mast rake

[richrand]

Hi Everyone,

I just bought 7.9 #90 and it's my first boat. The mast is up and tuned. The forestay measures about 31'.5''. The shrouds are 1000lbs on the uppers and 600lbs on the lowers -- per the tuning guided that came with the boat. should there be any tension on the backstay when the adjuster is totally off? It looks to me like there's an awful lot of rake. I know "normal" is not always a useful term, but what is a normal or acceptable amount of mast rake?

Thanks

Rich

[sycmcsa]

Hi Everyone,

I just bought 7.9 #90 and it's my first boat. The mast is up and tuned. The forestay measures about 31'.5''. The shrouds are 1000lbs on the uppers and 600lbs on the lowers -- per the tuning guided that came with the boat. should there be any tension on the backstay when the adjuster is totally off? It looks to me like there's an awful lot of rake. I know "normal" is not always a useful term, but what is a normal or acceptable amount of mast rake?

Thanks

Rich

Lots of rake on a 7.9 is normal. According to the 7.9 specs the forestay is 31' 4-3/4" with the turnbuckle two thirds extended. So looks like forestay lenght is correct.

[Tim Bosma]

Rich,
Class rules spec the forestay at 31' 8" hole-to-hole. This does give it a rakish look. The production backstay was the pinch type and it will be completely floppy when let off. We replaced our backstay with a spectra one that has a cascading tackle and a upper flicker. It now has just enough tension to slightly flex the flicker. if you want info ont he backstay upgrade, contact me.
Thanks,

[richrand]

Thanks!

-Rich