Shroud placement

[Wayne Wallace]

I'm in the process of changing my sailplan (a 23' Ranger F'un with a fractional rig) from an inline spreader arangement with running backstays to a plan without the runners. The rig is taken off a Soling and already has a permanent backstay...I believe the runners are overkill. I'd like to keep the inline spreaders and shrouds, lead a set of lowers aft and another set forward, and attach a set of aft shrouds where the runners are now tied to the mast (right at the headstay) to someplace aft of the mast. My question....how far aft of the mast must I lead the new shrouds. I've seen them from 2" to 2'. Obviously the flexibility of the mast comes into play......are there any other factors to be considered??

[gonzo]

I think that 5 to 6 degrees of angle from the shroud to the mast is adequate.

[Wayne Wallace]

Thanks......can you tell me where you come up with that angle? From my limited knowledge, I know a 12 deg angle is minimum for athwardships support of the mast (thus the spreaders). I'm wondering what the calculations for linear support might entail. Needless to say, I'll only get one shot at this.

Wayne

[gonzo]

High performance rigs narrow the athwartships angle to 12 degrees or so. My figure for fore and aft comes from experience. It is the common angle for rigs. Check out other boats at a marina or in some designs and see what they are.