MacGregorSailors.com

I just got a 1999 26x. I have a question about the backstay? When the boat is rigged the upper and lower shrouds are tight and the headstay is tight as well ( it has a roller furling jib) the mast has a 2" to 3" bow towards the stern but the backstay is very loose. Is this right? I would assume this should be tight.

Thanks for any advice,
Mike

it should be tight, so if you don't have a loose guage (for measuring tension) thrumming the line to a low bowstring pitch is about 200 lbs tension. some go higher, few go lower. If the previous owner has replaced the backstay with a thicker or thinner backstay wire or a synthetic, the above advice is not applicable.

If your mast rake is 2-3" by measuring your weighted main halyard from the base of the mast while the boat is level, then you are OK with your rake provided your shrouds are at least 200-250 lbs on a Loose gage. per WW above. I have a Garhauer 4:1 vang on my backsay to induce some mast bow(bend) to flatten the main and stabilize the mast while under power. No, your backstay should not be flopping around.

Bob

Mine is loose as a goose. I like it that way so I can get the mast easy up. I talked with Bill at Macgregor and he said (and you can call and ask) that the back stay is not even needed.

When you say mast arcs back, are you referring to a it tilting back as a whole or bending aft with a forward curve in the top section of the mast? The former scenario means that you need more headstay tension. The latter means that your upper shrouds are too tight. Backstay shouldn't be slack. Not necessarily tight, but not slack. All the standing rigging works in synch together and any adjustment to one has an affect on everything else. The rig should be balanced. There are various levels of tension to suit your preference. Plenty of info on this web site.

Leon

Most of the tension you are feeling when you raise the mast should come from the outer stays , then the inner stays. And lastly the backstay. Performance types like Leon may differ

I'd agree with Bill that the backstay doesn't do too much. Mine is certainly no where near 200 pounds tension, but it's probably too loose to measure on the loos gauge

it will tighten up when running down wind or reaching with the spinnaker