Forestay Length

L

littlebit

New Member
I am in the process of replacing my roller furling system with a fitted forestay on my mod1 and would like to know what length to have my rigger make the stay. In reading through the different manuals, handbooks, and turning guides there seems to be inconsistencies in the recommended overall length.

Has anyone recently replaced their forestay and know what the eye to eye length was or should be?
 
Roller Furled Forestay Length

Howdy littlebit --

If your current forestay is the right length to give the proper mast rake, then just have your jib pennant made so that the combination of furling drum, jib luff wire, swivel, pennant and forestay shroud adjuster come out to the same length as it currently is. Measuring all the other elements under firm pressure with the shroud adjuster pinned right in the middle should tell you how much pennant you'll need. I just added roller furling to mine, and the 15 inches specified in the handbook was not enough, it took about 18.

If you've never adjusted the mast rake, it's covered in the handbook, pages 23-24 under "rig tune". It's pretty easy to do, you just need a 25 foot tape measure and some way to clamp it to the mainhalyard so you can pull the tape measure up against the mast and measure back to the transom.

If your current forestay isn't the right length, you can set the sidestays for the right mast rake, and then measure from the hole in the forestay tang on the mast down to the middle hole in the bow fitting where the furler drum will attach. Since you'll (presumably) still be using the forestay adjuster, an inch either way (and your own preference for a tight or loose rig), can be adjusted for.

The handbook specifies changing the jib luff wire to 1/8 thickness and you'll need to have the jib seized to it. Also, this could be a good time to replace and upgrade the sidestays, too. There's alot of scary posts here about danger and damage caused when one breaks and the mast comes down.

I also have a mod one, and the factory original sidestays and jib luff wire were starting to fray. On one of them, the failure was occuring where I could not see it underneath some tape and it might have broken if I'd continued to sail on it.

Hope you're soon sailing great,

jim / so fla.
 
I think the inconsistency in recommended forestay length may be due the fact that the roller furling set-ups usually use a tight rig to allow the furling drum to operate easier.
The tuning guides for racing recommend maximum, class legal, length forestay (usually not furling) and a very loose rig to provide better angle of attack for the sheeted in jib.

If you copy the race tuning guide with a roller furling jib (I think this requires lengthening the pennant between the swivel and the mast tang) it will help to sheet the main to tighten the forestay and support the drum while you furl.
 
Hello Littlebit,

I am in northern Pinellas county and while putting my mast away after a nice evening sail, I remembered your question. Yes, there is some inconsistency in the specified forstay length. In the manual and tuning guide and class rules, I found 15' 3 1/4" and 15' 2 1/4" in various places. And of course mine is different at 15' 1 1/2 inches. I am almost certain that my forstay is original on my 87 mod 1.

You would think that with a short forstay I would have less weather helm but I have a steady pull on the tiller to windward.

My wife thinks roller furling would be the next best thing for us so I ask, do you want to trade your furler setup for my forstay?

Ray
 
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