Tension Gauge for 1/2" wire
 

I'm a newbie to the forum, but I did a search of "tension gauge" and found 4 threads, but none to direct me where I can find a tension gauge for 1/2" wire. I think I own just about everything in Brion's catalog now **smile**, but he just doesn't resell any tension gauges ... yet ....

Loos doesn't sell anything large enough (I already own their gauge for the largest wire they measure) and I'm looking for a tension gauge to measure my 1/2" wire upper shrouds. I'm not leaving the dock anytime soon, but I'd like to get a good dock tune. Who knows, maybe outfitting will run faster than I think and I'll actually go sailing :) - I appreciate any and all help.

I seem to recall that Brion mentioned "Hanes/Haines/??" as manufacturing a tension gauge for larger wire in the "Tuning Your Rig" video, but I'm just not finding this name with Google for some strange reason - probably just misspelling it ...

Thanks for the help !!
Dennis

Don't know if they make gauges but I'm thinking you are meaning Hayn. http://www.hayn.com/marine/rigging/index.html

Matthew - Thanks for the link !! Aha, no wonder I couldn't locate 'em. That's a great resource for parts. I found a link within their site to tools, but no tension gauges among the four tools offered so I suspect you're right about them probably not having gauges. I'll keep hunting and welcome any more links or paths to follow. Again, I really appreciate the feedback !!

Still Searchin'
 

For the record, I was checking out the link list on Brion's site and www.sailingservices.com doesn't have a gauge large enough for 1/2" wire line.

The website for Schaefer (www.schaefer.com) has apparently been bought out.

Hello,
I have seen gauges for much larger wire on big square-riggers, but have no idea where they came from. For your boat, I'd check tune by other means, like measuring stretch, and dynamic tuning. What is the boat? What is the rig configuration?
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

Brion - I sent you a PM with a link to pics on the original owner's site, which I'm careful not to post publicly in order to make sure I don't overwhelm his site.

For everyone else, my sailboat is a 50' sloop-rigged Columbia 50, which I believe is the last sailboat designed by Bill Tripp just before he died. As I indicated to Brion, please feel free to correct me if my research has misled me there. I'm trying to get a good dock tune and appreciate any help in finding a good tool for 1/2" wire line. I appreciate all the feedback from folks already and welcome any comments, thoughts or general observations :) ...

Brion - When you mention measuring stretch, do you mean using a different type of gauge? I'm up for any decent gauge that will show me the tension on the 1/2" line.

As far as dynamic tuning, I'm OK with making sure that the leeward lower shrouds are not flopping loose and have a slight tension on them, but I'm not sure how to assess the upper shrouds. I just don't have enough experience to trust myself. I want to make sure that I don't create a compression load on the mast, nor excessive tension on the upper shrouds while still distributing the force appropriately with sufficient tension. I figured a gauge would help until I develop a feel for it.

I did find one tension gauge that would work at: http://www.force-gauge.net/dillon_qu...sion_meter.htm, but at $1325.00 I think I'll keep looking for something a bit less expensive :eek:

Search for "Fulmer Tension Meter". It is similar to the Dillon.
Ian

Ian - Thank you so much for the pointer !! I found the Fulmer tension meter at the A. Noble & Son Ltd site (Top match on Google). It's strange that it's under the Electronics products. I wonder how many tension gauges that I've failed to find if they are likewise located under electronics sections ...

Anyway, I couldn't find a price on the site so I've E-Mailed them for some info. I'll let ya know what I find. I'm hoping it's a bit cheaper than the model that looks similar to it. I'm guessing that this one will be out of my price range, but we'll see. Again, thanks for the info on this !!

Dennis
I don't know your land of abode. Nobles are an Australian Company. If you are in the US, exchange rate should be "cheap as chips" (Crikey!:D ). There is a Nobles near me in Rockhampton (Queensland Aus.) although the one in Sydney no doubt has more stock. If you need any assistance let me know.
Ian