No- (re: the tension) I always use a backstay adjuster, which takes care of headstay tension, and I keep the uppers tighter than the lowers (and the lowers not very tight). I really don't like a too tight rig. I used to race a 17 against Neal Clark, a very good sailer living in Tucson; he kept his rigging very tight and our boatspeed was identical as far as I could tell. Almost one extreme against the other. Maybe it doesn't matter, or maybe the ideal is somewhere in between. I took the liberty of sending this to the M list hoping that Gary Oberbeck in Phoenix might throw in his .02 worth. He's been sailing a 17 for many years and is pretty darn mean out on the race course. Jerry ----- Original Message ----- From: Saltm17@aol.com To: jmbn@innercite.com Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2003 6:03 AM Subject: Re: Rigging Jerry, If the old turnbuckles are ok then don't replace them, except for the ones that are mildly bent, those I would like replaced. If the backstay brindle is ok, then don't replace it. Have you ever take a tension reading of a well tuned M17? I took some readings before I took the riggin down and was wondering how they would compare to a well tuned rig. Thanks John