New boat, new math (rig tension)

[Satirelounge]

Greetings All-
Having just sold our beloved CD28 and recently purchased a CR38 we find ourselves flummoxed by the added tuning variables that come with the new boat. We found great success in following Brion's video outline on the old cape dory, but the damn Cabo Rico has a bit more wire and a bowsprit to boot. Could someone reccomend sources where we could begin to develop an appreciation for all of the opposing forces the more complex rig intails? The local rigging guys were hacks. Sorry, no disclosure- just disappointment. Besides, we're much happier when tackling these things ourselves.
many thanks

[Brion Toss]

Hi,
Yes, there are more pieces, many more interactions, and higher loads, but the essentials are the same: scale the components to their share of the load; take angles into account; and remember that tuning tension is about length instead of load.
Let's start with that bowsprit. The bowsprit shrouds are the lightest-loaded, shortest wires in the rig, so just make sure the chainplates are located to give an angle of about 12 degrees, and get the slack out of them (10% tension). The bobstay is sized based on its angle relative to the jibstay, and once that is done, you just have to make it the right length; the jibstay tensions it. And again, it is so short that stretch isn't something to worry about.
The rest of the wires, to varying degrees, are long enough that you will need to compensate for elasticity, with more tension on the longer pieces, and less on the shorter.
So the principles are simple. The hard part is applying them without seriously messing up. Start from the bottom, work your way up, slowly. Watch that video again. Be in touch if anything seems screwy.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss