Hi everyone,
I'm in Sydney, Australia and I've just bought a 3rd hand H14. Although it says 'Turbo' on the side it doesn't have the jib kit, trapeze etc, but it does have a dolphin striker on it.
Anyway I digress. I'm practising getting the rigging up and we got the mast up yesterday but were concerned if we had got it right. Am I right in saying that the mast ball just sits in the cup and that the shrouds, forestay and the mast's weight are the only thing keeping it in there?
For a novice this type of set-up has me nervous. What stops the mast from jumping out especially when you capsize?
We decided that we should tension the shrouds and forestay tight to keep the mast snug, but the rotation suffers when it's really tight.
I've uploaded a pic of the mast step with mast.
Is this standard how far out it is sitting? Should there be something securing the mast base to the step?
I know the rake is all wrong in this picture and it's too forward.So my questions are:
1. Is the weight of the mast all that holds the mast in the step or am I missing something?
2. How loose should the rigging be? I've seen mentions of being able to turn the shrouds 90 degrees with my fist, but won't the mast jump out when it's that loose? Does the mast ever jump out?
3. I'm 64 Kg ( 141lbs) will I struggle righting this on my own? (I'm thinking of getting a mini bob)
We are going to play with getting the rake right over the coming days, and purchasing a mast step link kit so that I can learn to get the mast up solo.