Macgregor 26X rigging and sail tuning tips

Here's the procedure I used to set up Windarra's rigging. With the forestay tensioning lever, the turnbuckle has been secured with ring dings, and the rigging is tuned as soon as I lever the forestay in place. The job is made even easier by having a adjustable backstay (see below), which is left loose while raising the mast.

Mast Rake

The stock tuning is setup with a lot of weather helm. With this setup, the boat will have a greater tendancy to round up into the wind sooner when winds come up. You'll achieve a more balanced helm by reducing this tendancy to round-up. This is done by moving the center of lateral pressure forward. Reduced mast rake (along with adjustments to the centerboard) will help reduce your weatherhelm.

I've found that reducing the rake from the recommended 4 degrees to around 1 to 2 degrees has produced good results (ie: faster and a better balanced helm). You will probably have to shorten your forestay by about 2 - 3" to retain adequate adjustment in the turnbuckle. Adjust the rake with the lower shrouds, leaving the upper shrouds and backstay completely loose. This will ensure a straight pole to accurately guage the rake. Make sure these lower shrouds are evenly set so the mast remains straight from side to side.

Mast Bend

Now you need to adjust the mast bend. The recommended mast bend is 3". This results in a flatter sail that works well in very light and strong winds, but will not generate as much lift in moderate winds. With your rake now adjusted to reduce the weather helm, the boat can handle more lift before rounding up. Reducing the mast bend will enable you to get that extra lift in stronger winds. By adding an adjustable split backstay (below), and you will be better able to tune your sail to suit conditions. Reducing the static bend will give it more draft, generating more lift in light to moderate winds. When conditions dictate a flatter sail, the vang on the split backstay can be tightened to induce bend in the mast, and tighten the forestay.

To reduce the static mast bend, back off the forestay (the forestay lever works great here), and adjust tension evenly on the upper shrouds until you get your desired static bend when the forestay is re-tensioned. I've found that 1.5 to 2" of static bend is a good compromise, provided you decide to add the adjustable backstay. (Note: the backstay should still remain loose for this adjustment).

To adjust the length of the forestay and shrouds you'll have to remove the swages, Here's how: carefully cut along the length of the sleeve using a cut-off disc on a rotary tool (ie:Dremel). When you remove enough material to get close to the cable (make sure you don't cut into the cable itself) insert one side of the sleeve into a vice, and use some pliers and/or flat blade screwdriver to pry open sleeve. With the old sleeves removed, adjust the cable to the desired length and re-swage two sleeves onto each end.

Adjustable Backstay

The backstay can remain lightly tensioned when sailing into the wind unless you want to flatten the sail and/or increase forestay tension to suit wind and water conditions. While sailing down wind, tighten it enough to take some of the stress off the shrouds. While at anchor, you'll retain easy access the stern by removing the vang and re-attaching it to the starboard backstay attach tang..

Here's what you need for an adjustable split backstay (viewed from aft)...

Sail Trimming and Tuning

Now that your rig is properly tuned, you need to do the same thing with your sails. Here's a link to a great article at the WB Sails site in Finland called "Telling Tales."