Check Alex's (Giulietta's) rig-tuning article here: http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/42542-adjusting-your-rig.html
Also Ivar Dedekam's Sail and Rig Tuning. The procedure of tightening the leeward shrouds while under way is pretty standard.
As for stressing or galling the threads: Yes, this can be a problem, but not if you keep them well-lubricated. I use a lanolin-based product available from West Marine. Kinda smelly when you're first putting it on
, but it lasted all season for us, last season.
Consider: There's got to be a way to adjust turnbuckles w/o taking all the load off them. What about the fore- and back-stays? What about when you want to un-step the mast?
We have a backstay adjuster that basically works like a big ol' turnbuckle. That thing gets adjusted while we're going to weather. It got galled (turned out it had obviously happened before we owned the boat), but I was told by the machinist that machined the replacement stainless "nut" that, as long as we kept it lubed, it would be no problem.
Jim
Also Ivar Dedekam's Sail and Rig Tuning. The procedure of tightening the leeward shrouds while under way is pretty standard.
As for stressing or galling the threads: Yes, this can be a problem, but not if you keep them well-lubricated. I use a lanolin-based product available from West Marine. Kinda smelly when you're first putting it on
Consider: There's got to be a way to adjust turnbuckles w/o taking all the load off them. What about the fore- and back-stays? What about when you want to un-step the mast?
We have a backstay adjuster that basically works like a big ol' turnbuckle. That thing gets adjusted while we're going to weather. It got galled (turned out it had obviously happened before we owned the boat), but I was told by the machinist that machined the replacement stainless "nut" that, as long as we kept it lubed, it would be no problem.
Jim