Forestay length, switching from old to Aussie system.

I am replacing the rigging on my 1981 H16. It has the longer shrouds that are approx. 19' 1". I have the old forestay / jib halyard setup like the one in the picture below.



I would like to replace this with the Aussie setup but am not sure how long I need the forestay to be. My current length is 17" 10" (lower forestay + block + upper forestay). That is considerably shorter than the 18 ' 9 3/4" measurement I am finding online for the Aussie forestay.

From what I have read, this longer forestay is meant to work with the newer 18' 10" shrouds to allow for more mast rake. I also read that this may not work on older boats.

Does anyone have experience with this?

I think you can move to an Aussie halyard and add a second shroud adjuster in the front on top of the exiting one to get you the extra length needed for your old forestay (if your Aussie kit doesn’t include a new forestay). If you get a new Aussie forestay as part of your upgrade (with the “modern” lots of mast rake design that involves shorter shrouds) it’s going to be really slack when you hoist the jib with your older shrouds. You can use a bungee to take up the extra slack if it interferes with the jib.

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H16 2002 "Islands" Sail No. 107432