Running Back Stay Location

[John Stone]

I have been discussing a new aluminum mast with a spar marker for my double headsail rigged 8 ton sailboat. This boat has a 42” bow sprit and the staysail stay leads to the stem. The new mast would replace the single spreader Rig-Rite mast my boat came with. The new rig will be a double spreader mast with continuous D1s as recommended by Colligo Marine for Dynex Dux—the spar maker is onboard with the synthetic rigging—and all that work learning to hand splice 7x7!! Anyway, the spar maker, who I trust, is not a fan of the permanent aft led intermediate back stays, which is what my boat came with (I think I am using the correct term--intermediate back stays—attached to the mast opposite where the stay sail stay attaches to the mast and then led to the deck just aft of where the aft lowers connect). I know what a stickler Brion is for correct terminology as he tries to valiantly attemps to "edumacate" us . . . though I too will be using the term “spritsherds” from now on.

My spar maker recommends adding running back stays. My question is where on the boat should the runners terminate? I know from reading "The Apprentice" that shroud angles are critical and are connected to standing rigging working loads, but are there other considerations . . . general rules for location? Can they be led too far aft? Once I determine the minimum angle what other considerations come into play? Obviously, I need to consider the location of other deck hardware, winches, gallows, stanchions, etc but what else?

Many thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.