Association Forum - Shroud & Stay Tension

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Shroud & Stay Tension

New Topic

Reply to Topic

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

djscuba96
Deckhand

Member Avatar

USA
4 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/21/2025 : 07:50:46

Hello everyone,

I was able to find the info best about solo rigging my C25 tall rig. However, I�m running into trouble finding what the loos gauge # is for the most efficient running.

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 06/21/2025 : 11:03:49

A loos gauge doesn't help you find the correct tension for stays and shrouds. You have to do that through using good rig tuning techniques. A loos gauge is only useful to help you ensure that you haven't over-tensioned the stays and shrouds, and to help you restore the same tensions after you have taken the mast down.

Thus, if you know how to tune your rig, you don't need a loos gauge at all, and if you have taken the mast down, you don't need a loos gauge to find the correct tensions.

You don't say whether you have a single, fixed backstay or a split, adjustable backstay. If the former, then there really isn't anything you can do to your standing rigging to improve sailing downwind. You can, however, make changes in sail trim to improve downwind performance. You can power up the sails by easing all the controls. Ease the main and jib halyards, ease the main outhaul, move the genoa cars forward, ease the vang slightly.

If you have a backstay adjuster, easing it will tilt the mast forward, creating forestay sag, which powers up the jib. When you do so, you will change the tensions on the forestay and backstay, and the forward lower stays and aft lower stays. To go to windward, you simply restore tension to the backstay adjuster, and that restores all the correct tensions to all the shrouds and stays.

So, my suggestion is learn how to tune your rig correctly and sell the loos gauge. Here's a link to an article I wrote on how to tune a C25 rig.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/617580098259588/permalink/30331413489782856

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

djscuba96
Deckhand

Members Avatar

USA
4 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2025 : 07:31:33

Thank you. Maybe I�m asking this incorrectly. My starboard aft lower shroud was not tightened enough for the cotter rings to be set. However all the other shrouds had quite a bit of the thread into both ends of the turnbuckle. Because of this, I loosened the others and went back to the aft lower and had it tightened just enough to fit the cotter rings. I noticed that my turnbuckle would try to unspin itself as though the wire was twisting instead of the turnbuckle. If I released the wrench that I had through the turnbuckle to spin more thread from the deck toggle, then the entire cable would reverse the deck toggle thread back out to maybe one or two twists into the turnbuckle female end of the threads. However, I was able to rotate the turnbuckle enough for the deck toggle's threaded end to have enough thread for the cotter ring hole to be visible inside the turnbuckle. Now, this starboard aft lower shroud is under a nice amount of tension and I need to set the remaining five shroud�s cotter pins, but they have enough thread into the turnbuckles to where they are flimsy. Do I just start with the most loose shroud and begin tightening it until it also feels under tension?

This link shows a picture of the turnbuckles that I am using, but they do not have cotter ring holes: https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/threads/turnbuckle-safety-margin-how-much-shroud-length-is-needed.236271/

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2025 : 11:16:11

Are the photos shown in the sailing anarchy link of your boat?

If I understand correctly, you or someone fabricated a set of shrouds and stays for your boat and at least one of them is slightly short. The others seem to be long enough.

If the upper shrouds and the forestay and backstay seem to be long enough, then the first thing to do is tighten them hand-tight. Then check the mast in the fore-and-aft plane with a carpenter's level to see if it is erect fore-and-aft. If not, adjust the forestay and backstay turnbuckles as necessary to make the mast erect.

Next, adjust the turnbuckles for the upper shrouds hand-tight approximately equally. Then take the jib halyard and adjust it so that it barely touches a starboard chainplate. Then try to touch it to the same chainplate on the port side. If it's too short, the loosen the turnbuckle on the starboard side and tighten the one on the port side by an equal number of turns. Continue doing so until the jib halyard just touches the chainplates equally on both sides.

Now that the mast is erect in all directions, check the lengths of all the lower stays. Find the longest one and the shortest ones. If you're lucky, you might be able to swap one for the other, and each will be long enough. If one or more of them isn't long enough, then you should have new ones made that fit. This link tells you the exact length for each shroud and stay. https://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/manbro/pictures/pc17.gif

If one or more are too short, don't try to figure out a way to make do. Bite the bullet and replace it. If the mast isn't erect, the boat will sail poorly. If the mast is out of column, it might well snap in a strong gust.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Edited by - Steve Milby on 06/22/2025 11:18:57

Topic

New Topic

Reply to Topic

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.