Can anyone advise on the tension I should be aiming for on the side-stays for an O'day 222. The instructions are super vague: hand tight for upper side stays, just 'taught' for lower, and careful not to over tighten. Hand tight doesn't mean much to me and 'taught' means even less... the way the previous owner has it set up, it feels tight when unloaded but I am seeing a lot of slack on the leeward side when under sail (and the mast jars a little in waves or gusts which doesn't seem good). My instinct is to make it 'very hand tight' but the warning about over tightening it has me reluctant to crank up the tension too much. Needless to say, I don't have any tension gauges handy... but I would appreciate any advice folks can offer. Thanks in advance.
Rigging (Shroud & side stay) tension for O'day 222
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When sailing upwind in a breeze the leeward shrouds should be no more than a little slack, if they are loose enough to swing, you need to tighten them. Add a turn, tack and see how the other side looks. If still lose, add a turn and tack again, etc.
Same question came up on this thread O day 222 anniversary rigging tension guide | Sailboat Owners Forums. See posts #2 and #4 for tension guidance.
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Don't tighten just one side. If you do tighten while on a tack don't tighten all the way tight because you need to tighten the other side too. Always be sure to keep the mast in column by taking up slack by equal turns on both sides.
-Will