Jib tension

Having sister clip jib halyard , are you setting any tension on the forestay? Creating slack like on a 16’? Or just Hauled up tight ? Thanks Zach

Raise the mainsail and sheet in hard before setting jib tension. If you set the jib tension without doing this the jib will take up the slack in the rigging. Then when you get on the water and sheet in hard on the main the loads will go through the jib instead of the forestay. The H18 jib and haylard can't handle these loads and you will break something, I know i did.

On a H16 the jib has a steel cable sewn into it to carry the load, and while sailing it acts as the forestay.

One trick that I use on my 21SC and H18 is to leave the jib furled around the forestay when I lower the mast. I store the furled sail coiled up like a snake, including every part from the pulley at the top just below the swivel to the furling drum. This saves you the time of raising the jib and setting jib luff tension every time you go out. You may find you need to run slightly looser luff tension to make it easier to attach the bridal wires when you step the mast as the luff tension tends to pull slack into the forestay while it is off the boat. I run just enough luff tension to pull out all the wrinkles.

If it’s windy out and you don’t want to sheet the main in hard on land to pre-load the forestay for fear of capsizing the boat on the beach, then just use the main halyard to hoist the boom up. Connect the halyard to the back of the boom, then raise the boom up a few feet and tie off the halyard at the base of the mast securely. Then pull on the mainsheet to load up the forestay and then set your jib tension.

You can also use this method to set the shroud tension. Hoist up the boom. Then push the traveler car all the way to one side and pull in the main sheet. The shroud on that side will go slack. Then you can pull the shroud pin and move the shroud where you want it in the adjuster. Works well if you need to make an adjustment solo and don’t have someone there to hang off the trap wire while you adjust the shrouds.

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Ok, thank you both . I’ve been doing half right, half wrong all season . Then doubt steps in , so I figured I’d ask to double check !