Tuning the Rig

Jackdaw · Apr 21, 2016

If you hire someone to raise your mast they will probably insist to do all of that, except maybe not insist on putting on the sails. WAY too much potential liability if they put up the stick and don't tune it. What if something happened? Who's would you blame??

Benny17441 · Apr 21, 2016

Check with sailors in your area as price may vary by location. It is also hard to judge without knowing how much he is charging.

woodster · Apr 22, 2016

when i had my mast stepped up on launch there were 4 workmen involved ....they stepped the mast and connected all the turnbuckles and snugged them up ...and left the tuning to me .....and that is normal as far i know ...was the same way when my buddy had hes boat launched 7 years ago ..same marina.....

Stu Jackson · Apr 22, 2016

IAMCCF said:
Installing Wedges, Mast Boot, Tuning and Bending the Sails

Is your mast keel steeped or deck stepped? If deck stepped, there are no wedges or mast boot.

Can you put the sails on yourself?

If he's only helping you raise the mast from horizontal to vertical, and connect anywhere from six to eight turnbuckles, the cost would be different if they're using a crane.

Even so, one could also learn how to tune a simple rig like yours from the internet, so you only need to hire them to raise or install the stick.

Good luck, hopefully you'll (only

) pay for what you get and get what you pay for.

vhoisington · Apr 22, 2016

At our club the county runs the lake and provides a Gin Pole. My Hunter 28 (double spreader) just fits. I usually get a couple of friends and we all spend a Sat. rigging and launching boats. It takes about an hour (if everything is in place) to get ready to raise the mast, 4 or 5 people to actually do the mast raising (1 on the Gin Pole Winch & 1 tailing, 1 on the furler, 1 or 2 at the mast to bring it vertical) once up, we than spend a little time tuning and tightening maybe rig the boom and then launch from a trailer (that is another whole set of threads). We usually bend on sails and do final tuning in the water at the docks.

Raising and lowering your mast is not a hard thing, and not to take away anything from the rigger, but it is good to et to know every part of your rig and your boat.

Good luck.

Davidasailor26 · Apr 23, 2016

The oday 28 mast is keel stepped, so you probably will need a crane for that. But the marina where we launched for many years generally just stepped the mast, put in the wedges, and attached the shrouds basically hand tight. All of the fine tuning was left to us. I certainly see no reason to have to pay to have the sails bent on unless you really want to. My guess is that your rigger just gave you an all-inclusive price figuring either that's what you wanted or that he could upsell you to it. I'd go back to him and point out only the services you really want, and ask for the price for that.

dziedzicmj · Apr 23, 2016

Others' experience may vary, but from what i have seen, you cannot fine tine the mast right after it is stepped. You tune it, then you take a sail (in decent winds) and then you tune it again. I don't even put the cotter pins into the turnbuckles before the first sail. So if the rigger includes tuning, he should schedule a second visit to finish the job after your first 'shake out' sail.

Sunbird22358 · May 14, 2016

Chris, over the 35 years that we had the boatyard store NODROG (our CAL 21), they always stepped the mast for us, set up the rigging (generic tune, in other words just snug) and we did the tuning ourselves. As you know, that was a deck-stepped mast, so no wedges. I'm not sure whether they inserted the wedges on keel-stepped masts, but I suppose they did is the owners wished. As others have said, actual tuning (beyond just getting the mast straight and centered side-to-side, with proper fore and aft rake) needs to be done after the boat relaxes after launching (boats change shape slightly while hauled out due to way they are supported on land, vs the complete support of the water) and after the first sail, preferably on a day with light to moderate wind.
One year the boatyard set our rig up "bar-tight" and so the first thing we had to do was slack it off a bit. We always checked the tune anyway. that way we knew it was how we wanted it (based on the owner's Manual and our experience with the boat).

speedbug78 · May 14, 2016

Anyone know what this is? I've been tripping over it in my boat for a while know.

jibes138 · May 15, 2016

Yes. It is used to hold a horseshoe throwable life preserver. You mount it on your stern pulpit and use a couple stainless hose clamps to hold it in place.

agprice22 · May 15, 2016

That is for you Jim Buoy!

speedbug78 · Jun 1, 2016

IAMCCF, I was totally posting from my phone and clicked the wrong thread. Sorry for hijacking. Everyone else, thanks for the info!