To Tune or not to Tune

[WayneS]

I will be stepping my mast in a couple of weeks for the first time and am wondering if I should get the tuning done by a Pro or have a go by myself.

All the rigging has been removed from the mast and while I do know which bit goes where, the bottle-screw adjustments are no longer valid.

Could I just use my noggin and make sure that the thing is upright, then tension everything up till they all twang with the same note?

I think that I know what the answer is, pay the money to get it done properly...

Cheers in advance

 

[Robin2]

I am also interested in the answer to this query.

 

[bedouin]

Re: I can recommend

I'm too poor to pay someone else just to tighten a few bottle-screws, so I do it myself. I also feel that I ought to be best person to set the rig up, as I'm the person sailing the boat so I can observe how it behaves in a variety of conditions.

I can recommend Ivar Dedekam's book "Sail and Rig tuning". That gives an excellent introductory guide to setting up the rigging. I would be interested to know if anyone can recommend a more detailed work that might cover the finer points of tuning.

If you do decide to do it yourself do make sure that you put enough tension in the rig - slack shrouds is a sure way to lose the mast.

 

[WayneS]

Robin

Please tell me how you manage to suspend you boat in mid-air. It must do wonders for the hydrodynamics.

There are people out there who would pay millions to license your skills.

 

[WayneS]

Just ordered the book. Thanks for the input, much appreciated

Wayne

 

[Julian]

Have a look at this very useful site, it has a chapter about rig tuning as well as how to adjust all the sails correctly.
http://uksailmakers.com/encyclopedia.html

 

[claymore]

Hello Wayne
Assuming that the mast is manageable, a couple of you should get the job sorted with a bit of care and planning.
Apart from purchasing the book, which is a really good suggestion, if your boat is in current or recent production, or if there is a class or owners association, they should be able to give you some measurements.
If you are cruising the boat rather than racing it, don't be tempted to have everything too tight, it just strains everything. Your post suggests that you are putting the old rigging back on, so if its anything like mine, there will be some indication of how it was all set last time up - if it seemed alright then try and get back to there for starters.
Good Luck
John S

 

[Strathglass]

The basic things to setting a rig uu are the following
1- The mast must be vertical (sideways) Use the jib halliard to set the distance to the shroud plates the same.
2- the aft rake varies considerabely with boat type. Start with the rake that sets the boom horizontal.
3- Do not tighten the leward shroud just because it appears slack. When sailing close hauled the leward shroud should start to go slack in a 3/4 wind strength.
4- You should look up the mast from the base and check it is not kinked because of uneven intermediates tension.
5- Be particularly careful with a twin spreader rig, make sure that the mast is straight.
Saying all that, on a cruising yacht apart, from the physical problems because of height. It should be fairly straightforward to restep a mast.
If however you have a multi spreader kevlar/carbon fibre mast it is a slightly different matter.
Iain

 

[Col]

Is that a picture of them- there, new fangled flying boats ?

 

[Trevor_swfyc]

You say I will be stepping, hope you are not doing this on your own. I have helped with several masts and this has involved the help of several people unless you have the use of a crane.
There is a difference between to tune and putting the mast up. This is a bit like putting a cylinder head on, no good overtightening one screw and not the other.
If you are not using a crane, then attach the back stay before you pull it vertical, we have two people on either side of the boat one with the main halyard and one with the spinnaker halyard to ensure it goes up vertical. Another helper looks after the roller reefing securing it as soon as the mast is vertical. The stays are then attached and hand tightened, the stays should be the same length so check how much thread is showing on the bottle screws, same thread either side then mast should be vertical. The roller reefing should go back as it was, providing it has not been altered. Tighten the back stay to minimize the play in the roller reefing, now tighten each stay one turn in turn to obtain equal tension, you should be able to side pull the stay slightly ie you don't want it bar tight. This is how we put up a mast but we don't in any way call this tuning.
Final note we don't do it on a windy day!
Trevor.

 

[LadyInBed]

Re: Bottle screws

You don’t say whether your bottle screws / turn buckles are swaged on to your stays. If they are not, then it’s worth ensuring that you connect them all the same way up. I put ‘standard’ thread at the bottom and reverse thread at the top, so (looking from top) screwing clockwise to tighten.
If you have a few the other way up, screwing clockwise will loosen them.

A general point, after you have set things up, sail /leave it for a week or two, then readjust as, by then, the kinks will have come out of the stays and everything should have settled into place.

 

[DanTribe]

By all means listen to all the gurus and rig experts but also go for a sail and listen to what the boat says. I have sailed on many boats that handled poorly with too much weather helm or even lee helm,but the owners were convinced that the rig was set up "by the book".Experiment a bit,generally raking the mast aft will induce weather helm, but rig tension can have dramatic effects to a boats feel.Have fun.

 

[Robin2]

All you need is money !

 

[Guest]

Phone Selden Masts who have an excellent free booklet. Tel: 01489 484000
It tells one how to setup the basics
Paul

 

[Chris_Stannard]

If you are on the Hamble, or in that area, there used to be a chap called Geoff Merritt who was first class and not expensive. It took him about half a day from scratch and the improved performance was worth every penny. Geoff lives in burseldon but I no longer have his number.