Rig tension varies with the seasons...
Hello, I am up in FTC and find that I vary my rig tension several times throughout the year. In the spring, I run the rig on the tight side as the wind is generally higher than the summer. Spring rig tension is 540 on the uppers and 480 on the lowers. When the weather pattern moderates a bit closer to summer, I back the rig down to 480 on the uppers and 360 on the lowers to try and take some of the stress out of the hull. The only thing you have to watch out for during the summer is thunderstorm driven winds. I usually take the rig tension back up in the fall when the weather pattern de-stabilizes and the winds are generally higher, much like they are in the spring. One note of caution, the uppers and lowers on my boat are different sizes. No matter what the rig tension is, the leeward shrouds SHOULD NOT GO SLACK as shock induced loads on slack shrouds are incredibly high and could cause rig failure. The tension numbers above are not set in stone, but they work for me, and you should use your own discression regarding your rig. I'm up in FTC and keep my boat at Boyd Lake in Loveland. I was only aware of 3 26.5's in the state including mine. Are you shopping or do you have one already? Just being nosey as two are currently up for sale... Feel free to e-mail me at svwalkabout at hotmail dot com if you have any other questions that I may be able to help with. Regards, Clayton Fawcett S/V Walkabout
