Does anybody know what the proper rig tension should be for the standing riggin on a Hunter 25.5? I am borrowing a tension gauge this weekend and need to know the correct values to set everything to. Thanks, Dan
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Doug T.
Rig tension
I keep getting told that standing rigging should be set to 10-20% of the wire's breaking strength. I have my 77 Hunter 27 tensioned to 10%.
I keep getting told that standing rigging should be set to 10-20% of the wire's breaking strength. I have my 77 Hunter 27 tensioned to 10%.
Rig tension
I was told that Hunters with the bendy masts and swept back spreaders should have the uppers at 20% of the breaking strength of the wire and the lowers at 10%. Measure the wire diameter (the Loos gauge has a wire gauge in the box) and then look up the breaking strength in one of the big supplier catalogs like West Marine. I found out the hard way that if you overtension the lowers, the middle of the mast will not bow forward when you tension the backstay. If the mast doesn't bow (yes, the middle is supposed to move forward while the masthead barely moves back) then the sail will not flatten properly and the backstay adjustment is worthless. Peter H23 "Raven"
I was told that Hunters with the bendy masts and swept back spreaders should have the uppers at 20% of the breaking strength of the wire and the lowers at 10%. Measure the wire diameter (the Loos gauge has a wire gauge in the box) and then look up the breaking strength in one of the big supplier catalogs like West Marine. I found out the hard way that if you overtension the lowers, the middle of the mast will not bow forward when you tension the backstay. If the mast doesn't bow (yes, the middle is supposed to move forward while the masthead barely moves back) then the sail will not flatten properly and the backstay adjustment is worthless. Peter H23 "Raven"
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Dan
Thanks
Thank you for your replies. I will check to see what those figures are and try those adjustments. Right now I think I am a little loose since the upper on the leeward side has a bit of slack in it. The inners I would expect to be slack but not the uppers although it seems to sail quite well the way it is currently set up.
Thank you for your replies. I will check to see what those figures are and try those adjustments. Right now I think I am a little loose since the upper on the leeward side has a bit of slack in it. The inners I would expect to be slack but not the uppers although it seems to sail quite well the way it is currently set up.
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Doug T.
Slack
There shouldn't be any slack, ever. The point of tensioning the rig isn't to make it sail well, it's to keep the mast from falling down. If there's any slack in the wires, then the shock loads are much greater on the wire, the chainplates, the hull, the tangs, the masthead, the fittings, etc. If you have slack on leeward wires and you are bouncing around in rough seas, think of the pounding that's being imposed on your equipment. Just as uncontrolled jibes are a bad thing, so are uncontrolled mast movements. If you just want to sail well, you can adjust the standing rigging for the appropriate rake and mast bend and then leave it pretty much untensioned. If you want to sail well AND not create undue stress, then I'd suggest you tighten things up.
There shouldn't be any slack, ever. The point of tensioning the rig isn't to make it sail well, it's to keep the mast from falling down. If there's any slack in the wires, then the shock loads are much greater on the wire, the chainplates, the hull, the tangs, the masthead, the fittings, etc. If you have slack on leeward wires and you are bouncing around in rough seas, think of the pounding that's being imposed on your equipment. Just as uncontrolled jibes are a bad thing, so are uncontrolled mast movements. If you just want to sail well, you can adjust the standing rigging for the appropriate rake and mast bend and then leave it pretty much untensioned. If you want to sail well AND not create undue stress, then I'd suggest you tighten things up.
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Cliff Ruckstuhl
Doug is right
I had my rig tension pretty tight for all the reason Doug mentioned. If the mast and rigging go from no load to full load like when you tack it can only make bad things happen like the rig coming down. I had mine set up so when it was blowing 20 knots we would have a little leward sag but that needs to be expected and we don't sail in that kind of on a regular basis. So I had about 6 inches of rake and about 1.5 inches of pre bend. I raced against two other 25.5 and we all had the same keel and about the same quality of sails and I was always faster. I don't know if it was the rig tension but allot of boats are faster with the rig set up right.
I had my rig tension pretty tight for all the reason Doug mentioned. If the mast and rigging go from no load to full load like when you tack it can only make bad things happen like the rig coming down. I had mine set up so when it was blowing 20 knots we would have a little leward sag but that needs to be expected and we don't sail in that kind of on a regular basis. So I had about 6 inches of rake and about 1.5 inches of pre bend. I raced against two other 25.5 and we all had the same keel and about the same quality of sails and I was always faster. I don't know if it was the rig tension but allot of boats are faster with the rig set up right.
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Dan
I know it is not right
That was the reason for my initial question. When I first stepped the mast I did not have a tensing gauge so I did it by feel and measurements. That gave me the setup I have now with some slack. I plan to retension the rigging this week and am borrowing a gauge to do it with. I have a friend with a new Beneteau 331 that had slack on the leeward side from the dealer's commissioning. He is going to readjust his also while we have the gauge. Thank you for your concern
That was the reason for my initial question. When I first stepped the mast I did not have a tensing gauge so I did it by feel and measurements. That gave me the setup I have now with some slack. I plan to retension the rigging this week and am borrowing a gauge to do it with. I have a friend with a new Beneteau 331 that had slack on the leeward side from the dealer's commissioning. He is going to readjust his also while we have the gauge. Thank you for your concern
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