Standing rigging

[rossdv8]

Provided you can measure:
1) from the attachment point on the mast to the deck (easy on a mast that is steppen on the deck, obviously if the mast is keel stepped you measure to a point on the mast where the deck is, or where it 'would be' if your mast goes down through the cabin top.

2) from the side of the mast at the bottom, to the chainplate where the attachment point is.

And do that for each stay and shroud, you should end up with the long and the short sides of several right angled triangles. Then you can use high school maths A squared + B squared = C squared
(the square on the hypotenuse side = the sum of the squares of the other two sides). You should have had that one drummed into your head in high school. If you haven't used it in years, look it up and practice it with a piece of string a few times until you remember how it works.

That should give you the actual length between the relevant attachment point and the chainplate for each shroud and stay.

Calculate how much allowance needs to be made for fittings on each end of the stays and shrouds so you know how long to make the wires.

It worked for my boats, although they were only 26 foot QTs.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by KingPalm

Hello all.

I have a 1981 gulfstar sailmaster 39ft

I'm trying to find the lengths of standing rigging I need. My mast is laying on the deck currently and I would love to stand it soon. But I don't know the correct length of rigging that I'll need.

Google your boat info, its all out there. Besides any rigger would be able to get you that info. I see they were sold to Viking Yachts here in NJ. Maybe a call to them and see what they have in archive?

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Yes, and wires stretch too. A good rigger will know how to compensate for that. A neighbor in the boatyard just replaced the rod rigging on a Peterson 43 for wire rigging. The new wire backstay stretched over a foot more than he had accounted for.

OK I must have misunderstood what he said. I stand humbly corrected! I chatted with my rigger friend for quite a while last night and he educated me on the difference between permanent elongation and elastic stretch of wire rigging. For a backstay of 56' that is 3/8" 1x19 wire he estimated that permanent elongation would be no more than 9/16" to 5/8" and elastic stretch would be about 4.5" max. He said he had learned over the years that permanent elongation is so small that he just lays the old shrouds or stays out to measure them and uses that measure for the new ones. He also said that 7x7 wire stretches more than 1x19 but is not commonly used anymore.

[Icarus]

If you have forward lower shrouds, you can stand the mast and measure the forestay length.
Presumably there is a backstay and capshrouds?

[Renegde_Sailor]

Your best bet is to make a drawing, get the measurements, make sure it is right.

Then you have it and you are not creating a nightmare.

[The Yacht Rigger]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Yes, and wires stretch too. A good rigger will know how to compensate for that. A neighbor in the boatyard just replaced the rod rigging on a Peterson 43 for wire rigging. The new wire backstay stretched over a foot more than he had accounted for.

Something else happened here. There's simply no way any 1x19 wire stretches that much unless its SEVERELY undersized, I'm talking 1/4 the size it should be, and even then thats a huge amount of stretch. Sounds like a simple mis-measure.
Happens to the best of us, and its easy to own it and make it right.

[The Yacht Rigger]

Originally Posted by Don C L

OK I must have misunderstood what he said. I stand humbly corrected! I chatted with my rigger friend for quite a while last night and he educated me on the difference between permanent elongation and elastic stretch of wire rigging. For a backstay of 56' that is 3/8" 1x19 wire he estimated that permanent elongation would be no more than 9/16" to 5/8" and elastic stretch would be about 4.5" max. He said he had learned over the years that permanent elongation is so small that he just lays the old shrouds or stays out to measure them and uses that measure for the new ones. He also said that 7x7 wire stretches more than 1x19 but is not commonly used anymore.

This sounds accurate to me. We have a wire pre-stretching setup for architectural cables and this is consistent with what we see.

[The Yacht Rigger]

OP, to solve this issue I would do some basic measurements, have the wires made a few feet longer than they need to be, swage on the top fittings, then step the mast and install mechanical fittings from Blue Wave, Sta-lok, or Hi-Mod on the bottom while the crane holds the mast up.
We do this often with new masts.

[MicHughV]

I had to do this before....make each stay/shroud a little longer than it needs to be.
Attach the upper end to the mast by use of stay lock fittings, swaged ends, or whatever your preference is.
Hoist the mast into place and support with temporary halyards, etc
Attach turnbuckles and unscrew the ends until about 1/2" of the threaded rod is showing inside the turnbuckle.
Cut shroud/stay to fit, attach end fitting of your choice, attach to turnbuckle...voila...job donw.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by rossdv8

Provided you can measure:
1) from the attachment point on the mast to the deck (easy on a mast that is steppen on the deck, obviously if the mast is keel stepped you measure to a point on the mast where the deck is, or where it 'would be' if your mast goes down through the cabin top.

2) from the side of the mast at the bottom, to the chainplate where the attachment point is.

And do that for each stay and shroud, you should end up with the long and the short sides of several right angled triangles. Then you can use high school maths A squared + B squared = C squared
(the square on the hypotenuse side = the sum of the squares of the other two sides). You should have had that one drummed into your head in high school. If you haven't used it in years, look it up and practice it with a piece of string a few times until you remember how it works.

QTs.

The easy way to remember the therom is from my construction days. 3 4 5. length of a is 3 units, length of b is 4 units, length of C is 5 units works easily with any unit of measurement you wish to use .

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by The Yacht Rigger

OP, to solve this issue I would do some basic measurements, have the wires made a few feet longer than they need to be, swage on the top fittings, then step the mast and install mechanical fittings from Blue Wave, Sta-lok, or Hi-Mod on the bottom while the crane holds the mast up.
We do this often with new masts.

I was thinking about that too, but how do you get the rake right (for those boats with raked masts?) The waterline would have to be level and then you hang a plumb bob down from the mast head, right? I guess you could use a clear tube water level from the bow to the stern to be sure the waterline is level when hauled out?

[Bowdrie]

It appears the OPs boat has a keel stepped mast?
If so, the shrouds are a piece of cake.
A crane only needed to get the mast in the boat.
Of course, I assume there are some mast wedges, (there should be).