shroud adjusting

I am having a lot of trouble getting my shrouds tight. I have to pull the wire as far as it will go so the wires are completely tight then try to shackle it to the adjuster with my free hand. While doing this I risk dropping the mast if the wire slips out of my fingers. I can never get it completely tight. I am forced to sail with the wires slightly loose. The river I sail on is pretty calm, but whenever I hit the wake of a large boat the mast rocks violently and I am worried that I am going to break a shroud this way. Does anyone have a particular strategy for getting all the wires tight?

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'73 Hobie 16
1970's styrofoam snark

I believe the easiest way, and best way, to tighten your shrouds is to have someone else pull on the trap wire while you adjust your shroud. Repeat on the other side.
Another way, which I don't recommend, is to adjust your shrouds BEFORE you raise your mast. The problem with that is you might have trouble connecting your forestay to your 10 hole adjuster.
Also, using shackles on the adjuster......Better to use a clevis pin (8020381) and ring ding (20860000).
Sailing through a wake shouldn't rock your mast violently unless the wind is very light or you're not adjusting your sails correctly and sheeting in. Best to try sailing through the wake at right angles rather than having it slap the side of your boat. Sailing through a large wake can be fun providing you have enough wind and sail agressively.

When stepping the mast, the wires will not be tight. They can't be, as you have discovered, it's very hard to pin the forestay to the adjuster.

When you raise the jib and tighten the halyard, the forestay should go slack - the wire in the jib luff in effect becomes the forestay and you should have no problems getting the shrouds tight.

Even so, a small amount of slack is not detrimental, and having the mast slap around a bit in wakes shouldn't be a problem - unless your standing rigging is old. Then you might find a weak spot the hard way.

Set the shrouds to give you the rake in the mast that you want then raise the mast and fasten the forestay. The shrouds are loose until you tighten the jib halyard. Tighten the jib halyard to get the tension in the shrouds that you want. The forestay will then be loose as the wire in the jib becomes the forestay. If I understand you correctly, you are setting up the mast and jib then trying to adjust the shrouds.

Contrary to richandpat posting, there shouldn't be any problem in connecting the forestay. I haven't had the problem in 26 years of setting up my boat.

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Howard

Like MB, and hrt said, and I'll say (hopefully) a bit more succinctly... Your jib halyard adjusts the shroud tension. Before you hoist the jib, everything will be loose. Pin your shrouds to adjust the desired rake before you hoist the rig. Pin your forestay high to make it easier on yourself, there's no reason to fight to tension the rig with the forestay.

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Sail Revolution
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If you look at the picture on pyroboy08's post it's a 1983 boat with an all aluminum mast, standing straight up - no mast rake. Either the standing rigging hasn't been replaced in about 25 years or someone replaced them with rigging from some place other than Hobie. (shorter forestay and longer shrouds - the older H16 lengths). I don't think he can rake his mast back unless he either gets new rigging from Hobie or he uses a pig tail or several adjusters up front in order to be able to connect the forestay.
When we read these posts we usually have to make some assumptions. I assumed that his rigging is old and the shrouds are stretched out. Many who have older boats and ask for help on this forum are a little short on cash and food and rent take priority to replacing older standing rigging.
I believe if he wants to tighten his shrouds, before raising the jib, he should first raise his mast and attach his forestay; then move the shroud down on the adjuster while someone else pulls on the trap wire. The rigging should still be loose enough to attach the forestay the next time he sails.
We've all been around a while ad have seen some very loose standing rigging on older boats, before the jib has been raised and tensioned.
Once the jib is up it should be tensioned so that the forestay goes slack and the mast is pulled forward and tightens the shrouds further.

Thanks for the replies, I was trying to adjust the wires before I even put up the mainsail. It didn't occur to me that the jib would tighten it up. I don't have a trapeze setup (I will soon), so I sail with just the main. I have only used the jib once. The boat is still a blast with just the main. I believe Richandpat is correct about the boat having the old style rigging. On that subject, are differences between a straight and raked mast significant enough to justify updating the wires? I am not doing any racing so a marginal speed increase wouldn't be worth it. I have heard that raking the mast back makes you much less prone to pitch pole. Is that true?

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'73 Hobie 16
1970's styrofoam snark

Add a 10 hole chain plate to the existing one on the bridle. After tensioning the jib use a piece of bungee to hold it and the forestay forward. This will enable you to set your shroud position and leave it there and keep the forestay from drooping back on the jib and hanging up the tell tails.

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with the sails up push the traveler to one side sheet the main adjust the chain plate repeat for the other side the captain can do it with no help and no worries about the mast falling you can rig as tight as you want but do no go to tight as it will affect mast rotation

Mate, Got to use that jib more,best way to tack,and hold on that 16 will come alive with the right direction and tension!

pyroboy08 - Where are you located?

It is always good to meet up with an experience H16 sailor when you are starting out. It took me about 10 times out before I had my cat rigged correctly.

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1980 18 foot class A Unicorn catamaran
1977 Super Sunfish (sold)
1979 Hobie (sold)
1983 Hobie 16 Hawiian Sunset (sold)
1981 Hobie 16 Tequilla Sunrise (sold)
2008 Hobie 16 (sold)
2023 Hobie 16
Founding member of the "San Dimas Yacht Club"
John

jsloan999: I'm located in Fort Myers, FL. Beach cats are pretty rare around here. I don't know anyone who sails in the area. In fact, I'm the only sailboat on the water when I go out.

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'73 Hobie 16
1970's styrofoam snark

Pyroboy, I just got back from a few days in Ft Meyers Beach! I wish I had known, I was sitting on the beach just WISHING I had a Hobie 16 to mess around with!

Now I am sitting in the stinking Michigan cold, wishing I were back sitting on that beach...

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Steve
2017 Hobie 16 "Cayman" sails 114795
1985 & 1973? Hobie 14 "Sea & Ski"