Basic shroud tensioning
The shroud tension on your sailboat should be the same or
balanced side to side. The shroud tension should be about 20% of the wire breaking
strength for the upper shrouds and about 10% on the lower shrouds. This is a
good starting point and is good for most sailing. If you race you will want to
make measurements when you are sailing hard on the wind on both tacks. Then
head up wind and adjust the tension. By making small adjustments and going back
and forth you can then tighten the shrouds that were slack. This way you can
adjust them so there is no longer slack on either tack.
You measure tensions with a Loos Gage and you
should record them for reference. If you
make a major adjustment, you should re check the tension after sailing the boat
a few times. You may need a small adjustment after sailing as the wires adjust
to the new tension.
If you trailer your boat often and raise and lower the mast
frequently, it is nice to have a reference so you can use as a quick check.
If the shrouds and stays are not balanced, you can end up
with a bent mast. You can sometimes straighten a mast that has a minor bend in
it, but it is not an easy task and needs to be done slowly.
When the shrouds and stays are balanced the boat will sail
better whether you notice it or not.
It is not hard to do, but it is time consuming. When you are
sailing note how much slack you get when on a hard tack. It will give you an idea
if you need to re-tension your rigging.
Here are some links with more information:
and:
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