Return to Hobie.com
Hobie Forums
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 6:54 am

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:44 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2011 9:24 am
Posts: 14
As a new owner of Hobie Getaway (and loving it), I just have a couple of questions:

- With the Comptip mast, is it possible to over-tighten the shrouds? On windy days, if I would want to rake the mast aft, I'm concerned about going beyond the third hole if it might put too much tension on the Comptip.

- As a rule of thumb, if you're looking for a neutral rake, is the third hole (from the top of the adjuster plate) about right?

- Do the forestay adjuster plate holes align with the port and starboard shroud adjuster plates (i.e. if I anchor in the second hole on all three adjuster plates, will it create equal tension on all three mast supporting lines)? I know the port and starboard lines need to be in the same holes, but should all three lines, including the forestay, be anchored in the exact same hole on each adjuster plate?

- In the manual, it says (referring to the shroud wires): "Once the proper adjustments are made, you will not have to repeat this process again. Unless you want to make adjustments to the mast rake angle." Does this mean you can raise and lower the mast without having to loosen the port and starboard wires each time you sail (understanding the forestay has to be unhooked to raise and lower the mast)? My buddy (he has an older model Hobie 16 -- with an fully aluminum mast) says I should always loosen these side lines when I finished sailing and before taking down the mast, which seems like added effort if Hobie says it's not necessary. It would certainly make my life a lot easier if I didn't have to adjust them each time before I go out and each time I come back in.

- Finally, will putting too much downhaul create too much tension on the Comptip? My buddy keeps telling me I'm not tightening the downhaul enough, but when I see the mast tip pulling down, it make me a little nervous it might break.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 2:37 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2011 9:24 am
Posts: 14
OK -- I looked through several other posts and found answers to a couple of my questions, but still have a few:

- So there is no catch-all "rule of thumb" for tightening the shrouds. Too many variables to consider. So I guess my question is this: as long as I can pull down the halyard and make the adjustment without too much extra effort, is there ever a reason NOT to tension the lines to the lowest possible hole on the plate? (Conversely, if the mast lines are too loose, does this simply affect the quality of control of boat or could I actually damage the mast)? Sorry for the newby questions, but I'm just trying to make sure I clearly understand what I'm trying to accomplish when I tension the shrouds.

- The downhaul just needs to take out the wrinkles and sail quality will not be improved by extra downhaul tension. Correct?

- Can someone please confirm that I don't need to loosen the port and starboard shrouds each time I come off the water and drop the mast (assuming I'm in one of the first three or four holes), like it says in the manual. The same buddy who said I need to really tighten the downhaul said I should always trailer my boat with the shrouds in the first hole (and I now have trust issues with him : )

- Finally, is there anything I should NEVER do that might cause damage to the mast when I'm tightening the shrouds and forestay?

Thanks in advance for any help/guidance you can give me...


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 2:39 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2011 4:27 pm
Posts: 576
Location: Central Oregon
Not sure on the Getaway but I can tell you this...A Hobie 16 DOES NOT need to have the shrouds loosened up to lower the mast. Your buddy is crazy.

_________________
1980 H16


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 2:47 pm 
Offline
Site Admin

Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15026
Location: Oceanside, California
hobiesrock wrote:
Not sure on the Getaway but I can tell you this...A Hobie 16 DOES NOT need to have the shrouds loosened up to lower the mast. Your buddy is crazy.


On the 16, lowering the jib loosens the rig. Unless he has a furling jib. Then it works the same as the Getaway.

The Getaway jib is affixed to the forestay, so rig tension is done by pulling shrouds or forestay tighter. You pretty much have to de-tension a shroud to get the forestay loose (if the rig has proper tension). It is easier to pull the mast to the aft / side to get that done or sheet the main hard to one end of the traveler (watch for wind shifts etc). I prefer the halyard or a trap wire to hold the mast over until a pin is removed and replaced again. Trusting that the wind is not going to increase or shift direction makes the main-sheeting technique risky.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 11:05 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:02 pm
Posts: 737
Location: Rockford, IL
mmiller wrote:
You pretty much have to de-tension a shroud to get the forestay loose (if the rig has proper tension).


Wait, so how am I supposed to step the mast? This makes it seem that I will have to loosen the shrouds before stepping the mast and tightening them after it's up. (Sort of like the advice given to a previous poster.)

_________________
Yet another Bob!
"Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker
"Sparky" - 1978 Sunfish (OK, it's not a Hobie, but it's a fun little craft)
Too many canoes and kayaks


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 9:10 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Admiral

Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:08 am
Posts: 215
Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Not a Getaway owner but here is what I am getting from the above posters.....

Step 1.
With a helper pulling towards the bow with your halyard, see if you can get the forestay to come undone. Don't try too hard as it only takes a minute to add in step 1.1

Step 1.1
If the forestay is still too tight, ignore step one for a minute and go loosen a shroud so step 1 is not so damn hard.

Step 2.
Lower mast.

Step 3.
Decide if Step #1 was really worth saving a couple of minutes.

I like to tighten things in the proper order every time I step the mast. It gives me an opportunity to spot something out of whack. For instance, if your always a 3rd hole guy and suddenly you can easily stretch it to 5, it's time to give things a closer inspection.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 6:47 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 3:04 pm
Posts: 3
I think this question belongs here!

I am new to sailing / my getaway. How tight do the shrouds / forestry lines need to be. In wind my,sat moves quite a bit and one of the shrouds becomes noticeably slack. I can't tighten hem easily by hand so have assumed everything is ok, but in reading some of the posts I am now not so sure. Should the mast remain stable regardless of wind strength?


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 11:16 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
The Getaway is very similar to the H18 - you want the shrouds to be "snug". You don't want the rig flopping around and if you run it too loose the mast could jump out of the step with the step pin removed.

It's best to loosen one side stay before you raise the mast (keep the other side at the proper setting so you can easily tell what hole to put the loosened shroud back into). The reason you want to loosen the shroud is so that when you raise the mast, the person pinning the forestay does not have to struggle to pin the bridle/forestay connection. Once you have the mast up, you can tension the rig in one of two ways. The first and easiest way is to have one person hang on the trap wire while the other person moves the shroud down in the adjuster. The other method is to string up the mainsheet blocks to the main halyard, pull the blocks up about 3 feet off the rear crossbar and tie off the halyard. Then push the blocks all the way over to one side in the traveler track, sheet in the main blocks until the shroud goes slack, and adjust the shroud. Then release the blocks.

Also note that whenever you're sailing, the leeward shroud will go slack to some degree. This is because when you sheet in, the mast bends causing the distance between the mast tang and the mast base to decrease, so the shrouds slacken. This is normal.

sm


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
© Hobie Cat Company. All rights reserved.
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group