Pearson 10M Mast Wedges, Needed?

[sagablu]

Good Day all,

I recently purchased a 76' Pearson 10M. I am new to boat ownership so I need some direction.

A friend of mine ( long time sailor) who nicely helped me mount the genoa told me I should install mast wedges. There is nearly an inch between the deck and the mast. (I would likely install spar-tite next year anyway.) Further I was told to get the spec and buy a tension gauge to verify the standing rigging. Regardless I will be taking the boat out at the end of the summer to cut off the corroded section of the mast and rebuild the step.

So the questions are:

Do I need the mast wedges, I see nothing in the owners manual about them being required.

Is re-tensioning the rigging needed or can I get through a season as is and let the rigger get all set up properly over the winter? The last guy who owned the boat was not too technical from my estimation. So if needed I doubt he did it recently.

Thanks!

[Dave Lochner]

The answer to both questions is yes.

The wedges help to hold the mast in place in the partners. Without them the mast will pump and bang and be difficult to tune.

Rig tuning is not that difficult and it is made easier with a gauge. If the tension on one side of the mast is significantly different from the other side, the mast will go out of column and come down.

Rig tuning also has a pronounced effect on sail trim and boat performance. Most of the spar makers have tuning guides on their websites, Selden and Hall spars have good ones.

Ivar Dedekam's book Sail and Rig Tuning is a good resource. Once you get the hang of it, rig tuning is pretty easy. Go slow and when it gets screwed up (it will the first couple of times) loosen everything and start over.