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[E32-3] Rig Tension Specs?

Geoff W.

Makes Up For It With Enthusiasm
Blogs Author
Might be a dumb question as I'm a rigging novice, but anyone know what specs the shrouds/stays should be tuned to on the E32-3? I'm gonna try my first few races this/next month as skipper and I notice my boat is almost a knot faster on starboard tack than it is on port tack. Water tanks are empty and ballast seems balanced so the only thing I can think is it's a rigging issue.
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
Might be a dumb question as I'm a rigging novice, but anyone know what specs the shrouds/stays should be tuned to on the E32-3?

I'm not (personally) a believer in the "quant" method of tuning a rig. It's entirely possible to have misleading numbers, and/or "the right numbers" and a rig that still isn't right.

My approach is very analog:
-- ease all the shrouds a few turns
-- make sure the mast is centered in the partners (at the deck)
-- using a 50-foot tape measure run up the main halyard, adjust the uppers until the masthead is centered over the boat, and make them "snug"
-- sighting up the bolt-rope slot on the back of the mast, adjust the intermediates until the top panel of the mast is "in column" under the masthead
-- sighting up the bolt-rope slot, adjust the lowers until the whole mast is "in column" under the masthead
-- tighten everything up (*)

* - IMO, "tighten everything up" involves going sailing close-hauled in 8-10 knots of breeze. Put the boat on port, look up the back of the mast and see what it is doing. Is the tip falling off to leeward? Is the middle falling out of column? Are the leeward shrouds flopping around? Make note, tack, and make some adjustments to the (now) leeward shrouds. Then look up the back of the mast and repeat with the boat (now) on starboard. Repeat (trying to keep the adjustments symmetrical) until the mast is centered and in column on both tacks.

At *that* point, you may also want to fuss with headstay and backstay to deal with any helm issues. If the boat has noticeable weather-helm (wants to turn up into the wind when close-hauled, and it takes more than a "spoke" of wheel to keep it on track).. you may want to move the rig forward by loosening the backstay a few turns and taking up the headstay the same number of turns. Note that taking up on the headstay may be a non-trivial effort - with a Schaefer roller-furler installed, for example, it means taking apart the drum and the torsion tube in order to get to the headstay turnbuckle.

Last thing, once the rig is centered side-to-side and in the right place fore-and-aft, check how much headstay sag there is when close-hauled. Go up to the bow and look up the headstay... you'll see the headstay curves to leeward. If it is more than a foot of "sag", probably need to tighten both headstay and backstay. This is a place where a sailmaker can help, because headsails are usually built around the assumption of a certain amount of sag, and what you want to do is make it so the rig produces the shape that the sailmaker built.

Oh... BTW, the Ericson 32-III manual (pages 6-2 and 6-3) lays out much the same tuning process, with a couple of checkpoints for getting to "the right tension". The manual says that the upper shrouds should "deflect two inches when pulled laterally by hand with moderate effort...approximately 5 feet above deck". The intermediates should have slightly less tension. The forward lowers should be "slightly tighter" than he aft lowers. That's probably a more meaningful model than a number on a gauge.

$.02
Bruce
 

Geoff W.

Makes Up For It With Enthusiasm
Blogs Author
Awesome, thanks Bruce. Now how much beer would it take to get you to come sailing on a Sunday ;)
 

Frank Langer

1984 Ericson 30+, Nanaimo, BC
It's also my understanding that when sailing in 10 - 15 knot winds, the leeward shrouds should still have enough tension to not look or feel loose, but it's ok for them to feel less than "tight" and the mast should still be straight in column, as Bruce said. A rigger once told me that many sailors err on the side of having the rig tension too loose, which promotes damaging shock loading during a tack; he suggested that having them tighter rather than looser is better, as long as they are not so tight that they are bending the boat or cracking the deck gelcoat at the shrouds.

There is also a method described in Brion Toss's book The Riggers Apprentice to start with the rig slack, tape a tape measure from the turnbuckle upwards about 6 feet, mark it, and then tune the rig at the dock. The shroud will stretch a certain number of millimeters, and he gives the formula--it's easy to do but I can't remember how many millimeters to get to about 15% tension. I prefer going through the steps that Bruce outlined but this method can work too.

Frank
 
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