Adjusting Turnbuckles Correctly

[Warren Kaplan]

The marina rigger finished stepping SQN's mast and tuning the rig. He did a pretty good job considering he judges shroud tension by feel. But I got out my Loos guages and I need to make some adjustments. I was about to go about it when I realized I've never really adjusted turnbuckles before. So, what is the proper way to tighten/loosen a turnbuckle? I know I have to put a wrench on the piece going to the shroud to keep it from turning but what else? What to I turn and what don't I turn? In what order? I've got the cotter pins and rigging tape for after but I don't want to screw up my standing rigging.

Thanks,
Warren Kaplan
Sine Qua Non
CD27
Oyster Bay Harbor, NY



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[Mike Raehl]

Warren,
Per the rigger who made my new standing rigging.... use two crescent wrenches, one to hold the swage on the cable so it does not turn (and un-lay the cable wires) and the other to turn the turnbuckle body.

I stepped my mast today with the new standing rigging and, with the turnbuckles all the way open, the port and starboard upper and lower shrouds seem way too tight. Perhaps I could use your Loos tension gages.

Mike Raehl
Ty #1958, Roberta Jane II
Piermont, NY

[Will W.]

Hi Warren
The turnbuckle barrel is the only thing that moves. Turn it one way to tighten the other to loosen. You can look at the threads to see which way to turn. I use an open end, non adjusting, wrench to hold the stay from turning. If you have the old closed barrel type you will then tighten the nuts down on the turnbucle if not just replace the cotter pins.

Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25

The marina rigger finished stepping SQN's mast and tuning the rig. He did a pretty good job considering he judges shroud tension by feel. But I got out my Loos guages and I need to make some adjustments. I was about to go about it when I realized I've never really adjusted turnbuckles before. So, what is the proper way to tighten/loosen a turnbuckle? I know I have to put a wrench on the piece going to the shroud to keep it from turning but what else? What to I turn and what don't I turn? In what order? I've got the cotter pins and rigging tape for after but I don't want to screw up my standing rigging.

Thanks,
Warren Kaplan
Sine Qua Non
CD27
Oyster Bay Harbor, NY

willwheatley@starpower.net

[JimL]

Mike, I had new standing rigging made for Odyssey III and the aft lowers came out a little short. West Marine has a "half-link" that fits on the end of the lower toggle. This'll put your turnbuckles where you want them. In my case, I didn't provide the rigging shop a correctly adjusted headstay, so I'm nearly bottomed out (stay is too long). I'll have a new fitting swaged on the upper end, when I pull the boat for service next fall (getting ready for great Winter sailing in SoCal!).



leinfam@earthlink.net

[Larry DeMers]

Hand tightening the rig or even hand tensioning the rig is bascily guessing, so you were right to suspect that the Loos gauge would need to come out.
I use a crescent wrench to hold the wire terminal, and then use a fid to poke into the open area of the turnbuckles and turn it half-turns.

Jan and I tensioned DLM this weekend, after it sat for a week with the mast only "four-pointed" (fore and aft stays and the upper side stays attached and hand tightened, the rest just attached). We centered the mast, then proceeded to tension the rig simultaneously from both sides. It went perfectly and was done in 30 minutes. A final check showed that the rig was still tuned, so we put in the cotter pins and went sailing!

I am posting my Loos Tension gauge readings for all stays, in a separate article labeled "Loos Tension Gauge readings for CD30".

Cheers,

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
Lake Superior

The marina rigger finished stepping SQN's mast and tuning the rig. He did a pretty good job considering he judges shroud tension by feel. But I got out my Loos guages and I need to make some adjustments. I was about to go about it when I realized I've never really adjusted turnbuckles before. So, what is the proper way to tighten/loosen a turnbuckle? I know I have to put a wrench on the piece going to the shroud to keep it from turning but what else? What to I turn and what don't I turn? In what order? I've got the cotter pins and rigging tape for after but I don't want to screw up my standing rigging.

Thanks,
Warren Kaplan
Sine Qua Non
CD27
Oyster Bay Harbor, NY

demers@sgi.com

[Mike Raehl]

Jim,
Thanks.... A little extension for the shrouds at the turnbuckle end sounds like the answer.
Mike

[Warren Kaplan]

I adjusted the turnbuckles yesterday. Pretty easy to do with advice given here. A crescent wrench to keep swagged shroud from turning, and a flat bladed screwdriver inserted into the opening of the barrel of the turnbuckle to make the turns, and its just a matter of repetition until the tensions are were you want them. Just make sure you end up with the holes in the threaded pieces accessible for the cotter pins. One other comment. With all the money that we all spend on various types of equipment and gear, do yourself and your boat a big favor, invest in some Loos gauges. I originally said that my rigger did a pretty good job adjusting the rigging by "feel". I suppose he did but after working with the guages and tuning to its readings (11% of breaking tension as it turned out) there was quite a difference. If you, like I, invested in a new mainsail, you need to have the rig tuned correctly to get the most out of that sail. The guages are pretty cheap for what they can do for you.
Thanks for all the help.

Warren Kaplan
Sine Qua Non
CD27
Oyster Bay Harbor, NY



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