Amsteel Halyard advice

[Mark Johnson]

Hi guys, This s unrelated to the previous post... hope it is appropriate to put it here?

Brion, I am a small time rigger here in New Bern NC, and I have a problem & question about the rig on my own boat... (A Searunner 34, self built trimaran)

The rig is a double spreader, cutter, masthead rig... sailed as a sloop. (I strike the roller furling "lapper", before raising the staysail, in > 30 knots consistant winds. So the mast is in 3 panels. The problem is only when I use the lapper headsail in 27 knots of wind or so, not the staysail in 37 knots of wind. I know the why part, it is the fix that I'm asking about. How it came about... The intermediate spreaders, and staysail stay, & runners, all meet at the top of the staysail, so it is like a tank there. under full headsail It is not the mast leaning in column, but the top section that's the problem. It leans off from the lower 2/3rds in a blow. It must be streatch in the upper wires. (all 1/4") This rig was an extra tall rig that was suggested to me by the designer, years after the design came out. (4' taller than standard) The choices I had in the extrusion brand I'd chosen, were choose an extrusion a bit under speced, or a LOT over. Since the boat was considered to be vastly over designed orrigionally, the smaller moments extrusion was suggested. I also switched to 316 grade SS wire, (of the same size), rather than the 304 in the origional plans. This was for the same reasoning. (origionally over designed) The end result is that I went up on the mast height & sail area, while down on the mast strength, as well as wire strength. And of coarse... up on the longer / weaker wire's streatch. It was all good reasoning, just a bit of a spagetti stick and too flexi on the top panel. I have covered tens of thousands of sea miles all over the Caribbean with this rig, and I love it. I just reef down (raise the staysail), when "out there", and getting over 8.5 or 9 knots to windward. It is in protected water around here that I'd like to fly full sail longer, as trimarans can do this. So this puts the question into context:

My extra tall rig, (50' off the water), has always leaned off alarmingly, (perhaps 5"), in its top 3rd panel, when beating to weather in over 25 knot winds. (even with the intermediates & lowers fairly loose) While cruising I just switch from the roller reefed headsail, to raising just the staysail... No more problem.

The thing is, that I would like to push the boat more in our local protected Pamlico Sound waters. The rig is 14 years old and due for replacement anyway. I am switching to DUX for the running backs, but do not like it's lifespan enough to do the entire rig this way.

My wires that stretch TOO MUCH, are ONLY the upper shrouds & for / back stays. (all 1/4") 316 grade 1X19 wire. My options are to switch the above wires to either 5/16" of the same type, or the smaller dia. but = strength, 7 MM Dyform type "compact strand" wire. It comes in lighter & thinner, for the same performance, so looks better for a small trimaran. The thing is:

I understand that Dyform went belly up. Isn't there another brand of Compact Strand Wire now available? Is it also 316 grade SS & as good? Are you a source?

Also... I read on the web a piece you wrote that explained that this stuff is not to be used with hydraulic backstays. (presumably because it's cylinder can freely spin?) The Compact Strand stuff tries to unlay due to all of it's strands going the same direction. Is it safe on a backstay with cottered turnbuckles? How about the fact that I use all StaLocs... Will the wires "unlay" characteristics make it want to tighten my StayLocs, or UNscrew them?
If it is UNscrew them, I would not use the Compact strand...
Thanks Brion! Mark Johnson