Rigging a sailboat

[cathy]

I have a 17 ft sailboat with a 24ft mast once the mast is up how do I secure it?

 

[Bayard Gross]

Probably just a forestay and two shrouds

On a twenty-four foot mast on a seventeen foot boat, I suspect there is at least a forestay and two shrounds coming down from the the top of the mast. I don't think a backstay is necessary.It sounds like you have a Hunter seventeen foot sailboat, which I think has spreaders upper and lower shrouds, and a forestay but no backstay.

 

[MArk of OSMS]

Dirigibles!

Just kidding (I think?).My first boat was a 1974 17' MacGregor-Venture. It had a wire in front (forestay) and a wire (shroud) on each side that attached to the hull (to chain plates) behind (aft of) the mast forming a lopsided pyramid (3 wires total supporting the mast). This arrangement was simple, fast and easy to rig/unrig. The side shrouds were always attached to the hull and mast. The forestay was the only thing needing attaching once the mast was raised. MacGregor recently revived the no-backstay design on their 26M.Below is a link to an old Venture manual showing the V-17 rigging.Happy sails *_/),MArk

 

[Bob]

Securing the mast

Sounds like you have a Daysailer model. On some of these the mast drops into a partner in the cuddy-top and on others, like mine, the mast is secured to a partner that is already passed through the cuddy to the keel. Mine secures with two pins. I bought extra pins from D&R Marine just in case. The stays should be adjusted to take the force of wind pressures.