Snapdragon inner forestay

tidclacy

tidclacy

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My Mate has a Snapdragon 670 22ft. She has an inner fore stay which catches the Genoa when tacking. He was wondering how important the inner fore stay is and could he remove it?

Said I would ask the learnard gentlemen on the forum

Thanks in anticipation.
 
tidclacy said:
My Mate has a Snapdragon 670 22ft. She has an inner fore stay which catches the Genoa when tacking. He was wondering how important the inner fore stay is and could he remove it?

Said I would ask the learnard gentlemen on the forum

Thanks in anticipation.
Click to expand...

I guess it has an inner forestay or "baby stay" rather than forward lower shrouds. It will perform a similar function in as much than tensioning it will induce a little pre-bend in the mast and it will oppose the pull of the mainsail in the centre section of the mast.

Maybe fit some kind of roller on it to ease the genoa sheets over it. Also consider what methods of attaching the sheets to the sail will reduce the tendency for them to get caught on the stay.
 
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Known as a babystay and part of the rigging as I suspect it has only one pair of lower shrouds and the stay supports the middle of the mast. Common rig for the era and a PITA if you have a big genoa. As VicS says, roller is useful to help the sail and sheets past it.
 
As others have said it's a babystay and, no, it's not a good idea to remove it. It prevents the mast bending backwards in the middle. Get a length of the white pushfit waterpipe that most of the DIY sheds sell and slip it over the stay.
 
VicS said:
I guess it has an inner forestay rather than forward lower shrouds. It will perform a similar function in as much than tensioning it will induce a little pre-bend in the mast and it will oppose the pull of the mainsail in the centre section of the mast.

Maybe fit some kind of roller on it to ease the genoa sheets over it. Also consider what methods of attaching the sheets to the sail will reduce the tendency for them to get caught on the stay.
Click to expand...

A Baby Stay
 
The exact nature of the rig will define whether it is necessary or not I would guess yes. Is it fractional rigged, how much power have you on the backstay how limber is the mast, how far aft are the spreaders swept?
 
wklein said:
The exact nature of the rig will define whether it is necessary or not I would guess yes. Is it fractional rigged, how much power have you on the backstay how limber is the mast, how far aft are the spreaders swept?
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A little Googling and I think you will find that it is a mast head rig with normal square set spreaders, cap surrounds in line with the mast, aft lowers, the baby stay and divided backstay.
 
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Undoubtedly in light conditions the inner forestay/babystay could be disconnected and tied back. However you would want to be very careful. This releis on the fore and aft size and section of the mast for stiffness in the middle. The genoa pulling on the forestay particularly exerts a huge pull. So medium winds and full jib would be just as bad as a partially rolled jib in a gale. It would take reall discipline to make sure it is reconnected as soon as the wind comes up.
As said another oprion is 2 inner forestays going forward to the gunwhale chain plates. This would make it easier certainly with partially rolled jib but may not help much with full genoa.
Fractioanl rigs usually have aft swept spreaders which in "leaning" against the cap shrouds and diverting the cap shrouds impart a push forward to the middle of the mast. Which is what the inner forestay does. It does mean the main sail chafes on the spreaders when running as a disadvantage.
In our club racing we usually finish with lots of short tacks to the finish. Many of our boats havee inner forestays. All have the tubing over the forestay otherwise they just put up with hte effor tof tacking the jib past the inner forestay. good luck olewill
 
As the others have said, it is an essential part of the rig. Although in light airs you could live without it, you'd have to be very quick in setting it up again should the wind increase. In my opinion not worth the effort. When my mate had a T24 (similar era) we put a length of round conduit on the babystay to help prevent snags, but it's the tails of the bowlines in the sheets that catch so look at other ways of attaching them. Not at all seamanlike, but a continuous sheet cow hitched on will solve most of the problems!

Rob.
 
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