I am having my mast removed and I am wondering how to retension the rigging once the mast is put back up. This is my first time taking the mast down. Should I count turns on the turnbuckles when removing the mast or is there a more accurate, technically correct way to have it done? I am having the boat shipped so a different yard will put the mast back up. Are there any other potential pitfalls when removing the mast? What about other maintenace items that should be done while the mast is removed? As always, I appreciate all of your help on this webpage.
Brian Johnson
karaandbrianjohnson@mail.tds.net
Standing Rigging/Mast Removal Questions
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Larry DeMers
Re: Standing Rigging/Mast Removal Questions
We take our mast down every winter, and I do all the rig work, while the crane lifts the mast.
This will be a great opportunity to go over the mast head to heel. At the truck, look at the sheaves, rotate them and make certain that the halyards are on the sheave it should be on, and that they are free rotating. Grease them sparingly. Look at every inch of the standing rigging, using a diaper or cotton towel wrapped around the stay,and slid up and down the stay to see if there are any broken wires (fishhooks for obvious reasons should you catch one in your hand).
Look over the swaged fittings, top and bottom, as well as the tangs at the mast head and spreaders. Look for elongated holes where the bolt or clevis pin goes through. Replace all suspect components.
There is no real reason to try and count the turns of the turnbuckles, as the rig will be relaxed and of different length when you put the mast back in place. Get a Loos Tension Gauge..available from West Marine, Defender, Boat/US etc. for ~$35 and upwards for the pro models. Get the model that includes all the wire sizes on your boat (you did not say what boat it was). Thsi gauge is a very god way to set the tension exactly the same for each side, gauranteeing a well tensioned rig.
The whole procedure takes an hour for the first time, 45 min. for experienced tuners. I have written this procedure down a few times before, and it should be available under the archives search function. If you can't find it, write me and I will find it for you or rewrite it (takes an hour or so to write, or I would do it now).
It is something that most people should do themselves, as the rig needs retensioning in the summer, and it's nice to know how to do it. You can damage the boat by improper tuning by the way..one effect creates a "bannana boat",where the bow and stern are actually pulled upwards, distorting the hull, making doors not close properly, and the hull to be stressed in a direction not intended.
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
demers@sgi.com
This will be a great opportunity to go over the mast head to heel. At the truck, look at the sheaves, rotate them and make certain that the halyards are on the sheave it should be on, and that they are free rotating. Grease them sparingly. Look at every inch of the standing rigging, using a diaper or cotton towel wrapped around the stay,and slid up and down the stay to see if there are any broken wires (fishhooks for obvious reasons should you catch one in your hand).
Look over the swaged fittings, top and bottom, as well as the tangs at the mast head and spreaders. Look for elongated holes where the bolt or clevis pin goes through. Replace all suspect components.
There is no real reason to try and count the turns of the turnbuckles, as the rig will be relaxed and of different length when you put the mast back in place. Get a Loos Tension Gauge..available from West Marine, Defender, Boat/US etc. for ~$35 and upwards for the pro models. Get the model that includes all the wire sizes on your boat (you did not say what boat it was). Thsi gauge is a very god way to set the tension exactly the same for each side, gauranteeing a well tensioned rig.
The whole procedure takes an hour for the first time, 45 min. for experienced tuners. I have written this procedure down a few times before, and it should be available under the archives search function. If you can't find it, write me and I will find it for you or rewrite it (takes an hour or so to write, or I would do it now).
It is something that most people should do themselves, as the rig needs retensioning in the summer, and it's nice to know how to do it. You can damage the boat by improper tuning by the way..one effect creates a "bannana boat",where the bow and stern are actually pulled upwards, distorting the hull, making doors not close properly, and the hull to be stressed in a direction not intended.
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
Brian Johnson wrote: I am having my mast removed and I am wondering how to retension the rigging once the mast is put back up. This is my first time taking the mast down. Should I count turns on the turnbuckles when removing the mast or is there a more accurate, technically correct way to have it done? I am having the boat shipped so a different yard will put the mast back up. Are there any other potential pitfalls when removing the mast? What about other maintenace items that should be done while the mast is removed? As always, I appreciate all of your help on this webpage.
Brian Johnson
demers@sgi.com
-
Harris
Re: Standing Rigging/Mast Removal Questions
Not a high tch answer....but brass turnbuckles are great for a non obvious reason.........you can see where they were last adjusted. You can use that as a starting point and then go to more sophisticated methods. Also running a halyard to a fixed point on each side such as a chainplate is a non sophisticated method of seeing if the mast is straight from side to side.
hg@myhost.com
hg@myhost.com
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Larry DeMers
Re: Standing Rigging/Mast Removal Questions
Maybe not high tech, but darn accurate. That is how I start out with the tensioning also. Another trick is to pull the main halyard coming down the sail track very tight, and centered in the track center. Hold the tension in place by hand while sighting up the mast and check your fore and aft bend in the mast, as well as side-to-side. Your adjustments should eliminate these bends, resulting in a mast that is true and in column.
I am on vacation for a week, so if anyone wrote to me at work, it will be a while before I can answer it. Try this instead: ldemers@win.bright.net
Happy Holidays, and Great Sailing in '01!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 ~~~~Brrrr..jeesh, never thought we would look forward to +1deg F!~~
demers@sgi.com
I am on vacation for a week, so if anyone wrote to me at work, it will be a while before I can answer it. Try this instead: ldemers@win.bright.net
Happy Holidays, and Great Sailing in '01!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 ~~~~Brrrr..jeesh, never thought we would look forward to +1deg F!~~
Harris wrote: Not a high tch answer....but brass turnbuckles are great for a non obvious reason.........you can see where they were last adjusted. You can use that as a starting point and then go to more sophisticated methods. Also running a halyard to a fixed point on each side such as a chainplate is a non sophisticated method of seeing if the mast is straight from side to side.
demers@sgi.com
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Larry DeMers
Re: Standing Rigging Tuning Procedures
Brian,
Here is a copy of a procedure for tuning our CD30 mast. I do not know which boat you have, so you will have to pick what sounds reasonable to you. This was originally written 2 years ago, to Dave Stump..which explains the references to his name.
........
I have developed a procedure for tuning DeLaMer over the past 12 years of taking the mast down each winter and resetting her in the spring.
I remove the turnbuckles every fall, as we had a couple stolen 2 years ago. So we start from absolute ground zero. The marina 4 points the mast (ie: they attach
both uppers, and the fore and aft stays, and call it good). I start with centering the mast side to side (fore and aft is a mostly fixed setting due to the roller furler covering
the forestay turnbuckle allowing the only adjustment to be the back stay turnbuckle).
Take the main halyard, and bring it to the base of a stanchion behind the mast slightly. Hold the main halyard at the base of the mast, and tie off the halyard at the winch to lock it's length in place. Next move the halyard to the opposite side of the boat, and measure to the same point ont he stanchion..exactly. Apply the exact same amount of tension to the halyard as you make this measurement. The halyard should be the exact same distance away from the stanchion point of reference, as it was on the first measurement. Take any differences out with the upper port and starb'd. shroud turnbuckles.
Ok, next, you need to set the fore/aft alignment. Pull the main halyard tight, aligned straight down the main sail slide track. The distance of the halyard from the mast should be equal at all points on the halyard. Make the fore and aft adjustments as needed to get this result.
Next is tensioning the rig. I use a Loos tension gage. Anything else is pure guesswork, and is prone to big, possibly damaging errors. I tension the uppers to about mid-scale on the
gage, in three steps. Work each side by hand until either turnbuckle is equally hand tight (same number of turns added or subtracted on each side_. Measure the tension and adjust as appropriate, equally on both sides. Next sight up the mast.
Put your eyeball right up close as possible to the track, and sight right up that track.
You will see even the slightest undulation. Adjust the aft lower stays by hand until tight, then add in some tension on the side that needs to be tightened to remove the s-curve. Eyeball the sailtrack again and verify that the mast is straight.
Now move back to the uppers, and adjust them to the same tension by using the gauge. Next adjust the back stay to that same value. You might want to recheck that the mast is still centered with the halyard trick mentioned earlier. This is a double check and usually there will be no adj. necessary.
Recheck the sailtrack for that old S-Curve and take it out with the aft lowers, but let off the opposite side that needs tightening first, then tighten the same number of turns on the side needing tensioning. CHeck the tension with the gauge again, and equalize all shroud pairs (ie: make each opposing pair the same tension while maintaining the mast center position, and keeping the tension in the lower to mid range of the Loos Tension Gauge for that size wire.
The uppers should be pretty close to their final values of tension by now, while the lowers are about 1/2 the way there.
Hand tighten the 2 forward lowers equally, then tighten with a wrench and screwdriver equally until all lowers (fore and aft) reach the same values. This should be about 80% of the final settings. Hand tighten the staysail shroud, then use tools to crank it to the value of the aft lowers.
Have a beer, then sight up the mast again to check for the mast being in-column. Check fore and aft column also at this point. If all is well here, then all that is left is to crank in the final numbers. If there is either an S bend or a bending of the mast fore and aft, loosen the lower shroud on the opposite side of the bend a little, and tighten the appropriate side an equal amount. Check the sail
track again.
Whew..by now, you are about 45 minutes into this thing, and almost done. Ok, lastly, equally tighten the uppers to a value that is mid range on the Loos gauge for that wire size
(the gauge has a diagram on the back side that tells you the tension that it is reading). This is for a CD30. You may want to experiment with differing end values
depending on the boat size. Verify that there is no S-bend again. Then tension the lower shrouds in pairs and equally. The aft lowers should be close to the same tension as the the staysail stay. The fore and aft lowers should all have the same tension value.
Last time now..verify that the mast is straight and in column in both axis. Put in cotter pins/split rings to lock the turnbuckles in place (they definitely will and do unscrew if you sail without doing this).
Tape off the cotterpins or split rings, and have another beer.
Now go sailing and relaxe. Find some wind, and put her on it hard. Heeling over 10-20 deg., check that the leeward upper shroud is slightly..just slightly loose.
You really don't want shock loads when you tack, so it should be just barely loose.
That's it folks. This is long winded, and subject to individual modifications as you see fit. It is the procedure I have followed with refinements made each year as the mechanics of what I need to do become clearer. The mast has always stayed in alignment for the full season, with no touchup required. But I would recommend that you wait two weeks after launching her, to allow the hull to relaxe to it's "water shape" before trying to get to the final tensioning numbers. Try a slightly smaller number on the Loos Tension gauge for the first two weeks, then retension to the final numbers.
If there are questions about this procedure (it sounds awfully complicated, but is really only an hour job, and pretty easily understood if you think about it) please feel free to write me.
Cheers and Good Sailing All.
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
ldemers@win.bright.net
Here is a copy of a procedure for tuning our CD30 mast. I do not know which boat you have, so you will have to pick what sounds reasonable to you. This was originally written 2 years ago, to Dave Stump..which explains the references to his name.
........
I have developed a procedure for tuning DeLaMer over the past 12 years of taking the mast down each winter and resetting her in the spring.
I remove the turnbuckles every fall, as we had a couple stolen 2 years ago. So we start from absolute ground zero. The marina 4 points the mast (ie: they attach
both uppers, and the fore and aft stays, and call it good). I start with centering the mast side to side (fore and aft is a mostly fixed setting due to the roller furler covering
the forestay turnbuckle allowing the only adjustment to be the back stay turnbuckle).
Take the main halyard, and bring it to the base of a stanchion behind the mast slightly. Hold the main halyard at the base of the mast, and tie off the halyard at the winch to lock it's length in place. Next move the halyard to the opposite side of the boat, and measure to the same point ont he stanchion..exactly. Apply the exact same amount of tension to the halyard as you make this measurement. The halyard should be the exact same distance away from the stanchion point of reference, as it was on the first measurement. Take any differences out with the upper port and starb'd. shroud turnbuckles.
Ok, next, you need to set the fore/aft alignment. Pull the main halyard tight, aligned straight down the main sail slide track. The distance of the halyard from the mast should be equal at all points on the halyard. Make the fore and aft adjustments as needed to get this result.
Next is tensioning the rig. I use a Loos tension gage. Anything else is pure guesswork, and is prone to big, possibly damaging errors. I tension the uppers to about mid-scale on the
gage, in three steps. Work each side by hand until either turnbuckle is equally hand tight (same number of turns added or subtracted on each side_. Measure the tension and adjust as appropriate, equally on both sides. Next sight up the mast.
Put your eyeball right up close as possible to the track, and sight right up that track.
You will see even the slightest undulation. Adjust the aft lower stays by hand until tight, then add in some tension on the side that needs to be tightened to remove the s-curve. Eyeball the sailtrack again and verify that the mast is straight.
Now move back to the uppers, and adjust them to the same tension by using the gauge. Next adjust the back stay to that same value. You might want to recheck that the mast is still centered with the halyard trick mentioned earlier. This is a double check and usually there will be no adj. necessary.
Recheck the sailtrack for that old S-Curve and take it out with the aft lowers, but let off the opposite side that needs tightening first, then tighten the same number of turns on the side needing tensioning. CHeck the tension with the gauge again, and equalize all shroud pairs (ie: make each opposing pair the same tension while maintaining the mast center position, and keeping the tension in the lower to mid range of the Loos Tension Gauge for that size wire.
The uppers should be pretty close to their final values of tension by now, while the lowers are about 1/2 the way there.
Hand tighten the 2 forward lowers equally, then tighten with a wrench and screwdriver equally until all lowers (fore and aft) reach the same values. This should be about 80% of the final settings. Hand tighten the staysail shroud, then use tools to crank it to the value of the aft lowers.
Have a beer, then sight up the mast again to check for the mast being in-column. Check fore and aft column also at this point. If all is well here, then all that is left is to crank in the final numbers. If there is either an S bend or a bending of the mast fore and aft, loosen the lower shroud on the opposite side of the bend a little, and tighten the appropriate side an equal amount. Check the sail
track again.
Whew..by now, you are about 45 minutes into this thing, and almost done. Ok, lastly, equally tighten the uppers to a value that is mid range on the Loos gauge for that wire size
(the gauge has a diagram on the back side that tells you the tension that it is reading). This is for a CD30. You may want to experiment with differing end values
depending on the boat size. Verify that there is no S-bend again. Then tension the lower shrouds in pairs and equally. The aft lowers should be close to the same tension as the the staysail stay. The fore and aft lowers should all have the same tension value.
Last time now..verify that the mast is straight and in column in both axis. Put in cotter pins/split rings to lock the turnbuckles in place (they definitely will and do unscrew if you sail without doing this).
Tape off the cotterpins or split rings, and have another beer.
Now go sailing and relaxe. Find some wind, and put her on it hard. Heeling over 10-20 deg., check that the leeward upper shroud is slightly..just slightly loose.
You really don't want shock loads when you tack, so it should be just barely loose.
That's it folks. This is long winded, and subject to individual modifications as you see fit. It is the procedure I have followed with refinements made each year as the mechanics of what I need to do become clearer. The mast has always stayed in alignment for the full season, with no touchup required. But I would recommend that you wait two weeks after launching her, to allow the hull to relaxe to it's "water shape" before trying to get to the final tensioning numbers. Try a slightly smaller number on the Loos Tension gauge for the first two weeks, then retension to the final numbers.
If there are questions about this procedure (it sounds awfully complicated, but is really only an hour job, and pretty easily understood if you think about it) please feel free to write me.
Cheers and Good Sailing All.
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
Brian Johnson wrote: I am having my mast removed and I am wondering how to retension the rigging once the mast is put back up. This is my first time taking the mast down. Should I count turns on the turnbuckles when removing the mast or is there a more accurate, technically correct way to have it done? I am having the boat shipped so a different yard will put the mast back up. Are there any other potential pitfalls when removing the mast? What about other maintenace items that should be done while the mast is removed? As always, I appreciate all of your help on this webpage.
Brian Johnson
ldemers@win.bright.net