Length of Rod Backstay
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Is anyone able to measure the length of an original rod backstay? Also, how does it terminate at the lower end?
I should be able to get that for you. I’ll send a photo of the terminating end with the measurement some time tomorrow. I’m 90% sure my backstay rod is original.
awesome, thank you.
From the center of the pin at the mast head to the bottom of the wire backstay turnbuckle (red arrow)its 356 1/2″ Other photo is the block at the end of the turnbuckle. Hardly makes sense that there is a turnbuckle at the end with a cascading backstay. Not sure what the original configuration looked like. Anyway I believe it’s the original wire and that’s what is there.
SWG,
Why would you want to replace your backstay with rod or wire? We have been using class legal dyneema (amsteel) for years. Inexpensive, Very light, little stretch & little if any issues w/ UV (& we are in Hawaii).
Quick and easy to splice to length…thanks for the info steve much appreciated.
jim – i don’t want to REPLACE with rod. the boat has a rod backstay now. we are going to replace the original split wire backstay adjuster with dyneema but leave the rod backstay itself. i want to do an accurate drawing of the backstay adjuster and for that i need the length of just the rod. the photos of the termination are mostly because i am so unfamiliar with the boat – it being new to us – that i don’t even know how the original rod backstay looks.
yes, we could delete the rod completely and go dyneema for the whole backstay as well as the adjuster but i think we’ll keep the rod for now.
Get rid of the rod now. Make the rope any length you want. I’m using the heat set dyneema that will boost the strength from amsteel blue 5800 lbs to 9300 lbs using 3/16″. It doesn’t have the initial creep you get with a ‘new’ installation of regular amsteel. I make my backstay only long enough so that I can reach the block from the cabin top at face level or a bit higher. No geometry needed. Spend 30 minutes making eyes (with SS thimbles) $75 bucks now vs later…do it now is the time to do it.
New England Ropes STS – HSR 75 Silver Dyneema Rope
•Diameter: 3/16″ (5mm), Tensile Strength: 9300 lbs, Color: Gray
•Material: 100% HMPE Dyneema 75 Fiber, Heat Treated Under Tension
•Replacement for Lifelines and Selected Standing Rigging, Sold per Foot
$2.00 a foot is normal price.
Will weigh less than a pound! Weigh that rod!
cool bruce thanks for the input. i know people are keen to reduce weight aloft, with good reason. i read an old post here, someone had weighed their rod backstay and it was 2.6lb. there are some good reasons to retain the original backstay too. #108 still has wire-rope halyards! they’re actually out of the mast and they’re not going back in…
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