Joe, No furler unit yet, but I do like the forestay rigid going to windward. Just yesterday I purchased the parts to tension the back stay with. This is how I plan to set it up. Others may have different ideas, and who knows, maybe I will change it after trying it out. I had a couple of ways to do it. A CS Johnson standard duty split backstay car 39-201 http://mt.csjohnson.com/marinecatalog/00036.htm Clam cleat CL253 or CL230 ( I went with CL230 and the PT Link. The 230 is slightly lower profile than the 253). Both these clam cleats have a roller in them to enable bringing the line in the bottom and turn it back out the top. If you click on this link you will see how it sets up. Gives you a cleat on the line you use to tighten/loosen with. http://www.clamcleat.com/cleats/cleat_details.asp?theid2=49 Small shackle or ring on the stbd backstay chainplate. Line from there up through the center sheave of the backstay car, then tied off to the clam cleat top end. Second line down from the clam cleat to the port backstay chainplate through a small swivel block there and back up through the clam cleat and leading down to tighten. A little less than 2:1 on the first line, cascading onto the 2:1 of the clam cleat line will give almost 4:1 The other way I had looked at was to have a single line, going through swivel blocks at each chainplate, up through the adjuster car. Each end would cleat on a clam cleat or camcleat on transom coamings. The mechanical advantage would not be quite as great and I would have to drill into the coaming for each cleat. My earler way takes away the coaming mounts. Hope it works. I will let you know. Bill M17 Makin' Time On Sun, Jun 6, 2010 at 3:29 PM, Joe Murphy <seagray@embarqmail.com> wrote:

Has anyone with a M17 with a CDI furler toyed with installing a backstay tensioner? I have my backstay tightened down as far as the turnbuckle will allow but notice that the headstay/furler looks a little limp. To compensate I tightened up the headstay but now I have very little rake, if any. I've seen recommended rakes as much a 12". I'm thinking that a backstay tensisoner might kill two birds with the same stone..... tighten the forestay and create some rake??? I'm thinking of using a pincher design using a 4 part purchase to tension a pair of blocks to ride down the split stays. Has anyone tried this? Are the attachements at the the deck for the split backstay strong enough to handle a backstay tensioner? Am I toying with danger that might damage any of the rest of the rigging?? Any advice is always welcome. Thanks, Joe M17 Seafrog #651 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats

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