floating position is with the outboard motor on, fuel tank filled, water bladders filled under each sink and no mainsail or boom mounted. The boom and mainsail (in bag) are laid on the cabin top where they would normally ad their weight if mounted. No other cabin, deck equipment or supplies onboard. CDI roller furling jib was mounted. I stand on the dock when reading measurements for mast rake. Or BOAT SITTING ON TRAILER. With the boat resting on the Hunter dual axle trailer. Mast raised, roller furling jib mounted and boom off. I chose to set my mast rake and shroud tension while the boat rested on its trailer and then reviewed the entire process when the boat was launched later. As no one was willing or able to define “level”, without the boat floating, I chose the waterline stripe. To set ‘level” with the boat on the trailer I shot the water line (boot strap color line) on the hull with a builders transit instrument. I made this the dry definition of level. MODEL, PART NUMBERS, VENDERS OF EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS USED: Loos Standing Rigging Tension gauge. West Marine Model 179366. 3/16 to 9/32 inch capacity wire. Loos # 90F West Marine Supplied Approx. $48 T-Bolt with Toggle for 1995 Hunter 26 foot sailboat. (Not required unless bent) Spares are a good idea. 5/16 inch West Marine Model 166660 West Marine Supplied. Approx. $9 each. Contractor Grade Leveling Transit. Rental tool from local A to Z rental store etc. Comes with tri-pod and measuring rod. 50 to 100 foot range is what you will be working in. Bubble level OK but make sure it’s right. Lazer not required, as if I ever have seen one, but nice if you know how to use it. Ask rental store for instructions on instrument leveling, set-up and use. If you catch these folks during a slack time in their work week they are usually very helpful with instructions. Stop in and inquire, a week before usage, if they have this tool and ask about the best time to rent it and get these instructions. Find a time when THEY are not usually rushed. THEN be there on time and be relaxed. Bring pad and paper. I think it cost me about $25 a day. I know it wasn’t over $35. Its the only way I could think of to do this job well while on the trailer. The other way, while saving the $35, means your marina neighbors get to watch your follies, your inspired moments (or movements) and your anger over waves constantly ruining the calm seas required for measurements. By the way, they probably will be drinking your beer through-out. Note: A parking lot that is not used on a weekend is also a place to do this procedure as most are flat, have the clear overhead room to raise the mast and room to get back far enough to use the level. 4. GOAL OF PROCESS: To measure existing tension. To make a very thorough inspection of your standing rigging. To replace bent toggle bolts securing all 4 shrouds if needed. To identify and replace any other rigging found suspect, NOW. To set mast rake. Only after shroud tension has been established. To establish and understand the basis for mast shroud tension values and to set mast shrouds to your target tension values. To set mast bend. To check tension monthly or every 50 hours of sailing. To have some understanding of mast bend for later use. STEPS 5 THROUGH 12 ARE ALL LABOR STEPS AND WILL BE EXPLAINED INDIVIDUALLY NOW RATHER THAN OUTLINED. LEVELING THE BOAT ON LAND: Since I had done quite a bit of work on the standing and running rigging through the winter I really needed to set up the mast assembly and tune the tension before launch. I wanted to do the total job, while relaxed at my home and at my leisure. If necessary, I needed to be able to do it over and over until I was satisfied with the outcome. I also wanted to be at my shop, with all my tools at hand. Then the small corrections that were required after launch would be much easier. I had read the procedure for mast tuning in the Hunter Owners Manual. After the second time through I was still totally ignorant. The “Hunters Owners” web site and its archives had information specific to the Hunter 26. I gleaned quite a lot of information here and from the “Isomat Spar” instruction papers. I looked at as many of the other sailboat sites as I could find and gathered as much information as was offered. I also bought books and studied some of the works of the “Masters of Rigging”. The major stumbling block was the definition of level. This is the starting point for this entire operation. No one, anywhere, anyhow, anyway was willing to say, or pass on, anything better than “well, just level”. My first question was “What surface on my boat can I measure, that will tell me my boat is level enough to start my adjustments?” Staring at the boat and saying “Well, just be level” wasn’t working. Therefore, to start, I used a 2 and 4 foot level on the cabin table and floor to block the trailer and get the boat somewhat close to level. I then decided to use the waterline stripe as level. My boat just had new bottom paint applied and had not been in the water since. I had to assume the waterline paint stripe was level as there was no water stain or algae growth for reference. It turned out to be actually “right on” when I floated the boat. I set the rear of the trailer on a pair of concrete blocks by lowering the tongue, inserting the blocks and raising the tongue back up. I then used a floor jack, bottle jack and the trailer tongue jack to raise the trailer and install more blocks down its length. I then set up a contractor/builders leveling transit and shot the bootstrap and used pieces of wood and wooden shims to fine tune the trailer height until the transit indicated the boat was level.(I mean very, very level) I used the upper cabin entryway slider rails to level port to starboard and it was very easily done in the leveling process with a 4 foot level. The sideways part of being level is also important. At least to me. I rented the transit and it was $25/35 for the day with rod. MAST CENTERING: Study the next two (2) paragraphs very WELL as they are a critically important item. CRITICAL FOR YOUR SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF THE CREW AND BOAT. Before raising my mast I found that all 4 of the T-bolt assemblies that attached the mast shrouds to the boat chainplates were bent. This occurs when the mast is raised and the T-bolts are forgotten about. If the T-bolts are not standing upright while the mast is raised they will take a sideways bite on the chainplate U-bolt. They will usually pop loose but by then they have bent. Once stainless steel bends it becomes brittle and if re-bent it often fails Stainless is very unforgiving. The outcome of a T-bolt failure can very well lead to a sudden de-masting of your boat. Now is the time to inspect all your standing rigging! I measured the original T-bolt length (end to end, not thread count) before removing them. I bought and installed the new ones to the same length. In the future to hold the T-bolt assemblies in the upright position while raising the mast I used plastic “pull ties” on each side of the T-bolt to center it on the top of the chainplate U-bolts. After pulling them tight and snipping off the ends I additionally tape them in place with electrical tape on each side of the T-bolt. Now the little bastards stand at attention while I raise the mast. After lowering the mast, and preparing the boat for trailer transport, I always remove the t-bolts and shrouds and secure them along the length of the mast. Leave the ties in place on the u-bolts. This helps prevent the shrouds from kinking. With the new T-bolts in place, and all shroud lines inspected, I raised the mast and attached the roller furling jib/forestay. I left the boom and mainsail off. I then checked my shroud tension as it was when I bought the boat. Both uppers were about 120 to 130# and the lowers couldn’t be measured as they were visibly loose. A damn good way to lose a mast! Scary!! That’s why I bought the Loos gauge. I wanted control! Not to be controlled. No USCG calls. I check the mast for port/starboard alignment by using the main sail halyard. I installed a plumb bob (or screwdriver that has a hole drilled in its handle so it hangs straight) to the halyard with a piece of modeling wire. (anything that won’t stretch will work) You then adjust the halyard length while you pull it tight and touch the plumb bob or screwdriver blade to a fitting on the cabin top, outward of the mast as wide as possible. Then take the plumb bob to the same exact fitting, same exact place on the opposite side of the cabin. If the mast is straight then the blade will be in the same exact place there. If not, then adjust the shrouds on the short side a little longer while shortening the other side the same amount until the mast is vertical port/starboard. Always check your measurement 2 or 3 times before adjusting parts. Then recheck. Now sight up the mast using the sail bolt rope channel (aft center slot cut in mast) as your straight edge. (This is why the boom has not been mounted yet) The mast should not bend at all or have any curve in it.(to port or starboard) If it does then you adjust the shrouds shorter or longer until the bow or curve is gone. This is done by tightening one side and then loosening the other sides’ counterpart the same amount. Sometimes using the same amount of turns is wrong and you do what is necessary. This works out in the end. If you have to remove any curvature in your mast you MUST recheck your port/starboard equality. To do this you’re back to the plumb bob trick. Always recheck all other measurements anytime you adjust something further down line on your work sheet. It could change a previous setting. Now your mast should be good transversely. (Bob the Builder helped me on this) (Hell, Bob the Builder and I are good bud’s) 7. MAST RAKE AND FORESTAY TENSION - PRELIMINARY ADJUSTMENT Now we check mast rake. Please understand that mast rake and mast bend are NOT the same and this is important. Mast rake is the forward or aft tilt of the mast as a straight spar. When sighted from bottom to top, on either port or starboard side, the mast will be straight. When we add rake to this straight shaft it will lean slightly rearward at the top. The rearward lean of the mast is controlled by the top shrouds that start high on the mast, run down through the rearward sweeping spreaders and finish at the boat chainplates aft of the mast, and by the forestay or roller furling jib assembly. The Hunter Owners Manual calls for approximately 1 degree or 6 inches of rearward mast rake. Use your plumb bob on the mainsail halyard to take this measurement just above the cabin roof. The weight should hang 6 inches to the rear of the mast shaft base on the boat centerline. Measure from the rear of the mast shaft itself, not from all the garbage at the base of the mast that make up its anchoring plate or seal assembly. This is one measurement you will do over and over many times before finishing up. LEAVING THE PLUMB BOB HANGING FROM THE MAIN HALYARD THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS IS A GREAT HELP. It is easier to adjust your shroud toggle bolts if you hold the upper bolt assembly with a wrench or pliers while turning the center buckle. The use of a rust breaking penetrating oil is a very good idea, IF you DON’T get it all over your fiberglass gel coat. I found that by filling the spray can lid with about a teaspoon of this oil and then using cotton Q-tips to dab it on the threads works well. WD-40 spray will not hurt the fiberglass or metal, it just wrecks waxing jobs both past and future. If the measured mast rake is too great then shorten the forestay. Only try to remove the forestay gross sag and leave the 6” rake. Do not make this assembly piano wire tight this early. If the distance is less than 6 inches, but greater than 3 inches, then leave it alone for now. If the plumb bob hangs to one side or the other it means your boat is not level port to starboard. Recheck leveling and adjust the boat and trailer as necessary. Recheck/readjust the mast center line port to starboard. (section 6) Boats with a roller furling jibs in place of the standard forestay are a bit different in adjusting. Some roller furling units (now to be referred to as RFU’s) have threaded adjustment provisions (turn buckles) at deck level. The CDI on my boat doesn’t and many of the other RFU I have seen don’t either. My RFU has dual SS chainplates plates with holes drilled through them about every ¾ inch. The RFU has a pin that goes through the top hole in these plates. The bottom portion of this whole RFU assembly is attached to the boat at the bow u-bolt with another pin. When mounting the RFU at mast raising time you select the hole that fits the tension requirements best. This means you really need to remember which one was in use the last time the mast was up. The way my RFU is mounted I must use the first hole. This means the plate was cut here at the last rig tuning session. (I know as I cut it) Should I ever need to re-tune longer because of new gear I will probably need to purchase a new set of plates. The winter of 2001/2002 I will re-rig and install a turn buckle. NOTE: While raising my mast I have found that rigging my boom vang to the bottom of the RFU and to the trailer top ladder rung greatly assists in pinning the RFU to the front bow u-bolt. Using it to pull down on the forestay unit when my mast is tensioned properly is the only way I can install the pin while I raise the mast by myself. Before you jump into tuning your rigging make sure to look at this entire area, understand what roll it plays in tuning, and DON’T cut unless very positive you must, or unless you have another set of plates handy. A turn buckle is the only/best way to go. As of March 12, 2002 I read that CDI does not allow the use of turnbuckles for the adjustment of their furling unit so you must us a method such as I did. At this point you should have the mast standing perfectly straight port to starboard. You should have somewhere between 4 and 6 inches of rearward rake (I use 6 inches)and there should be no bow or curvature in the mast. The rake is adjusted with the forestay or RFU. If there are more than 3 empty beer cans per person involved, I would bench race the rest of the day and finish up tomorrow. The empties that resulted from trying to read and understand this damn write-up don’t count. SHROUD TENSION - PRELIMINARY ADJUSTMENT We’re cooking now. One piece of advise I’ll pass on here. Tie a string or line to your new Loos gauge. Something you can loop around your wrist and still have about 1 foot of working room. The very first shroud my brother-in-law adjusted on his boat resulted in an early spring water depth check. I always measure and record the tension values of my shrouds before starting to re-tension them. It is a good idea to have pad and pencil and label: port upper shroud…port lower shroud… starboard upper shroud…starboard lower shroud…starting, adjustment #1, #2 etc. plus notes of your observations regarding mast bend or curve, mast rake and forestay condition. Note if your current adjustments change any of these. If you have a standard forestay then measure it’s tension too. This will allow a future data base. If you have a roller furling then record the amount of sag and the pin position on the front chain plate. Also record the changes in the forestay or RFU assembly after each adjustment. Note: 1 or 2 turns on ANY TURNBUCKLE can make a HUGE change in tension. GO SLOW. If the shroud tension is less than #200 then adjust all shrouds to #200 on each side. I do lowers and then uppers at this first step. Back and forth, back and forth until all are equal. Observe and record values and mast rake. Check both mast straightness areas after making all shroud tensions equal. This first adjustment can really change mast straightness. If the shrouds have higher starting values, above say 300# then I bring all to the highest value and record. Check forestay tension or RFU sag to see if they are getting tighter after this measurement. Check mast centering port to starboard. If it needs correction do it again now by easing one side and tightening the other. It should not have changed if the early set-up was done properly. Check rake. If tension was above 300# at start up, and if rake and port/starboard values good then all you need to do is finish the higher values. Check mast rake. Has the 6 inches changed? If greater than 6 inches then return it to 4-6 inches by adjusting the forestay or RFU. Adjust all shrouds to #400. Now recheck mast rake. If greater than 6 inches then tighten forestay/RFU until 6 inches is reached. Recheck shroud tensions and if lower than #400 readjust. If greater than #400 leave unless there is a difference side to side. If difference is present then raise low side to equal high side. Observe and record At this point I stop any further adjustments until the boat is in the water. Keep the records of your tuning on the boat where it is handy to refer to. MAST RAKE AND FORESTAY TENSION-SECONDARY ADJUSTMENT You should notice that I now have moved rake and forestay before shroud tension. The reason is to have the proper rake set and then finalize the shroud tension. Mast bend can be done at the shroud tensioning time. Mast rake affects weather helm and beating performance. Greater rake will create greater weather helm and upwind performance. Less rake reduce weather helm and improve running performance. This set of adjustments is done with the boat resting in the water and loaded as you want it loaded. This allows personalizing your rigging as you want for your boat arrangement. The best time for this is in the very early morning or in the evening when the water is calm enough for the mast rake measurement. Lay the boom and main sail under the mast about where the weight is normally. Hang the plumb bob from the main halyard and check mast rake for 6 inches aft. Adjust the forestay or RFU to get this setting. I stand on the dock for this reading. Adjust and read. Record. If I have 4 ½ to 6 ½ inches I leave it alone. I’m not good enough yet to feel the fine differences that this can make. SHROUD TENSION-SECONDARY ADJUSTMENT. Measure shroud tensions and record. These measurements can be quite different than when first set. The mast has been lowered and raised and the shrouds have had time to stretch. I now set my upper shrouds to #500 and set my lowers at #400. This step starts to put MAST BEND IN. Check again and reset to #500, #400. Observe and record. I now sail the boat for at least 6 to 8 hours just to let everything balance itself out. To stretch and settle. I don’t sail rigged this way if there is a high possibility that I will need to reef. The adjustments for big winds have not been installed yet. This is my personal call. Others could be different. 11. FINAL SETTING. After sailing I reset my shrouds to #600 on the uppers and #500 on the lowers. I truly am not comfortable going to the full #800 with the standard Hunter chainplate. I will add a 60% larger SS chainplate bar under the Hunter bar to spread the load wider on the hull/deck joint for the 2002 season. The washers and nuts will still lay next to the original chainplate which will then be resting on the larger chainplate. The reason that I now split the tensions with the uppers higher is to add mast bend. Mast bend is controlled by the tension difference between upper and lower shrouds, with the lowers being lower in tension. The Hunter owners manual says, “The mast should be bowed forward at the spreaders by approximately 2 inches.” Use the lower shroud to adjust the mast bend. If you sail in a predominantly heavy wind area then more bend will flatten and depower the main sail. Curvature in the 3 to 4 inch range might be required. MAST CURVATURE I will not personally suggest any amount of mast curvature as this is a setting determined after sailing a persons boat. Curvature is set with the difference in upper/lower shroud tensions and by the influence of the boom vang. The boom vang pulls the boom forward and thereby bends the mast somewhat forward also. The vang is probably a small influence on bend but I have no experience with solid vangs and they could be stronger. The greater the mast bend the flatter the sail and the greater the amount of wind that will be spilled out of the sail. Since the Hunter 26 is a B&R rigged boat without a backstay you do not have the advantage of being able to have an adjustable backstay. Thus you can’t bend the mast to daily wind variences. Therefore I use the standard 1 to 2 inch setting and compensate by reefing and sheet block placement changes to enhance reefed line positions. I have found that with the mast shroud tensions I am using I have enough bend, until I learn more about its properties. I am very happy with how Speedy sails and can boldly say that she is at least 40% better than before adjustment. She points so high that we win the “back to the bar bets” by usually tacking 1 time less. I recommend rechecking all shroud tensions periodically through-out the season. Since we sail at least 15 to 20 full days a month I do this monthly. The inspections also are key to finding the $1000 problems while they are fixable in the $50 range. We wish safe and fair winds to anyone that might cross this story. Ray & Maria.
