Hi Pete,

I have composed a long explaination in "WORD" about my spinnacker installation/set-up but I can not get it to paste over to Catsailor, as I'm not to good w/ these things called computers ... half the time I want to throw the D_mn thing out the window!!!!!

(note to Mary/Rick: I HATE the "timeout" feature for posting, I do not compose posts quickly and have problems continually w/ "the form is no longer valid!!!!! AH AH AHHHHHHH)

Anyway, shroud tension is completely seperate to mast prebend .... prebend is determined by the luff curve designed/cut/constructed into the mainsail. Who's sails are you using ... Danger(Glaser's) ... Smythe .... Saber ... Elliot-Paterson ... the P19 was/is an "open" sails class and any sailmaker could construct sails as long as they measured in. You need to ask the sailmaker who constructed the sails to recommend the mast's prebend. Ex: Smythe's MX's 1 3/4" - 2". Which is totally different from my origonal Smythe "Pinhead" sails

I set my shroud tension so that the mast will rotate when tacking ... this varies w/ the wind velocity, OK? since the P19 has a turnbuckle on the forestay you can adjust the tension until you find the correct range. But first the mast rack is set by the holes you pick to set the pin in on the shroud adjuster's, then you can adjust the "rig" tension ... it will have a small effect on the mast rack if you do it correctly.

First check whether your hulls on the P19 are flexing "INWARD" ... not up ... rub you hand fore and aft just in front of the front crossbar on the inboard side ... is it smooth or are there whipples/waves. I installed a Nacra 6.0NA Bowfoil on my P19 to reduce the horizontal loading and translate the load to the vertical axis, OK?

Please PM/E-Mail me at my E-Mail address in my profile ...

Sail Safe, Sail Flat, Sail Fast
Harry Murphey
P19MX w/spin, #86/ CRAC
H18mag, #9458/ Fleet54,Div11