I have heard of guys using shorter side stays on the N20, do most of you guys use the shorter stays or standard length? Right now I have my side stays maxed out at the bottom. No more room to rake.

How far back is it at that? Mine fully back using the trap wire and rope from the spin tang lands on the upper gudgeon.I have heard of some people using shorter stays but I feel I may not be able un-rake enough for the really light days if I did that.

I get mine made 1 1/2" shorter than stock. Murray's Marine has a measurement for them and can make the shorter ones.

I used shorter stays also. The standard measuring method we ( and most N-20 guys) used was trap with a line held to the bridle tangs instead of the spin tangs, marked and then pulled back down the transom. We usually carried the rake around the top of the tang that holds the rudder down, but would vary a hole either way depending on conditions.

I don't know how you guys carry that much rake without the rudders being utterly worthless around the A-mark.

I never liked the feeling of a heavy-raked mast. I know I'm not exactly lighting up the results board but the boat just doesn't *feel* right upwind with that amount of rake on - personally speaking of course.

I bet ya a bottle of rum more rake is faster... Oh yeah, I already did that. By the way, at the rate your paying up, you just as well buy a distillery.

If I recall correctly, you're under the opinion that maintaining this bottle of rum over my head is a good idea.

I think you get far more enjoyment prodding me about it than you would out of a bottle of rum.

I had gen 1 rudders, and felt that having rake was a good idea, and had the shorter sidestays which put my setting about the middle of the chainplate. I noticed that having a vertical mast didn't help me point that well (despite my pinching prowess), and sometimes the rudders would stall power-reaching. A little bit of additional rake (from vertical) seemed to settle that down a little bit (along with less daggar and moving back sooner)

I remember measuring the rake on the rudder blade. Up near the head was the upright setting. Out to/past the rudder tip was raked back for a blow. Crazy as that is, the unis are raked even further, but... w/o a jib you have to be.

At this point the interest is at least 2 bottles , so pay up the interest and I'll let you keep paying on the principle. And I think you may be wrong about how much joy I can get out of a bottle of rum.

Proper rake for light wind should be at the top of the transom, maybe even an inch forward on the deck or so. For a blow, rake it about halfway down the transom/to the top of the lower gudgeon.

Your right, I was measuring from the bridles, not the spin.

This is the setting I've settled on for the general purpose all-around setting. Really woke the boat up after trying to make more rake work for it. Having the mast raked a bunch only seems to work for us if it's blowing. But then I also use the gen 3 rudders, sail heavy, and bend the spin pole quite a bit to get the right luff tension on the spin.