> Hi,
> I have learned several things from tuning various sailboats over
> the last thirty years. First, shrouds (on the sides) and stays (fore
> and aft) are seldom symmetrical. (big snip)
> Hank P-15 "Tinker" # 1981
Let me add my two bits to Hanks excellent synopsis:
When you crank down on the turnbuckles and really tension them, you are
COMPRESSING the mast. Most materials are their strongest in tension,
and weakest in compression (pull a piece of string and see how strong it
is, now push a piece of string and see what happens!). Anyway, an
overly compressed mast is more prone to eccentric loading which, as Hank
alluded to, could lead to disaster- catastrophic mast failure.
"Just tight" is tight enough on those shrouds. If you want to get anal
about it you could get a tension gauge, but it's overkill.
Bill Longyard