weather helm and back stay

[jeff]

Very odd but works.Well every yr. I seem to mess something up.This yr i had my friend attach the front stay little did i know a extra turn buckle was added so the next day the back stay was a bid too loose but i wanted to go out rather than fix the frigging. Not much wind but it did pick up say 10kts. What i found was little to no weather helm.Any pros have any ideas I was always told to have everything snug.I have a H23 1989

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

which turn buckle

Where did you put the new turnbuckle and is it longer. You will need to rake the mast back to the old position as a little weather helm is good.Dave Condon

 

[Wanderer138]

Somewhat similar experience

Several years ago I was advised to reduce the rake in my mast (Z-Spar with the tapered top) to have less weather helm. I did this by using the turnbuckles to tighten the forestay and loosen the backstay. I was surprised to find that I ended up with even more weather helm.I eventually found out that moving the masthead forward had increased the tension in the leech of the mainsail. This closes the leech, reduces twist and increases weather helm. I suspect that by moving the masthead aft you got the opposite effect.If your typical wind conditions are in the 10 to 15 kt range I'd suggest leaving the forestay where it is. Also check your leeward shrouds when sailing close hauled. If they are slack you need more tension. If you tighten the lowers first, it will stiffen the mast so that the adjustment of the uppers becomes more effective. Happy sailing.PeterH23 "Raven"