Has anyone used a Loos tension gauge to set up their rig? If so what settings did you use? thanks
Rig Tension
- Thread starter odayray
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On my Mac 25 I could not find any published settings. I set mine at the lowest reading on the chart for that particular cable. It still turned out way tighter than what the PO had them. The lowest setting eliminated all sag on the lee side even in a stiff wind.
I have a 1986 O'Day 222 with 1/8" upper stays and 5/32" lowers. I used my Loos Gauge to set the tension for my upper stays at #30 and my lower stays at #25. You want your lower stays a little slacker than the uppers. These numbers have worked out OK for my boat and I've been using this tension for years. If you ever decide to replace your stays, stick with the 1/8" stays. Don't go any larger than what is recommended for your boat.
Joe
Thanks Joe. How about the fore and back stays. I set the fore to 32 as the 150 genny puts a lot of sag in the forestay. Ray
Ray,
You probably have a masthead rig, while my 222 is a fractional rig with a CDI Roller Furler. I really don't know what the tension is on my fore stay because I have a furler on it. I would go with the same number for your fore stay and back stay as the upper side stays. You can fudge it with 32 if you have the mast head rig. Keep a close eye on the "L" brackets that are attached to your chain plates down in the cabin. They have been know to crack and break under too much strain. It happened on my boat years ago.
Joe
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Ray,
I gave you a bum steer. Sorry about that.
I just checked my stay tension this morning and it was set at 15 on my Loos Gauge. I must have had a "Brain exhaust gas" when I told you 30 and 25. That's just too tight. Use the lowest number for the size of your stays. The books say that the lower stays should be slacker than the uppers. My lowers are thicker than my uppers, so I set those at about 15 for now. Joe
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