Question on weather helm and sails

[Steve Laume]

I still like the Loos gauge for tensioning the wires. About an inch of play or listening to the sound of a plucked wire always seemed kind of arbitrary to me. I still have to fuss with things but at least I have a very accurate idea of how tight the wires are.

When I had new wires made up for Raven, I had the back stay lengthen by one inch. Raven seems to have about the right amount of weather helm if the sails are trimmed properly. Over sheeting the main will induce a lot of weather helm. As will not reefing soon enough.

Raven squats a bit in the stern as well. I have tried to move batteries as far forward as possible but still have a 2HP outboard on the stern rail, a Monitor wind vane on the stern and a hot water heater under the cockpit sole. I did add 90' of 5/16" chain to the bow but she is never right on her lines. It is still better to be stern heavy than bow down but it would be nice if I could get her leveled out a bit more.

My main is far from new but I can usually get things trimmed up pretty well, Steve.

[tjr818]

I still like the Loos gauge for tensioning the wires. About an inch of play or listening to the sound of a plucked wire always seemed kind of arbitrary to me. I still have to fuss with things but at least I have a very accurate idea of how tight the wires are...Raven squats a bit in the stern as well.....

Steve, I too use to loos gauge. What percent of tension to you use? The full 15% seems like a lot more than the manual suggests. I tried 10% last year and the leeward shrouds would go loose in a good breeze.
As far as squatting at the stern, I am beginning to think that all Cape Dorys do that. It isn't so bad when my first mate or myself is down in the cabin, but with two or three in the cockpit Sláinte definitely squats. We keep the forward water tank full, but I guess we need a lot more ballast up front.

[Steve Laume]

I do a bit above 10%. The leeward shrouds do get lose if there is a fair bit of strain on the rig. Maybe they could be a bit tighter.

I sometimes walk around the boat yard and check tension on other boats. I am constantly amazed by how loose some of those rigs are. I also know that lots of people just leave their rigs the way the yard rough tuned them when they set the mast. The one year I had the mast down and then reset by the yard. I went back and checked the wire tension as they had set it. The mast was actually pretty straight but it was accomplished by vastly different tensions on diagonally opposed lowers. I usually set by the gauge and then tweak things by eye.

Raven does not have a forward water tank and I wonder if that space in the V berth would have been a better place to put one and a missing component in balancing the boat. I carry plenty of water for most situations so adding another tank doesn't seem to be important. It would have been nice to have the tankage in the V berth and more stowage under the settee but maybe keeping the weight low and centered is more important.

I like to think that when the sails are drawing, the boat leans forward a bit and is in perfect ballance, Steve.

[Markst95]

Just a thought but is it possible the smallish rudder of the Ty makes it seem like there is more weather helm?