Omega 14 mast step adjustment and tuning

C

Charley Sheets

Member
All Omega owners, i am not able to find any literature on adjusting the mast step. The pins can be set to move mast foot forward or backward. I have tried moving it some, but every sail has been diffrent wind and water conditions. This makes it hard to tell what changes i have made. I have to run my shroud tension tighter due to wake board and all sorts of pontoons and ski boats. Any thing would be helpful at this point. Also, does adjusting the foot of the mast help with the mast "pumping" in heavy waves. The boat sails like a dream and excellerates fast. Not excessive weather healm or problems tacking. Charley
 
Charley Sheets said:
All Omega owners, i am not able to find any literature on adjusting the mast step. The pins can be set to move mast foot forward or backward. I have tried moving it some, but every sail has been diffrent wind and water conditions. This makes it hard to tell what changes i have made. I have to run my shroud tension tighter due to wake board and all sorts of pontoons and ski boats. Any thing would be helpful at this point. Also, does adjusting the foot of the mast help with the mast "pumping" in heavy waves. The boat sails like a dream and excellerates fast. Not excessive weather healm or problems tacking. Charley
Click to expand...
Update: I have been working with mast positioning and have observed a difference in the weather helm. With the mast foot forward i have a noticable lee helm. Not a good thing for a sailboat. With the mast back i have correct weather helm. The boat will turn into the wind and head up. I am also running my forestay tighter which gives me a slight rake to the top of my mast. The boat sails and tacks great, even with 400 pounds of skipper and crew. We were sailing in 15 mph with gusts and lots of white caps with spray flying across the boat. Probably too much for a new student, but no one got wet. Charley
 
I might have asked that same question. I have my pins in my shrouds set at the 6th hole above the deck. I noted that my headstay is set so the turnbuckle is 4.5 inches (lower bearing point to upper bearing point). And... my mast was pumping and banging around the other day when I went through a boat wake. Since my jib halyard, to some extent, actually holds up the mast, tightening the forestay will not do anything. I would have to put more tension on the jib halyard. If I shorten the forestay I will have a hell of a time fastening that little fitting on the bow every time I step the mast. Yes, you should expect moving the mast forward will give you lee helm because you have moved the center of effort (the middle of the main triangle) forward and the center of resistance (the center of the centerboard if you discount the rudder) stays in the same position. so the wind force on the sail causes the boat to rotate around the center of gyration. Under main only you should always have a weather helm. Make sense? BTW: what sort of mainsheet rig to you (or anyone reading this) have? I changed mine like this: I have a line that is tied on right and left on the transome. I will call this the "bridle" Then the mainsheet runs back on the boom to the end block and down to a block tied onto the bridle (fixed, it does not slide back and forth) and then back up to the block on the end of the boom (so that would be a block with a "becket" or place to tie off the line.
MAINSHEET BRIDLE.jpg
 
Oh, one more thing. When I started "tuning" my mast, that is adjusting the head stay and shrouds, I put a level on the mast and adjusted things so it was vertical. Of course I also adjusted the height of the trailer tongue so the boat was as horizontal as possible.
 
c14_Jim said:
Oh, one more thing. When I started "tuning" my mast, that is adjusting the head stay and shrouds, I put a level on the mast and adjusted things so it was vertical. Of course I also adjusted the height of the trailer tongue so the boat was as horizontal as possible.
Click to expand...
Jim, I have my traveler line or bridle as you call it tied on each side of the transom which makes a loop. The center of which comes up to about 8 inches from the end of the boom with the sail raised. I tie a knot on each side of the block to hold it centered there. I adjusted this to only give me a few inches down pull on the boom with the boom pulled in tight for better pointing. The boat will not point very well without doing this. The becket is on the block tied to the boom. The line goes down through the block on the bridel and then back up through the block and forward to the center of the boom and down to the barney post. I usually sail with my mainsheet in my hand, not latched. Gloves help plenty. Thanks for the effort on the Omega site. Count me in. By the way, I was stationed in Bremerton aboard the Sacramento 69-71. Never sailed in the area, but creised Puget Sound many times. Soent my free weekends in Port Angeles with my cousin in the Coast Guard there. Met lots of really nice girls there. Charley
 
I just purchased a 1975 Omega 14, after bringing it home my son and I rigged everything. The mast plate situation makes me nervous, is this the way it is mounted, mast foot with slots sitting over two pins in the ast plate? No tie down, other that the 3 stays.
Bear in mind this is our first sail boat, so we are going to be learing a bit along the way. I ave sailed as a kid and young adult, but I believe all the boats I've been on had what appears to be a more secure mast mount system. Heck even and eye bolt and a short piece of line.

Also Hello, I'm Bob. New owner of an Omega 14
 
jetdctr said:
I just purchased a 1975 Omega 14, after bringing it home my son and I rigged everything. The mast plate situation makes me nervous, is this the way it is mounted, mast foot with slots sitting over two pins in the ast plate? No tie down, other that the 3 stays.
Bear in mind this is our first sail boat, so we are going to be learing a bit along the way. I ave sailed as a kid and young adult, but I believe all the boats I've been on had what appears to be a more secure mast mount system. Heck even and eye bolt and a short piece of line.

Also Hello, I'm Bob. New owner of an Omega 14
Click to expand...
Hello Bob, and congrats on your "new"boat. Yes the mast just sits in the slot on the sole of the boat. The two shrouds and forestay hold the mast in place safely when adjusted correctly. With the mast standing upright the forestay is then attached. Once the side stays are adjusted they will stay that way from now on. By releasing only the forestay the mast can be lowered with the shrouds still atached. With a second person mast raising is easy. when raising mast by yourself , still easy, use a short piece of line to hold the mast forward while you attach the forestay and adjust it. I have posted about mast step adjustment so read all the posts about the Omegas because the 14.2 has a diffrent type mast step. I have installed a break open type forestay adjuster on my boat which saves time and gives you the same tension every time. Also, the mast will pump back and forth some in heavy waves but will not fall over. Charley
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top