Sailboat Standing Rigging Tension

Even new boats are not immune from problems they inevitably deform under the considerable loads of their rig and therefore will need to be re tuned after a period of use.

Sailboat standing rigging tension.

Release the tension in the backstay check that you are happy with fore and aft and sideways deflections. The steps to adjusting rigging are 1. Here are some general guidelines for tuning your mast s standing rigging please see our blog on how to properly adjust a turnbuckle before you begin. Running rigging is thought of more often with sailing as sailors use them to set trim and adjust the sails.

To make backstay tension affect the headstay tension as much as possible tighten the lowers. The rig is now tuned for maximum headstay tension which is often difficult to achieve. Get the mast s standing upright in the boat 2. I am finishing a homemade sailboat.

To get the mast to bend more easily ease off the lowers. Planning on using eye and turnbuckle studs at the ends of the cables as i do have turnbuckles left from another boat. The proper value for your boat can be found by a few trial runs under sail. Once the correct tension is known the gauge can be used to maintain the value.

The standing rigging on the other hand is left standing there. The loos tension gauges take the guesswork out of cable or rod tension adjustment. These are for standing rigging. Allow your yacht to sail.

Contrary to popular thought a slack rig is more punishing on a hull than a properly adjusted tight rig. The second is the tricky one. Before you loosen any rigging mark its tension with a piece of tape or a cable tie on the thread above the turnbuckle. As always we recommend seeking the advice of a professional rigger for more specific tips and tricks regarding tuning your boat s rigging.

No stainless steel cables in stock i have checked. They are especially designed for accurate repeatable tuning of a sailboat s standing rigging. Willing to order the 1 x 9 1 8 316 cable and do the swaging myself. That way if you stuff up you can at least return to this setting.

Backstay tension will bend the mast and add some headstay tension. It is easy to think of standing rigging and running rigging as two different parts on a sailboat but in fact they both share the same goal. The initial rigging tension should be high enough that the leeward shrouds do not go slack when sailing close hauled in a reasonably brisk breeze.