[Rhodes22-list] Subject: Re: Re design of Rhodes Interior and elimination of compressi...

[Arthur H. Czerwonky]

David,
One of your points is an excellent caveat for all skippers in the fleet.  We are fixated on the side stays so much that we can easily forget that the aft stays also affect downward pressure on the mast.  It would probably be a good checklist item for us to make sure the tensioner line is loosened somewhat after sailing.  The mechanical advantage in using this line can make create a much greater stress on the compression post over time.
Art

-----Original Message-----
>From: David Culp <dculp at hsbtx.com>
>Sent: Jun 4, 2009 2:27 PM
>To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Subject: Re: Re design of Rhodes Interior and	elimination of compressi...
>
>John:
>
>Email is impersonal sometimes-just don't want anyone I don't know in person
>to get the wrong impression.  We are all just trying to have fun here and
>learn something.
>
>Communication is key and I just picked up on something in your last post and
>that was that you had compression problems on the port side of the boat.  My
>problem was also on the port side.  The port side is also where the aft stay
>tensioner line is tightened and secured on my boat.  Is it the same on your
>boat?
>
>That port aft stay has a lot of tension on it when in use.  I have been
>guessing that the aft stays were over-tighten on my boat and left that way
>which caused the cabin top to start bending over the top of the support
>bulkhead.  Roger tuned his boat very tightly but cautioned that he always
>released the aft stay tension when the boat was not in use.  Maybe now we
>know why.  There is a huge mechanical advantage with the aft stays that you
>don't have with the sides.  Rodger's example was tying both ends of a
> "banana" but this boat is no banana.   In my simple mind it is more like a
>crossbow and arrow... and the mast is the arrow.
>
>I checked the upper side shrouds yesterday and I am carrying 180 lbs on the
>Loos gauge so closer to your numbers then I thought but well below Rodger's.
> What I should have checked is how much tension I have on the aft stays when
>they are tightened.  Just by feel, I am guessing 240 but it may be more.
>
>The lesson here MAY BE and I caution it's only a MAYBE is that you must
>always make sure to release the aft stay tension when the boat is not in use
>or you may face a compression problem over time.   Boats get pounded by chop
>even in the slip and I can see something is eventually going to flex under
>constant high tension.   I would assume that everyone is already doing that.
> I always have.
>
>David
>
>
>Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 18:50:18 -0700 (PDT)
>From: John Shulick <jsbudda at verizon.net>
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Subject: Re: Re design of Rhodes Interior
>       and elimination of compressi...
>To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>Message-ID: <23862507.post at talk.nabble.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
>
>Dave,
>
>You have nothing to apologize for, I came to this forum to learn from others
>and to report my observations about how my boat responds to various settings
>and configurations in the hope of increasing the pool of knowledge about our
>boat. I would like to see your settings and would encourage others familiar
>with a loos gauge to chime in with their numbers as well. The Roger piece
>was the only writing I had found that had any numbers to go on when it came
>time rig my boat last year so at first I duplicated his settings and did not
>like what I saw inside the cabin so I backed them down to what I have now
>and the cabin eased up some. My boat also had the port side of the cabin
>compressed due to probable over tension by previous owners. In the
>companionway on the port side the fiberglas has buckled. When I installed
>the port side bulkhead I jacked up the ceiling to force fit the bulkhead in
>place and that straightened out the buckling in the companionway by a large
>degree. The first week the boat was in the water the rigging had the slack
>taken out but was loose otherwise. We got hit at night by a cold front with
>30 mph wind gusting to 50 the inside of the cabin creaked and groaned and I
>wondered if my modifications were a mistake. Week 2 I snugged the rigging up
>some more relying on feel and not using the gauge yet. Then went out in 10
>to 15 mph with gusts. Boat seemed fine. Week 3
>brought the rigging to present tension checking with gauge. Sailing in same
>conditions boat has no problems. Over night we were hit again with 30 mph +
>winds and the cabin noise was much less. I will continue to monitor the
>situation and will chime in on this if something happens.
>
>John Shulick
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