Running Backstays

[Jamie]

A friend just bought an old gaffer, and we're heading down to Seattle soon to bring it up to BC. It has an engine that's supposed to be reliable, but we'll be using the sails if the weather is favourable or the engine quits.

My concern is that it doesn't appear to have any running backstays. How do we tell if they should be there, or if the mast is well enough supported without them? How far back should the shrouds be in that case?

If the runners are supposed to be there, but are missing, is it safe to sail in light winds without them? I don't imagine there's a generic answer to that, but on balance, what do you think? And will going to windward be safer than running?
We don't want to spend a lot of time or money on the delivery trip, the plan is to do the work once the boat is here, so we don't want to be hiring a rigger in Seattle if it can be avoided.

Thanks,

Jamie

[Ian McColgin]

Ahoy there,

It's not odd for a gaff rig not to have running backstays.

I've not personally seen a gaff rig where the runners were needed to keep the mast in the boat.

Folk may fancy the runners are most important when running, yet many competative gaff fleets - Nantucket Sound's hard sailing (and often over 80 years old) Wianno Seniors frequently slack or drop the runners downwind to give the jib a little shape a make it set better under the spinnaker.

Heading upwind, the mainsail leech, sheet and peak hallyard form a de facto backstay.

The runner is nice to gain a little headstay tension to weather and depending on the design and the conditions may reduce mast pumping. And even pumping is often not that big a deal with a solid stick.

It depends on the boat but if she's never had runners, try not to fix what's clearly not broken. At least not till you've had a season to observe and be sure.

More masts designed with permanent backstays carry away if a turnbuckle or swage failes than ever there were failures of a solid gaff rig falling over due to no or not set runners.

I did once carry away an umbackstayed mast, but that was a dory that I'd sailed hard onto the beach through plunging surf. There were other consequences to that bit of adolescent bravado, not all of which were damage to boat and ego.

Edited to add: Survey to be sure there is no rot in the mast at the partners, and of course that the partners themselves are sound.

G'luck

Ian