purpose of baby stay?

[Ardenfour]

My recently acquired boat came with what was deswcribed as a 'quick-release' baby stay. A full-thickness wire stay attached with a snap shackle and rigging with a fold-out handle, to tension/detension the stay. Runs from a deck u-bolt about 5ft in front of the mast up to the spreaders. The p & s lowers are in line with the shrouds, so any decent tension on the baby induces a mast bend. It's a masthead rig. I thought the idea with a masthead rig was to keep the stick straight at all costs - a bend simply meant that the forestay would not tighten, but would increase the bend? Tacking would be a lot smoother without the baby to foul the genoa, so what's it for? and can I move it out the way under some conditions?

 

[VicS]

My recently acquired boat came with what was deswcribed as a 'quick-release' baby stay. A full-thickness wire stay attached with a snap shackle and rigging with a fold-out handle, to tension/detension the stay. Runs from a deck u-bolt about 5ft in front of the mast up to the spreaders. The p & s lowers are in line with the shrouds, so any decent tension on the baby induces a mast bend. It's a masthead rig. I thought the idea with a masthead rig was to keep the stick straight at all costs - a bend simply meant that the forestay would not tighten, but would increase the bend? Tacking would be a lot smoother without the baby to foul the genoa, so what's it for? and can I move it out the way under some conditions?

More details of your rig required. You have the P&S lowers inline with the caps? ...... does that mean you have aft swept spreaders with the cap shrouds going aft of the mast or are they all in line with the mast

Normally forward lowers counteract the pull of the main sail and if the mast is bendy are usually set to induce some prebend. A baby stay can do this in their place but of you have aft swept spreaders the tension in the caps does much the same.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

If you pull the centre of the mast forward, the top can actually goes aft a little, and if it does, the forestay will be tightened... bending the mast will also flatten the main depowering it a little... far from a straight mast being essential, managing mast shape is a useful skill in getting the boat to work well, and can help manage power and balance.

Sometimes also, a detachable babystay is to stop the mast pumping as much as changing the mast's shape.

EDIT - if its detachable, presumably the rig is set up to be secure without it, and the stay is there mainly to provide an extra control to mast shape, and extra support in extreme conditions, so should be fine under normal sailing without it.

 

[lpdsn]

My recently acquired boat came with what was deswcribed as a 'quick-release' baby stay.

If it's a quick release one it may be a retro-fit for a storm jib. Is there a halyard associated with it?

 

[Ardenfour]

VicS, the lowers are in line with the cap shrouds - go to the same chainplate

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

If it's a quick release one it may be a retro-fit for a storm jib. Is there a halyard associated with it?

I'd be a bit concerned to use it in that role if the lowers are in column with the caps unless there were also checkstays.

 

[Neil_Y]

It simply controls the centre section of the rig fore and aft in association with aft shrouds. It can stop the mast inverting or as others said induce more mast bend to de power main. This is a good document to understand your rig http://www.riggingandsails.com/pdf/selden-tuning.pdf

 

[Ardenfour]

No halyard associated with it - I wouldn't like to attach any sail to it, there seems to be nothing to stop the mast bending forwards in the middle as lowers are in line with caps...

 

[sailorman]

If you pull the centre of the mast forward, the top can actually goes aft a little, and if it does, the forestay will be tightened... bending the mast will also flatten the main depowering it a little... far from a straight mast being essential, managing mast shape is a useful skill in getting the boat to work well, and can help manage power and balance.

Sometimes also, a detachable babystay is to stop the mast pumping as much as changing the mast's shape.

EDIT - if its detachable, presumably the rig is set up to be secure without it, and the stay is there mainly to provide an extra control to mast shape, and extra support in extreme conditions, so should be fine under normal sailing without it.

detachable is to facilitate for dip pole gybing

 

[Ardenfour]

Ha! Way too technical for me! Wot's that then?

 

[VicS]

VicS, the lowers are in line with the cap shrouds - go to the same chainplate

And they are in line with the mast or aft of it... difficult to be sure from the photo. In line from waht you say above in #8 ?

 

[sailorman]

Ha! Way too technical for me! Wot's that then?

on a run with spi set, remove baby stay, remove pole from spi guy,dip pole below the fore stay to the other side & attach to the new guy, gybe the main & off you go trimming as req.
Or have 2 x poles

 

[Ardenfour]

Ok, just googled that, don't think I'll be doing much of that!

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Ha! Way too technical for me! Wot's that then?

Where the spinnaker pole is left attached to the mast when you gybe, rather than detached and switched to the other end (or end for ended as it is usually known)

 

[sailorman]

Ok, just googled that, don't think I'll be doing much of that!

My caps & D2`s are in line requiring a baby stay

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Ok, just googled that, don't think I'll be doing much of that!

Actually, it can be easier than an end for end... but does sometimes assist people in punching holes in their spinnaker!

 

[VicS]

detachable is to facilitate for dip pole gybing

Gybing the pole will be difficiult by any method with a baby stay in place wont it.

 

[sailorman]

Gybing the pole will be difficiult by any method with a baby stay in place wont it.

Are you sure :sleeping:

You know more than the OP then Vic who posed the question as he didnt

 

[Ardenfour]

VicS yes, lowers are inline. This (poorer) picture shows the lowers and caps on same plate. The reason the spreaders appear swept back slightly is due to the baby stay bending the mast.

 

[VicS]

Are you sure :sleeping:

You know more than the OP then Vic who posed the question as he didnt

??????