Rig Tension

[samwise]

I have an interesting dilemma when I re-set our mast this season. I usually measure with a calliper gauge the gap between each of the bottle screws and use those settings when I re-rig.
Last season we suffered from a mystery leak somewhere on the forward part of the coachroof that only seemed to develop during long periods of rain. Greenies over the bow gave no problem, but rain -- even fairly fine stuff, seemed to find its way in. I checked all the deckplug and Index cable seals and then I began to suspect the babystay fitting and treated it accordingly with Captain Tolley's sealant, but no success...... until I had to spend a few days on the boat after she had been de-rigged. There were at least three days of pretty heavy rain (remember last summer!) and not a drop came in.

I had wondered if I had over tensioned the babystay, causing it to pull up from the deck, but close examination of the deck fitting from inside and out does not show any signs of instability or derangement. Getting it off and re-bedding will be a right PIA (headlining down etc) but there doesn't seem to be another option. Running with a slackened babystay (boat is a Westerly Storm OD) is a recipe for a busted mast.

 

[wklein]

I have an interesting dilemma when I re-set our mast this season. I usually measure with a calliper gauge the gap between each of the bottle screws and use those settings when I re-rig.
Last season we suffered from a mystery leak somewhere on the forward part of the coachroof that only seemed to develop during long periods of rain. Greenies over the bow gave no problem, but rain -- even fairly fine stuff, seemed to find its way in. I checked all the deckplug and Index cable seals and then I began to suspect the babystay fitting and treated it accordingly with Captain Tolley's sealant, but no success...... until I had to spend a few days on the boat after she had been de-rigged. There were at least three days of pretty heavy rain (remember last summer!) and not a drop came in.

I had wondered if I had over tensioned the babystay, causing it to pull up from the deck, but close examination of the deck fitting from inside and out does not show any signs of instability or derangement. Getting it off and re-bedding will be a right PIA (headlining down etc) but there doesn't seem to be another option. Running with a slackened babystay (boat is a Westerly Storm OD) is a recipe for a busted mast.

Westerly's usually have pretty well supported babystay attachments, so i dont think you could have damaged deck. How is your backstay adjustment? You could slacken off lowers, put a load of tension on backstay for pre-bend and then tension lowers against that. The mast will be pretty well supported although you will need to watch for pumping upwind.

Having said that you would be better of re-bedding, however much agro

 

[PetiteFleur]

I have an interesting dilemma when I re-set our mast this season. I usually measure with a calliper gauge the gap between each of the bottle screws and use those settings when I re-rig.
Last season we suffered from a mystery leak somewhere on the forward part of the coachroof that only seemed to develop during long periods of rain. Greenies over the bow gave no problem, but rain -- even fairly fine stuff, seemed to find its way in. I checked all the deckplug and Index cable seals and then I began to suspect the babystay fitting and treated it accordingly with Captain Tolley's sealant, but no success...... until I had to spend a few days on the boat after she had been de-rigged. There were at least three days of pretty heavy rain (remember last summer!) and not a drop came in.

I had wondered if I had over tensioned the babystay, causing it to pull up from the deck, but close examination of the deck fitting from inside and out does not show any signs of instability or derangement. Getting it off and re-bedding will be a right PIA (headlining down etc) but there doesn't seem to be another option. Running with a slackened babystay (boat is a Westerly Storm OD) is a recipe for a busted mast.

My boat - a Moody 33 also has a baby stay and the surveyor recommended rebedding it. When removed it had obviously been leaking for sometime(but the seal looked OK) and the bulkhead had rotted. A simple(I thought) job turned into quite a major job, not helped by having formica on both sides of the ply bulkhead. Had to cut out a large piece of bulkhead, splice in new ply and refasten. Headlining had to be removed and doorway frame removed to get access. I cut the bulhead with a jigsaw including the formica and after the new ply spliced in repalced the formica with the cut line disguised with varnished teak trim. And reinforced with a stainless plate across the top of the doorway arch. You have to look carefully to see what I did. No leaks since then.

 

[samwise]

Westerly's usually have pretty well supported babystay attachments, so i dont think you could have damaged deck. How is your backstay adjustment? You could slacken off lowers, put a load of tension on backstay for pre-bend and then tension lowers against that. The mast will be pretty well supported although you will need to watch for pumping upwind.

Having said that you would be better of re-bedding, however much agro

I fear you may be right about the re-bedding. I guess there is also the concern that if water has been getting in ( a comparatively recent problem) there may be damage to the under deck support. The boat has been under cover (in a shed) for the past seven months so it has hopefully dried out enough.

 

[ChiPete]

Hi all,

Does anyone have experience tuning a Beneteau Oceanis 323 rig? It's a masthead rig with two backstays with bottle screws and a forestay without any apparent means of tensioning it.

Does this mean that the tensioning and hence setting the mast rake is all done with the backstays? Also, as there are two backstays, does this means that the 15% wire tension rule still applies.

Cheers,
Pete

 

[wklein]

Hi all,

Does anyone have experience tuning a Beneteau Oceanis 323 rig? It's a masthead rig with two backstays with bottle screws and a forestay without any apparent means of tensioning it.

Does this mean that the tensioning and hence setting the mast rake is all done with the backstays? Also, as there are two backstays, does this means that the 15% wire tension rule still applies.

Cheers,
Pete

I would guess that your rig probably has swept spreaders so the majority of you headstay tension will come from the V1's (or cap shrouds) and the backstays add limited assistance and are primarily for controlling pre bend. So set the rig up ignoring the backstays and then put some equal tension on them until pre bend looks about right (which depends on whether you have in mast furling or not)

 

[ChiPete]

Thanks wklein,

Yes, the spreaders are swept and there's no in mast furling.

So I'll check the pre-bend as it is now, set the cap shrouds and lowers to 15% of the breaking strain, then re-confirm the pre-bend once I start putting some gentle tension the back stays.