Lowers tension

[Baz]

Hi,

I'm new to the class. Pete's rigging guide is really helpful. Could someone please suggest how tight or loose the lowers should be in the on/off settings.

Kind regards,

Barry

[MarkR]

I would not say I'm an expert but - I have set the tension such that the windward lower is tight when I have the kicker full "on" and what looks like a reasonable amount of bend in the mast with flattening of the sail. For a while I was sailing with the lowers tight even with the kicker "off", and I was not getting much mast bend at all (as the tight lowers were preventing the bend). I loosened one full hole and it seems much better now.
So you want the kickers loose enough to permit a reasonable amount of mast bend. Now you have the question what is a "reasonable" amount of mast bend, which I guess is up to you depending how you sail, wind strength etc. Maybe you could try loosening/tightening a hole at a time until it seems right.