Shrouds

T

tubba

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24 Feb 2002
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Can anyone tell me why the shrouds on the yacht we have purchased are all steel ie:- wire , shackles, ect . Previously we have only sailed hire craft on the Norfolk Broads where
the base of the shrouds are tensioned with several coils of cord .
Do i need to convert ?
 
The cords were there to tension the shrouds, if you have all steel ones, do they have bottle screws to tension them? if they have all is OK. How big is this yacht?
 
Thank`s,my yacht does have bottle screws,i just wondered why the broad`s yacht`s
still use cord,i thought it perhaps to do with local conditions,or maybe the cord was more
forgiving to abuse ?
 
They are just old classics, which have always used this system, it's srtill a good way of doing it and cheap!!
 
With the constant raising and lowering of the mast under bridges a rope tail is easier to tension if necessary, or cut if you get into difficulties. Wroxham bridge late on a Saturday afternoon is a good time to watch.
 
As any one who has run a trailer -sailer knows, bottle screws have a nasty habit of capsizing and jamming when the mast is lowered. Part of the drill for raising the mast before launching is to go round and check that all the bottle screws are lined up properly. Even then, they can twist before the tension comes on.

Forget to check and one will inevitably stick, and it becomes impossibly to fully raise the mast. By the time you know it has stuck, the screw is bent and destroyed - expensive and time consuming to go off to the Chandlers for another one!

Broads yachts may need to raise and lower their masts several times a day. Rope lashings give the flexibility needed for this operation, do not jam - and cost next to nothing!

Potter Heigham Bridge was my favourite for watching 'antics' - as motor crusisers often didnt make it either!
 
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