mast tuning

bluegti

New Member
in the owners manual, they describe tuning the mast by either tightening the front stay and loosening the sides, or vise versa. I understand this will sweep the mast forward or back wards, but what am i trying to achieve? They say there will be little pressure on the tiller in light wnds? What does that mean? any help would be great.
 
Rig adjustments

Here's an excerpt from an upcoming article in the "Mainsheet."

Take your boat out in a light breeze and get on a reach. Make sure you’re sitting in the right place, skipper just aft of the jibcar, crew just forward. The jib halyard should be set to give just the tiniest wrinkles in the jib luff. Trim the sails and then take your hand off the tiller. Ideally, it should continue straight ahead with just a slight tendency to turn upwind. (Weather helm.) If it turns downwind you need to rake the mast more. If it turns abruptly upwind the mast is raked too much.
You change rake by changing the attachment of the forestay. You might find you need to use the very top hole in the adjuster plate at the bow to get enough rake. Don’t panic, that’s not abnormal.
Once you’re happy with the rake, then you can fine-tune the rig tension using the shroud adjusters. Remember, a one hole change in the shroud adjuster changes rig tension a lot more than a one hole change in the forestay. (Because the shrouds are closer to the mast.) If you just want to cruise, you should be able to shake the shrouds back and forth about 4-5 inches. If you race, you need a lot more slack, more like 7-8 inches. (This makes for a better slot between the jib and mainsail.)
 
ok, does rake refer to forward to rearward rake? ( mast leans toward the from or rear of boat). Also, if i use the last hole on the forestay,. that will rake the mast forward, correct? Also, can i put the adjuster at the bottom of the forestay insted of on top on the mast for easier adjustment
 
Mast rake

"Rake" means sloping to the rear. And the adjuster plate goes under the forestay, right on the bow. (Unless you have roller furling, then it goes on top.) So, with the adjuster at the bottom, to rake the mast aft the maximum you attach the forestay to the top hole. For less rake, uses a hole that's lower down. Sounds like you need to buy a handbook, the rigging diagrams make all that clear.
 
i was just confused on the meaning of rake. I have the roler furler, so i guess it needs to stay at the top. What are some general setting to use on the adjustment. CUrrently , i am usig the forth hole up ( so thats 3 holes futher up then having the mast raked back as much as possible.) is this a good starting point?
 
Mast rake

I'm not very familiar with tuning boats with roller furling, so I suppose where you have it is as good a starting point as any. Just remember, if it bangs up to windward, you have too much rake, and vice-versa. A balanced helm is what counts, and exactly how you get there (i.e., how many holes) isn't important.
 

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