Rig description:
The Stomp38 rig is designed as a 2 spreader rig with an additional spreader at the I point to give support to the topmast under spinnaker load. The spreader angles of 27 degrees is designed to give good control of the rig while maintaining a good safety factor. The twin topmast backstays provide additional support for down wind sailing & adjustment of the forestay load upwind.


Tuning the Rig :
The basic principal of the rig is to achieve the desired forestay tension while maintaining fore & aft mast control to adjust the shape of the mainsail. It is not the intention to achieve 100% forestay tension at the dock by over tightening the rig as this will limit the flexibility of the rig while sailing. Rather the forestay should be moderately tighten for the "A" tune for medium wind. It is the function of the backstaysto provide the ultimate forestay tension, allowing for the forestay to sag during tacks, low spread maneuvers & lumpy sea conditions in order that the headsail shape can be made more powerful.

Tie rods
The tie rods should be tensioned before the rig is setup. With a man standing on the mast collar tighter the tie rods to medium tension, enough to hold the deck from moving when the weight of the man is removed.
The function of the tie rods is to resist the upward pull of the halyards while sailing and to counter the upward pressure on the deck from the squeezing of the boat from the D1 & V1 force.


Mast base
The initial position of the mast base should be 60mm forward of the mast at the deck collar.

Mast rake
After the rig is tensioned & with no backstay load with the boat in level trim the rake should be 800mm. This is measured from the back of the mast at the top of P & at the gooseneck.
Method: Hang a bucket of water (8Litre) from the main halyard so that the bucket of water is just clear of the deck. Measure the distance from the halyard to the back of the mast at the gooseneck. If need be make an allowance for any distance the halyard is away from the mast face at the top

Tensioning the rig
When the rig is being tensioned the boom should not be attached to the mast, the backstays should be completely off and the V3/D4 should be loose. Ensure also that the D1 & D2 stays are not over tightened when tensioning the rig.

The designed tension or "A"setting is reached when about 100mm of movement can be made in the forestay at 2.0 about the deck while being bounced by a man. With the forestay set at the correct length for the mast rake gradually take up on the V1 stays, making sure that the desired pre-bend of 75mm is maintained. The pre-bend is measured as the distance of a straight line between the top & bottom of P at the aft face of the mast. This can be done by pulling the main halyard tight at the back of the mast. Check also that the mast at the I point is in the center of the boat. This is done by measuring from the forestay pin at the I point from a mark or each gunwale approximately 650 aft of the mast at desk level. Measure from the center of the bow chainplate to 650 aft of the mast on one side & replicate this distance on the other side of the boat. As the rig is tensioned site up the mast to ensure a continuous curve is
maintained fore & aft & the mast is kept in column athwartships.

Backstay adjustment
The backstay is used to control the topmast while sailing downwind with spinnakers. The backstay should never be over tightened downwind to bend the topmast aft. Upwind the backstay is used to control the forestay sag & mainsail shape by bending the mast. Care should be taken to not over tighten the backstays while sailing. This will cause the forestay to sag as the leeward V1ís slacken because of the large spreader angler. Generally the leeward V1 & D1ís will be slack when sailing upwind when the mast is turned correctly.
It is describable to find a one setting does all setup & use the backstay
for final adjustments. After the rig is tuned record all settings by meaning from the swage to the turnbuckle bottom pin on all stays.
Continuous rig checks should be made after each sailing day. Check for sign of fatigue & cracking at all spreader roots & fittings for both the section & fittings. Check fitting for wear and overuse.


Rig Tension Gauges
Some gauges like the Loos gauges can be helpful in ensuring that the tension is the same on both sides of the rig and to record tension settings for future reference. Most gauges do not accurately measure The actual load of the stay inparticular when Dyform and rod rigging is used. However they areuseful to determine relative tensions for any given boat.