Bayraider 20 Shroud Tension

[plasticpaddy]

Is there a way of knowing what the correct tension on the shrouds should be.
On a trip last year coming out over a small bar with wind over tide, 'Meg' was  swaying side to side and to say i was worried that the mast was going to lift the tabernacle from the deck would be an understatement.  I had tightened, what i thought was tight enough, the lanyards on the shrouds, but the sway on the mast was noticeable. As it swayed port, the starboard would tighten and then this would sway Starboard and this swing motion continued for some time. Once over the bar and I could turn the sway stopped. Now while I understand there will always be sway. I'm thinking I didn't have them tight enough.
How should these be tied?
Am I doing this wrong?(See attached)
What type of string should be used

[Peter Cockerton]

Your probably doing this already but I thought it worth mentioning anyway, when hauling and tensioning the jib have the club boom positioned to one side of the deck alongside the gunnel, when the jib halyard is cleated lift off centre the boom which will tension the jib luff, then when you unfirl the jib and tension the outhaul until the club boom is off the deck the shrouds will tension even more.  This action will tension the shrouds beyond what you have achieved when you tensioned them with the rope strops.

Numerous postings are on the forum discussing lee shroud issues but the consensus is the BR20 does not have a high tension performance rig.
If you look at the owners manual under the library/boat ownership it has a close up photo of the rope strop and how it should done.

PS

Your shackle pin doesn’t look as if it’s “moused off “ I.e no cable strap or Monel wire to stop it turning itself undone, it may not have a hole in the head to allow this but worth doing if it does.
Trust this helps

Peter C

[Graham W]

When the jib is furled, however tightly your shrouds are tensioned, they will become less so.  I use the same technique as Peter to apply initial tension to the shrouds when raising the mast and they are then reasonably taut.  I also have a jib topping lift which (amongst other things) can be used to take up some of the slack when the jib is furled - see https://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/?p=1087 and https://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/smf/index.php/topic,1217.0.html.

If your shroud shackle (top or bottom) comes undone,  this (below) can happen, so best avoided by checking it regularly and/or mousing it as Peter suggests.  I found out this out very early on, the hard way.

[Sea Simon]

Found this in my BRe manual, while looking for something else.
May help, in that I see no specific "tension numbers"?
.....................
The main mast is raised by lifting from within the cockpit and taking in the slack with the
jib halyard. Ensure the boat is pointing into the wind, or dead downwind, as a cross wind
makes it very awkward to raise and lower.
Before starting to raise the mast, ensure that the shrouds are attached to the chainplates at
the deck and to the mast head, and that all shackles are seized with cable ties or wire to
stop them working loose. The jib boom should also be attached to the stem head via the
rope strop and it is easier to also have the jib sheets connected through it too.
Raise the mast by placing it on your shoulder and walking forward. Once vertical, pull in
the slack on the jib halyard and make fast. The jib boom is used to tension the system.
With the heel of the jib boom down on the foredeck, pull in the jib halyard and cleat off
with as much tension as possible by hand. Now unfurl the jib and pull in on the clew line
which will bring the aft end of the jib boom up to meet the clew of the sail. In so doing
the front end of the jib boom is forced down, pulling considerably more tension into the
luff. If more is required, repeat the tensioning process but consider starting with the back
end of the jib boom further down, eg on the side deck.
For the mk2 jib system a winch is provided for the jib halyard tension.
It is important to not that whatever jib system you have, the tension in the system is
delivered by the jib halyard, not by altering the shrouds. The ties at the base of the
shrouds are only adjusted if the mast rake needs adjusting. These should be set so that the
mast has a slight aft rake. The mast should be perpendicular to the GRP deck where the
mast ends. There should be around 300mm of space between the head of the jib and the
turning block for the jib halyard on the mast. After several hard sailing sessions, the
shroud base lashings should have bedded in and may have stretched a little. In this case
the mast may be too vertical and the lashing my need re tying shorter. Always have at
least 4 full turns on the lashing and use half hitches to make off the end.
............................. ...............
My BRe has a separate forestay, and due to ongoingng stretch of the original polyester cord, I changed to Dyeema, but rigged and tied off in the same way as yours. This seems to be as described in the final sentence quoted.
Can't add much on specific tension, as my carbon Bermudian rig entirely different.

[Graham W]

Simon,

It looks like your BRe manual is a lot more comprehensive than the 2010 BR20 version in the library https://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/?p=251. I’m wondering what other useful bits of information we’re missing.

[Sea Simon]

I wonder if the yard would mind making available the whole, current, manuals for both BR and BRe?
Guess things must have evolved over the years.

However, I've found some bigger firms can be really arsey about "intellectual property" in these modern times.

[plasticpaddy]

Thank you everyone, I will try all suggested and see if there is an improvement when we are allowed back out on the water.

Graham I feel your pain that has happened to me!! I was lowering the mast whilst on the water, boat tipped slightly due to a wave and I lost my footing and CRASH over went the mast.