Rigging. I hesitate to post, expecting flak from the usual. But...

As a general rule when you press with a few pounds of force (a
comfortable firm push, say with your thumb) the fore, aft and uppers
should deflect 3/4" to 1-1/2". The lowers should deflect 1/2" to 1".
Use the higher side for a taller mast, say over 50'.

Measure with a halyard side to side and adjust the uppers to get the
mast straight. If you have to adjust, be sure to loosen all the lowers
first. Adjust the lowers last and be sure to sight along the mast to
check for any bend.

There is a tuning tool available, but it's just a sort of spring
loaded thing with a ruler. A human thumb and ruler is a lot cheaper
and works just as well.

Rick
Watching Tropical Storm Edouard.....
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

On Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:44:26 -0500, Rick Morel
wrote:

There is a tuning tool available, but it's just a sort of spring
loaded thing with a ruler. A human thumb and ruler is a lot cheaper
and works just as well.

Read once you should measure and memorize your body parts and you can
become a walking ruler, no need to carry one.
Stick to stuff like fingers, finger joints, wrist bone to elbow bone,
etc. You don't want to get arrested while taking measures.

--Vic

wrote

Oh, that. I never use it, as a rule.


As a rule, I would never admit something like that in a public Internet
forum.

--
Roger Long

On 2008-08-03 19:44:26 -0400, Rick Morel said:

There is a tuning tool available, but it's just a sort of spring
loaded thing with a ruler. A human thumb and ruler is a lot cheaper
and works just as well.

It's a Loos gauge.

I don't sail without one, as perceptions of tension will change through
the season. If nothing else, later in the season, our idea of
"moderate" winds goes up, so the stays flop more.

Having an actual number to compare makes things more certain. I check
our tension periodically, which helped me detect a bulkhead rotting
away in a hidden corner in time to prevent serious damage. The mast
dropping about 3/16ths of an inch made a real difference.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-à-Deux -- Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/