Rigging help please!

Bpyne

New Member
I have a 73 and got it pretty empty. It has a holt Allen mast and boom which seem not to exist anymore. Seems like it only has one tensioner for both the main and jib, when both sails are raised the forestry is extremely lose. I wondering if the shrouds are stretched so much theat I can't make them tight enough, or do I need to place the mast in the aft most position and place some chocks in fount of the mast. I really would love to see some good deck pictures, and any other detailed pictures if someone has something that will help.
 
The rig tension and mast rake are controled by the jib halyard, probably a lever on a boat of that vintage, maybe a magic box. The main halyard should hook to a set of teeth near the base of the mast. It is normal that the forestay is loose when the jib halyard is tensioned. the side stays should be tight when the jib halyard is tensioned. Mask rake should be around 22' 2".
 
Ok so I understand the mast rake is controlled by the jib halyard. Last week I took the boat out for the first time and raced it in a Portsmouth race and got killed. I have never sailed this boat before and am quickly learning that something is not right.420's and lasers are way different. So rig tension I knew was one issue. I got that fixed I think, but what I realized was all the tension guides I was read all were based off of 1/8 wires, and for whatever reason this boat and the 1973 holt Allen mast which a dinosaur has 3/32 stays. Should not matter a whole lot as long as I can get 300 or so lbs on them. Now with the stays tight mast step is in the middle no tension on the rig what so ever mast rake is almost 23. If I tighten the rig using the jib halyard it is going to get worse then better. What am I doing wrong?
 
Thank you Bill for the help. So today I did just that, I brought the mast step to the aft most position, all my adjusters are the single 10 hole ones, and my stay wires are 3/32 not 1/8. I'm not sure if that is making a difference or not, but I am still able to get the tension with it. I have the forestry almost to max length, and the mast is half way out of the fiberglass channel whee the mast puller would be. Also my side stays are in the aft most position and 3 holes from being as tight as they could be. Also is rake measured with Jib tension on or off. Let's say I need a rake of 21' 11" I adjust all my stays to get there on a relaxed rig, but as soon as raise the jib my rake gets larger as the mast comes forward. I'm just tired of not knowing what's wrong with the boat set up. If it is right then I can blame myself for not sailing well, but if I don't have the boat set right or I need some other items, then that would make me feel better.
 
Stay size is a factor only when converting the loos gauge reading to pounds. 300 lbs on the jib luff wire is a lot for an old boat, you might want to back off a bit to avoid bending the boat. Mast step should be in the middle or forward position. If you have multiple horizontal holes on the chain plate you should be in the middle position to spread the load over the whole fitting. The forward hole was for the barber hauler, the back hole was for the trapeze retractor. Mast rake is measured with the jib luff wire tensioned. When setting mast rake also consider that you need to get under the boom when tacking or jibing with the vang on.
 

Back
Top