Bent Spar, Cape Dory 36

[cd36]

Thanks for your reply.

I'm giving you a rough estimate here, but I'd say the bow is perhaps between 1" and 1-1/2" off center at its maximum when sighting along the track. And it is a bow or curve, not a sharp kink or bend. There is no obvious damage to the mast.

Regarding rig tune, I have the boat set up as follows: cap shrouds, 15%; intermediates, 12%; lowers (fwd and aft), 10%; headstay, 20%; backstay, 20%; staysail stay, 12%. All tensions were set using a Loos gauge.

Tweaking tension MOSTLY removes the bow, but not entirely. Specifically, upping starboard intermediate tension to more like 20%, while leaving port at 12%, removes most of the curve.

Hopefully that gives you a better idea. Again, I appreciate the advice.

David

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
If it is not kinked, I think it is close enough to straight that you could re-bend it. Aluminum is fairly forgiving, so try bending it well past straight, in the other direction, tightening the concave-side intermediate and the convex-side uppers, and slacking the opposing stays. I think you'll find that it doesn't take as much tension to do this as just straightening with the intermediates.
Leaving it as it is is another option, but seems more likely to lead eventually to a failure. Finally, you could always just tune it straight, with unequal tension on the wires. Under way this will tend towards the first option, as the convex-side intermediate will allow the mast to move to leeward, and gradually alter the shape.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

[cd36]

Brion and Brian,

I took a picture of the rig today. It's a whopper at 10 MB, so it may take a bit to load. You can view the picture here.

Hopefully, Brion, your assessment remains the same after you see the image; I like the idea of being able to tune it back into column.

Thanks again.

David