Backstay Tension question

[Jrudd]

Hello - I looked at a Beneteau 281 yesterday. I noticed a lot of bend past the spreaders. Is this normal? Too much backstay tension? The boat has split backstays. I have attached a photo.

[tkeithlu]

Welcome to the forum, Jrudd.

Nope. Not normal. Badly rigged if not bent.

[Manateeman]

When I worked at TPI, we had a new J boat owner destroy his mast ( permanent bend) within a week.
Yes, you can bend a mast into a permanent curve. What do you think this does to the rest of the rig.
Mark

[nuku34]

Hi There, From the photo, this looks like a masthead rig, yes? That is a key point in assessing bend. If its a masthead rig (forestay attaches at the top of the mast), then IMHO the bend does look somewhat extreme. Also, its a bit odd to see the bend starting at the spreaders. Could be that the lower shrouds are too loose.

If it was your boat, you could play around with tensions, but its not your problem.

[GordMay]

See ➥ https://www.neilprydesails.com/image...im%20Guide.pdf

[Jrudd]

Thank you all for the input!