[Rhodes22-list] Standing rigging thickness

Graham Stewart gstewart8 at cogeco.ca
Sat Feb 15 17:09:34 EST 2014


John:
Based on your description your rig does not seem too tight to me. I would
not want the lee shrouds to be too loose. I let that happen on a previous
boat and I ended up losing a clevis pin at the chainplate  from the shroud
shaking. I know another fellow who had a rig so loose that the upper shroud
shook loose from the spreader.  Losing the spreader connection or a clevis
pin on the lee side in strong winds is definitely a sobering experience. I
like to have it without tension but not so loose it is shaking about.

 I have no idea why the rig would get looser. I can't say mine has changed
appreciably since the boat was new in 76. I wonder if the problem might be
the type of wire used?

Graham 


-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of John Shulick
Sent: February-15-14 1:16 PM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Standing rigging thickness

 My side stays have no play left in them at all. I ran out of turnbuckle
adjustment last yr and had only 180 lbs. of tension on the wire. There is no
indication of cracking or failure at any chain-plate location. I tightened
the side stay chain-plates this last season they looked fine. The original
stay probably came with the turnbuckle set half way in (I believe that is
the standard unless you order them special) so my stays must have stretched
at least 1 "  over a 43 yr period. With the boom up one reef in 150 Genoa
50% reefed in 12 kn winds heeled 12-15* the lee side stays are not loose,
they are dangling in the breeze. 5 yrs of sailing in and I'm comfortable
handling the boat in that set up but these stays just bug me. A small cost
and weight penalty vs a 50% increase in load capacity, piece of mind, and
knowing how hard Rummy has pushed the original. I'll capsize the boat before
the rigging fails. Perhaps a compromise do the fore-stay and side stays in
5/32 and the baby and back-stays in 1/8.  

PS; Graham you are correct to much tension is not good but to loose is not
good either. In keeping the mast up the rigging transfers wind energy to the
hull to drive the boat. It takes energy to stretch a wire, that's energy
that's not driving the boat. 

best
John S



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