Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2017 5:15 am
That tension looks just about perfect to me!K9Kampers wrote:...or you can try the Peaches' Rigging Gauge...
MacGregorSailors.com
Discussions relating to the MacGregor line of trailerable sailboats
https://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/
26S standing rigging tension
https://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26022
Page 2 of 2
Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2017 5:24 am
tlgibson97 wrote:I'm going to jump on this thread instead of creating new.
I just replaced all the rigging on my X and spent half the day trying to get it tensioned correctly without having too much bend in the mast. I have the forestay set. Backstay slack. Then I pretensioned the upper shrouds to set the slight bend I wanted. Then I tensioned the lowers to lock in that bend. Then gradually raised the tension to shoot for around the 300/270 number I see everywhere.
The problem I run into is it seems that I need more tension on the lowers to keep the mast from bending too much. I even set the lowers to about 300lbs with the bend I wanted but when I raised the uppers, it created too much bend.
What steps would you all take to reduce the bend in the mast? I read somewhere that you could go as high as 15% breaking strength on the uppers and 10% breaking strength on the lowers. On 5/32 wire that's 335 on the lowers and around 500 on the uppers. I don't thin I want to go that high but I figure anywhere between there and the 270/300 number.
No matter what I try, I can't seem to get the correct bend without having the lowers tensioned more than the uppers. I haven't read anywhere where that would be correct.
I could use any help. Thanks.
Do not worry about getting the mast straight static. you realy need to have a sail on it and powered up to tell if you have it set right. The mast will bend away from the wind, this will raise the tension on the lower windward stay. That will straighten your mast.
Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2017 7:13 am
Yes, I'm referring to the fore/aft bend that is supposed to be about 2 inches at the middle. I have the forestay turnbuckle fully tightened because I have found that sets the rake that give me the right amount of weather helm.paul I wrote:I assume the bend you mention is fore-aft. Won't tightening the forestay remove some of the mast bend? Are you struggling to pin it in place? It should be somewhat difficult to pin when its all set correctly.
The side-to-side doesn't appear to have any bends or waves in it. It's just excessively bowed. Instead of 2 inches or so it's closer to 4". Way too much.grady wrote:tlgibson97 wrote:I'm going to jump on this thread instead of creating new.
I just replaced all the rigging on my X and spent half the day trying to get it tensioned correctly without having too much bend in the mast. I have the forestay set. Backstay slack. Then I pretensioned the upper shrouds to set the slight bend I wanted. Then I tensioned the lowers to lock in that bend. Then gradually raised the tension to shoot for around the 300/270 number I see everywhere.
The problem I run into is it seems that I need more tension on the lowers to keep the mast from bending too much. I even set the lowers to about 300lbs with the bend I wanted but when I raised the uppers, it created too much bend.
What steps would you all take to reduce the bend in the mast? I read somewhere that you could go as high as 15% breaking strength on the uppers and 10% breaking strength on the lowers. On 5/32 wire that's 335 on the lowers and around 500 on the uppers. I don't thin I want to go that high but I figure anywhere between there and the 270/300 number.
No matter what I try, I can't seem to get the correct bend without having the lowers tensioned more than the uppers. I haven't read anywhere where that would be correct.
I could use any help. Thanks.
Do not worry about getting the mast straight static. you realy need to have a sail on it and powered up to tell if you have it set right. The mast will bend away from the wind, this will raise the tension on the lower windward stay. That will straighten your mast.
I guess I just don't know what to look for as I am incrementally increasing the tension of the shrouds. I figured after I have the acceptable bend in the mast that I could crank up the tension on the lowers to lock in that bend, then increase the uppers to the correct tension. It just seems I always need a higher tension on the lowers than the uppers to keep it from bending too much.
Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2017 7:39 am
Tightening the forestay is the same as tightening the uppers, I'm afraid, as they counteract each other in the fore/aft direction. And too much tension will make it impossible to pin the forestay without slackening something - either the shrouds, or the forestay (Johnson lever that many here use).paul I wrote:I assume the bend you mention is fore-aft. Won't tightening the forestay remove some of the mast bend? Are you struggling to pin it in place? It should be somewhat difficult to pin when its all set correctly.
I have a tension gauge still in the box sitting in my office right now (from the FIL
), and I'll play with it this spring, but I can usually get pretty consistent results by noting how hard it is to make the forestay pin when I crank down hard on the MRS. If it's easy, the shrouds will go slack on the lee side in a medium, good-sailing wind (don't know how fast of a wind, as I've never measured it). If it's difficult to pin, it's probably just right. In my case, that is. Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 3:52 pm
Take all the tension off the rig and look at your mast. Possibly your mast is bent causing the 4" of pre bend? If the mast is straight with all the tension off then you are possibly over tightening your outers causing the pre bend?
Once again do not worry to much about it being perfict static. Get the boat out and load up the rig, then look at it.
Once again do not worry to much about it being perfict static. Get the boat out and load up the rig, then look at it.
Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 4:43 am
I messed around with the rigging again and I think I got it pretty close. At least it's an acceptable amount of bend With tensions high enough.
Now how about some advice for the dynamic tuning. When beating into the wind and the lower shroud goes slack, what is the correction? What if the upper goes slack? What adjustments do I make?
My first guess is if the lowers slack to tighten them up some but my logic has been failing me throughout this whole process.
I don't like seeing them go slack at all. The wife really freaks out because the last time we had loose rigging we snapped the mast.
Now how about some advice for the dynamic tuning. When beating into the wind and the lower shroud goes slack, what is the correction? What if the upper goes slack? What adjustments do I make?
My first guess is if the lowers slack to tighten them up some but my logic has been failing me throughout this whole process.
I don't like seeing them go slack at all. The wife really freaks out because the last time we had loose rigging we snapped the mast.
Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 2:43 pm
Re doing standing rigging as we speak. 5/32 wire from Defender and upgrading to turnbuckles from Marine part depot. Going to be under 1/2 the price than
WM would be. I would like to borrow that "Peaches Gauge" for sure.
Tim
WM would be. I would like to borrow that "Peaches Gauge" for sure.
Tim
Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:40 pm
Those gauges are easily attainable! However they can be expensive!!!!!TIMBOAT2 wrote: I would like to borrow that "Peaches Gauge" for sure.
Tim
Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:42 pm
In higer winds do not worry about the lowers going slack. It was not your lose rigging that caused your mast to snap. It was defective rigging or mast.tlgibson97 wrote:I messed around with the rigging again and I think I got it pretty close. At least it's an acceptable amount of bend With tensions high enough.
Now how about some advice for the dynamic tuning. When beating into the wind and the lower shroud goes slack, what is the correction? What if the upper goes slack? What adjustments do I make?
My first guess is if the lowers slack to tighten them up some but my logic has been failing me throughout this whole process.
I don't like seeing them go slack at all. The wife really freaks out because the last time we had loose rigging we snapped the mast.
Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 9:58 am
Check this thread http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... 26&start=0 third post down under my name "vkmaynard"
This setup works great for our boat. I help tunned two other Xs with same results.
Victor
This setup works great for our boat. I help tunned two other Xs with same results.
Victor
Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2021 4:56 pm
Re: 26S standing rigging tension
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 5:15 am
If the admiral catches me studying that tension checking method, the tension in this house will go way up.