Standard rig, in-mast, general starting point for me is 9-12 upper, 7/8 lower forward and 9/10 lower aft then I do a test sail to make the final adjustments.
John Meyer
Hilbre 2135

When I had a new mast installed, with new rigging, the rigger installed the lower forward shrouds to just barely hand tight. Do you think that was too loose? (Note: I have in mast furling main, if that makes a difference.) This was at one of the better known yards in the SF Bay - KKMI.

Rig tuning is really an art form. It's a bit like how many drips per minute should you have from a packing gland. The rig tension depends a lot upon the expected sailing conditions and if you are cruising or racing. These will vary with different areas of the country. SF has strong winds so the Rigger may be taking this into account. Riggers seem to have their own preference which is why I use the tensions I provided as a general guide and then adjust the final tension when sailing. I do the final adjustment for 15-18 knots of wind which is mid-point for my anticipated range of weather conditions. I check tension about four times a year just to make sure everything is still good. When I first re-rig after the mast has been down, I check monthly for the first 4 months while the rig is settling in.
John Meyer
Hilbre 2135

[QUOTE=hilbre;8834]Standard rig, in-mast, general starting point for me is 9-12 upper, 7/8 lower forward and 9/10 lower aft then I do a test sail to make the final adjustments.
John Meyer
Hilbre 2135[/QUOTE]

What about for tall rig setups? Should it be about the same?

It probably is the same however my experience is with the standard rig.
John Meyer
Hilbre 2135

Every time this subject comes up, I refer back to the Manual that came with your boat. Catalina has one of the best, easy-to-use directions for standing rigging for single spreader rigs I have ever seen. All without any gauges. You may want to consider that approach, or use the gauge after you do the initial settings and the sail-test recommended by Catalina. I've used their method on all three Catalinas I've owned, and it works just fine (without any gauges).

Your boat, your choice.:cool:

[QUOTE=hilbre;8834]Standard rig, in-mast, general starting point for me is 9-12 upper, 7/8 lower forward and 9/10 lower aft then I do a test sail to make the final adjustments.
John Meyer
Hilbre 2135[/QUOTE]
Uh-Oh. When I bought the boat last year, the yard had set up 35 on the upper, 12 on the forward lower and 1 on the aft lower. This year when the mast was stepped, I backed off a bit to 30 on the upper (2000 lbs) and set both lowers forward and aft to 12. I've read about setting the initial tension to 10% of the breaking strength, but it looks like my uppers are at about 16%. Hope that's OK.