How to adjust rigging screws

[NorthRising]

Well, due to a mis-hap in routing a new Genoa Halyard, I have a need to lower the mast. I not long ago had the boat re-rigged an tuned and I know I need to slacken off the rigging during lowering and raising the mast.

Thing is I've never adjusted a rigging screw in my life. I don't even know which way to turn it to loosen or tighten it. I do believe I need to hold the shroud terminal with a spanner to stop that rotating and twisting the shroud in the terminal. What tool do I use to turn the screw?

Any guidance very gratefully received.

[I have already tried to get a child up the mast in a bosun's chair, but they are so terrified by the time they get to the spreaders I don't wish to pursue this avenue Boat is only 22' so I don't particularly like the thought of hauling an adult up either.... I have at least lowered the mast before it was re-rigged, that was a comedy of errors, but I won't make the same mistakes again]

 

[BruceDanforth]

I held mine with a spanner and put a screwdriver through the screw like a T bar.

 

[Bilgediver]

Well, due to a mis-hap in routing a new Genoa Halyard, I have a need to lower the mast. I not long ago had the boat re-rigged an tuned and I know I need to slacken off the rigging during lowering and raising the mast.

Thing is I've never adjusted a rigging screw in my life. I don't even know which way to turn it to loosen or tighten it. I do believe I need to hold the shroud terminal with a spanner to stop that rotating and twisting the shroud in the terminal. What tool do I use to turn the screw?

Any guidance very gratefully received.

[I have already tried to get a child up the mast in a bosun's chair, but they are so terrified by the time they get to the spreaders I don't wish to pursue this avenue Boat is only 22' so I don't particularly like the thought of hauling an adult up either.... I have at least lowered the mast before it was re-rigged, that was a comedy of errors, but I won't make the same mistakes again]

If you have just goofed with the halyard the wrong side of a spreader then reroute it over the spreader using a fishing rod and line....A doddle on a 22 footer.

it is easy to drop the line over the spreader, lower the line pick up the halyard end and pull it up over to the right side....Just becare full you don t get it the wrong side of the lower stay or you will have to pass it back and do it again ..

Been there got the tee shirt.

 

[NorthRising]

Unfortunately I no longer have a genoa halyard, on trying to pull the new one thorough (taped end to end with the old one, and separate cord), the taped old section didn't want to go through the pulley at the top of the furling gear, pulled harder and the ld section seems to have kincked, shot through and then separated, the wee cord bit also slipped through the tape, both fell to the deck, no halyard..... Enough said really....

 

[William_H]

Mast lowering

I feel that ion a 22ft boat you should be familiar with and easily able to lower the mast. At least to a level where you can access the top by step ladder on a nearby high wharf. Or better still remove from the tabernacle and slide the mast forward so the top is accessible. Lots of stuff on this forum some by me.
What went wrong last time?
re tightening turnscrews. usually the top threaded section swaged onto the stay is a right hand thread. That makes the bottom section LH thread. You need to make sure especially if it is not swaged onto the screwed section but has thimble and clevis pin. The RH thread part is screwed in to tighten in the normal manner. ie anticlockwise with the barrel. Just look closely when loosening. No probs i am sure.
On most boats you only need to release the forestay which might mean releasing the backstay tension to lower thee mast.
You can can mark the threaded section with some tape to get them tightened back to the same position.
However I don't believe in getting an expert to tension the rig. just look at the rig. Any adjustment will bend the mast or straighten it against another stay. Overall tension should be kind of firm. Not very tight.
backstay should be adjustable while sailing if not then similarly good tension on backstay/forestay.
Just try it good lcuk olewill

 

[BAtoo]

If you are happy with the rig tune set up tape the exposed threads before you start so when you reassemble you can simply tighten back to the previous settings.

Have you thought about a high wall and a low tide to reach the top of the mast??

 

[bond9007]

adjust rigging screws

Had a similar problem after re-stepping my mast on my sonata (23' long), having dropped the mast to change the wind-ex and put it back up all very unnerving the first time. I managed to do exactly the same with my spinni halyard, the tape parted new one down the mast the old one on the deck.

However as the mast is only 30 feet high simply got a long extending aluminium ladder (the one I use for cleaning my gutters) and simply pulled it up on a spare halyard. Make sure you tie it back to the mast as you go up. you can then either drop a mousing line down the mast and pull a new line through or retrieve the old one as necessary.

Sonata's have a bendy mast and as such it moves around a bit don't know if yours is the same so I suggest you make sure you have rigged a safety line.

bond 9007

 

[NorthRising]

Bond 9007 - intersting, by chance mine is also Hunter Sonata (lift-keel version) - I have roller forestay and its the pulley at the top of that I need to thread the new halyard throough.

William_H, thanks some useful stuff, I'm going to have a go next weekend. Last time I lowered the mast was using an 'A' frame, halyard and mainsheet, the mainsheet was shackled to a fitting on the floor of the anchor locker. So what went wrong - the fitting pulled out of the floor of the locker when the mast was 2/3rds down, big crashing and whipping of shrouds etc (probably funny to read - but could have had nasty consequences and potential to damage mast etc). Needless to say a more secure shackling point will be used this time. Boat is currently on a cradle on a trailer, (just trying to finish a number of tasks so she can go on the water), otherwise I could contemplate step-ladder antics.

A task for next weekend...

 

[Norman_E]

I held mine with a spanner and put a screwdriver through the screw like a T bar.

Recommended method is a good fitting spanner to hold the shroud terminal, and a big adjustable spanner to turn the body of the screw. The adjustable spanner needs jaws big enough to cover the full width of the body.
Using a screwdriver through the slot in the body is said to be a potential cause of damage.

 

[Quandary]

Recommended method is a good fitting spanner to hold the shroud terminal, and a big adjustable spanner to turn the body of the screw. The adjustable spanner needs jaws big enough to cover the full width of the body.
Using a screwdriver through the slot in the body is said to be a potential cause of damage.

Yes, loaded bottle screws should always be adjusted with two spanners, you should not lever the slot open with a screwdriver unless the loads are light, more of an issue on larger boats with higher rigging tension.

 

[Lakesailor]

Bit late now but when mousing lines like that I usually sew some whipping cord through the two ends as well as using tape, just as a backup.

 

[ianat182]

The bow roller will usually be the strongest point to support the mast using an extended spinnaker halyardto first take the strain and undo the furler foil,with a set of steps at the transom to support the mast. I've used some large fenders on the cockpit roof on my boat to help the support when the mast pivot is almost horizontal,and in a possible breaking position on lowering to the deckhead. A bit of padding on the top rung of the ladder will prevent chafe to the mast also. Now you will have to run the mouse line through the horizontal mast.
To reset a mouse line you can use a magnet and a mild steel nail attached to the mouse line,threading the nail and line through the top sheave so that it lies flat against the wall of the mast,place the magnet on the outside of the mast and slide italongside the nail along the length of the mast to the bottom pully and retrieve the nail and line with a wire hook and pull through the pulley. Be aware that there may be other halyards within the mast so the upper surface will be the best, and miss most pop-rivet tails and s/t screws of fittings.
Good luck, hope this helps.

ianat182

 

[Pye_End]

[I have already tried to get a child up the mast in a bosun's chair, but they are so terrified by the time they get to the spreaders I don't wish to pursue this avenue Boat is only 22' so I don't particularly like the thought of hauling an adult up either.... I have at least lowered the mast before it was re-rigged, that was a comedy of errors, but I won't make the same mistakes again]

It is ok for a lightish adult to go up the mast in a chair on a lift keel Sonata, even with keel up (would only do it in the water though). I'm just under 10 stone - no idea what the top weight limit is though. Feels tender when somebody walks around, but seems safe enough.

 

[Pye_End]

The bow roller will usually be the strongest point to support the mast ianat182

Don't think there is a bow roller on a Sonata. Just a couple of cleats and a but of a shape in the sharpest bit of the bow. Suppose the cleats are designed for forces in the horizontal plane and not the vertical.

 

[prv]

Using a screwdriver through the slot in the body is said to be a potential cause of damage.

Well, my bottlescrews are cylindrical, with only a hole through the middle. I can't see any way of turning them other than with a bar (usually, indeed, a screwdriver) through that hole.

Pete

 

[BruceDanforth]

Well, my bottlescrews are cylindrical, with only a hole through the middle. I can't see any way of turning them other than with a bar (usually, indeed, a screwdriver) through that hole.

Pete

Mine are like that too and the boat's only little.

 

[Pye_End]

Well, my bottlescrews are cylindrical, with only a hole through the middle. I can't see any way of turning them other than with a bar (usually, indeed, a screwdriver) through that hole.

Pete

Are the top and bottom flattened off at all, or do they retain their round shape all the way to the end?

I had similar on my Sonata - with locking nuts. They undid themselves a couple of times - once half way across the North Sea in a strong wind. Still sends shivers down my spine. Have always gone for open bodied screw ever since!

 

[Norman_E]

Well, my bottlescrews are cylindrical, with only a hole through the middle. I can't see any way of turning them other than with a bar (usually, indeed, a screwdriver) through that hole.

Pete

That type are designed to turn with a tommy bar unless they have spanner flats, but the usual type used on large boats have two long slots in a flattened body that should be turned with a spanner.

 

[William_H]

Mast lowering halyards and stuff

Re fitting a lost halyard. My boat has exit blocks screwed into the mast. I have had success taking the exit box out of the mast. I fish inside for the main halyard and pull it out the jib halyard box hole and tape the new halyard to the main. Pull the main and if it was in the right position you can pull the new halyard righ down to the entry pulley box for the main halyard. Remove this and you will find the new halyard. Using a wire with hook you redirect it to the correct entry box and pull through. If you have entry slots You may be able to do the same trick.
re lowering I have just bought my boat home for the winter. A few photos attached http://www.ybw.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5118&stc=1&d=1274091751
This is a picture of the home made High field lever I use in place of a turnscrew on the forestay. Makes mast lowering much quickwer/easier.http://www.ybw.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5114&stc=1&d=1274091751
here is the mast support I use for transport and for mast lowering> It has 3 telescopic tubes. So collapsed is for mast down and stowed. Up about 1.5 metres is to lower the mast into when going under bridges or before disconnecting from the base . http://www.ybw.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5116&stc=1&d=1274091751
Here is mast in raise and lower arrangement using 2 spinnacker poles. Note 3 purchase tackle on the forestay which goes to a halyard winch for control going down. The tackle ataches to the jib foot attachment. There is large SS ring attached to the top of the tackle for the spin poles to clip onto. I clamped a piece of SS rod 3/16 diameter with a ring in the end to the forestay just above the swage. This enables me to use the forestay to raise the mast but keeps the thimble end of the forestayclear to attach to the high field lever with a shackle. When it is up.
http://www.ybw.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5117&stc=1&d=1274091751
Here is a close up of the purpose built rings in the side decks for the spin poles to attach to.
http://www.ybw.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5115&stc=1&d=1274091751
A photo just for the heck of it of my home made wind pointer.

 

[Cliveshep]

If you are happy with the rig tune set up tape the exposed threads before you start so when you reassemble you can simply tighten back to the previous settings.

Have you thought about a high wall and a low tide to reach the top of the mast??

My thoughts exactly, except my thinking ran along the lines of a bridge with someone on the bridge.

Happy to know I'm not the only "bodger" on here!