SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

How tight should my Stays be?

5K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  sailingdog 
#1 ·
I have a 24' sloop and I'm not trying to push the limits on my rigging. Is there a general rule on how tight your stays should be? Thanks
 
#2 · (Edited)
Lap, welcome to Sailnet..

Please read this thread here

sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/42542-adjusting-your-rig.html

The info is very good, and its easy to follow..I know the idiot that wrote it.

He is an idiot, but is a good guy..

But normally it should be around 20% of the breaking load of your wire

Alex
 
#5 ·
i don't agree with 20% having a few sailing boat since 1972
Like mainsail said
i have mine set to around 40 % to give it some relieve from full tensions witch extenuate life if cables by years.never had fr-ailing of woven s/steel cable
and it acts like shock absorber
But like many boats most rigging is done for a price .when you start replacing stays increase the cable load capacity by min 50% and set to max 40% load
You Will have a rigging that last for a long time and saving you maintenance
 
#8 · (Edited)
You are for sure joking, recommending someone to tension the stay to 40 and 50%?? Unless your 40 and 50 is not percentage of wire breaking load..which is how we measure.

I'm outta here...

To the original poster, make sure you note who said it, ok?? Wasn't me. Just in case.

By the way, google around some of the shroud and stay manufacturers web sites, you will CLEARLY read in all of them NOT to exceed 25% of the breaking load.
 
#6 ·
I used to agonize over this and was scared to death of breaking my boat. A friend with an Islander Bahama 30 would regularly kick the butt of my Pearson 30, something that just shouldn't happen. I was reading an article on rig tuning that said the if a big ultralight with a hydraulic backstay doesn't bend how much damage do you think that you and an end wrench can do. I reefed down as much as I could on the backstay and picked up at least a full knot. That was about 25 years ago. I just saw the Pearson this afternoon and she's still straight.

Dick PLuta
AEGEA
Nassau, Bahamas
 
#13 ·
Having made my living for the past 15 years as a rigger, it never ceases to amaze me how many "expert riggers" there are who are so willing to dispense quality information for free. Information like upgrading your wire size without bothering to upgrade your chainplates or tangs. Or tightening your rigging so much that you hog the boat and make your cabinetry stick. Or the ones who advocate stuffing foam inside the mast to keep the wires from slapping.
All I can say is God bless em. They keep me in work fixing all the problems they help create.
 
#14 ·
We had a guy in our marina for a few years with an old Islander. The boat does not have a compression post. It was built with a wooden truss under the mast step to carry the loads to the keel. It framed out the doorway to the Y birth and head. One Sat. afternoon a few of us watched him taking a small piece of flat stock and was using it to turn turnbuckles. We walked down to his slip, and was informed that he was "tuning his rig."

Small talk went back and forth. A question was asked how do you know how tight you are getting them without a Gauge. He said by feel. I felt a shroud and it was as tight as a piano wire, no play at all. Again it was asked are you sure it's not to tight.

By the end of the season, there was a 4 to 5 inch indentation in the cabin top at the mast step. But the good thing was the rigging tension was just about right!
 
#16 ·
Lapworth-

15-20% is generally the accepted tension, but it does vary a slight bit..I'd point you to the thread that Gui tried to link to, which is located HERE
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top