shroud adjustment ...VOODOO?

Have seen several articles suggesting that the H18 shrouds and forestay should be rigged tight, and others say that loose is better. The difference probably is not more than a hole or two in the adjusters. Are there advantages to either one or is this just voodoo?

The harder it blows the tighter she goes. Power that baby up, and hold on!

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ADDICTION
1989 HOBIE 18 SE/sx wings
HOBIE ALTER SIGNATURE MODEL

it has been also felt over the years in our group anyway, that the tension doesn't matter a whole lot. We generally set tension so you can touch the mast both sides about shoulder level from the ground... not sure the measurement on the mast. These masts are so stiff you can't put alot of prebend or affect into them like the newer boats.

just my thoughts....

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Paul Evenden
NRO, RMMCC, CJ

I think Musicman is talking about the diamond wires, not the shrouds.

Set the shrouds loose enough to allow you to rotate the mast 90 degrees either way. As it gets windier you can go tighter for a small (unnoticeable) performance improvement. The shrouds are too tight when the mast can't rotate 90 degrees when sailing downwind. Tighter shrouds are also preferred in choppy water on light air days to keep the rig from knocking about as much.

speed633 Thanks for the advice on SHROUD tension. Your info is right on the money and greatly appreciated....deejay

Definitely not voodoo. Tighter shrouds are a better way to go when the wind is up. Rake the mast further back in heavier wind also. I really don't think there's ever much reason to go looser, however... only just seems to cause the rig to shake more and shake the wind out of the sails. Mast further forward might get you a bit better performance in lighter air, and/or lighten up the weather helm.

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Mike

'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238

As others have suggested, mast rotation is really the only factor that comes into play with regard to rig tension. I’ve raced 18’s for several decades and ran the rig all over from totally loose shrouds to tightened up using the 7:1 mainsheet system and never really noticed any significant performance difference. At this point, I only have two settings - tight and loose. Loose, the shroud can just barely flop around when the boat is sitting static on the beach. Tight, we go down one hole from that setting (on one side only, yes the shrouds will be one hole different between the two sides od the boat - it doesn’t matter). The important thing is that the mast can rotate freely to about 90 degrees when sailing down wind so loose setting anywhere from zero to mid/upper-teens wind speed. Higher wind the mast won’t have a problem rotating downwind since there is more pressure in the sail and more tension on the mainsheet forcing the mast to rotate, so a tighter rig reduces the amount the mast will bang around.

Also note that no matter how tight you make the shrouds, the leeward shroud will always go slack upwind. This is because mainsheet and downhaul tension bend the mast which shortens the distance between the tang and the shroud anchors. This is also the reason why it doesn’t really matter if the shrouds are not set exactly equal. The mast is always leaning off to the side slightly.

sm

sabresforthecup and srm.... Thanks for the additional advice ...deejay

can one say 'brain fart'?

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Paul Evenden
NRO, RMMCC, CJ