Hi lads, i am considering replacing my standing rigging as its been about 4 years since it was last done, and i am starting to see signs of wear, particularly in the running back stays. My query i have is, once i have the stays made up, what is the best way of checking rig tension? Is it worth while purchasing a rig tension gauge, or is there a more affordable, accurate way of monitoring rig tension? Cheers.
Four years!! mine would be getting close to thirty years. let me know if you want to sell the old gear.
as for tensioning I like the grab it, give it a shake and go Hhhmmm very thoughtfully
30 years? nice knowing ya!!! Hey Nate good to see our tax payers money wont be needed saving you.
Hey Sleek1. Fair call thats why I am looking at new rigging and if I need taxpayer dollars to save me on the swan then I am slipping
sorry not trying to high jack ,
but Sabalo , that boat in your avata has masive sail area!
is that the vessel with 30 year old rigging?
no SandS thats a Haitian charcoal boat. I would say the rigging is the least of their worries! (some of them have coke banner sails
) I reckon they are some of the best sailors around though.
anyway back to rig tension
Do a search for Seldon masts. They have several interesting Pdf files to download, two in particular worth saving are; Seldon handbook mast tuning.
Seldon rigging hints.
Hi dudes, the rigging has been exposed to a few club races by the previous owner, i have only owned a year, and have noticed a few suss wires, so although it may seem premature i going to play it safe and re do it, then i will at least know when it was 100% done, and to what level. It sits on a swing mooring too, so that doesn't help.
The last few times i have had to drop the mast i have just tightened them up till they have a nice twang, and mast seems square, but i would like to do it right, if there is such a way, most responses seem to be to simply tighten them up till it feels right rather than what a tension gauge suggests. As long as there is no play on the leeward shrouds and the fore stay seems right, cant go wrong i suppose. But if any one has any advice on fine tuning im happy to hear! Cheers
If you have a good relationship with a sailmaker, ask them if you can borrow their tension gauge.....
I suggest a book available at Whitworths called Illustrated Sail and Rig Tuning by Ivar Dedekam.(Fernhurst Books) In my opinion one of the best books on sail tuning around and shows how to tune the rig by measuring the wire lenght/tension.
4 years does sound like a short time before re-rigging. I would say you should get seven years.
Good luck.
