Mast bending the wrong way

[rosewood]

Probably a daft question. Wooden mast. Hillyard 9 ton. Looking up the mast the top Six feet bends towards the front of the boat. Is then forestay too tight or the back stay not tight enough or is it something else. I know I should know, but don't. Cheers for any replies

 

[Javelin]

Could also be you aft lowers are too tight.

OK ease off your backstay or forestay, whichever is easier, until the mast is straight and then take a step back as see if the mast is upright, fore and aft.
If it's raked forwards then the Forestay is too tight.
If its a long way aft then the backstay is too tight.
If it's fine then its your Lower shrouds that are wrongly set.

This assumes you have a set of fore and aft lowers and no Diamonds.

 

[rosewood]

A ah I'll try that tomorrow. Cheers. I keep faff ing around with the forestay an back stay. Never thought of the others

 

[Lakesailor]

Slacken them all off until they allow the mast to move slightly.
Set the rake with the forestay/backstay
Use the cap shrouds to get the mast vertical laterally
Use the forward lowers to get your mast bend to suit the main (equalise them to avoid an "S" shape bend laterally)
Set the aft lowers to lock that position

Use the main halyard pulled taut down to the gooseneck to judge the alignment.

If you have more or less shrouds, I'm buggered.

 

[rosewood]

Slacken them all off until they allow the mast to move slightly.
Set the rake with the forestay/backstay
Use the cap shrouds to get the mast vertical laterally
Use the forward lowers to get your mast bend to suit the main (equalise them to avoid an "S" shape bend laterally)
Set the aft lowers to lock that
Use the main halyard pulled taut down to the gooseneck to judge the alignment.

If you have more or less shrouds, I'm buggered.

No that's all I got. Gonna have a play today

 

[rosewood]

Well I've had a play. The mast is straight everywhere except for the top two foot which bends towards the front still. Just can't seem to work it out

 

[Aardee]

If you've taken the tension out of the shrouds and the top couple of feet of the mast are still bending forwards, doesn't that imply you've a bent mast?

 

[rosewood]

Well it's wood and quite bendy anyway. I suppose it could be bent but I'm inclined to think something in the way I've set it up is bending it. It could just be bent I suppose I hadn't considered that

 

[Lakesailor]

Sounds that way. Was it bent when you had slackened off the shrouds?

 

[rosewood]

Well yes but I couldn't get atthe forestay adjustment because the roller furler is in the way

 

[Lakesailor]

Hmm. If you had slackened off the backstay and aft lowers there shouldn't have been any bending force. Perhaps the mast, being a natural material, has taken on an induced bend.
If you think you may be able to reverse the situation you'll have to slacken the backstay and aft lowers off and tighten the forward lowers until the forestay sags.
Then tighten the backstay until the forestay comes up tight again. Tighten the aft lowers so lock the position of the forward ones.

This may result in a mast with more forward rake than you may like but over time may straighten the mast during heat and damp cycles of the weather.

Or just live with it.

 

[alant]

Probably a daft question. Wooden mast. Hillyard 9 ton. Looking up the mast the top Six feet bends towards the front of the boat. Is then forestay too tight or the back stay not tight enough or is it something else. I know I should know, but don't. Cheers for any replies

Mast bending the wrong way - obviously gay wood!

 

[ghostlymoron]

I am not familiar with the Hillary 9T but normally adding tension to backstay will tension the forestay and vice versa, provided the sidestays aren't holding it. Start by slackening everything to just hand tight, plumb the mast then tension the backstay to achieve the rake. Then tension the sidestays to get the pre-bend. With a trad boat I should stick to straight.

 

[Lakesailor]

Have you actually read any of the thread?

 

[rosewood]

Hmm. If you had slackened off the backstay and aft lowers there shouldn't have been any bending force. Perhaps the mast, being a natural material, has taken on an induced bend.
If you think you may be able to reverse the situation you'll have to slacken the backstay and aft lowers off and tighten the forward lowers until the forestay sags.
Then tighten the backstay until the forestay comes up tight again. Tighten the aft lowers so lock the position of the forward ones.

This may result in a mast with more forward rake than you may like but over time may straighten the mast during heat and damp cycles of the weather.

Or just live with it.

Yeah it was probably always bent in all honesty, I need to stop fiddling. I'll have a go what you say when this crappy weather clears up. Listening to the cricket now smoking my vapour fag. Cheers