Shroud Tension

[VEGA]

I have a 2001 260 Water Ballast. Does anyone know the proper tension measurements for the shrouds, upper, lower, side, etc... ?Thanks

 

[Tom Wootton]

Manual?

Don't know about the H260 but the H26 manual gives a description of rig tuning procedures under the heading 'Getting Ready to Sail,' steps 6-11. It generally says they should be "tight", and any tightening on one side should be balanced with equal loosening on the opposite side. I'm not sure how you would measure the tension. Maybe Hunter can help.

 

[Tom]

Check the manual

The manual provides pretty good instructions for tuning the rig. The shrouds should be snug, and the leeward side should NOT be loose while sailing. The leeward side is the side the sail is on while sailing on a particular tack.If you do notice the leeward shrouds are loose, you want to tighten BOTH sides (windward and leeward) the same amount to keep the mast straight. I believe the manual states tightening in increments of 3 turns, each side.With a new boat, you will find that they need to be adjusted after you are sailing pretty hard to weather the first several times. After they get stretched out, they should not need adjustment too often.Fair winds... Tom

 

[Ray]

VEGA, Greg at Hunter Marine told me to

to set the shroulds at 20% of the breaking strengh of the SS wire (3/16") on my 95 H26. I had done mine according to the manual and was dumbfounded to see how far off the shroulds were after I thought they were done properly. I bought a LOOS gauge to measure the tightness ($45 at West Marine)and I did not have the guts to adjust them to 20%. That is about 800#. I adjusted my uppers to 620# and lowers to 460#. It sails like a totally new boat and is much faster and points one hell of a lot higher.Rays/v Speedy

 

[Ron Mehringer]

20%/10%

The 20% for uppers and 10% for lowers rule does apply to the H26. You don't realize just how loose your shrouds are until you tune your boat using a Loos guage. Since Hunter recommends the 20/10 numbers we probably shouldn't be shy about tightening those wires upto spec. Renowned rigger Brion Toss has mentioned how well the B&R rig responds to proper tuning.The H26 uses 3/16" SS which has a tensile strength of 4700#. So uppers should be 940#. Lowers 470#.Ron Mehringers/v Hydro-Therapy