… for the Max from your sailing!

UPDATE – Darryl has found the answer to the question below.

Download pdf file of the rig setup from Selden

Maxi Owners Association member Darrel Walters has provided the following phtographs and question. If you can help him please respond through our Forum. 

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I own a 1999 maxi 38+ with an in mast main furling system, it is a Selden set up, double spreaders, swept back,
When I bought the boat in 2007 and launched it in 2008 one of the things the survey brought up was to have the rigging tensioned.
When I got the yacht back from southampton to Milford haven, I had the rig tensioned by our local rigger and as such I developed a leak in the lewmar hatch aft of the mast support.
Last year I was t boned by another yacht, where his anti foul was on by coach roof, there was damage to the rigging, and as such I decided to have it all replaced. At the same time I replaced all the hatches and discovered that the tension on the mast was slightly compressing the weaker coachroof part aft of the mast step. I got a surveyor involved, and suggested reducing the rake which was quite significant. We did this but soon realised that this also reduced the angle of incident with the swept back spreaders to support the top part of the mast. So we had to put the  rake back in the mast and monitor the coach roof of the mast step. I have to say that this has not increased or decreased.
The rigger says he is not prepared to put anymore rake in the mast. As it is now already 17 inches approx.
We are finding that  the mast is inverting above the top spreader now when we get winds above 20 knots approx. We can reduce the inversion by reducing the head sail. But the yacht does not feel over pressed. With a full set of sails at 20 knot. As the winds increase the bend increases.
The problem I have is the lack of experts in the area to say if this bend is ok or whether there is anything I can do to reduce it. The local rigger says he has tensioned the rig to the correct percentages and any more may cause un necessary stress.
Logic would say to increase tension on the back stay but doing so would reduce tension on the primary caps and quite possibly would make the mast fall off center
Every time i think of an option, creates a new problem.
Perhaps other maxi38 owners may have had the same problem or perhaps members may know a good rigger who is familiar with my rig and perhaps would not mind offering a bit of advise.
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