[Public-list] Mast support beam

[Gordon Laco]

Hi there - 

Can't resist telling a story from my early days in the business.  A fellow
was having a new rig built... I was interested in learning how the old one
came down so kept asking questions whenever he came in.  After initial
reluctance, he admitted the following stranger than fiction story.

"I was sailing along and noticed that the shrouds on the low side were
loose, so I tightened them.  Later, on the other tack the shrouds on the
other tack which had been tight now seemed loose, so I tightened them.

(here is where it gets good)

"I realized that the pressure of the wind was pushing the rig to one side or
the other so I went from one tack to the other tightening the shrouds after
each tack trying to make them uniform.  Then the mast broke."

Honest, that's a true story..

Gord
#426 Surprise









> In fact this will change the rake on the mast and you might want to read some
> of
> Stuart Walker's comments on rake with respect to upwind performance in race
> boats. I also think he has some good comments on how tight to have rigging
> when
> sailiing. On Deck stepped masts, tight rigging only exacerbates driving the
> mast
> through the deck amd since the Alberg 30 hull is as strong as it is, this
> point
> at the base of the mast takes much of the downward force that the strong hull
> can translate from the ends. Sailing World did a story of Aussie 2,  the
> America's Cup boat, when she broke up off San Francisco and they figured there
> was a force of more than 500,000 lbs  upwards on the ends of that hull when
> she
> broke in two. Be warned that you can generate very large forces with tight
> rigging because of the leverage effects of the length of the hull.
>   I don't think I would wait until the next time the boat is in a yard to fix
> this deck/beam repair to avoid it  being  the weather that might bring things
> to  deck level or below with a crash! Schedule the trip to the yard for the
> near
> future.
> Don Campbell
> 
> Mike Lehman wrote:
> 
>> It may alter the sailing characteristics a small amount. It will have an
>> effect on the length of the shrouds. In particular, the headstay may be too
>> long and the backstay too short.
>> 
>> Mike Lehman
>> "Gilleleje" #505
>> 
>> ~~~_/)_/) ~_/) ~~
>> 
>> ----Original Message Follows----
>> From: "Peter Amos" <p.a.amos at tesco.net>
>> Reply-To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all <public-list at alberg30.org>
>> To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at alberg30.org>
>> Subject: Re: [Public-list] Mast support beam
>> Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 13:21:30 +0100
>> 
>> Mike,thanks for that.Next time Tait Tait is in a Florida yard I shall unstep
>> the mast and do some reinforcing.Im wondering if repositioning the mast step
>> forward an inch in addition to moving the mast forward as far as the slots
>> allow would cause any problems.
>> Peter Amos
>> 
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