Triatic stay between masts on N33 Mk11

[Steve Chafer]

Hello
My 1989 N33 doesn’t have a triatic stay between the masts although I notice many boats do! Should I add one in the refit?

[David Babsky]

Dear Steve,

Nautilia DID have a triatic stay originally – though I couldn’t see what it did – and when we went up the Thames in 2004 or 2005 we removed the masts, of course, as (..apart from Tower Bridge, which opened for us on our first trip upriver!..) we wouldn’t have fitted under any of the bridges with the masts still on!

The masts were taken off at South Dock marina at Rotherhithe, and were put back on when we came back down the Thames again.

As I couldn’t see the point or purpose of the triatic, and it’d have meant climbing up the marina crane to attach it to the top of the mainmast, I never bothered putting it back ..and the boat sailed perfectly well without it ever afterwards.

But if you do want to put it back, it’s one of the ropes ..similar to a halyard.. in either the step under the port door of the wheelhouse – where there’s also chain or warp for the kedge, plus other spare lines – or possibly in the fore cabin with the sails, or under one of the bunks there.

I see now – looking it up on oceansail.co.uk – that “..A triatic stay is a piece of standing rigging that runs between masts. On a ketch it runs between the main mast and the head of the mizzen mast and is used to stop the upper section of the mizzen mast being pulled backwards”. We-ell, we never had a problem with “..the upper section of the mizzen mast being pulled backwards..” so I never re-instated it. Your choice entirely!

P.S: I’ve now found the port side wheelhouse door key, so will send it this week!

With all best wishes,

Yours,

– David.

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[Alan Wilson]

The problem is that because of the sweep of the main boom across the top of the wheelhouse, it’s not possible to fit shrouds any distance forward of the mizzen mast, so there’s very little forward pull to counteract the mizzen backstay & sheet pulling the top of the mizzen mast aft. Hard on the wind in F6 & above and especially in bouncy seas, I find the triatic stay noticeably tightens: I’d feel quite vulnerable without it.

I’ve sailed in company with a friend in a very similar boat without a triatic stay and noticed the top of his mizzen mast flexing fore & aft, in a sudden & not forecast F7 from Calais to Ramsgate: checking his rigging afterwards it seemed quite tight enough.

On my Nauticat 33 Mk I the stay is shackled to the top of the main mast & lead over a pulley at the top of the mizzen down to a cleat: it’s easy enough to attach a mouse to the end of the stay, let the stay + mouse go up & over the pulley and down to the wheelhouse roof; untie the mouse from the stay; tie the stay round the main mast & the mouse round the mizzen mast; then just lift the masts out (!). Reverse the process to put it back up. The trick is to get someone else to do it, so you can take photos & criticise.

[Paul Jepson]

My N331 does not have a triatic stay. It is arguably better to have the 2 masts independent of each other in case a catastrophe with one brings them both down. I have never had a problem or concern despite being subject to some very strong winds. The mizzen mast section is sufficiently large and strong to support the upper section of the mast above the shroud attachments. The swept back spreaders provide general forward support to the mast. Think dinghy rigs where the upper mast section is similarly unsupported despite a much smaller mast section carrying a similar sail area to a N33 mizzen. I have however considered adding slab reefing to the mizzen to keep the helm balanced when the main and genoa are heavily reefed.

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