Capri
30 Rig
I�m going to try and gather everything together that
I�ve received here that has to do with the rig.�
The rig is a tapered section with double
spreaders.� Hull #11 has a 44� 10�� Kenyon Spars
4060 MORC Section with the Low Profile Deck Collar Assembly (K-10858) and 6
really cool Halyard Turning Block Assemblies (K-10865).� The mast is stepped on the keel.� The lower shrouds are in line with the upper
and intermediate shrouds allowing the mast to bend when desired.� The interior is kept open by using tie rods
and a transverse truss structural system, allowing the main bulkhead to be
moved forward of the spreaders.� For
main sail shape control there are adjustable check stays to the legal MORC
limit on the cabin top with ball bearing cars and controls led aft to the
cockpit.� A Headfoil II system with
three headsail halyards, any of which may be used for the spinnaker, is
standard equipment.
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Setting
up the Mast on the Capri 30
The
idea is to set up the mast so that it is in the center of the boat at the mast
tip.� The mast must be centered so that
the sail will have the same shape on both tacks and have the same sailing angle
on each tack.
1.
Step the mast and set up all the shrouds very loose
(no tension at all).� Also set the
backstay, checkstays, and headstay with no tension at all.
2. Attach
a steel measuring tape to the shackle of the genoa halyard and tape the
end to the shackle so that it cannot change position.
3. Pull
the halyard all the way to the top and tension so that the shackle cannot move
at the top of the mast.� Check with
binoculars that the tape is coming from the center.� Generally, just releasing and re-tensioning is all that is needed
to get it in the center.� Make sure to
have sufficient tension on the tape so that each measurement will be the
same.� Test the tape to see that you are
getting the same measurement each time.�
Measure to any point on the centerline of the boat a couple of times by
pulling the tape tight and measuring to a pencil mark.� This will give you a bit of practice to see
how much tension is required to put on the tape to repeat a given
measurement.� You should be able to repeat
a measurement to within 1/32� without any difficulty.
4. Tighten
the lower shrouds several turns (equally) until you have just light tension on
the shrouds.� Remember lowers only.� Now bring your tape around and measure the
distance to the top of the pin.� The
shackle pin does not move, therefore it is the best point of measurement.� Look very carefully as you hold the tape
right over the pin. Measure to the top of the small end that goes through the
shackle, that way even if the heads of the pins are finished with a different
diameter it does not change your measurement.�
Write down the measurement on one side, go to the other side and
measure.� Compare the two measurements.� Now tighten the longest shroud by HALF the
difference in your measurement.� Sight
up the mast and the sail track should be straight with just very gentle bend
over the distance from the lower spreader up to the mast tip.� Measure the lowers again from side to side
and repeat the adjustment correction by taking half the difference in measurements.� Do not tighten the lowers hard at this
point.� They should be in good tension
by now, but certainly not tight.
5. Repeat
the procedure on the upper main shrouds.�
Go back and forth to each side to bring the measurements equal and sight
up the mast as after each setting so that you will notice if you have made a
gross error somewhere and it is pulling the mast tip way out of line.� It will probably take as many as four or
five adjustments to bring an equal measurement to these upper main
shrouds.� When the measurement is equal,
further tension these main upper shrouds so that the tension is slightly
tighter than the lower shrouds.� Sight
up the mast and you will probably see that there is a slight bend one way or
the other at about ten feet down from the mast tip.� This is corrected by tensioning the smaller upper shrouds.� Do not over tighten these smaller shrouds,
just bring them up tight enough to take out the slight bend.� Check the sail track after each adjustment
and as you look up the track, test by pulling one shroud or another and you
will quickly see what is needed to make the mast straight.
6. When
you have finished, tension the main upper shrouds again an equal amount of
turns and also the lowers a lesser amount.�
You want to have more tension on the uppers as they are longer and will
stretch more.
7. Now
tension your headstay to the mast rake you wish and adjust the backstay
adjustment threaded portion to bring in the minimum tension you will ever want
on the headstay sag.� This is your
starting point before you operate the hydraulic cylinder.� This means that if you release the backstay
cylinder completely, the headstay sag will go to the setting you just
made.�
You may want to change your mast rake to induce or reduce
helm and therefore you only need to increase the turns on one end the same as
you reduce the other.� Actually this is
not exactly true, as the diameters are different backstay to headstay and
therefore the thread pitch is different so the backstay will generally move
more per turn than the headstay, but unless you are making a gross adjustment
the difference is slight.
8. At
this point, put on about 500 pounds tension on the backstay and check the sail
track to see that the mast is still straight.�
Make sure the checkstays are still off.�
Release the backstay pressure.
9. The
use of the checkstays is a personal tuning preference and is accomplished
through the small block on the car and cleating the line.� The checkstays pull the bow out of the
center of the mast as the backstay is tensioned.
Set each of the cars back an equal amount of their
track length. To begin, measure back five inches.� Now tension the checkstays equally until you have light tension
on each.� Check your mast track to see
that you have the tension equal.�
Unequal tension will pull the center of the mast towards the tightest
checkstay.� Equalize the tensions.� Do this checkstay tensioning with the
backstay off fully so that you can more readily see the change the tension
makes and thus make the equalization an easier job.
Now put a little pressure on your backstay
adjuster.� Check the mast and you will
see that the mast head is coming back and that there is a bow towards the bow
in the center of the mast.� Tension your
checkstays and you will see this bow reduced.�
This system allows you to have a tighter headstay by tensioning backstay
but retain a full main by pulling on the checkstays as they straighten up the
mast.� This is very useful in lighter
air or heavier air in flat water.
You can also use checkstay tension if there is chop
to help eliminate mast pumping.
10. Now
go out on a light to medium air opportunity with main and genoa sail and check
the straightness of the mast under sail.�
You will probably need to make some small corrections to the shroud
tensions to bring the mast in straight and true.
11. Be
reminded that you will need to take up the tension after a few times sailing to
account for the stretch of new cables.�
This will be particularly true after sailing in winds of a heavier strength.� Generally a turn or two will be
required.�
Check the mast from time to time on each tack so
that you do not have the mast out of column due to unequal stretch of the
shrouds.� After a time, the shrouds will
be stretched and further adjustments will be unnecessary.
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