New Owner Rigging Questions

[JBirchfield]

I have recently taken ownership of a 16 that had the mast ripped off.  I had the fiberglass repair done and am in process of rigging and stepping the mast.  I received new spreaders and have a couple of questions.

The new spreaders are longer than the originals, which it appears were shortened by the previous owner.  I assume the longer ones will work as they came from the factory.  Why would the original ones have been shortened?

There is a hole under the groove in the spreader.  What is this hole for?  Should I wire the spreader to the shroud?  Am I missing a part that would cap the spreader and attach it to the shroud?  My previous experience is that the spreader is held in place by the tension of the shroud.

How tight should the shrouds be?  How tight should the fore and aft stays be?
This is my first experience with a trailerable design where the mast would come down fairly regularly.

Thanks in advance....

John

[TroyVB]

Congrats on the new to you CP16.  You will enjoy her.

I am unsure as to why the spreaders would have been shortened by the PO.  It may have been to reduce the chaff on the sail on a run downwind.

The spreaders on my CP16 have a hole for a quarter inch pin to attach to the mast.  The outboard end has a slot to accept the shroud and just inboard of that slot is a small hole for the stainless wire to keep the shroud in the slot when the mast is unstepped.  The shroud should be wired but not so tight that it has no movement through the spreader.  You will need some sort of a boot to keep the sail from contacting the end of the spreader.

I tighten the shrouds by feel and knowing where the rig performs best with the mast raked just forward.  Shrouds should set the mast plumb side to side.  Use the forestay to tighten for the rake forward.  I like to see as straight a luff as is possible on the jib or Genoa.  Simple rig to tune.

Have fun.  Let us know how it turns out.

[Paul]

JBirchfield,

Congratulations on your new CP-16.  Welcome to the forum.

Troy hit the nail right on the head.   Good luck finishing the rigging.

You'll enjoy her.

Paul

[JohnS]

I'd guess the old spreaders were shortened to allow the jib to be sheeted tighter. Not a solution I'd recommend.
You should secure the spreader ends to the shrouds and make sure the spreader tips bisect the angle they make with the shroud. Drooping spreaders can result in rig failure.
You can cover the spreader tips with tape to minimize any wear on the sail when sheeted tight, or get a pair of spreader boots. I prefer not to use the wheely things you sometimes see because they effectively extend the spreaders and so encourage contact with the sail.
Good luck with the new boat and fair winds.

[multimedia_smith]

Hi and welcome...
My guess is that the shrouds were shortened as a result of damage.  If you're not careful, you can bend the spreader up or down (usually up) when stepping or unstepping the mast.  I bent mine that way once... I was able to straighten it out, but the damage occurred right at the mast/hinge point.  It would have been simpler to cut of the bend and re-drill the end, but that would have resulted in a shorter spreader.

With regard to getting the mast plumb port to starboard.  It's difficult to put enough strain on the loose shrouds to get an accurate measurement to make them the same length.  What I did was to level the boat with the mast up on the trailer by jacking the axle with a carpenter's level across the companionway hatch and then on the forward section of the cockpit just at the base of the companionway entrance.

Once the boat is level... you can't get on it again as it might disturb the level.  I used a tall ladder next to the boat and then place the level on the mast.  You can then loosen or tighten either side to achieve plumb left to right.  At this point you can start trimming the forestay forward or aft to get the proper rake to balance for your particular rig.  I tighten the rig to "Bass Guitar" tension in high winds, and less in lighter air.  If you need to loosen the shrouds to allow for more or less rake, all you then have to do is make the exact number of turns out or in on each side.

You should be able to get the boat to have only a very slight weather helm on puffs.  This may take some time, but it's fun to work it out.

Enjoy the process

Dale