Unable to get any tension on the backstay

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

rzxtc

My wife and I just bought a 25 and are now trying to figure out many things. We put the mast up yesterday and it looks good other than the backstay. There is not enough adjustment on thebackstay turnbuckle to get the slack out (by quite along way). This doesn't seem right, did we make a mistake somewhere? Thanks, Andy
 
J

John Dawson

headstay?

How much did you take up on the forward turnbuckle?
 
D

Doug Rodrigues

Side stays may be too tight.

It's trial and error: When all are adjusted correctly, the main sail halyard should be hanging approximately 3 inches aft of the mast with the boat level. The proper tension would allow a slight amount of slack on the side stays while in a heel. Don't overtighten the wires, least you pull something out! Use a carpenter's bubble level to check the vertical (left-right) alignment of the mast also.
 
B

Brian M

Headstay Adjustment

Andy, Welcome to the world of the MAC25, I bought mine in April. Fortunatly there are 2 others in my marina to help me. On to you question. My rigging did not have a turnbuckle when I bought it. It does now. I am not an expert but I do rig aircraft flight controls. It sounds like you need to tighten the head stay more. But while doing so keep checking the side stays don't over tighten. Mine had those silly pin type attachments not turnbuckles. I replaced them all actualy. What Doug said is exactly what my friends told me to do. It works just great. It is possible that the cables have stretched. They do! This winter I am doing a full cable replacement. Mine is an '85, I figure 18 years is a long time. On airplanes we replace much more often that that. Brian M.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.