Otay out I come. Upper Shrouds-moderately tensioned (this means no deck deflecting turnbuckle crankin'..easy big guy...it also means no flop). Please do not induce compressive loads on the mast using the uppers. I believe the rig does not like it. Mine told me so once. Lower Shrouds-loose enough to allow the lower and central section of the mast to deflect forward with moderate Boom Vang tension. There is that Vang thing raising its ugly head again. I believe Dave Ullman said the MOST important piece (adjustment) on a sailboat is the Boom Vang. They are NOT for racing only. Dave also told me outhauls should pretty much have two positions - on, and you got it..off. Vangs control twist and projected area (fancy esoteric terminology) as Jerry "Fast" Montgomery points out. By controlling twist one is able to increase and decrease power in the mainsail. Jerry and Dave think this is GOOD. Jerry asked for $.02 worth, here it comes. BTW Thanks Jerry. IMHO the 17's rig can benefit from some control of the central section of the mast's fore and aft movement. So, I use the Vang in conjunction with 'relaxed Lower shroud tension' to induce forward bend in the center of the mast. Please be careful doing this, as too much is hard on the boat, sails, and eventually your wallet, when the spar bends. The 'relaxed lowers' also allow me to rake the mast ' ridiculously' forward on a very broad reach and run (150-180 degrees) I mean forward- as in the masthead over the mooring cleat on the foredeck! This requires a Loooong throw backstay adjuster -available at Jmbn Rigging- to get that thing out there. It does make a difference (You saw it on OLN LV Challenge) The Vang is very important but that's a whole story in itself. By the way my Vang is 3:1 X2 wire with 3/16 line, considerably smaller than the aforementioned 3/8. I NEED a Vang because I do not use a traveler. ( proud of it too!) My mainsheet is a forked or split type as used on Snipes and Penguins. When the main is trimmed in all the way, the boom is locked like a vise on the centerline. The twist (power) is generated and excess is disposed of with the Vang. Now we all know these sailboats are complicated, but I think I got rid of one control ( the traveler), This allows me to maximize my ability to spaceout.....I mean deal with the trimming issues at hand. Mainsheet - Vang, Mainsheet - Vang, ohh and that pesky cunningham (crews job), important control that cunni. Different Strokes. That seems like I spewed more than my $.02 worth but then again I am not known for brevity. Thanks for the forum Peace Gary O. M-17 # 316A still trying to figure out the tall rig - no babystay thing fore and aft lowers? like the race bred C-22 maybe?? Perspiring mind wants to know. "That's why old people walk so slow, because they're remembering all the stories. I'm not that old but I know a lot because I used to hang out with old people back when there used to be real old people. Now everyone is sort of my age or younger, and most people don't know much more than I do. It's disappointing to become a leading authority in the field when you still have so much you want to learn."-Garrison Keillor